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" Unless we maintain our edge in innovation through a strong science and technology enterprise, the best jobs may soon be found overseas, instead of in our communities."
-
Bart Gordon (D-TN)
House Science & Technology Committee Chairman
At the dawn
of the 21st Century, America desperately needs a new national
competitiveness strategy that reflects the realities of the
post-Cold War world. Today we face a new, more rough and tumble form of global economic competition, especially in
the science, engineering and technology based sectors that have fueled U.S. prosperity since World War II.
Competing successfully in this new global environment is
essential for our national and economic security and to ensure
that the U.S. is able to create high-value jobs and maintain a
vital national engineering capability. For those reasons,
IEEE-USA is actively urging Congress and the Administration to
pass laws that will strengthen U.S. competitiveness and
innovation as part of our overall
Innovation Initiative.
IEEE-USA Policy & Press Communications
- Letter to House leaders endorsing S&T funding allocations in the FY2008 budget resolution (H.Con.Res.99). (27 Mar 2007)
- Signatory to American Innovation Proclamationwhich was delivered to all Members of Congress. (13 Mar 2007)
- Article in Today's Engineer "IEEE-USA Works to Sustain Federal Investments in Research & Development" (7 Mar 2007)
- Letter commending Congressional Leaders for including increased investments in innovation and competitiveness in the FY 2007 Continuing Budget Resolution. (31 Jan 2007)
- Letter to Rep. Bart Gordon endorsing the "10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds" Science and Math Scholarship Act (H.R. 362) and the Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act (H.R. 363). (29 Jan 2007)
- IEEE-USA President John W. Meredith column on Bolstering U.S. Competitiveness to Preserve Engineering Jobs, Maintain America's High Standard of Living (29 Jan 2007)
- Letter to House Democratic leaders urging continued support of previously approved FY 2007 appropriations for the National Science
Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy Office of Science in the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution. (19 Jan2007)
- Coalition letter (Task Force on the Future of American Innovation) urging continued support of previously approved FY 2007 appropriations for the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy Office of Science in the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution. (18 Jan 2007)
- Coalition letter to House Democratic leaders urging continued support of previously approved FY 2007 appropriations for the National Science
Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy Office of Science in the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution (12 Jan 2007)
- Letter to Senate leaders expressing support and appreciation for the National Competitiveness Investment Act (S.3936). (18 Oct 2006)
- Innovation & Competitiveness Coalition letters to House and Senate Appropriations leaders expressing support for proposed FY 2007 agency R&D appropriations at levels recommended in the President's American Competitiveness Initiative. (18 Oct 2006)
- STEM Coalition Letter to Senate leaders supporting education provisions in the National Competitiveness Investment Act (S. 3936). (10 Oct 2006)
- Letter to William Hoagland (Senate Majority Leader's office) endorsing the National Competitiveness Investment Act (S. 3936) (27 Sept 2006)
- R&D Tax Credit Coalition letter to House and Senate leaders urging a seamless extension of a strengthened Research and Development (R&D) tax credit. (26 June 2006)
- ASTRA Coalition letter to House leadership endorsing measures reported by the House Committee on Science (H.R. 5356, H.R. 5357 and H.R. 5358) as well as the President’s American Competitiveness Initiative.
