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railroad tycoon
George M. Pullman
[1831-1897]
![seated portrait of railroad tycoon George M. Pullman [1831-1897]](images/GeorgePullman-seatedportrait.jpg "seated portrait of railroad tycoon George M. Pullman [1831-1897]") |
short profile |
"Travel and Sleep in Pullman Safety and Comfort"
B I O
t e x t
h e r e
railroad tycoon George Pullman is credited with the creation of the first modern, comfortable, sleeping car for railroad travel in 1858. His Pullman Company became an empire that during its peak in the 1930s was responsible for the construction, ownership, & operation of a fleet of over eight-thousand sleeper, parlor, club, and cafe railroad cars. The Pullman Company was said to have operated the largest hotel in the world, with upwards of 100,000 beds occupied on a given night. Pullman's well deserved slogan was "Travel and Sleep in Pullman Safety and Comfort." Due to a Supreme Court consent decree in 1948, Pullman transferred ownership of the railcars to the operating railroads, while keeping the manufacturing and service divisions. The Pullman Company itself ceased operating sleeping cars on December 31, 1968; successor company Pullman, Inc. continued to construct freight and passenger cars until it was sold to Bombardier Corporation of Canada in the 1970s.
George Pullman entry at Wikipedia
Pullman Company entry at Wikipedia
The Pullman Companies
by the 1920s, the Pullman Company was the largest employer of Afro-Americans in the country
 | "Pullman: The Pullman Car Company, Its Services, Cars, and Traditions" [1983] by Julian Morel Written by a senior British Pullman official; chapters focus on Pullman's life and then look at the Pullman cars of Britain's Wagons-Lits Co., the Southern Railway, the Midland, the Great Northern & Great Eastern, and in Ireland and Scotland; with roster of British Pullman cars, list of preserved cars, bibliography, and index. David & Charles Publng UK hardcover [4/83] out of print/used |
"They Built Railway Cars: The Pullman Social Experiment and the Swedish Immigration" [July 2002] by Raymond E. Johnson
http://www.amazon.com/They-Built-Railway-Cars-Immigration/dp/0788420763/
The Utopian Town of Pullman, Illinois [1880-1930]
Pullman Historic District National Monument was established in 2015, and includes the State Historic Site [est. 1991]
Historic Pullman Foundation [est. 1973]
City of Pullman, Illinois Timeline
City of Pullman 11/2014 article at Gizmodo / Paleofuture weblog
Hotel Florence & Gardens [built 1881] is closed for renovations 2014-2015
Hotel Florence entry at Pullman Foundation
I.H.P.A. page for Pullman Factory & Hotel Florence
 | "Pullman: An Experiment In Industrial Order and Community Planning, 1880-1930" [1967] by Stanley Buder Oxford Univ Press 8x5½ pb [1/70] for $45.54 Oxford Univ Press hardcover [1/67] out of print/used |
 | "Urban Disorder and The Shape of Belief: The Great Chicago Fire, The Haymarket Bomb, and The Model Town of Pullman" [1995] by Carl Smith
Kindle Edition from Univ Chicago Press [1996 edition] for $16.50 Univ Chicago Press 2nd edition 9x6 pb [11/2007] for $25.80 Univ Chicago Press 9x6 pb [6/96] out of print/many used Univ Chicago Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [1/95] out of print/used |
 | "Chicago's Historic Pullman District (Images of America)" [1998] by Frank Beberdick & The Historic Pullman Foundation Arcadia Publng 9¼x6½ pb [10/98] for $17.79 |
The 1894 Pullman Strike
On 11 May 1894, 4,000 workers at Pullman Palace Car Company in Illinois went on a wildcat strike; the strike gradually grew to 50,000 employees and
effectively shut down railroad passenger traffic in major parts of the United States. On July 3rd, George Pullman called out federal troops against the strikers.
On July 7th, Eugene V. Debs [1855-1926] and other union officials were arrested, indicted & jailed with bail set at $10,000 each. On August 2nd,
the Pullman Company reopened, and the strike was declared over the next day. Rehired workers were forced to sign a pledge not to unionize
(effectively blocking the railroad labor movement until The Great Depression).
