Sunday, January 30, 2011

--Nian~~年獸--



In Chinese mythology, a Nian (simplified Chinese: 年兽; traditional Chinese: 年獸; pinyin: nián shòu) is a beast that lives under the sea or in the mountains. Once each spring, on or around Chinese New Year, it comes out of hiding to attack people, especially children. The Nian is sensitive to loud noises and is afraid of the color red. The Chinese Lion Dance is known to have originated from the legend of the Nian. The tradition began when a Nian attacked a village. After the attack, the villagers discussed how to make the Nian leave them alone. Eventually they came up with a plan where drums, plates and empty bowls were hit, red robes were worn, and firecrackers were thrown, causing loud banging sounds that would scare off the Nian. This scared the Nian, and since that time, the Nian has not appeared in the village again. The Nian is still believed to exist, but that it is scattered about the jungle and mountains, never to appear in front of a human again.
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年獸是一種傳說生物。相傳在遠古時代,有一種獅子身如壯牛的兇惡怪獸叫「年」,一年四季都在深海裡,但逢新舊歲之交,便出來糟蹋莊稼,傷害人畜,百姓叫苦連天。有一次它又跑到村莊裡為非作歹,被一家門口晾的大衣服嚇跑了。到了另一處,又被燈光嚇得抱頭鼠竄。於是人們掌握了「年」怕聲音、怕紅色、怕火光的弱點。每至年末歲首,人們就在家門口貼紅聯、放鞭炮、掛紅,院子里燒柴禾、攏旺火,用菜刀剁菜肉,發出聲音,把「年」嚇得逃回海裡,不再危害人們。人們得以安全。
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據說被鴻鈞老祖收服,成為其坐騎。
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~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nian
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~http://www.monstropedia.org/index.php?title=Nian
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~http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/年獸

Saturday, January 29, 2011

--Apollo 11 30th anniversary 1969~1999 --



Apollo 11 is the designation of the space flight that landed the first humans on Earth's Moon on July 20, 1969. The mission, carried out by the United States, is considered a major accomplishment in the history of exploration and represented a victory for the U.S. in the Cold War Space Race with the Soviet Union.
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Launched from Florida on July 16, the third lunar mission of NASA's Apollo program (and the only G-type mission) was crewed by Commander Neil Alden Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin landed in the Sea of Tranquility and on July 21 became the first humans to walk on the Moon. Their landing craft, Eagle, spent 21 hours and 31 minutes on the lunar surface while Collins orbited above in the command ship, Columbia. The three astronauts returned to Earth with 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of lunar rocks and landed in the Pacific Ocean on July 24.
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Apollo 11 fulfilled U.S. President John F. Kennedy's goal of reaching the moon before the Soviet Union by the end of the 1960s, which he had expressed during a 1961 mission statement before the United States Congress: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth."

Five additional Apollo missions landed on the Moon from 1969–1972.

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~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11
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~http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo_11_30th.html

Friday, January 28, 2011

--25 years later....The Challenger....1986...and The "Journey Continues........" A Challenger's"..--








For many, no single word evokes as much pain.
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Challenger.
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A quarter-century later, images of the exploding space shuttle still signify all that can go wrong with technology and the sharpest minds. The accident on Jan. 28, 1986 — a scant 73 seconds into flight, nine miles above the Atlantic for all to see — remains NASA's most visible failure.

It was the world's first high-tech catastrophe to unfold on live TV. Adding to the anguish was the young audience: Schoolchildren everywhere tuned in that morning to watch the launch of the first schoolteacher and ordinary citizen bound for space, Christa McAuliffe.

She never made it.

McAuliffe and six others on board perished as the cameras rolled, victims of stiff O-ring seals and feeble bureaucratic decisions.

It was, as one grief and trauma expert recalls, "the beginning of the age when the whole world knew what happened as it happened."....


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~http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41296542?GT1=43001

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~http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JKIZ7j20EA&feature=related

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~http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hQL0NWS1Rc&feature=related