(20 June 2006)
- Coalition letter was sent to Senator Bill Frist urging his support of moving expeditiously to bring both bills, the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act of 2006 (S.2802) and Protecting America’s Competitive Edge Through Energy Act of 205 (S.2197), before the full Senate. (19 June 2006)
- Letter to Rep. Dennis Hastert asking for support in bringing the Science and Mathematics Education for Competitiveness Act (H.R. 5358) and the Early Career Research Act (H.R. 5356)
to the House floor as expeditiously as possible. (14 June 2006). A Coalition letter was also sent to Representative(s) Hastert and John Boehner on the same issue. (16 June 2006)
- STEM Coalition Letter to House Science Committee
endorsing the Science and
Mathematics Education for Competitiveness Act (H.R. 5358) (5
June 2006)
- Letter to House Science Committee members urging
committee passage of three
education and
competitiveness bills: Early Career Research Act (HR 5356);
the Research for Competitiveness Act (HR 5357); and the Science
and Mathematics Education for Competitiveness Act (HR 5358). (26
May 2006)
- Letter to House Science Chairman Sherwood Boehlert
expressing support support for a series of bills introduced to
strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness by improving
math and science
education and research
- the Early Career Research Act
(H.R. 5356), the Research for Competitiveness Act (H.R. 5357),
and the Science and Mathematics Education for Competitiveness
Act (H.R. 5358). (11 May 2006)
- Letter to Senate Finance Committee supporting the
Protecting America's
Competitive Edge (PACE) Finance Act (S.2199). (10 May 2006)
- Letter with Innovation and Competitiveness Coalition to
President Bush requesting support to secure full funding of the
President's American
Competitiveness Initiative by Congress. (5 May 2006)
- R&D Tax Credit Coalition letter to House and Senate tax
conferees supporting a seamless extension of the federal research and
experimentation tax credit. (27 April 2006)
- Letter to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives urging support for full funding for Budget Function 250 which funds many of the programs in the President's American Competitive Initiative. (13 April 2006)
- Statement to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Committee for a hearing on
Innovation and
Competitiveness legislation.
-
Letter to Sen. Michael B. Enzi, chair of the Senate Committee on
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
urging passage of S.2198
(PACE-Education). (24 Feb. 2006)
-
IEEE-USA Position Statement on
U.S.
Competitiveness and Innovation Policy (Feb. 2006)
- Letter to Senators Domenici and Bingaman endorsing the
PACE-Energy Act (S. 2198).
- Letter to House and Senate leaders urging them to take
advantage of exceptional bipartisan consensus to pass
legislation during this session of Congress to
preserve America's technological leadership role in the
global arena. (14 February 2006)
-
Administration, Congress Get Behind Innovation (IEEE-USA
Today's Engineer Online, Feb 2006)
-
Press Release - (1 February 2006) IEEE-USA Applauds President's Competitiveness Initiative
IEEE-USA Participation in Coalitions
IEEE-USA participates in the following organizations and
coalitions in support of innovation and competitiveness policy
goals:
Related IEEE-USA Information
If the U.S. is to compete in a world economy that is knowledge based and driven by technology, our technology workforce must be supported by policies that encourage a well-educated and stable workforce. For further information, please visit:
Events
12 SEPT. 2006: Rising Above the Gathering Storm:
Energizing and Employing Regions, States, and Cities
- IEEE-USA will co-sponsor this convocation as a follow-on
to the National Academy's Gathering Storm report, organized by
the National Academies Committee on Science, Engineering and
Public Policy.
17-18 MAY
2006: Engineering R&D Symposium - Leaders from the
engineering community will join with policy-makers in the
4th annual symposium to
review the President's proposed Federal R&D priorities and explore
critical impact of federal R&D funding on the economy, technology jobs,
and national security.
28-29 MARCH 2006: Science, Engineering & Technology Congressional
Visits Day - U.S. IEEE members are invited to join with hundreds of
other engineers and scientists in the 2006 Science, Engineering &
Technology
Congressional Visits Day, to be held on 28-29 March 2006 in
Washington, D.C., to deliver the message that Federally funded research
secures the nation's future. CVD 2006 Wrap-up
6 DECEMBER 2005: National Summit on S&T, Innovation, and Manufacturing – In May 2005, Congressmen. Frank Wolf (R-VA), Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), and Vern Ehlers (R-MI), announced that they were taking a proactive stance in dealing with possible U.S. decline in our ability to compete in the global marketplace. The legislators requested that the Department of Commerce plan an innovation/ science summit. Working with the Department of Commerce in planning the summit are four lead business organizations: the Council on Competitiveness; the Business Roundtable; AeA; and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), is planning the summit. Additional information forthcoming.