Pullman Strike Timeline •
Pullman Strike entry at Wikipedia
Northern Illinois University Library Digitization Project Pullman Strike pages
Spirit of America Bookstore / American Labor Movements Page / Pullman Strike Section
 | "The Pullman Boycott: A Complete History of The Great {Railroad} Strike" [orig McGill Printing 1894] by W.F. Burns Cornell Univ Library 7¾x5½ pb [6/2009] for $23.99 Kessinger Publng 9x6 hardcover [9/2010] for $36.76 read free as online text at Internet Archive |
 | "The Pullman Strike: The Classic First-Hand Account of An Epoch-Making Struggle In U.S. Labor History" [orig Charles H. Kerr Publng 1894] by Rev. William H. Carwardine Nabu Press 9¾x7½ pb [9/2011] for $17.42 Charles H. Kerr Publng Centennial Edition 11x5 pb [1/94] out of print/used read free as online text at Internet Archive |
 | "The Strike Commission's Report" [orig 1894] by George A. Benham BiblioLife 8½x5½ pb [8/2009] for $14.75 read free as online text at Internet Archive |
 | "The Pullman Strike: The Story of A Unique Experiment and of A Great Labor Upheaval" [1942] by Almont Lindsey
Univ Chicago/Phoenix Books 8x5¼ pb [12/1943] for $40.00 Univ Chicago Press hardcover [1942] out of print/used |
 | "(The Story of) The Pullman Strike and The Labor Movement In American History" [ages 12 & up; 1982] by R. Conrad Stein, Illustrated by Len W. Meents Enslow Publrs 9¼x6¼ library hardcover [1/2001] out of print/used Childrens Press 9½x8 library hardcover [4/82] out of print/used |
 | "The Pullman Case: The Clash of Labor & Capital In Industrial American Society" [1999] by David Ray Papke Univ Press of KS 8½x5½ pb [4/99] for $12.95 Univ Press of KS 9x6 hardcover [4/99] out of print/used |
 | "The Pullman Strike and The Crisis of The 1890s: Essays On Labor and Politics" [1999] Edited by Richard Schneirov, Shelton Stromquist & Nick Salvatore Univ Illinois Press 9x6 pb [5/99] out of print/used Univ Illinois Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [5/99] out of print/used |
 | "After The Strike: A Century of Labor Struggle At Pullman" [2003] by Susan Eleanor Hirsch Univ Illinois Press 9x6 hardcover [4/2003] out of print/used |
B o o k s
"Seven Days in a Pullman Car [1883] by Ausburn Towner
http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Days-Pullman-Ausburn-Towner/dp/B000V3M5UE/
"The Reminiscences of A Pullman Conductor: or, Character Sketches of Life In A Pullman Car" [1901]
by Herbert Owen Holderness
http://www.amazon.com/Reminiscences-Pullman-Conductor-Character-Sketches/dp/1146723105/ [3/2010]
"The Story of The Pullman Car" [May 1, 1917]
http://www.amazon.com/Story-Pullman-Car/dp/B0014MIT10/ scarce
 | "Pullman and Perfection" pamphlet [1948] by F. Burtt & W. Beckerlegge 'fully illustrated'; cover price 1 shilling 40-page Ian Allen/ABC pamphlet [1948] out of print/scarce |
 | "Mr. Pullman's Elegant Palace Car: The Railway Carriage That Established A New Dimension of Luxury and Entered The National Lexicon As A Symbol of Splendor" [1961] by Lucius Beebe [1902-66] 575-page Doubleday & Co. 11x8¾ hardcover [1961] out of print/used |
"Pullman Company List of Cars, 1961" [1961] by Robert J. Wayner
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Company-List-Cars-1961/dp/B000RT94WE/ scarce
 | "Pullman Panorama, Volume 1" [1967] by Robert J. Wayner {any subsequent volumes not found} Wayner Publns pb [9/1967] out of print/used |
"History of the Pullman Car" [Oct 1974] by Joseph Husband
http://www.amazon.com/History-Pullman-Car-Joseph-Husband/dp/0912382163/
"The Pullman Company Private Car and Special Train Service In 1901" [1977] by Robert J. Wayner
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Company-Private-Special-Service/dp/B000FMPGMU/
