Podcast
Spirit Gym with Paul Chek
Hosted by Paul Chek · EN
Get ready for a no-holds-barred exploration of life and why we’re all here. Each week, world-renowned Holistic Health Practitioner Paul Chek and his guests will tackle topics like spirituality and metaphysics, human performance, diet, science, plant medicine, relationships, sexuality, lifestyle, and personal development with a depth and honesty that you won’t find anywhere else. Previously called Living 4D with Paul Chek, the podcast changed name to Spirit Gym with Paul Chek on Episode 300.
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398 — AI Doesn't Hallucinate — It Makes Crap Up (That Distinction Matters) With Elizabeth Nelson
1w ago02:01:56Tap to summarizeOnce upon a time not so very long ago, artificial intelligence (AI) was a product of speculative science fiction, especially in films from Metropolis to Blade Runner.Today, AI has so infiltrated our daily lives, the thought of not having access to Google or other AI-driven apps on our mobile phones and computers scares the crap out of a lot of people. Paul continues his investigation into AI with able assistance from author, Silicon Valley survivor and depth psychologist Elizabeth Nelson who explores the wide gulf between human and machine this week on Spirit Gym.Check out Elizabeth’s essays and individual coaching groups, watch her video presentations and read her essays on her website.Timestamps7:54 Defining technology and machines.12:05 Artificial intelligence, large language models (LLMs) or large language machines?19:12 “Technology is not neutral.”23:48 Confusing data and information with real knowledge.29:50 The intrusion of machine language into our humanity.37:45 The danger of LLMs emulating humans.51:23 Exploring the gulf between human and cyborg/machine in books and films like Blade Runner.57:23 When describing what AI does, calling it making crap up or AI slop is better than hallucinating.1:08:26 Are we turning an it like AI into a being?1:14:15 The irony of some people celebrating the end times while others turn to transhumanism.1:38:18 Can you leave your tech toys at home for a week without feeling anxiety?1:49:48 Why is it so important for humanity to understand very clearly what reality is?ResourcesDepth Psychology, Myth and Artificial Intelligence: Soul and the Machine, edited by Jason Batt and Jonathan EricksonThe Art of Jungian Couples Therapy: An Introduction by Elizabeth Nelson and Anthony DelmedicoThe Art of Inquiry: A Depth Psychology Perspective by Elizabeth Nelson and Joseph CoppinPsyche’s Knife: Archetypal Explorations of Love and Power by Elizabeth NelsonJournal of Jungian Scholarly StudiesUnderstanding Media: The Extension of Man by Marshall McLuhan and Lewis Lapham Elizabeth’s Psyche, Soma, Cyborg course at the Pacifica Graduate InstituteThe Ship of Theseus (Theseus’s Paradox)Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. DickExteroceptionElysiumThe work of James Hillman and Edward EdingerPaul’s podcast conversation with B. EarlDNA: Pirates of the Sacred Spiral by Leonard HorowitzFrankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus by Mary ShelleyThe Forgotten Truth: The Common Vision of the World’s Religions by Huston SmithThe Social Dilemma on NetflixElizabeth’s presentation during the recent Soul and the Machine webinar on the International Society of Mythology websiteFind more resources for this episode on our website.Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear MusicThanks to our awesome sponsors:PaleovalleyBIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15Organifi CHEK20Wild PasturesPique LifeCHEK InstituteWe may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
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397 — The Shamanic Journey You Never Knew Fasting Could Be With Sean McCormick
2w ago02:40:02Tap to summarizeThanks to its recent mainstream popularity, more people are turning to fasting as a means to promote better health and weight loss than ever before, but is it a good one? Fasting can be beneficial for some people but not everyone, and only if they really pay attention to what their bodies are telling them and are working with professionals like Sean McCormick, an expert in the realm of dry fasting.Paul and Sean discuss the real world pros and cons of fasting and how a session of fasting, under the best and safest conditions, can be a life-changing Shamanic journey this week on Spirit Gym.Learn more about Sean and dry fasting on his website and Dry Fast With Friends where you can access a FREE Dry Fast Guide and masterclass video. Find Sean on social media via Instagram here and here. Listen to Sean’s Optimal Performance podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to them. For Spirit Gym listeners: Interested in taking the next step into dry fasting? Join Sean’s next Dry Fast With Friends 4.0 live event starting June 25 at Dry Fast With Friends. Save 50 PERCENT on the event or any other levels of dry fasting by using the promo code CHEK. (Special offers from Spirit Gym guests are time-sensitive and at their discretion to redeem after 30 days.)Timestamps4:28 