12 OCTOBER 2005: Public briefing on a new congressionally-requested report from the National Academies' Committee - Prospering in the Global Economy of the 21st Century identifies and prioritizes the top four actions and 20 implementation steps U.S. policy-makers should take to enhance America's prosperity and competitiveness. The committee chaired by Norman Augustine, retired Chairman and CEO of Lockeed Martin, includes several current and former corporate CEOs, university presidents, federal and state government leaders, and eminent researchers (including three Nobel prize winners).
The report will be discussed at a one-hour public briefing on Wednesday, 12 October beginning at 2 p.m. in the Lecture Room of the National Academies building, 2100 C St., N.W. in Washington DC. Those who cannot attend may listen to a live audio webcast and submit questions using an e-mail form at http://national-academies.org. For more information see www.nationalacademies.org/prospering.
19-21 OCTOBER 2005: "Acceleration Innovation 2005" A National Conference Hosted by The Accelerating Innovation Foundation- IEEE-USA's Technology Policy Council (TPC) is co-sponsoring this event that promises to, "Take innovation from a global perspective down to a regional level."
Research &
Development Highlights
House
Science Committee Offers Views
and Estimates on FY2007 R&D Budget
The Views and Estimates constitutes the Science Committee's
advice to congressional appropriators as they review budget
requests for key federal S&T agencies.
more
Science and Engineering Indicators Highlights R&D Trends
The National Science Board has released its
2006 Science
and Engineering Indicators, which uses data to highlight
trends in research and education. One positive sign, U.S. R&D
investments in all sectors are growing again after declining for
the first time in 50 years in 2002.
National Nanotechnology Initiative Slated for Increase
The President's 2007 Budget provides over $1.2 billion for the
multi-agency National
Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), bringing the total federal
investment since the NNI was established in 2001 to over $6.5
billion.
more
Highlights of Federal IT R&D Budget Request Now Available
The National Coordination Office
for Networking and Information Technology Research and
Development has released an overview of the President's budget
request for the FY 2007 federal networking and IT R&D program.
more
White
House Proposes $137.2B in Federal R&D for 2007
The President's
FY2007 R&D budget request represents a 2.4% overall increase
over the 2006 budget (1.9% in non-defense R&D) and includes
significant increases for NSF, NIST, DOE's Office of Science,
and DoD's technology base R&D programs.
[Fact
Sheet ] [Presentation]
Agency R&D Budget
Highlights
Electrotechnology-Related Research in the FY 2007 Budget an analysys by IEEE-USA staff for the AAAS report Research and Development FY 2007
Quotable Quotes
"It is clear to us that energizing American brainpower must be a priority. Every facet of our lives, from national security to modern medicine to the everyday household goods, relies on technology. There are troubling signs we are not keeping pace with other advancing nations."
- Senate Energy & Natural Resources Chairman Pete Domenici (R-NM)
"The skill and
literacy requirements of today's workplace cannot be met if we do not provide everyone access to lifelong education, training, and retraining."
- Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY)
"To compete in
today's high-tech global economy we need to encourage
innovation, foster creativity and promote a talented workforce.
This is a critical challenge facing our country."
- Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX)
"Asia is plowing more
funding into science and education, and that investment is
paying off. More than a hundred Fortune 500 companies have
opened research centers in India and China. Innovation kept
America economically preeminent in the last century. We need to
redouble our commitment to research and experimentation, or we
risk losing both our innovative edge and our economic leadership
in the world."
- Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT),
ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee
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Innovation Policy
News
On March 5th Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell introduded
America COMPETES Act. The bill is an updated version of last year’s Frist-Reid National Competitiveness Investment Act more
Section-by-Section Analysis
Latest ASTRA Brief, February 2007
more
On February 5th, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released its $2.9 trillion Fiscal Year 2008 President's Budget Request
On January 31st, the House of Representatives passed a Joint Resolution that included
$463.5 billion in funding to complete work on last year's unfinished appropriations bills. Last year, Congress was unable to complete work on 9 of the 11 annual appropriations bills. The Resolution froze most funding at FY 2006 levels, however it did provide increases for the following science and technology programs:
•National Science Foundation: an increase of $335 million in the National Science Foundation’s research account to fund Innovation Programs.