--虎去兔来--

虎年将尽,新世纪的第一个兔年在下星期后便会到来,虎年中、港、美股表现并不算弱,先挫后升,在去年年底时也差不多收复全年失地。兔年股汇市走势如何,市 场意见分歧。主流意见认为股市会升,主要是美元贬值,而人民币和商品货币会继续升值。无论如何,希望不是脱缰野兔,到处狂奔乱闯,造成破坏。个人仍偏向认 为,如以一年为限,上半年整体金融市场,应会出现大幅波动的调整,但会是伺低吸纳之机会。笔者自一月初便重复指出巿场内里暗涌不减,不要被四方唱好的气氛 降低警觉性,中国连串政策带来之连锁收缩效应,极可能在第二季便开始陆续浮现。但在这之前,上调准备金率、减慢信贷等将陆续有来,一定会在出现实质效果时 才会停止,但可能在发觉「落药过重」之时,已经迟了一步,到时想再重新加速便有难度。希望中国能从外国央行过去之错误中领会,「微调」经济结果往往出人意 表,不要操之过急,要预留多一些空间让经济和市场自行调节疗伤复原,否则后遗症会更严重。其实通胀不是头号大敌,今年经济的头号大敌是「没有适当及有效之 方法」去「微调达到平衡」!
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~http://www.cnforex.com/person/033cc68409ea7747.aspx

Thursday, January 27, 2011

--Come As You Are .......--

--Electronics Show 2011--


Slick touchscreen tablet computers and smarter devices for the home and the car took center stage as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) wrapped up.

The always connected lifestyle was on full display at the annual gadget extravaganza as Internet technology ruled at a show traditionally dominated by eye-popping new television sets.

Click on the thumbnails BELOW to see all the mesmerizing, state-of-the-art gadgetry on display at this year's Consumer Electronics Show.

Tablet computers to rival Apple's iPad were the hot new products on display along with powerful new smartphones, ultra-thin laptops and Web-connected and 3-D TV sets during the four-day event.

"The tablet wars are now launched, with everybody under the sun producing tablets," said Endpoint Technologies Associates analyst Roger Kay.

"A lot of companies, particularly Asian companies, are offering to create tablets for you on the fly if you want a tablet with your brand on it."

Emphasis on mobile gizmos and making traditionally dumb devices smart with Internet connections made CES celebrities out of chip makers Intel, AMD, and Nvidia as well as US telecom carriers Verizon and AT&T.

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~http://news.malaysia.msn.com/photogallery.aspx?cp-documentid=4600157

Monday, January 24, 2011

--Sanctum 2010 - "Never Ever Give Up....."--



An underwater cave diving team experiences a life-threatening crisis during an expedition to the unexplored and least accessible cave system in the world.
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~http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0881320/
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~http://sanctummovie.com/

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

--被遗忘的时光~蔡琴--





--我的母校~太平华联--





永为华联焕荣光!!!

--Lionel Messi--



Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (Spanish pronunciation: [ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi]; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team as a forward or winger. He also holds Spanish citizenship, which makes him eligible as a EU player. Considered one of the best football players of his generation and frequently cited as the world's best contemporary player, Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21 and won both by the age of 22. He also won the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or at the age of 23. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi his "successor".

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Messi began playing football at a young age and his potential was quickly identified by Barcelona. He left Rosario-based Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke his team record for the youngest footballer to score a league goal. Major honours soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi's debut season, and won a double of the league and Champions League in 2006. His breakthrough season was in the 2006–07 season; he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clásico and finishing with 14 goals in 26 league games. Perhaps his most successful season was the 2008–09 season, in which Messi scored 38 goals to play an integral part in a treble-winning campaign. In the following 2009–10 campaign, Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions, equalling Ronaldo's record total for Barcelona.

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Messi was the top scorer of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with six goals, including two in the final game. Shortly thereafter, he became an established member of Argentina's senior international team. In 2006, he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa América tournament the following year. In 2008, in Beijing, he won his first international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team.
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~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_messi
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~http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/6008287/lionel-messi-selected-again-fifa-player-year
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~http://www.lionelmessi.com/
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~http://messi.com/
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~http://www.lionel-messi.eu/
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Sunday, January 16, 2011

--Barcelona vs Malaga--



~http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKmYUrIJrVU&feature=topvideos

Friday, January 7, 2011

--Transformers: Dark of the Moon 2011--



Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the third and final film in the Transformers film series, directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. It is the sequel to Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and is scheduled for release on July 1, 2011, in Real D 3D, regular 2D theaters and IMAX.
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Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Turturro are set to reprise their starring roles, with Peter Cullen returning as the voice of Optimus Prime. Ehren Kruger, who collaborated in the writing of the second film, was said to be again involved in the writing. Despite having initially been confirmed for the film,and with the film already into principal photography, it was announced that Megan Fox would not be reprising her role from the previous two films. With Fox's character Mikaela being dropped, Sam was assigned a new love interest, who will be played by English model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Also, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, having written the first two films, will not return for the third installment in the series, which Orci had earlier somewhat anticipated, fearing the duo would "risk getting stale". Bay has stated this would be his last installment in the series.
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~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers:_Dark_of_the_Moon
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~http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1399103/