"Orion and The Golden Arrow: Story of A Pullman Car" [12/1978] by Geoffrey Kichenside
http://www.amazon.com/Orion-Golden-Arrow-Story-Pullman/dp/0900586508/
"Illustrated Treasury of Pullman-Standard Railway Passenger Cars Since 1945: Volumes 1 & 2" (Two Volume set) [1981] by O.M. Kerr
http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Treasury-Pullman-Standard-Railway-Passenger/dp/0919295037/
"Streamliner Cars, Volume 1: Pullman Standard" [1981] by W. David Randall
http://www.amazon.com/Streamliner-Cars-Vol-Pullman-Standard/dp/B0006E69UK/
"The Complete Roster of Heavyweight Pullman Cars" [self-publd 1985] by Robert J. Wayner
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Roster-Heavyweight-Pullman-Cars/dp/B000QB974I/
"Pullman: Travelling in Style" [10/1987] by Brian Haresnape
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Travelling-Malaga-Brian-Haresnape/dp/0711016488/
"A Century of Pullman Cars: Alphabetical List" [Sep 1988] by Ralph L. Barger
http://www.amazon.com/Century-Pullman-Cars-Alphabetical-List/dp/0897780612/
"A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter" [Walker & Co., 1989] by Frederick & Patricia McKissack
http://www.amazon.com/Long-Hard-Journey-Pullman-American/dp/0802774377/
http://www.amazon.com/Long-Hard-Journey-Pullman-Porter/dp/0802768849/
 | "Night Trains: The Pullman Systems In The Golden Years of American Rail Travel" [1989] by Prof. Peter T. Maiken First, a history of American railroads and the development of passenger routes; second, a detailed list of every Pullman train and its location at midnight every night. Johns Hopkins Univ Press 11x8½ pb [10/92] out of print/40+ used Lakme Press 11x8¾ hardcover [11/89] out of print/used |
"A Century of Pullman Cars: The Palace Cars" [Apr 1990] by Ralph L. Barger
http://www.amazon.com/Century-Pullman-Cars-Palace/dp/0897781406/
"Miles of Smiles, Years of Struggle: STORIES OF BLACK PULLMAN PORTERS [3/1991] by Jack Santino
http://www.amazon.com/Miles-Smiles-Years-Struggle-Publications/dp/0252061942/
"Pullman Craftsmen: Life in the Pullman Car Company's Preston Park Works, Brighton" [5/1992] by Geoff Carter and etc.
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Craftsmen-Companys-Brighton-QueenSpark/dp/0904733505/
"Pullman-Standard Color Guide to Freight Equipment, The Decade of Color: 1960-1970" [May 1995] by James Kinkaid
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Standard-Color-Freight-Equipment-Decade/dp/1878887424/
"Go Pullman: Life and Times" [1995] by Charles M Knoll
http://www.amazon.com/Go-Pullman-Times-Charles-Knoll/dp/0960529632/
"The Official Pullman-Standard Library: Selected Heavyweight Cars" [1995] by W. David Randall
http://www.amazon.com/Official-Pullman-Standard-Library-Selected-Heavyweight/dp/B0006S8KHG/
"Pullman Paint and Lettering Notebook: A Guide to the Colors Used on Pullman Cars from 1933-1969" [July 1997] by Arthur D. Dubin
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Paint-Lettering-Notebook-1933-1969/dp/0890242917/
"Brotherhoods of Color: Black Railroad Workers and the Struggle for Equality" [2/2001] by Eric Arnesen
http://www.amazon.com/Brotherhoods-Color-Railroad-Struggle-Equality/dp/0674003195/
"Pullman Porters and the Rise of Protest Politics in Black America, 1925-1945" [6/2001] by Beth Tompkins Bates
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Politics-1925-1945-Franklin-American/dp/0807849294/
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Politics-1925-1945-Franklin-American/dp/0807826146/
"The Sleeping Car: A General Guide" [2004] by Theodore Shrady
http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Car-General-Theodore-Shrady/dp/0965035956/