Sean’s journey to performance optimization began when his parents taught him transcendental meditation at age 12.11:17 Sean’s first dry fast was to impress a young woman who is now his wife during Ramadan.29:32 Sean’s experiments with various fasting methods that are measurable.35:13 Why dry fasting works best for Sean.41:44 Pay attention to how your body reacts badly and well to fasting, then food and water afterward.53:23 How a fast can be an introspective process.1:02:07 Down and dirty with enemas.1:12:11 Can you recognize you don’t know everything and be willing to refer a client to a health professional with more skills?1:20:32 Dry fasting isn’t good for everyone, with the metabolic disruptions that occur in your body.1:36:19 Treat fasting like a Shamanic journey, not a quick fix to lose weight.ResourcesThe Phoenix Protocol: Dry Fasting For Rapid Healing and Radical Life Extension by Dr. August DunningFind more resources for this episode on our website.Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear MusicThanks to our awesome sponsors:PaleovalleyBIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15Organifi CHEK20Wild PasturesPique LifeCHEK InstituteWe may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
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396 — Does Your Personal Cosmology Need Improvement Before a Plant Medicine Ceremony With Mark Gober
3w ago02:26:12Tap to summarizeIf someone asked you about your personal cosmology — who are you, why are you here and what is your role on our planet — what would you tell them? Or, more to the point, could you really answer the question?For best-selling author Mark Gober, it took years for him to understand the huge gap between following a personal cosmology that was nihilistic, random, superficial and meaningless and living an intentional one that embraces Spirit and the divine in all of us. A decade passed before Mark was ready for his first plant medicine ceremony, and the healing work he did on developing his personal cosmology made all of the difference in creating a positive, intimate experience that keeps on delivering insights. Join Mark and Paul on a journey of discovery and lasting growth with help from plant medicines and learn why a personal cosmology matters this week on Spirit Gym.Check out Mark and his work on his website and on social media via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, YouTube and Telegram.Timestamps3:46 Does our intellect or something in our biology block us being receptive to our natural state, especially as we age?12:23 How plant medicines reconnect us to the various aspects of ourselves.15:20 Amnesia is built into the human experience (with a large dose of ignorance thrown in).22:27 Ibogaine: A medicine that loves through truth, even when it is painful.31:12 Mark meets ibogaine.44:00 It took a decade for Mark to be ready for his first plant medicine ceremony.46:55 Mark’s four intentions going into his first plant medicine ceremony.1:05:31 Self-betrayal: A form of self-loathing that our society trains us to do.1:09:35 Ancestral trauma, underlying terror and catastrophic thinking.1:17:27 “Whenever we heal for ourselves, we’re really healing for our family.”1:26:54 The purpose of existence and authenticity is the only game in town.1:32:07 A sign Mark was tapping into his divine guidance before his plant medicine ceremony: Writing a book about it.ResourcesAn End to the Upside Down Cosmos by Mark GoberFind more resources for this episode on our website.Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear MusicThanks to our awesome sponsors:PaleovalleyBIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15Organifi CHEK20Wild PasturesPique LifeCHEK InstituteWe may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
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395 — The Family Who Ditched The Rat Race and Never Looked Back With Robyn and Victor Robledo
4w ago02:33:06Tap to summarizeIf you’re a parent, do you remember one day when you had fun with your kids doing things that weren’t tied down to going on a (rare) yearly vacation or a holiday gathering?Unfortunately, most parents are living the lives of event planners, carting their kids from home to school, birthday parties, recitals, large family gatherings and too many youth sports and hardly anyone is having any fun (or getting much sleep).Do you want to parent your kids in a more holistic, connected way that teaches them how to be their best selves and allows you to live your best life too? Robyn and Victor Robledo, the nomads with a purpose who raised their five kids on the road, will show you how this week on Spirit Gym.Learn more about Robyn, Victor and their family at the Nomads With a Purpose website and Robyn’s website. Check out their adventures on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Contact Victor and Robyn via email for information about their services.Timestamps4:39 Building a business as a couple at age 20 on the fly and figuring it out.8:11 Victor’s extreme adrenal fatigue and subsequent panic attack changed everything.16:15 Victor’s collision course