News and Commentary Archive for May, 2005 May 1, 2005: The beginning of another month! Dr. Rice is returning from her Latin American tour. The final stop of which, should be noted, was El Salvador -- the ONLY Latin American country to stay in Iraq after the shameful Spanish withdrawal. If your thinking about traveling in Central America, consider El Salvador. We have some exciting events coming up. Freedom Fest begins in less than 2 weeks, and we're going to be there as an exhibitor -- not just an attendee. Also, you should watch the website closely over the next week, or two, we'll be posting our next forays into the early primary states. It should be exciting.
May 1, 2005: Oh Please! Media bias and affection for Fidel and his friends (the newest one being Venezuela's Chavez) never die. Reuters' Saul Hudson filed a story today saying, "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has discarded her failing tactic of confronting Venezuela publicly in favor of working behind the scenes in Latin America against a country she says threatens the region's stability." Failing tactic?! Mr. Hudson hasn't been in Miami lately. Dr. Rice's public statements about Chavez and Fidel play VERY WELL here -- and Cuban-Americans vote. That's why President Bush won in 2000, and why Florida was a solidly "red state" in 2004. With the growing Venezuelan community in Miami soon approaching the time required to become naturalized citizens AND VOTERS, continued public expressions about the Venezuelan Marxist-leaning leader will continue to be well received in South Florida.
 May 1, 2005: Condi Trivia. During her recent Latin American Tour, Dr. Rice got to see a lot of new places, people and things. Some images are self-explanatory, but others are somewhat difficult to interpret at first glance, like the photo on the right. Is Dr. Rice: A. Admiring this Brazilian's biceps and tattoos. B. Learning how to hail a cab in Brazil. C. Wondering if this Brazilian bow and poison arrows might come in handy at her next Senate hearing. D. Being shown how to hold the Brazilian instrument called a "Berimbau".
The answer, of course, is "D". Maybe we ought to have a "captioning contest" each week with the most interesting State Department photo on our online forum. Any thoughts, ideas, or photo contributions?
May 1, 2005: The American Spectator's Mark Goldblatt wrote in his April 27th article, Condi and History, "...she's said that she has no plans to run, that she won't run, that her real ambition is to become commissioner of the National Football League. But I believe Rice is first and foremost a patriot, and if a case were put forward that campaigning for president were an act of service to her country, rather than service to her ego, she might reconsider."
He goes on to say: "Condi in 2008 is a natural choice both for Republicans and for America." We couldn't agree more.
May 1, 2005: Want to know the "real" Dr. Rice? Read the remarks she made in Brasilia, April 27, 2005. There are some powerful statements of core values that illuminate her political "soul". Why didn't the US press cover this diplomatic "mission statement"?
May 1, 2005: Quoted by the BBC? That's right! Now whether that is a complement, or not, is a subject for debate. How we missed this March 15, 2005, posting by the BBC is beyond us, but after their Iraqi war coverage the BBC was not one of our favorite online (or TV, radio or shortwave) sites to visit. But in all fairness, their coverage of Dr. Rice has been mostly positive and fair.
"Have her repeated denials discouraged the several websites, blogs and other grassroots efforts to encourage her to run? No.
At Americansforrice.com, Condi fans said: 'With the memory of Eisenhower's being 'drafted' for the nomination, we are not deterred.'
The website even has its own song: Condoleezza Will Lead Us. Think early 1980s Euro-pop, vaguely Wham-esque."
May 3, 2005: Was that "Yes", "No" (with accompanying laughter), or something in between? (Or more correctly, "Da" and "Nyett".) The rumor mill was in full swing after an April 20, 2005, interview with Aleksey Venediktov of Ekho Moskvy Radio. Dr. Rice initially answered "Da" when asked about seeking the Presidency in 2008. However, she quickly "corrected" herself, emphatically repeating "Nyett" a number of times. (Reported in a Kommersant article and elsewhere.) While it is clear that she probably just misspoke -- very easy to do in foreign language that you don't get to practice everyday -- it was disappointing to see that the State Department's website chose to "sanitize" the transcript of the interview that they posted on their website by removing the initial "Da".