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

--再爱我一次......--





蔡琴,(1957年12月22日-),台灣歌手,祖籍湖北沔陽(今仙桃),其祖父為武昌起義元老蔡漢卿。同時活躍於廣播歌舞劇等領域,70年代後期以民歌歌手的身份進入演藝圈
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~http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/蔡琴
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~http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEvSJ0aMqho
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~http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in2JeUvFza4&feature=related
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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

--Audi R8 Spyder--







The Audi R8 (Typ 42) is a sports car with a longitudinally mounted mid-engine,and uses Audi's trademark quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. It was introduced by the German automaker Audi AG in 2006.
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The car was exclusively designed, developed, and manufactured by Audi AG's high performance private subsidiary company, quattro GmbH, and is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo platform. The fundamental construction of the R8 is based on the Audi Space Frame, and uses an aluminium monocoque which is built around space frame principles. The car is built by quattro GmbH in a newly renovated factory at Audi's 'aluminium site' at Neckarsulm in Germany.
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In 2005, Audi announced that the name of the successful Audi R8 race car would be used for a new road car in 2007, the Audi R8, based on the Audi Le Mans quattro concept car, appearing at the 2003 International Geneva Motor Show, and 2003 Frankfurt International Motor Show. The R8 road car was officially launched at the Paris Auto Show on 30 September 2006. There was some confusion with the name, which the car shares with the 24 Hours of Le Mans winning R8 Le Mans Prototype (LMP). 6-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx described the R8 as "the best handling road car today".
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The Audi R8 is used as a safety car in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and British Superbike Championship racing series.
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~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_R8_(road_car)
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~http://www.audi.com/com/brand/en/models/r8/r8_spyder.html

Monday, January 3, 2011

--Can't Smile Without You.....--



"Can't Smile Without You" is a song written by Christian Arnold, David Martin, and Geoff Morrow, best known in its rendition by Barry Manilow.
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"Can't Smile Without You" was the first single to be released from Manilow's album Even Now in 1977. The song was released as a single in 1978 where it reached the number one spot on Billboard's AC chart, and the number three spot on the Billboard Hot 100 . Previously, the song was recorded by The Carpenters on their album A Kind of Hush in 1976, and was featured as the B-side of their hit "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" the following year. Manilow's version had slightly different lyrics from the Carpenters, such as the Carpenters's line "I can't laugh and I can't walk / I'm finding it hard even to talk," was changed in Manilow's version to "I can't laugh and I can't sing / I'm finding it hard to do anything" (the latter is likely the original lyric, changed by the Carpenters because the lyric "I can't sing" when being sung makes no sense). The Carpenters remixed the song for the B-side of "Calling Occupants" in September 1977, again revising the lyric to read "I can't laugh and I can't sleep / I don't even talk to people I meet". Additional orchestration was also included in the remix.
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On behalf of the songwriters, publishing company Dick James Music sued George Michael for plagiarism in the mid-'80s, claiming that the 1984 Wham! single "Last Christmas" lifted its melody from "Can't Smile Without You." The case was settled out of court.
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Jerry Lewis often sings the song on his annual Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon, with altered lyrics that speak of the need for the viewers to call in their pledge.
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~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can't_Smile_Without_You

~http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wyEc3JfOlw&feature=player_embedded#!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

--I Just Called To Say I Love You....--





Stevland Hardaway Judkins (born May 13, 1950), name later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris,known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist. Blind since shortly after birth, Wonder signed with Motown Records' Tamla label at the age of eleven,and continues to perform and record for Motown to this day.
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Some of Wonder's best known works include singles such as "Superstition", "Sir Duke", "I Wish" and "I Just Called to Say I Love You". Well known albums also include Talking Book, Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life. He has recorded more than thirty U.S. top ten hits and received twenty-two Grammy Awards, the most ever awarded to a male solo artist.[4] Wonder is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday a holiday in the United States.In 2009, Wonder was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists to celebrate the US singles chart's fiftieth anniversary, with Wonder at number five.
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~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewie_Wonder

Saturday, January 1, 2011

--chúc mừng năm mới 2011--

--No pardon for outlaw Billy the Kid--

The rehabilitation of Billy the Kid lies dead in the dust.

In one of his last official acts — or non-acts — before leaving office, New Mexico's governor refused to pardon the Old West outlaw Friday for one of the many murders he committed before he was gunned down in 1881.