with trauma.20:46 Leaving Southern California to explore the world.29:24 Two parents and five kids living on the road on about 150 euros ($174) a day.32:37 Paul’s collision course with seasonal affective disorder.39:08 There's something amazing about waking up and choosing what you want to do today, not what you have to do.47:53 Are you so afraid of your kids that they will reject you?55:12 “There’s no self-growth in me sitting on the sidelines of another soccer game.”1:04:54 What started as homeschooling eventually became unschooling.1:13:09 Robyn and Victor raised a family of seven on roughly $4,000 per month while living on the road.1:32:39 The Five Pillars of healthy living Robyn and Victor have used to build their family.ResourcesThe Road Less Traveled: Why You Shouldn’t Give Up Your Comfy Couch, Hot Showers and Steady Paycheck by Robyn RobledoGabriela Robledo’s TEDx Talk on How to Find Purpose and Personal PowerFind more resources for this episode on our website.Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear MusicThanks to our awesome sponsors:PaleovalleyBIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15Organifi CHEK20Wild PasturesPique LifeCHEK InstituteWe may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
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394 — Every Parable Has 3 Levels of Understanding and Most People Are Stuck on Level One With Sean O’Laoire
Apr 2102:04:39Tap to summarizeWhen many of you were very young, you learned about right versus wrong sitting in Sunday School being taught the Parables of Jesus. Unfortunately, that’s often where the learning stopped…Discover how reviewing the Parables from an adult perspective can be a transformative experience with the help of Sean O’Laoire this week on Spirit Gym.Learn more about Sean at his Spirits in Spacesuits website. Find him on social media via Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Timestamps8:04 Defining Parables.9:42 The difference between knowledge and wisdom.16:21 Jesus: The master of exaggeration.23:21 The master and the servant motif in Parables.26:16 The real lesson behind the Prodigal Son Parable.30:48 The Proverb (ancient words).48:32 “Every piece that’s necessary is there and every piece that’s there is necessary.”56:53 The soul.1:00:32 What’s your personal epistemology?1:11:00 The Cross according to Rudolf Steiner.1:21:40 “There is no situation you cannot reconfigure in order to become a deeply spiritual person.”1:26:10 Solving problems from a deeper meta-perspective.1:38:54 Religion: The training wheels for spirituality.1:45:52 Do you live in gratitude?2:01:10 Sean closes the conversation with a song.ResourcesSetting God Free: Moving Beyond the Caricature We've Created in Our Own Image by Sean O’LaoireJesus and Lao Tzu: The Parallel Sayings by Martin AronsonThe cockle (weed)Ilya Progogine’s concept of dissipative structures Paul’s podcast conversation with Sayer JiHow to Understand Your Bible by Manly P. HallFind more resources for this episode on our website.Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear MusicThanks to our awesome sponsors:PaleovalleyBIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15Organifi CHEK20Wild PasturesPique LifeCHEK InstituteWe may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
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393 — Your Kid’s Dropping IQ Is Not An Accident — Here’s the Proof With Dr. Jared Horvath
Apr 1403:02:21Tap to summarizeDoes it seem to you as if today’s kids are not as smart and lacking in common sense than previous generations? You’re not imagining things…The current focus on education — treating the human brain like a computer and using artificial intelligence (AI) to feed it knowledge — may be great for sitting in front of a screen playing video games, but not so much on real learning and creativity, the one true superpower every human being has.Educator Dr. Jared Horvath explains why today’s kids are cognitively declining and describes what we can do to reverse that downward trend this week on Spirit Gym.Learn more about Jared at his LME Global website and on social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram.Timestamps8:05 Pursuing the science of learning.13:20 “The brain is not a computer, and you are not your brain.”24:49 Our kids are losing their conceptual natures, and are cognitively declining.27:56 Humanity’s greatest superpower.32:32 The three stages of creativity.35:30 Why are kids living East Asian countries smarter and more creative than those in America?50:01 Why teachers don’t have a say in the education process.58:20 Focusing on proximal goals versus distal goals.1:09:29 Do you really understand the difference between opinions and knowledge?1:16:01 AI falsely assumes human thought is best represented in speech.1:21:00 The reification of education.1:28:09 When Paul was a child, he dreamed of becoming a bank robber.1:35:42 The breadth of your knowledge is only as good as the depth of it, which may explain why education is broken.1:42:32 The importance of mastery.1:53:07 Is it really cheaper for schools to divest from digital tech for physical education and the arts?2:02:28 Why it is NOT important for kids to be taught how to use AI.2:16:01 Jared’s real problem with AI, aside from the fact that it does nothing: Its intellectual heritage is hidden.2:21:08 The tech outsourcing of basic parenting.ResourcesThe Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids’ Learning — And How To Help Them Thrive Again by Dr. Jared HorvathFind more resources for this episode on our website.Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear MusicThanks to our awesome sponsors:PaleovalleyBIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15Organifi CHEK20Wild PasturesPique LifeCHEK InstituteWe may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