May 3, 2005: The Condi '08 Coffee Mug is here! We've ordered a few dozen of these, "Made in the USA" mugs designed by Condista Michael South. Most will be going to Freedom Fest in Las Vegas, but a few will remain behind in Miami -- since most of us are addicted to Cafe Cubano. We haven't worked out the best way to ship individual mugs and packing costs, so it may be a couple weeks before they appear on the website for sale. The mug artwork is below:

May 3, 2005: No More "V-word" When Referring to the Minutemen. We almost missed it. When President Bush and Secretary Rice referred to the Minutemen as "vigilantes" last month, we received some very negative e-mail. But in the last paragraph of the transcript of Dr. Rice's remarks with El Salvadoran President Antonio Saca, Dr. Rice was asked a question in Spanish, which appears to have been poorly translated subsequently, "What is the Government of the United States doing to avoid the Minutemen at the borders?" Her response, while not an endorsement, is missing the "v-word: "As to the Minutemen, it has been very clear in U.S. policy that we believe that border matters are handled by authorities of the United States government, and that that is the role of the American border patrol. We have more secure borders, I think now, than we have had in the past. But the real answer to the concerns is going to be eventually to get an immigration policy that makes sense for our country, that makes sense in terms of economic realities, but still respects our laws."
May 6, 2005: Do NOT underestimate Hillary ! Yesterday, in a Christian Science Monitor editorial that was published on a Yahoo! News page, as well; the junior Senator from New York was characterized with regards to the North Korean Nuclear issue as:
"...throwing a political punch that's likely to be repeated again and again into the 2008 presidential campaign."
After the "stellar" performance of her husband's administration in dealing with the North Koreans (remember the nuclear reactor we built for them?), it is almost laughable that Senator Clinton would think that she's in a position to offer advice on this matter. But in true Clinton tradition, "The best defense is a strong offense." The good Senator has seen fit to write a letter to Dr. Rice urging the abandonment of the six-party negotiations currently underway in favor of direct US-North Korean talks.
Hillary, and her friends in the Senate, are helping to insure the failure of the Bush administration policy so that they have a "security issue" to campaign on in 2008. You can bet that the North Koreans are paying close attention to this foreign policy debate, and now, thanks to Senator Clinton, they have even LESS incentive to negotiate. Who knows what goodies they could squeeze out of a future potentially democratically-controlled White House? The Democrats, by promoting gridlock at the negotiating table, have damaged our national security and endangered Americans. You can bet that the North Koreans are already translating and singing the Rolling Stones song "Time Is on My Side".
May 7, 2005: Ebony Magazine listed Dr. Rice in their 100+ Most Influential Black Americans and Organization Leaders. Unfortunately, there's no online link the article or listing.
May 7, 2005: "Rice doesn't scare worth a damn." Elisabeth Bumiller quoted an "anonymous" administration source yesterday in her New York Times' article, Russia Objects to Bush Visit to Neighbors. She reported that the source "insisted" on anonymity so that he (or she?) would not be seen as "taunting Moscow". Russian Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov sent a letter to Dr. Rice objecting to President Bush's visit to Latvia. This underlies the Russians' fear of expanding US influence in Eastern Europe.
May 7, 2005: Harry Potter for Adults? That's the publisher's description of The Color of Demons. Authors Stephen Hawley Martin, a two-time winner of the Writer’s Digest Book Award for Fiction, and his brother David Nathan Martin, founder of the Martin Advertising Agency, write a "paranormal thriller" based on a future presidential race between two women candidates modeled after Dr. Rice and Senator Clinton. The Washington Post review was interesting:
". . . a rival to The Da Vinci Code in the realm of theological thrillers, although it targets liberalism, not Catholicism."
Visit the Oaklea Press website for more information. Read the Midwest Book Review here. (By the way, we have no financial, or other, relationship with the authors or publisher.)
May 8, 2005: If Condoleezza Rice runs, Condoleezza Rice wins. That was Crystal Dueker's response to the Grand Forks Herald's Viewpoint, "Dems would be fools not to run Hillary" on April 28th. See the full response in our online forum.
 May 8, 2008: Las Vegas! We're going to be an exhibitor in Las Vegas at Freedom Fest. Are you going to attend? In an effort to continue organizing across the country, this we'll be an important event, May 12-14. We'll post reports of our exploits just as soon as they happen. Our Freedom Fest attendance is going to coincide with some other exciting news. (If all goes according to plan!) Stay tuned. This image is from the Americans for Dr. Rice flyer that will be in the program at Freedom Fest.