Gov. Bill Richardson cited ambiguity surrounding the pledge of a pardon 130 years ago as the reason.

"I felt I could not rewrite history," Richardson told The Associated Press, hours after announcing his decision on ABC's "Good Morning America" on his last day in office.

The prospect of a pardon for the notorious frontier figure drew international attention to New Mexico, centering on whether New Mexico territorial governor Lew Wallace promised Billy the Kid a pardon in return for testifying about killings he witnessed.

Richardson concluded Wallace did make a deal, "but it's uncertain why he did not keep his promise," said the former U.N. ambassador and Democratic presidential candidate.

He said he could not pardon Billy the Kid given that ambiguity and the fact he killed two deputies when he escaped in April 1881 from the Lincoln County jail, where he was awaiting hanging for the 1878 killing of Sheriff William Brady.

A pardon document was even drafted, "but in the end, I didn't use it," said Richardson, adding that he didn't decide until Thursday night.

The proposed pardon covered only the killing of Brady, and not the deaths of the deputies or any other killings. According to legend, Billy the Kid killed 21 people, although the New Mexico Tourism Department puts the total closer to nine.

He was shot to death by Sheriff Pat Garrett in July 1881.

Albuquerque attorney Randi McGinn, who petitioned for a pardon after studying the issue, said she won the battle in proving there was a promise but lost the war over the pardon. She said, however, she didn't regret "one iota being Billy the Kid's lawyer."

Garrett's grandson, J.P. Garrett, of Albuquerque, sent an e-mail to The Associated Press: "Yea!!! No pardon! Looks like it will be a great new year!!!!"

Wallace's great-grandson, William Wallace, of Westport, Conn., said Richardson "followed the correct, rational track in forgoing a pardon for a convicted murderer."

Both men had expressed outrage Richardson would even consider a pardon, arguing there was no proof one was ever offered.

The historical record is unclear, Richardson said. His staff told him in August there are no written documents "pertaining in any way" to a pardon in the papers of the territorial governor, who served from 1878 to 1881.

Richardson's office set up a website in mid-December for public comments following McGinn's petition. The survey that ended Sunday brought in 809 e-mails and letters from all over the world — 430 favoring a pardon and 379 opposed.

McGinn argued Lew Wallace promised to pardon the Kid, also known as William Bonney. She said the Kid kept his end of the bargain, but the territorial governor did not.

McGinn said Friday she was disappointed by Richardson's decision but thrilled the pardon question sparked interest. She said she hoped people would come to New Mexico, see letters Billy the Kid wrote to Wallace, walk Lincoln's single street and decide for themselves whether Billy the Kid was "the Robin Hood of the West or a notorious killer."

Richardson, who said he's read countless books and seen numerous movies about the Kid, said the issue gave the state great exposure and prompted discussion over "one of those historical issues that deserves debate and hadn't been tackled before."

Robert Utley, author of "Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life," said he was glad Richardson decided against a pardon.

"Governor Wallace was a romantic, and the few press interviews he granted, at the time and 20 years later, cloud the issue. He exaggerated for literary effect, and the reporters probably took it from there to more exaggeration. I don't believe a pardon was promised, only an effort to exempt him from prosecution — a promise he couldn't deliver," Utley wrote in an e-mail to the AP on Friday.

"If Billy deserves a pardon, it will be granted by history, not the governor of New Mexico."

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~http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40861736/ns/us_news/?gt1=43001

--Japanese New Year Song--







The Japanese celebrate New Year's Day on January 1 each year on the Gregorian Calendar. Before 1873, the date of the Japanese New Year (正月, shōgatsu?) was based on the Chinese lunar calendar, just as the contemporary Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese New Years are celebrated to this day. However, in 1873, five years after the Meiji Restoration, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar, so the first day of January is the official New Year's Day in modern Japan. It is considered by most Japanese to be one of the most important annual festivals and has been celebrated for centuries with its own unique customs. Due to the importance of the holiday and the preparations required, the preceding days are quite busy, particularly New Year's Eve, known as Ōmisoka.
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~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_New_Year

--2011--

2011 (MMXI) is a common year starting on Saturday in the Gregorian calendar and is the current year in Oceania, East Asia, Southeast Asia, India, and Eastern Russia, while 2010 is still ongoing in the rest of the world. It is the 2011th year of the Common Era/Anno Domini designation; the 11th year of the 3rd millennium and of the 21st century, and the second year of 2010s decade.

The United Nations has designated 2011 the International Year of Forests and International Year of Chemistry.

~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011
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~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_in_film
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