 | "Rising From The Rails: Pullman Porters and The Making of The Black Middle Class" [2004] by Larry Tye
Kindle Edition from Holt/Macmillan [2005 edition] for $8.99 Holt Paperbacks 8¼x5½ pb [5/2005] for $14.97 Henry Holt & Co. 10¼x6 hardcover [7/2004] out of print/70+ used |
 | "Travel By Pullman: A Century of Service, 1865-1969" [2004] by Joe Welsh & Bill Howes hardcover [10/2004] out of print/many used |
"Pullman Pride: Photographs from the Archive of E.J. Morris, Company Secretary of the Pullman Car Company" [2/2007] by John Morris
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Pride-Photographs-Archive-Secretary/dp/0955411017/
"Pullman-Standard Freight Cars, 1900-1960 [2007] by Edward S. Kaminski
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Standard-Freight-1900-1960-Edward-Kaminski/dp/1930013175/
"The Pullman Porters and West Oakland, California (Images of America)" [9/2007] by Thomas & Wilma Tramble
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Porters-Oakland-Images-America/dp/0738547891/
"Pullman Profile: 12-wheel Cars No. 1" [Aug 28, 2008] by Antony M. Ford
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Profile-12-wheel-Cars-No/dp/1906419000/
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Profile-No-12-Wheel-Cars/dp/B00PFWS3KM/
"Pullman Profile No. 2: The Standard 'K' Type Cars [Feb 18, 2010] by Antony M. Ford
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Profile-No-Standard-Type/dp/1906419221/
"Pullman Profile No 3: The All Steel K Type Cars [Nov 1, 2011] by Antony M Ford
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Profile-No-Steel-Type/dp/1906419574/
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Profile-K-type-Hardback-Common/dp/B00FFB3614/
"Hey Boy! Hey George! The Pullman Porter: A Pullman Porter's Story" [1/2010] by Johnnie F. Kirvin and Hey Carla Simone Kirvin
http://www.amazon.com/Hey-boy-George-Pullman-Porter/dp/1439262314/
"Pullman On Dress Parade" [Feb 10, 2010] by Pullman Palace Car Company,
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Dress-Parade-Palace-Company/dp/1935327976/
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Railway-Cars-Dress-Parade/dp/B009E95N00/
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Railway-Cars-Dress-Parade/dp/B001D0BLCM/
"Pullman and Private Car Pictorial" [2010] by Robert J. Wayner
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Private-Pictorial-Robert-Wayner/dp/B004BVW6S8/
 | "The Cars of Pullman" [2010] by Joe Welsh, Bill Howes & Kevin J. Holland
Kindle Edition from Voyageur Press [5/2010] for $11.55 Crestline Books 11x8¾ hardcover [3/2015] for $12.26 Voyageur Press 10½x8¼ hardcover [5/2010] for $29.60 Voyageur Press hardcover [5/2010] out of print/used |
"Train Travels Via Pullman 1950" [Mar 6, 2011] by Richard H. Brown
http://www.amazon.com/Train-Travels-Via-Pullman-1950-ebook/dp/B004QWZDYG/
 | "Dining Car Panorama" [2014] by Robert J. Wayner
Wayner Publns staple bound 11x8½ pb [2014] out of print/scarce |
"The Story of the Pullman Car" [6/2014] by Joseph Husband
http://www.amazon.com/Story-Pullman-Car-Joseph-Husband-ebook/dp/B00LDHC16U/
Fiction
 | "In The Company of Secrets (Postcards from Pullman Series #1)" [2007] historical romance novel by Judith Miller Olivia Mott has a new job as assistant chef at Hotel Florence in the company town of Pullman, Illinois, but she is burdened with several lies, and old lies have a tendency to require new lies. Town manager Sam Howard pretends that everything is fine, but Olivia learns different - she must preserve many secrets to maintain her new station in life . . . Kindle Edition from Bethany House Publrs [2007 edition] for $4.99 Bethany House Publrs 8½x6¾ pb [4/2007] for $13.77 Bethany House Publrs 8¾x6 hardcover [4/2007] out of print/used |
