February 13, 2007
Yusuf KANLI & Göksel BOZKURT interviewed Süleyman Demirel, the ninth president of Turkey Doğu ERGİL in Turkey divided over identity nationalism We have succeeded in creating a divided nation that sees itself from the eye of the fly as a...
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February 12, 2007
Julian Petley in The retreat of reason says: An attempt to put political correctness right goes disastrously wrong. On PC bashing in the British press and how it has aided the rise of the British National Party. Mykola Riabchuk in...
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February 08, 2007
İlnur Çevik says: It all started in the 1980s when the Ozal government was under pressure to change articles 141, 142 and 163 of the penal code, which was the main obstacle to freedom of expression in Turkey. Articles 141...
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January 17, 2007
European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn yesterday criticized French Interior Minister and presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy for opposing Turkey's bid for full EU membership. Already a member of the executive committee and head of the Social Affairs Committee of...
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January 13, 2007
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul vowed [right] on Wednesday that 2007 will not be a "lost year" for Turkey's European Union membership process, despite upcoming elections and an EU decision to partially freeze accession talks due to the Cyprus...
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January 07, 2007
Semih İdiz says: 2007 is set to be another year when Turkish-US ties go on a rollercoaster ride. In line with the mood in Washington -- and not least because it features as one of the key recommendations in the...
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from Hayan Maani from Jordan. Will Iran be the next battlefield? VIA Rick Steves says "Turkey is even tastier, friendlier, cheaper, and richer in culture and history than its more popular neighbor, Greece. But the average Turk looks like...
January 06, 2007
Kirsty Hughes, Writer on European affairs, in BBC says: Now that the parties celebrating the accession of two new countries to the European Union are over, the EU finds itself once again staring at an uncertain future.... The symbols of...
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December 31, 2006
Turkey has received proposal from Armenian government, being out of important projects realized in the region, on establishing of diplomatic relations and opening of frontiers. Letter of Defense Minister of Armenia, Serge Sarkisyan, published in “The Wall Street Journal” reads:...
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December 28, 2006
Turkey’s bid to join the European Union is on the verge of failure. If the EU says no, will Turks turn away from Europe? What does Turkey think about Iran and the bomb? Will Turkey seek its own nuclear weapon?...
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December 26, 2006
[it is Christmas time, traffic really slowed down, many blogs and sites are producing fewer posts nowadays, but this blog will keep the same tempo. Hahaha i could't let you leave without posts and happy Christmas for all who care!...
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12:19 AM
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December 24, 2006
Mehmet Ozcan says in EU is not Ready to Conduct Negotiations with Turkey!: At the last meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) dated 20 December, there became a consensus on the subject that one chapter will be opened...
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December 23, 2006
Rainer Bauböck says: Current citizenship laws in the European Union vary dramatically. The tension between freedom of movement and national self-determination of citizenship within the EU has the potential to create serious conflicts in the future, writes Rainer Bauböck. Taking...
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December 22, 2006
Today is the global orgasm day. Enjoy the event:) And a Christmas gift: JK Rowling announces seventh Harry Potter title Shame on me, I haven't read the sixth one yet:( Ads from the American Red Cross. Strupp's Top 10 Newspaper...
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December 21, 2006
Newsdesign blog discusses the Seattle Times first page..." In Seattle, they’re still reeling from last week’s big storm. Thousands are still without electricity and six people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning as the result of using charcoal or...
Cafe Babel has it: What is in store for new year's Europe? We look at the upcoming leaders, movers and shakers who will transform the face of the EU in 2007 The official launch of a common energy policy in...
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December 20, 2006
According to AP, Turkey's foreign minister on Tuesday insisted that Turkey remains fully committed to the European Union membership process, but accused the EU of acting against the spirit of ties with his country by partially freezing membership talks last...
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The idea of a single set of "European values" was thrown into doubt on Monday as a fresh Eurobarometer poll exposed strongly varying attitudes towards delicate issues such as religion, homosexuality and drug use across the EU............. Meanwhile, European bishops...
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December 18, 2006
The Boston Globe editorial says: The 25 foreign ministers of the European Union embarrassed themselves last week when they agreed to punish Turkey for refusing to open its ports and airfields to the Greek Republic of Cyprus. The EU decision...