• National Institute of Standards and Technology Innovation Programs: $50 million in new funding for physical science research and infrastrucure.
•Department of Energy Office of Science: an increase of $200 million to support research including new energy technologies.
IEEE-USA sent
Letter commending Congressional Leaders for including increased investments in innovation and competitiveness in the FY 2007 Continuing Budget Resolution.
House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon has introduced a legislative packaged aimed at improving science and technology education; increasing funding for U.S. Research: "10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds" Science and Math Scholarship Act
House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon has introduced a legislative packaged aimed at improving science and technology education; increasing funding for U.S. Research: "10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds" Science and Math Scholarship Act (H.R.362) [section-by-section]; Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act (H.R. 363) [section-by-section].tion-by-sec
This
collection of
ASTRA briefs highlights important
innovation policy developments this Fall/Winter. more
IEEE-USA along with 120 other organizations from the engineering and science community who are part of the Innovation Coalition signed letters to the House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders urging full funding for the American Competitiveness Initiative more
ACI Appropriations Summary with list of supporters more
Several key members of the Senate, including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (TN)and
Minority Leader Harry Reid (NV), have introduced a compromise comprehensive
Innovation and Competitiveness package (S.3936). Several sections of the
bill are derived from the "American Innovation and Competitiveness Act" (S.2802)
and the "Protecting America's Competitive Edge Through Energy Act" (S.2197).
The bill is not expected to be considered in the Senate until after the November
elections, however. more
IEEE-USA co-sponsored the National Academies' Convocation on Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing Regions, States, and Cities for a Brighter Economic Future that took place on September 28th in Washington, DC. more
On Sept. 27th, IEEE-USA joined with the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation in sponsoring a congressional reception to recognize congressional efforts to advance the recommendations in the "Rising Storm" report.
On Sept. 26th, IEEE-USA co-sponsored the Accelerating Innovation 2006 Conference, which brought together national and regional leaders to focus on the role of technological innovation in economic development in the mid-Atlantic region.
IEEE-USA’s Budget Scorecard for Key Science Agencies as of August 10, 2006
Compared with Enacted Appropriations for FY ’05 and FY ’06 & Administration ’07 Request
At their Annual
Meeting (August 7), the National Governors Association (NGA) announced
plans to make a major push to support new innovation policies in the
coming year.
more
On Aug. 4, Secretary of Commerce
Carlos M. Gutierrez announced plans to form a15-member Measuring
Innovation in the 21st Century Economy Advisory Committee composed of
experts from academia and representatives from various business sectors.
The Committee will convene this fall and begin to identify ways to
improve innovation measurement, with an interim report due in early 2007
and a final report by mid-2007.
more
Legislative News
The House of Representatives has approved full funding for the President's American Competitive Initiative basic research requests. The Senate Appropriations Subcommitee has approved near full funding. For an overview of the status of American Competitiveness Initiative basic research funding, click here
(Updated 14 July 2006)
On 7 June, the House Science
Committee unanimously approved IEEE-USA-backed legislation (H.R. 5356 as
amended & H.R. 5358)that would strengthen key education and research
programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Energy
Department's Office of Science.
more
The
Research Competitiveness Act of 2006 (S. 2720) introduced
5 May by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) The
bill supports applied and basic research with updated, streamlined, and
permanent tax credits. The bill will give tax-exempt bond authority to
states, communities and universities seeking to improve their research
capabilities with research parks and new facilities. It will also create
a new tax credit to help small technologies companies access start-up
capital.