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392 — What Writing Spider-Man Taught Me About the Fool’s Journey With B. Earl
Apr 702:32:16Tap to summarizeDid you know the comic book characters and their stories that are adapted into very successful books, TV shows and movies could teach you as much about myth as the work of Joseph Campbell?Filmmaker and comic book writer B. Earl describes how his deep love for comics, mythology and the Tarot led him on a Fool’s Journey away from doing the safe thing — studying biochemistry — to work on Spider-Man comics, make movies and share the lessons he learned by following the road less traveled this week on Spirit Gym.Discover more about B. Earl on his Weirdbunch Studio website and on Instagram, Substack and LinkedIn. Read his chapter in the book, Depth Psychology, Myth and Artificial Intelligence: Soul and the Machine, edited by Jason Batt and Jonathan Erickson. Check out his crowdfunded Fangbanger: SUPERPOSITION Anthology on Zoop.Timestamps7:44 “I found my voice and my own ideas through a mixture of mythology and comic books.”11:09 Whose dream wins out to study biochemistry or telling stories?17:53 B. Earl’s Hero’s Journey begins with a call from movie producer Larry Cohen.28:03 The Tarot helps B. Earl achieve sobriety when he needed it.33:45 The libido as life force energy.37:46 How do we learn to process, use and embrace the 72 demons of Solomon?49:13 The commercialization of Hip Hop.53:35 Comics: The most powerful medium and the additive version of the creative process.1:00:05 Can you decode the symbolism hiding in plain sight?1:07:15 How much of your consciousness is tied up in your ego?1:16:44 The Fool’s Journey.1:26:40 Different Tarot card decks, different insights.1:35:00 The forced redundancy of us in AI.1:41:07 The magic of storytelling that conveys deeper truths and native myths in B. Earl’s Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man.1:55:55 Conflict and forgiveness are necessary for us to live and grow.ResourcesWatch B. Earl talk about The Poetry of Death during the recent Soul and the Machine webinar on the International Society of Mythology websiteFind more resources for this episode on our website.Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear MusicThanks to our awesome sponsors:PaleovalleyBIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15Organifi CHEK20Wild PasturesPique LifeCHEK InstituteWe may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
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391 — Myth, Soul and the Machine: How Ancient Wisdom Can Ground You in a World Gone Digital with Jason Batt
Mar 3102:46:05Tap to summarizeAs artificial intelligence (AI) encroaches deeper than ever before into our daily lives, how do we as humans begin to address the greater questions about the soul and what mysteries lie beyond our planet?Technological Philosopher, Mythologist/Futurist and Wizard Jason Batt joins Paul on an exploration of what lies ahead for humans and AI and how the power of myth can light the way this week on Spirit Gym.Check out Jason’s work on his website, the International Society of Mythology and Substack. Find him on social media via Instagram and LinkedIn.For Spirit Gym listeners: Save 15 percent on on these courses Jason teaches with the following promo codes:The Haunted House as Psyche SPIRITGYM15OFFHHThe Long Reach: SF Worldbuilding/ Empires SPIRITGYM15OFFLRGods, Heroes and Monsters: An Introduction to Classical Mythology SPIRITGYM15OFFGHMTimestamps7:31 Is Jason a Technological Philosopher, Mythologist/Futurist or a Wizard?16:25 The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the 100 Year Starship project comes calling on the birth of Jason’s third child.29:08 Why the Tarot has been around for a long time.46:17 Momentary gods.59:35 The danger of mixing myth and religion.1:08:27 What happens when AI platforms talk to each other?1:18:12 “Every book of fiction is ourself.”1:25:59 The greatest profession anyone could have.1:37:31 The SOUL.md of AI.1:48:32 The myth of Narcissus is a metaphor for modern times.1:58:19 To ignore the lessons of myth leaves us vulnerable to the hubris of unchecked innovation and being deceived.ResourcesDepth Psychology, Myth and Artificial Intelligence: Soul and the Machine by Jason Batt and Jonathan EricksonFind more resources for this episode on our website.Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear MusicThanks to our awesome sponsors:PaleovalleyBIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15Organifi CHEK20Wild PasturesPique LifeCHEK InstituteWe may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