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December 17, 2006
Person of the Year: You- Yes, you. You control the Information Age. Welcome to your world. By LEV GROSSMAN As TRT to rebroadcast documentary accusing Sweden of genocide, Swedish Ambassador said freedom of the press is an essential principle...
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December 15, 2006
Hürriyet names it.... As EU to start closing doors to the east, Stephen Kinzer discusses Slamming the door in Turkey's face ..........For the last few years, Turkey has been engaged in a process of near-revolutionary change. It is today...
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December 14, 2006
Nobel laureate for literature Orhan Pamuk of Turkey holds his medal as he poses with daughter Ryya after the prize ceremony in Stockholm December 10, 2006. The European Union's decision to partially suspend Turkey's entry talks will cause problems...
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December 12, 2006
Germany As AFOE also notes, Blog Carnival of German-American Relations is Online. Atlantic Review also provides a round up of German Foreign Policy News From DW World. Here is an earlier one. In other earlier but significant posts: * Various...
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December 05, 2006
The EU's Enlargement Commissioner, Olli Rehn, has urged Germany and France not to step up the pressure on Turkey over its membership bid. Living in the Shadow of Ataturk: Buyukanit in Istanbul I published the cover already, here is now...
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08:25 AM
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December 04, 2006
If the European Union now spurns Turkey, it will deservedly stand accused of historic dishonesty and perfidy says Martin Kettle. Sabah has a brief round up of non-Turkish press and quotes from the Guardian, Turkey as "Healthy man of Europe"...
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News editors and experts from European, national and regional media will have their say about Vice-President Wallström's new Communication Strategy in a stakeholder conference in Helsinki next week.......... Minority youths torn between cultures as Europe debates integration By: JAMEY KEATEN...
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December 02, 2006
Bronwen Maddox in Blame game is a dangerous one to play Who is most to blame for the sudden deadlock between Turkey and the European Union? Turkey, by a small margin, if you have to make that call, in that...
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December 01, 2006
"The liberal state has been hijacked for neoliberal agendas," says Saskia Sassen in interview with Saskia Sassen, Magnus Wennerhag, and in some cases even for "very modern despotisms". It is necessary to repossess the state apparatus for genuine liberal democracy,...
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November 29, 2006
Anthony Giddens in A call to arms Why, during a period of transformative social change, is sociology not back at the forefront of intellectual life and public debate?.... NYT Book Review: 100 Notable Books of the Year A NYT Piece...
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02:33 PM
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November 27, 2006
The murders of Alexander Litvinenko and Anna Politkovskaya hung over the EU-Russia summit in Helsinki on Friday (24 November) in a meeting that did not resolve the Polish-Russian meat row but did see progress on Siberian overflights and environmental cooperation...
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04:18 AM
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November 24, 2006
Turkey-EU mixed Parliament Commissioner Joost Lagendijk said 'it is possible that EU will freeze this issue if Turkey can not find a solution for Cyprus within two weeks'. In the mean time, Rehn said Finnish Plan is Advantage, not Blackmail...
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11:29 AM
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November 22, 2006
Dossier of Thursday, November 16, 2006; Dissonance in the Turkish March The recent publication of a report in which the European Commission criticises the slow pace of reforms undertaken by Turkey to enter the EU is feeding the debate in...
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Dossier of Wednesday, November 15, 2006; Islam in Europe In many European countries, Muslims have expressed the desire to see their religion given a higher profile in public life. What are the Christian majority's views on this? And is there...
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10:16 AM
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Mark Beunderman: In a move to curry favour with the EU, Turkey has said it will quickly change a notorious article of its penal code curbing free speech - but at the same time, Ankara has put its ties with...
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02:52 AM
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November 21, 2006
The Finnish presidency has set the deadline for Turkey to open its ports and airports to ships and planes from Cyprus to 6 December 2006.....So EU raises the pressure on Turkey "This new campaign for Mercedes SLK AMG, with some...
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November 20, 2006
Uffe Ellemann-Jensen in Deal fairly with Turkey: European leaders must therefore take up two challenges. First, they should say clearly to their own voters that the EU must live up to its promises to Turkey, and that this is in...
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November 12, 2006
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül has said that the infamous Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), widely considered to limit freedom of expression in Turkey, could be amended before a key European Union summit. And in another news, Turkey...