-
Bill Status
-
Baucus Press Release
In his FY
2007 budget request, President Bush outlined an American
Competitiveness Initiative, which
requests
$5.9 billion in FY 2007 to increase investments in research and
development, strengthen education, and encourage entrepreneurship. Over
10 years, the Initiative proposes $50 billion to increase funding for
research and $86 billion for research and development tax incentives.
IEEE-USA is encouraging Congress to support the ACI as it moves through
the FY 2007 appropriations process.
- ACI
Overview
-
IEEE-USA Press Release
Protecting America's Competitive Edge Acts 2006 - referred to as the PACE Acts.
1) Protecting America's Competitive Edge through Energy
(PACE-Energy Act S. 2197)
2) Protecting America's Competitive Edge through Education and Research
(PACE- Education Act S. 2198)
3) Protecting America's Competitive Edge through Tax Incentives
(PACE-Finance Act S. 2199)
- Section-by-Section Summary
- Senate Press Release
-
IEEE-USA Endorsement
National Innovation Act of 2005
(S. 2109) -
bipartisan legislation designed to ensure the United States remains a
leader in innovation, research and development and the training of
scientists and engineers.
-
Bill Status
-
Senate Press Release
-
IEEE-USA
Endorsement Manufacturing Technology Competitiveness Act of 2005 (HR 250) - To establish an interagency committee to coordinate Federal manufacturing research and development efforts in manufacturing, strengthen existing programs to assist manufacturing innovation and education, and expand outreach programs for small and medium-sized manufacturers, and for other purposes.
-
Bill Status
-
Summary Workforce Investment Act Amendments of 2005 (S.1021) - A bill that will give states the flexibility to provide training for jobs in high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand occupations.
-
Bill Status
-
Senate Press Release Higher Education Amendments Act of 2005 - A bill that will help retain America's competitive edge in the global economy by ensuring that higher education prepares today's students for the demands of tomorrow's workplace.
-
Bill Status
-
Senate Press Release
Rep.
Bart Gordon (D-TN), ranking Democrat on the House Science Committee,
has also also introduced a package of competitiveness legislation
including the
10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act,
Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) Act (H.R.
4435) and the
Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act
(H.R. 4596).
Congressional Hearings, Press Releases & Statements
15 November 2005 - House Democratic Leader
Nancy Pelosi unveiled a new agenda to bolster American competitiveness in a speech at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C.
The Innovation Agenda: A Committment to Competitiveness to Keep America #1
www.housedemocrats.gov/
Congresswoman Pelosi's Press Release
20 October 2005 - The House Science Committee will hold a hearing on "Science, Technology, and Global Economic Competitiveness"
Witnesses included Norman Augustine, Ret. Chairman & CEO, Lockheed Martin Corp.
Archived WEBCAST and statements
18 October 2005 - The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on national capacity for producing innovation in energy technologies and the importance of this innovation to global economic competitiveness. The committee also will hear testimony describing the results of the forthcoming National Academy of Sciences report, Rising Above The Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future.
Ralph Cicerone - President, The National Academies
Norman Augustine, Ret. Chairman & CEO, Lockheed Martin Corp.
21 July 2005 - Statement on Full Committee on Science - Hearing on U.S. Competitiveness: The Innovation Challenge
-
Hearing documents and archived webcast
29 June 2005 - Statement on House Science Subcommittee on Research hearing on Nanotechnology: Where Does the U.S. Stand?
-
Hearing documents and archived webcast
26 May 2005 -
U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Labor, Education, and Pensions hearing on
The 21st Century Workplace: Preparing for Tomorrow’s Employment Trends Today
- Bill information and Testimony
-
Testimony of the Economic Policy Institute by Jared Bernstein
18 May 2005 - Statement on House Science Subcommittee on Research hearing on The National Nanotechnology Initiative: Review and Outlook
-
Hearing documents and archived webcast
12 May 2005 - Statement on Full Science Committee Hearing on The Future of Computer Science Research in the U.S.
-
Hearing documents and archived webcast
Other Reports & Resource Links Recent Reports on Improving Math and Science Education: A Primer Finally, a summary of the many new reports and legislative proposals that are recommending improvements in US science, technology and engineering education. If you’re having trouble remembering who said what or who’s recommending what solution, the Education Commission of the States has published a guide to the six major reports that focus on strengthening America’s innovation capacity.