 | "Whispers Along The Rails (Postcards from Pullman Series #2)" [2007] historical romance novel by Judith Miller Olivia Mott struggles with two jobs - assistant chef at Pullman's Hotel Florence and spy for her friend and employer, the town manager; three jobs actually, since she is caring for the infant son of Lady Charlotte, who has run off to who knows where . . . Kindle Edition from Bethany House Publrs [2007 edition] for $4.99 Bethany House Publrs 8¼x5½ pb [9/2007] for $12.98 Bethany House Publrs 8½x6 hardcover [9/2007] out of print/used |
 | "An Uncertain Dream (Postcards from Pullman Series #3)" [2008] historical romance novel by Judith Miller Wildcat strikers walk out at the Pullman Car Works over reduced wages and high rents, and Olivia's new love interest Fred DeVault is one of the leaders . . . Kindle Edition from Bethany House Publrs [2008 edition] for $4.99 Bethany House Publrs 8¼x5½ pb [6/2008] for $13.18 |
 | "Death At Pullman (Emily Cabot Mysteries #3)" historical mystery novel [2011] by Frances McNamara Newly-graduated student Emily Cabot and her co-worker friend Dr. Chapman set up a branch of Chicago's Hull House charity for the impoverished strikers at the Pullman Car Works. But when a young worker - suspected of being a spy - is murdered, and a bomb plot is discovered, Detective Whitbread chases after the wrong clues, so Emily must set things right . . . Kindle Edition from Allium Press [3/2011] for $4.99 Allium Press 8½x5½ pb [3/2011] for $12.44 |
 | "Running With Mr. Bell: A Novel" [2013] by Will Gibson Harold Darden is an Afro-American with a fifth-grade education, so he is pleased and proud to work as a porter for Mr. Pullman, even becoming a trusted advisor to the man on certain company affairs. Harold's nephew Frank from Georgia gets a job at Pullman, but is assigned to work with Claude Bell, who is suspected of being a union leader. (Mr. Pullman hates unions.) Frank's brother Haley also comes up from Georgia, and the tension quickly builds until someone is murdered . . . Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [6/2013] for $3.99 CreateSpace 9x6 pb [6/2013] for $9.99 |
Movies, Stageplays, Other Media
"Pullman Car Hiawatha: Play" [1931] by Thornton Wilder
http://www.amazon.com/Pullman-Car-Hiawatha-Play-Acting/dp/0573022208/ (Acting Edition)
 | "Pullman Cars and The Pullman Car Company: 8 Historic Books on CD-ROM" [2013]
direct from T.H.A. New Media LLC as Amazon third party for $14.97 + s/h The eight public domain documents are in Adobe Reader format: "George M. Pullman and Pullman's Palace Car Co. versus The New York Central Sleeping Car Company and Webster Wagner" [1881] 950 pages; "The Story of Pullman" [1893] 44 pages; "Car Service Rules of The Operating Department of Pullman's Palace Car Company, Revised September First" [1893] 86 pages; "The Pullman Strike" [1894] by William H. Carwardine - 140 pages; "The Pullman Boycott: A Complete history of The Great R.R. Strike" [1894] by W.F. Burns - 326 pages; "Nine Thousand Miles On A Pullman Train: An Account of A Tour of Railroad Conductors" [1898] by Milton M. Shaw - 224 pages; "Confessions of A Pullman Conductor" [1913] by Charles H. Walbourn - 138 pages; and "The Story of The Pullman Car" [1917] by Joseph Husband - 242 pages |
· ·
"A Pullman Nightmare" comedy short [May 1913] /tt0885109/
"The Pullman Bride" comedy two-reeler [Nov 1917] /tt0008474/
Directed by Clarence G. Badger; starring Gloria Swanson, Mack Swain, Chester Conklin
"A Pullman Blunder" comedy two-reeler [Sept 1918] /tt0323738/
"The Pullman Porter" comedy short [Feb 1919] /tt0794328/