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November 11, 2006
The Commission has fleshed out what 'absorption capacity' actually means for future EU-applicant countries. Brief News: Alongside the 8 November progress reports on Turkey and the Balkan applicant nations, the Commission also spelled out its future enlargement strategy. The absorption...
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LA Times editorial says "It's too important to Europe, and vice versa, for talks over its entrance into the EU to founder.... Flag-drapped coffin of former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit is carried by honour guards during his funeral ceremony at...
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03:58 PM
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November 08, 2006
Dossier of Tuesday, November 7, 2006; Corruption in Europe The 2006 Transparency International (TI) international corruption ranking report reinforces the link between corruption and poverty. Europe performed rather well and Finland topped the list for freedom from corruption. However, TI...
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November 07, 2006
In WorkPermit.Com, it is said that "The European Commission will decide this week if it will recommend a partial suspension of Turkey's membership negotiations for joining the European Union. Turkey has failed in several key areas, including failure to open...
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November 06, 2006
A power failure plunged around ten million Europeans into darkness for an hour on Saturday, November 4th. After this cut the press ponders the solidity of the European connection system and considers ways to avoid this type of incident. US...
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November 04, 2006
Mehmet Ali Talat talks to Euronews..... CBS asks Will Turkey And EU Divorce Before Wedding? After Years Of Waiting To Get In, Signs Indicate Turkey May Not Join EU After All. Whenever a major crisis occurs, similar questions are asked....
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November 01, 2006
Financial Times feeds the concerned public substantially: Daniel Dombey says Report puts Turkey’s EU hopes in jeopardy and with Fidelius Schmid in Brussels and,Vincent Boland in Ankara he underlines that Risky decision over accession talks could turn sour and a...
Dossier of Tuesday, October 31, 2006; The cost of global warming Netherlands - Trouw | Tuesday, October 31, 2006; The Armenian question in the Dutch legislative elections Sweden - Dagens Nyheter | Monday, October 30, 2006; Ralf Dahrendorf on the...
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October 15, 2006
'Anti-Americanism is a form of fascism' says Bernard-Henri Lévy quoted in Allister Heath's piece: ......Lévy â” or BHL as he is universally known in France, where he is a household name â” was in Britain on Monday to promote his...
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Houston Chronicle editorial entitled as "Legislating truth" says: .....By trying to legislate history, France's parliament might silence "genocide doubters." That's different from persuading them. By smothering debate, France also silences its best advocates for truth — voices, perhaps, like those...
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October 14, 2006
John Ward Anderson of Washington Post says: The complex relationship between Turkey and Europe played out Thursday in two European capitals, as Turkey's leading novelist was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in literature in Stockholm and French lawmakers here passed...
October 13, 2006
Turkey has condemned a French parliamentary vote which would make it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered "genocide" at the hands of the Turks. Brussels also condemns the French law...a thin turnout of French legislators approved a bill, but...
October 11, 2006
In Short: On 3 October 2005, membership negotiations were symbolically opened with Turkey and on 12 June 2006 the examination and assessment of the acquis communautaire began. Nevertheless, stumbling blocks remain on the road to Turkey's accession. In particular, these...
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October 10, 2006
BBC also covered the event quoting PM Erdogan: "This is an issue between Turkey and Armenia. It is none of France's business." Though I am not sure whether that is only the business of Turkey and Armenia, thanks to French...
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October 08, 2006
The EU has agreed to provide information on air passengers flying from Europe to more US government agencies and more quickly, in a revised agreement adopted on Friday (6 October). Aigars Kalvitis of People party poses in the party...
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October 07, 2006
Mehmet Ali Birand says: Today, no one has anything good to say about the EU. Tomorrow, when the EU negotiations derail, I would like to hear what these critics will say. Do you know why those who attack the EU...
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October 06, 2006
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is accompanied by Turkey's EU negotiator Ali Babacan (L) and bodyguards during a wreath-laying ceremony at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, in Ankara October 5, 2006. REUTERS/Fatih Saribas * German...
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The two-seat parliament farce must end; One million citizens petition Brussels to become the seat of EU parliament by Paul Wheatley: On September 18, the first ever European Union citizens' initiative reached the magical figure of one million signatures. The...
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'Mr. Buyukanit's remarks are unfair. I can't see anything more natural than a citizen questioning the choices and tendencies of a country's administration. Professor Cizre is not a civil servant but a scientist,' says Aytar of TESEV * The full...