May 9, 2005: It's her party too! When the New Hampshire Concord Monitor neglected to mention Dr. Rice as a potential candidate for 2008, Sheri Demers, our New Hampshire chairperson, sprang into action and quickly reminded them that we're still around. Her efforts were rewarded with a "correction" in a subsequent column -- scroll down to "It's her party too." (You remember Sheri, don't you? She was the Condista who welcomed Senator Frist to New Hampshire in March at the Lincoln-Reagan dinner. Little Sheri frightened the Senator so much that he scurried out through the kitchen instead of the front door in order to avoid her and her fellow Condistas generating a whole lot more excitement than he did as the keynote speaker with just a table of Condista t-shirts and campaign buttons. But seriously, when Sheri has a Condi polo shirt or t-shirt on, she can be very scary -- especially to Presidential "wannabes" of both parties. Check out the CSPAN video "Road to the White House" and judge for yourself.) May 9, 2005: Condi WINS! That is when she is put on the "ballot". Dr. Rice was the "winner" of last week's WisPolitics.com straw poll of Republican activists. See the results here. However, her name was conspicuously absent in other polls that were widely reported this past weekend on the political talk show circuit such as the Marist College poll of April 18-21 and the Quinnipiac University Poll. March 2-7. The most common explanation for this is Dr. Rice's March 13th "I won't run." statement. However, Senator Clinton says she's not running and is included in all of them. Double standard?
May 9, 2005: Voote.com has a presidential straw poll that includes Dr. Rice. Be sure to cast your vote ASAP.
May 10, 2005: Rice Proving Adept at Diplomacy. That's the way the Washington Post's Jackson Diehl entitled his article today trumpeting Dr. Rice's accomplishments in her first few months as Secretary of State. While we disagree with the way he characterizes her negotiating tactics as being "pragmatism" and explaining: "That necessarily means toning down U.S. preeminence and occasionally compromising on the hot-button causes of U.S. conservatives, such as Cuba or the ICC."; we do find it interesting that even the Post can't deny Dr. Rice's leadership at the State Department and her ability to effectively execute US foreign policy.
We think that this points out the liberal media's dilemma. THEY LIKE CONDI. BUT, OH MY GOD, SHE'S A REPUBLICAN. So, in a sort of journalistic psychology defense mechanism, they project liberal qualities onto Dr. Rice. For example, Diehl's "pragmatism" sure sounds a lot like "appeasement" to us. After hearing Madame Secretary's comments about North Korea and other issues we cannot agree that she's "toning down". We'd liken any "compromises", supposedly made by Dr. Rice, to strategic moves made in order to further the overall US foreign policy, similar to Kissinger's opening to China during the Nixon administration. With Dr. Rice's intelligence, knowledge and clearly defined, values-based goals for US relationships abroad, there's no one that we'd rather have at the helm of the State Department -- well, until 2008 anyway.May 12, 2005: On the Air !!! Americans for Dr. Rice (AFR) is on the air in New Hampshire and Miami. WNTK, the most powerful AM talk radio station in New Hampshire, and WKAT in Miami are airing AFR spots beginning TODAY. This will coincide with Freedom Fest in Las Vegas where AFR is an exhibitor seeking to gain further nationwide support for Dr. Rice's presidential run in 2008. The audio is posted under the "Media" heading on the right-hand sidebar. These media buys cost MONEY -- DONATE NOW !!!
May 13, 2005: Media Blitz!!! Freedom Fest has energized Americans for Dr. Rice (AFR) with new interest from supporters across country -- not to mention some CASH !!! This is going to allow us to expand our radio campaign in New Hampshire, an important early primary state. WKXL 1450 AM in Concord, New Hampshire, is the latest addition to the list of outlets airing our spots. They'll begin on Wednesday, May 18, and continue until next month. But we are NOT done! We hope to have further news of even more outlets, and dare we say television? Listen to our spots. (With a little help, they may be on a station near you!) It is ALL up to you! We've accomplished a lot with very little, but we need your support -- especially your FINANCIAL support -- to make all of this a reality. DONATE NOW !!!