See A Synthesis of Recommendations for Improving U.S. Science and Mathematics Education, by Kyle Zinth.
Survey Finds That American Voters Get That STEM Education = Competitiveness
12 January 2006:
The Business Roundtable
released a
survey
report indicating that Americans increasingly recognize that our status as
an economic superpower is threatened.
To view a summary of the research findings, click here.
To view a copy of the research presentation, click here.
To view a copy of the surveys, click here.
The World Economic Forum is out with its annual Global Competitiveness Report. The news is good for the US (which ranks No. 2), but it's even better for Scandinavia as Finland (No. 1), Sweden, and Denmark all rank in the top five countries for economic competitiveness.
Global Competitiveness Report, 2005-2006, by the World Economic Forum
National Academy "Gathering Storm" Report - The report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Employing America for a Brighter Future, is a call to arms about the state of America’s innovation economy. The report notes that America still maintains a global lead in science and technology fields, but also contends that this leadership is rapidly eroding. The report includes a series of recommendations to stop this slide. This bold blueprint has gained a lot of attention in the media, and on Capitol Hill.
See National Academy of Sciences report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Employing America for a Brighter Future (www.nap.edu/books/0309100399/html)
Innovation Environments in Europe and the US - EU-sponsored TrendChart Policy Workshop, 2005
"An interesting new research paper compares and contrasts innovation environments in Europe and the US. Evaluating and Comparing the Innovation Performance of the United States and the European Union, by Giovanni Dosi, Patrick Llerena and Mauro Sylos Labini, finds significant performance differences between the US and EU countries. While the European Union (EU)
maintains significant strengths in areas such as physical sciences and
engineering, its overall performance lags that of the United States. See Evaluating and Comparing the Innovation Performance of the United States and the European Union:
www.insme.info/documents/
Innovativeperformance_USEU.pdf
Council on Competitiveness, National Innovation Initiative (NII)
- "The National Innovation Initiative kicked off in November of
2003, as members of the Council on Competitiveness felt the need to
address a range of new challenges to America's innovation
leadership...In December of 2004 at a National Innovation Summit in Washington, DC, the Principals Committee released Innovate America, an innovation policy agenda for the United States." Innovate America Report (December 2004)
www.compete.org
Task Force on the Future of American Innovation - "Formed in 2004, the Task Force urges strong, sustained increases for research budgets at the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy Office of Science, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Department of Defense."The Knowledge Economy: Is the United States Losing Its Competitive Edge? (February 2005)
www.futureofinnovation.org
Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) - "The current debate over offshore outsourcing has been reduced by many to a binary argument: U.S. jobs vs. worldwide trade," EIA President Dave McCurdy said. "These are important issues, but for the sake of the nation and the U.S. economy, we should be focusing our energy on the much larger long-term issue of the future of U.S. innovation." The Technology Industry at an Innovation Crossroads, May 2004
AeA, (formerly the American Electronics Association) Losing the Competitive Advantage?: The Challenge for Science and Technology in the United States February 2005
National Bureau of Economic Research Does Globalization of the Scientific/Engineering Workforce Threaten U.S. Economic Leadership? by Richard Freeman (Working Paper 11457)
Business Roundtable and 14 other Business Organizations Tapping America’s Potential: The Education for Innovation Initiative 27 July 2005
TechNet "is committed to advancing U.S. competitiveness and economic growth." Download the TechNet Innovation Initiative Report and 2005 Policy Agenda (www.technet.org/resources/
TechNetInnovationInitiative.pdf)
World Bank Policy Research Working Paper series
- The impact of international students and skilled immigration in the United
States on innovative activity is estimated using a model of idea generation.
The contribution of skilled immigration and international graduate students to U.S. innovation, Vol. 1 of 1
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