Written & directed by and starring Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle [1887-1933]
"A Panicky Pullman" comedy short [March 1922] /tt0323560/
"The Girl In The Pullman" [Oct 1927] /tt0017936/
"Lost In A Pullman" comedy short [July 1927] /tt0492192/
"The Mystery Train" [Standard Photoplay Co. Aug 1931]
 | Passengers trapped on a runaway Pullman car. Co-written & directed by Phil Whitman; co-written by Hampton Del Ruth; starring Hedda Hopper, Marceline Day, Nick Stuart, Bryant Washburn, Al Cooke, Mary MacLaren, Carol Tevis, Joseph W. Girard, Spec O'Donnell & Eddie Fetherston
Alpha Video b&w DVD [7/2009] for $7.98 full credits at IMDb |
"Murder In The Pullman" /tt0165887/
two-reel short #8 [W.B./Vitaphone May 1932]; based on characters created by S.S. Van Dine
starring Donald Meek as Doctor Crabtree & John Hamilton as N.Y.P.D. Inspector Carr
"A Pain In The Pullman" [Columbia June 1936]
 | The Three Stooges are small time actors traveling by train to an engagement, along with their pet monkey. They manage to spoil the trip for quite a few of the other passengers including the conductor and a famous movie star . . . Co-produced by Jules White; written & directed by Jack White; starring Moe & Larry & Curly, with Eddie Laughton, James C. Morton, Bud Jamison, Loretta Andrews, Gail Arnold, Bobby Burns, Phyllis Crane, Jesse De Vorska, Mary Lou Dix, Ethelreda Leopold, Anne O'Neal, Blanche Payson, Hilda Title, Ray Turner & Wilna Wilde
full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia triple-feature b&w VHS [2/99] out of prodn/used available on "Three Stooges Collection, Volume One: 1934-1936" [2007] Sony b&w DVD [10/2007] 19 digitally-remastered shorts on 2 disks for $13.39 |
"The Last Pullman Car (1983) 56 min | Documentary | /tt0095494/
Historic Pullman Factory 2011 Screening of THE LAST PULLMAN CAR http://www.vimeo.com/48991242 [11:03]
"One Night in Pullman... " comedy short film [April 2006] /tt1821557/
"Rising from the Rails: The Story of the Pullman Porter (2006) (Video) /tt0796833/
AMS Pictures. Rising from the Rails: the Story of the Pullman Porter. DVD, 2007.
http://www.amazon.com/Rising-From-Rails-Pullman-Porter/dp/B000EHNHJ0/ dvd
Works About George M. Pullman
"George Pullman Young Sleeping Car Builder" [1963] by Elisabeth P. Myers
http://www.amazon.com/George-Pullman-Young-Sleeping-Builder/dp/B000GAOOYW/
 | "Palace Car Prince: A Biography of George Mortimer Pullman" [1992] by Liston Edgington Leyendecker Univ Press of Colorado 9x6 pb [6/92] out of print/used Univ Press of Colorado 9½x6½ hardcover [6/92] out of print/many used |
"George M. Pullman: Palace Car Magnate" [4/2009] by Daniel Alef
http://www.amazon.com/George-M-Pullman-Palace-Magnate-ebook/dp/B0025KVLWO/
Image Gallery
![b&w Pullman ad, circa 1930s - featuring New York critic Alexander Woolcott [1887-1943]](images/adPullman-AWoollcott.jpg)
Family & Friends
Industrialist George Mortimer Pullman was born in Brocton, New York in 1831; he revolutionalized railroad passenger travel
with his Pullman Car system, and died at age 66 in Chicago, Illinois in 1897.
L i n k s
Friends of Pullman + www.friendsofpullman.org
http://www.travelpullman.com/ + Iowa Pacific's Pullman Rail Journeys [] is based in Chicago, Illinois
search books on keywords 'George Pullman' at Amazon>
"Pullman Car" article by Jeff Nilsson, in the 29 August 2009 issue of The Saturday Evening Post
here on the railroad tycoon George M. Pullman [1831-1897] Page at Spirit of America Bookstore
top of page • short profile • the companies • the 1894 strike • books • works about George Pullman
movies, plays, other media • image gallery • family & friends • links
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