May 13, 2005: Larry King Live! Dr. Rice was interviewed by the "man in suspenders" May 11, 2005. The State Department has posted the transcript that is required reading for all Condistas. Her poise, style, grace and clear convictions expressed during the program just reinforce our support for Dr. Rice as our next President.
May 15, 2005: Dr. Rice has been SUED by a Saudi linked to terrorism! Rueters' Dominic Evans reported in a May 14, 2005, article that:
The former head of Saudi Arabia's Al-Haramain charity said on Saturday he was filing a lawsuit in the US against senior officials including Condoleezza Rice for putting him on a UN terrorist blacklist.
The Saudi Arabian government shut down the charity after Al-Haramain's name was placed on a UN list of al-Qaeda linked suspects following a request by the US government.
May 15, 2005: On Respect for the Holy Koran. The State Department website has posted the Secretary's May 12, 2005, remarks (broadband video, dial-up video, audio) regarding the Holy Koran. We are happy to see this. It is vitally important that the Arab world receive something other than the constant anti-American propaganda that is pumped out by the press in their countries that is, in most cases, government-controlled. After posting "The Real WMD" essay we received several negative e-mail messages stating that we were anti-Islam. Please read the Webmaster's preface disputing this.
May 15, 2005: Dr. Rice Visits Iraq! In the fine tradition of Reagan going to the Korean DMZ, Dr. Rice is visiting Iraq today in a show of support to the new Iraqi government and US troops. While in Baghdad she was interviewed by a CNN correspondent that aired this morning (EDST). See the CNN story here.
May 16, 2005: Fox and Friends asked the question today: "Do you think Vice President Dick Cheney should run for president in 2008?" As of 9:00 pm tonight the answer was a resounding 2:1 "NO!". With 2388 votes, it was 30% yes, 64% no, 6% not sure. Even more interesting, the call-in guests were decidedly pro-Condi. This again shows the grassroots support for Dr. Rice. We admire and respect VP Cheney, but nominating him for the presidency in 2008 would be an act of political suicide.
May 16, 2005: Our Guestbook is back! You can sign our guestbook by clicking on the Guestbook button to the left. We need to collect the names, addresses and e-mail addresses of all supporters of Dr. Rice for 2008. Of course you can also leave a comment (hopefully a nice one). Your personal information will not be sold. Your e-mail address, telephone and mailing address (if you choose to share that with us) will NOT be publicly displayed. The information will only be used for AFR-related activities.
May 16, 2005: Is Dick Morris a Condista? Former Clinton confidant, turned Fox News political consultant, Dick Morris is rumored to be writing a Hillary vs. Condi book. At least that was the "buzz" at Freedom Fest in Las Vegas this past week. It would seem that what's said in Vegas doesn't necessarily stay in Vegas. As a matter of fact, we wouldn't be surprised to see a Condi '08 mug on his desk in the very near future. Besides being the "Clinton confidante that came in from the cold", Dick Morris is also a best-selling author. He achieved acclaim (or infamy depending on your political views) after writing Power Plays, Because He Could, Rewriting History, Off with Their Heads, Behind the Oval Office: Getting Re-elected Against All Odds. He is also a principal of Vote.com along with Eileen McGann that is funded by Dick Scruggs and Steve Bozeman. (Full Disclosure: we have NO relationship with Dick Morris, Amazon, the publishers of his books, or with Vote.com.)
May 16, 2005: Fox and Friends asked the question today: "Do you think Vice President Dick Cheney should run for president in 2008?" As of 9:00 pm tonight the answer was a resounding 2:1 "NO!". With 2388 votes, it was 30% yes, 64% no, 6% not sure. Even more interesting, the call-in guests were decidedly pro-Condi. This again shows the grassroots support for Dr. Rice. We admire and respect VP Cheney, but nominating him for the presidency in 2008 would be an act of political suicide.