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Leaders 'turning Turks against EU' By George Parker in Brussels and Hugh Williamson in Berlin European leaders who want to keep Turkey out of the union and talk instead of a "privileged partnership" with Ankara were yesterday denounced as irresponsible...
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October 05, 2006
The Literacy Project. A resource for teachers, literacy organisations and anyone interested in reading and education, created in collaboration with LitCam, Google, and UNESCO's Institute for Lifelong Learning. Dossier of Wednesday, October 4, 2006; Defending freedom of expression France...
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10:37 AM
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October 04, 2006
One year after the start of Turkey's accession talks with the EU, US president George W. Bush has said it is "in the interest" of Washington that Ankara joins the bloc. I am not sure if this really helps...
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October 02, 2006
David Barchard: "Coffee or tea?" asked my neighbor. I glanced out of the window across the village green to the ducks on the pond. It was good to be back home at Little Scroggington in rural England where no...
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Austria's opposition Social Democrats have won a surprise election victory, defeating Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel's People's Party. Lawmakers sing the national anthem before Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer speaks during the formal opening of the legislative year in Ankara, Sunday, Oct....
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October 01, 2006
BBC says "A Kurdish rebel group fighting for autonomy in south-east Turkey has declared a unilateral ceasefire with the government in Ankara." And MA Birands laments that: People will not be dying anymore. The heart-rending screams at funerals of martyred...
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September 30, 2006
The Foreign Ministry has expressed disappointment that the killings of Armenians in the latter years of the Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago unexpectedly cropped up as a leading issue in the Dutch elections. Oktay Eksi of Hurriyet justly...
(Germany - Süddeutsche Zeitung | Friday, September 29, 2006) Heribert Prantl takes the opportunity to criticise the German minister of the interior, Wolfgang Schäuble, pointing out that although he has taken measures to integrate immigrants, he has failed to address...
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September 29, 2006
"This article, by Ramona Binder from cafebabel.com, stresses that despite the Commission's efforts to improve young Europeans' grasp, EU Member states find it difficult to implement concrete measures....." Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tries to send an e-mail to...
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The Deutsche Oper has withdrawn a production of Mozart's opera "Idomeneo" last week in Germany. I could not follow the developments myself but here is a "dossier" on the issue. Dossier of Thursday, September 28, 2006; Indignation over the cancellation...
September 28, 2006
Spain - El País | Sunday, September 24, 2006; The Turkish writer, Orhan Pamuk, examines the rift between western and eastern societies in an interview with the journalist and writer Rosa Montero. BBC says Most Muslims in Germany are of...
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10:14 AM
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September 27, 2006
"A full session of the 732 member European Parliament discuss a controversial report on Turkey - an EU candidate country - prepared by Conservative Dutch MEP Camiel Eurlings. A controversial provision, making recognition of the killing of Armenians by Ottoman...
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A new report by the European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) sees the EU's communication challenge as being not to provide more debate but more information. ECAS demands a new Treaty article giving citizens the "right to information". Very interesting project...
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12:24 AM
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September 26, 2006
* Czech Republic - Lidove noviny | Monday, September 25, 2006; Second-class EU membership for Romania and Bulgaria? * Dossier of Monday, September 25, 2006; Swiss referendum on stricter asylum laws Basque militants refuse to disarm * Hungary - Nepszabadsag...
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September 25, 2006
The European Commission is set to say Bulgaria and Romania may join the EU in January - but the draft monitoring report, seen by EUobserver, threatens safeguards unless they take immediate action on judicial and administrative reform. In the mean...
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September 24, 2006
The Barroso Government! Dossier of Thursday, September 22, 2006;The EU debates on illegal immigration Dossier of Thursday, September 21, 2006; The popularity of the ultra-right NPD in Eastern Germany Dossier of Wednesday, September 20, 2006; The political crisis in...
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05:10 AM
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Immigration issues is a hot topic in EU politics and I frequently give related links. Here is more on Di's adventure on immigration: On the subject of being an immigrant Estonian president-elect Toomas Hendrik Ilves, seen here in August 2006,...
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September 23, 2006
Angry Muslim reaction to the Pope's recent remarks on Islam has seen some centre-right MEPs make a last-minute attempt to insert a paragraph condemning the Muslim outcry into a major report on Turkey's EU accession progress while Kretschmer declares that...
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11:20 AM
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September 22, 2006