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390 — You Can't Fire a Cannon From a Canoe: The Core Truth Elite Athletes Learn Too Late With Paul Chek
Mar 2402:02:37Tap to summarizeWhen people have a hard time dealing with back pain that keeps them from doing the tasks that make up their day, they rarely think about the health of their core, the locus of their body’s visceral somatic expression.In this very special solocast, Paul shares a wealth of knowledge he’s accumulated for more than a quarter-century about the core and explains why doctors and therapists commonly misdiagnose the origins of back pain and assorted injuries this time on Spirit Gym.This episode is also available as a video on Paul's YouTube channel. To see the graphics he talks about, download the accompanying handout here. After you listen to the podcast, take a few minutes to complete the NLC CHEK Health Index — an official CHEK Institute assessment tool — at this link.Timestamps3:17 Mapping out your core, the foundation for your arms and legs.6:42 Why many physicians and therapists misdiagnose core dysfunctions like back pain.9:00 The CHEK Totem Pole.15:09 The most unstable part of your body and spine.25:43 Why it’s common to see hip, knee, ankle and foot injuries originate in the spine and low back.28:24 How the inner and outer unit muscles work.37:10 “You cannot fire a cannon from a canoe!”44:14 The RC Factor.51:43 Functional exercise and infant development.1:02:53 The Primal Pattern™ movement system.1:15:31 One of the most dangerous things you can do in a gym.1:21:44 The human microbiome.1:28:33 Without healthy glands and organs, optimal conditioning and strength development cannot happen.1:48:59 Fear changes everything from your breathing to your muscle tone, posture and hormones.1:52:53 Achieving balance between the right and left hemispheres of your brain.ResourcesThe filum terminaleThe Spinal Engine by Serge Gracovetsky (FREE PDF link)How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy (20th Anniversary Edition)Find more resources for this episode on our website.Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear MusicThanks to our awesome sponsors:PaleovalleyBIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15Organifi CHEK20Wild PasturesPique LifeCHEK InstituteWe may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
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389 — The Deeper Your Questions Get, the Bigger Your Life Becomes With Fred Provenza
Mar 1702:09:56Tap to summarizeWhile navigating the very narrow habitrail of daily living, it’s very easy to forget there’s an amazing, alluring and mysterious universe all around us that we simply cannot completely quantify (but take very much for granted). Over time, this daily dulling of our imagination can kill our heart, mind and soul, but only if we let it…If you’ve misplaced your sense of wonder and want to reclaim it, join Paul and his very special guest Fred Provenza on an exploration of the cosmos through the world of dreams this week on Spirit Gym.Download Fred’s recent paper, Cosmic Dreaming: Memories of a Moment on Earth, for FREE at this link. Check out Fred’s earlier work on Acres USA at this link.Watch Fred’s recent discussion, Cosmic Dreaming: The Ecology of Food Systems and Human and Environmental Health, with the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine on YouTube.Learn more about the Behavioral Education for Human Animal Vegetation and Ecosystem Management (BEHAVE) program co-founded by Fred at Utah State University at this link.Timestamps 2:21 The conversation begins with prayers.4:59 What happens when God become an idea instead of a mystery?14:25 The one lesson all of us need to learn during our time on the planet.25:38 The book that saved Fred from a life of depression.31:16 What is consciousness?37:58 How Fred developed a course on Myth and The Management of Natural Resources.44:19 The danger of dogmas.56:57 “You depart from nature when the death you produce no longer feeds or supports life.”1:08:09 Has the human race become doers at the expense of losing out on feeling alive?1:11:35 How much do you want to be owned?1:33:13 The inherent creativity of human beings.1:38:08 Challenges, opportunities, living in an evolutionary spirit and transcending boundaries.1:51:36 The importance of studying principles that transcend time and space.ResourcesThe Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and Bill MoyersLucid Dying: The New Science of Revolutionizing How We Understand Life and Death by Sam ParniaFind more resources for this episode on our website.Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear MusicThanks to our awesome sponsors:PaleovalleyBIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15Organifi CHEK20Wild PasturesPique LifeCHEK InstituteWe may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
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