May 16, 2005: Our Guestbook is back! You can sign our guestbook by clicking on the Guestbook button to the left. We need to collect the names, addresses and e-mail addresses of all supporters of Dr. Rice for 2008. Of course you can also leave a comment (hopefully a nice one). Your personal information will not be sold. Your e-mail address, telephone and mailing address (if you choose to share that with us) will NOT be publicly displayed. The information will only be used for AFR-related activities. May 17, 2005: Tomorrow is the debut of our advertisements at WKXL 1450 AM in Concord, New Hampshire. You can listen live through their website with streaming internet audio. These radio spots in the New Hampshire state capital certainly will help bring AFR to the attention of the New Hampshire electorate in this critical early primary state. We'll be running the spots produced at WNTK and WKAT. You can hear them by clicking the "Radio Spots" link under the "Media" sidebar.
May 17, 2005: Changing the Face of National Security. That's the way that BlackAmericaWeb.com described the ascension of Dr. Rice and Gen. Colin Powell in their April 12, 2004, article. Most notable quotation: Dr. Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor of the United States, proved to the world that even under the highest form of social and political pressure, her determination should never be underestimated. Even if you disagreed with her politics, you could not deny the bubbling pride in 'our' collective chests as she stood her ground and held her head high before the committee. The persona that is "Condi" is a new face of power, and one that we all, even if we don't agree with her policies and ideology, must respect.
May 19, 2005: Condi 101? We're now part of a college class! Professor A. Lanethea Mathews-Gardner of the Political Science Department at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, has included us in her class, Gender and Politics.
May 20, 2005: Don't Be Afraid to Donate! For the past several days WebsiteSource, our internet service provider -- whom we recommend very highly, has had some technical difficulties. As a result, our website has been intermittently off-line. In order to protect our donor's personal information during this time, we disabled our "Donate" page. We are happy to say that these technical difficulties have been overcome and that our donation page is, once again, fully operational. We are sure that there are many of our website visitors anxiously waiting to support our efforts. The radio spots, our future television spots, this website, postage, etc. all cost money ! It is time to "step up to the plate
May 20, 2005: New Bumper Sticker Design! After talking to many of our supporters, we have re-designed the "We have a dream!" bumper sticker to the design on the left. The old design is still available WHILE SUPPLIES LAST !!! If you are a collector and want the old design for your collection, order now, there are less than 20 of the old design left. Thanks to you, our website visitors, THOUSANDS of "Condi" bumper stickers are out there laying the ground work for 2008. Our bumper sticker sales page has changed. You can now get a 33% discount on your favorite bumper stickers by buying 5, or more, at a time.
May 20, 2005: Radio Interview. On May 17, 2005, the News Director of WKXL, Anthony Schinella, interviewed AFR's acting chairperson, Richard Mason in the wake of the media splash made by radio spots playing for the next 1-2 months in the critical early primary state of New Hampshire. Hear the interview here.
May 23, 2005: Ohio will be Condi Country in 2008 -- if Mr. Kelley Cowdrey has anything to say about it. He's so confident, he went out and purchased his Ohio vanity plates,
 May 23, 2005: US News and World Report quotes an "associate" of Dr. Rice saying that she "definitely wants to be president," but wants to be "drafted". This "leak" reported by Paul Bedard is published in the May 30, 2005, issue under "Washington Whispers". Although this is just a rumor at this point, it certainly is "music to the ears" of the Condistas who have been advocating working to put Dr. Rice's name on the ballot in as many states as possible, as soon as possible. Crystal Dueker, our research person and national co-chair is in Des Moines, Iowa, today. And even though the weather has warmed up considerably in this crucial primary state, we'd guess that she's not there working on her tan. (Unless of course, Chet Culver, the Iowa Secretary of State, just happens to have a sun lamp in his office.) Also, don't be surprised to hear reports, in the very near future, that she's met with other Iowans that support Dr. Rice to begin laying the ground work for organizing this state so that it'll be "Condi Territory" in 2007. With Sheri Demers in New Hampshire and Crystal in Iowa, we're going to have to form a new committee to plan the Condista Inaugural Ball in January 2008! This is a frightening prospect for the South Florida Condistas (where AFR began it's humble existence). Getting them north of Jacksonville in winter will be tough, but for Dr. Rice they'd do anything -- even buy a winter coat! And, oh yes, don't forget to DONATE. Even though Crystal's little Cooper Mini (the one with all of the Condi bumper stickers on it) is very economical, we'd like to give her a little gas money and maybe even a Taco Bell gift certificate, or two! (Right now, she's doing all of this on her own "dime".) Please be generous! " and contribute so that we can keep growing.
May 25, 2005: American Task Force on Palestine president, Ziad Asali, met with Dr. Rice in Washington, DC, to urge "tangible political and economic support" be given to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He emphasized the importance of the US taking advantage of the "limited window of opportunity" to strengthen Abbas and improve the daily lives of Palestinians and validate his policy of negotiation. Dr. Rice reaffirmed that President Bush is committed to a two-state solution. She said, that "the US has an obligation and not just an opportunity to make that happen." If anyone is capable of catalyzing a solution in the Middle East, where others have failed, it is Dr. Rice. May 26, 2005: The rock star Bono, of the group U2, turned humanitarian activist, met with Dr. Rice yesterday at the State Department. HIV/AIDS, Africa, third world debt relief, and foreign assistance were reported to be the topics for discussion.
May 26, 2005: Oprah's On! Here's a link that somehow slipped past us. It's several years old, but still relevant today -- the 2002 Oprah interview with Dr. Rice. It's a rare glimpse into the personal life of Dr. Rice. "In all my years of interviewing, I have never been prouder to spell my name w-o-m-a-n than after spending time with Condoleezza Rice." — Oprah
May 26, 2005: Dr. Rice "Hangs Tough" on Iranian Nukes. Dr. Rice is reportedly "insisting" that the Muslim-fundamentalist, theocratic Iranian Government must "completely halt all its suspect activities." Maybe those Margaret Thatcher-Condoleezza Rice analogies are true.
May 27, 2005: New Hampshire Radio. The response to our NH radio spots has been gratifying. So gratifying in fact that we are continuing the spots on WNTK and WKXL for a few more weeks. Shari Demers, our NH chairperson, is also working on a new radio outlet in this key early primary state. If all goes according to plan, this new radio announcement should cause quite a stir in the Granite State -- not just because of what it says, but who says it! Also, it will be our first foray into a non-talk radio format station. Wish Shari luck as she tries to "make this happen" Our next "big" media events are going to be the production of our first television spots and the announcement of our efforts to put Dr. Rice on the ballot in as many states as possible, as soon as possible. Regulatory restrictions may slow us down somewhat depending on the rules in the various states, but this is going to be part of our new "mission statement". Oh, and in case we forgot to mention it earlier, THIS COSTS MONEY, please donate as generously as you can.
May 27, 2005: Crowd Applauds as Protesters Removed! In San Francisco Dr. Rice addressed the Commonwealth Club at the Davies Symphony Hall. The crowd was estimated to be approximately 1400. A few minutes into the speech, hooded protesters in robes, interrupted her speech chanting slogans against the Iraqi War of Liberation. As they were led away, Dr. Rice said, "It is a wonderful thing that people can speak their minds. And it is a good thing that they can now do so in Baghdad." Don't these protesters see the "irony" of protesting Dr. Rice in hoods and robes?
May 28, 2005: Rice Working to Reshape U.S. Relations with Allies was the title of yesterday's NPR interview with Dr. Rice and senior correspondent Juan Williams. (He's also a political consultant for Fox News.) Dr. Rice again demonstrates her clear command of the realities of US foreign policy and her unique abilities in clearly communicating her values-based positions on a wide range of issues.
May 28, 2005: Condista Labor Day Weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona. The attendees of the NFRA National Convention will be "Welcomed to Arizona" at the Goldwater reception -- sponsored by Americans for Dr. Rice (AFR). We plan on communicating our dedication to seeing Dr. Rice on the ballot in 2008, recruiting new Condistas, and maybe even do a little fund-raising. We are planning on unveiling our first television ads at the convention. It's an ambitious agenda, but with your help and support it can be done. If you are a Condista that is thinking about going to Scottsdale, e-mail Crystal Dueker, or call 701-306-2705, who'll be coordinating our efforts at the Convention.
May 31, 2005: North Korea launches "scathing personal attack" on Dr. Rice. The Associated Press reported in an article yesterday that Pyongyang accuses Dr. Rice of "slander" and "usurping" the power of the Bush administration. It has been said that a person is known by the friends they keep. Conversely, a lot can be deduced by one's enemies. Dr. Rice has been attacked personally by Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Kim Il Sung, a variety of terrorists -- and let's not forget Barbara Boxer, Ted Kennedy, and John Kerry.
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