http://www.udp-syria.org/news/ News and Events from The Program for Sustainable Urban Development in Syria en Copyright 2010, The Program for Sustainable Urban Development in Syria. All rights reserved. Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:14:59 +0000 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:14:59 +0000 UDP NN RSS Generator v0.1 http://www.udp-syria.org/images/logos/gtzlogo.gif http://www.udp-syria.org/news/ http://www.udp-syria.org/?id=213&lang=enAfter the great efforts made by the Informal Settlements working team. The German Technical Cooperation and the Municipality of Aleppo, have the pleasure to announce the launching of "THE RAPID PROFILES OF ALL INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS IN ALEPPO" on the 15th of February 2010 at the Syndicate of Engineering from 7:00 till 8:00 PM. The report is available in English and Arabic at the homepage: www.udp-aleppo.org/?id=143Thu, 11 Feb 2010 08:00:14 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=212&lang=enStarting from 11th February, the Directorate of the Old City of Damascus, supported by the gtz-Project for the Rehabilitation of the Old City of Damascus, resumes the activities for children. Through a storyteller, a short animation film on water saving and a dialogue with the school classes, the children will become aware of the heritage of the Sabils, which have been traditionally used as water dispensers throughout Damascus. On the occasion of the visit of the German fire protection expert Mr. Christoph Kunze, sessions on fire protection will be included into the first three events of the Sabil program. 1st session: Thursday, 11th February, 9.30 - 11.30 am, on Sabils and Fire protection 2nd session: Sunday, 14th February, 9.30 - 11.30 am, on Sabils and Fire protection 3rd session: Thursday, 18th February, 10-12 am, on Sabils For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Sabbah Nahhas at the Directorate of the Old City: 011- 5423477 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:51:14 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=207&lang=enThe signing of the Rehabilitation Fund Agreement in the Old City of Damascus took place on Wednesday, January 13th 2010 in the Directorate of the Old City located at the Palace of Culture (Maktab Anbar). The agreement was between the Governorate of Damascus and two separate financial institutions: the Savings Bank of Syria and the First MicroFinance Institution FMFI-Syria. The Rehabilitation Fund aims to provide the residents of the Old City of Damascus with access to financing and incentives for the purpose of rehabilitating traditional houses in the Old City. The fund is designed for the Governorate of Damascus to offer subsidized loans - via the aforementioned financial institutions - to residents who wish to undertake renovation works. The Governorate's loan subsidy will consist of the entire interest on the loan, and up to 10% of the loan amount. A condition for receiving the loan subsidy will be for restoration works to be completed in an appropriate manner. This will be supervised by the Governorate of Damascus' Consultancy Unit, located in the Directorate of the Old City of Damascus. The Consultancy Unit will provide applicants with technical assessments of their houses - free of charge - as a basis to decide on adequate rehabilitation measures. The concepts for both the Rehabilitation Fund and the Consultancy Unit were supported by the GTZ, CIM and DED with additional support of KfW within the framework of the ‘Program for Sustainable Urban Development - Rehabilitation of the Old City of Damascus Project', which has been working with the Governorate of Damascus -Directorate of the Old City for the past two years. Below are some pictures and an English article written about the event.Sun, 17 Jan 2010 14:31:02 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=200&lang=enThe UDP project for the Rehabilitation of the Old City of (Governorate of Damascus/ Directorate of the Old City of Damascus and GTZ) has conducted 12 sabils kids events in cooperation with 7 different Syrian schools , including in total 452 kids varying in age from 7 to 12 years of both genders. The process started in the end of March 2009 and is still ongoing. The events were mainly focused on raising awareness among children towards the value of water to life and environment and the historical and environmental value of sabils in the old city. The organizers approached this task via the Hakawaty, one of the last traditional storytellers in Syria. The children were also given a set of entertaining activities through which they can interact with the event facilitators and with each other, in order to plant deeply the concepts of water saving, and protection of old city monuments in their minds. Among the main activities were: 1. Traditional story tellers (Hakawaty) who told the children old stories about water in the old city 2. Drawing and painting activities: children were given the task of imagining a Sabil and drawing it3. Various games and competitions4. Interactive learning sessions For more information on the events see the program linked below:The sablis kids events program.doc (305 KB)Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:42:51 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=183&lang=enUnder the patronage of his Excellency Eng. Ali Manssoura the governor of Aleppo and his Excellency Dr. Andreas Reinecke the ambassador of the German Federal Republic, The German Embassy in Syria and the German Technical Cooperation GTZ are jointly organizing a one-of-a-kind musical event in Aleppo.7 nights of German and Syrian musical pieces varying from Aleppian Muwashahat to German classical concerts, is hosted by the directorate of Aleppo old city and Aleppo city council. The German-Syrian tunes will echo in the halls and yards of Alsheebany School in Aleppo old city, a place that has hosted and raised generations of the Aleppian youth and now hosts the permanent exhibition of Aleppo's rehabilitation process, which proves to be a perfect incubator for such a meeting ceremony between the western harmonies and the oriental melodies.The event, which is now in its third year, comes as another step within the sincere efforts of the GTZ project for" integrated urban development in Aleppo" to promote not only the Old City of Aleppo but also the City as a whole: economical, social and cultural. The above mentioned 15 year-old internationally renowned GTZ project shares the same vision with its Syrian counterparts and the German embassy, which on its behalf strives to promote the dialogue between cultures. .The event program is as follows:Saturday, 6th of June, 20:00h Opening Concert of German Classical Music performed by distinguished Syrian ArtistsLoubana Quntar: soprano, Racha Rizk: soprano, Pièrre Khouri: bariton, Yazan Chérif : clarinette, Ghazwan Zarikly: piano.in cooperation with Rawafed - the Culture project of the Syria Trust for Development Sunday, 7th June, 19:30hGerman Classics in Concert "The Queen of Sheba" Meier's Clan Saxophone-Quartet Ralf Benschu: sopran, Sebastian Hillmann: bariton, Matthias Wacker: alt, Mark Wallbrecht: tenor Monday, 8th June, 19:30hGerman Classical MusicEnsemble Trio Bamberg: Adam Robert: Piano, Schuck Jewgeni: Cello, Hulshoff Alexander: Violin Tuesday, 9th June, 19:30h German Hits & Modern Classics Paco Liana Wigard: Vocals & Classical Guitar from his Berlin Philharmonie Programme: "Man with Emotion"Wednesday, 10th June, 19:30hNight-Bar: From Jazz to Tango Meier's Clan Saxophon Quartet. Special Guest: Paco Liana Wigard - Vocals & Flamenco Guitar.Thursday, 11th June, 19:30hAleppinian Night: Muwashahat ArabiyaOmar Sarmini and his OrchestraVenue: Open Air - in front of the Citadel (confined seating area) Saturday, 13th June, 19:30hClassical Arabic and Classical German Music Duo Aruso, Ashraf Kateb: Violin, Ivan Urwalow: PianoMon, 01 Jun 2009 10:05:54 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=182&lang=enOn Tuesday 9th of June, Damascus will witness a first of a kind week-long event fully dedicated to the old Damascene Sabils, under the sponsorship of the Damascus Governorate and the Syrian-German Technical Cooperation's Program for Sustainable Urban Development: Restoration of the Old City of Damascus Project. see our partners here After series of successful restorations of Old Damascene sabils, the Week of Sabils aims to highlight the efforts of the Sabil Restoration Program, which is jointly led by the Governorate of Damascus, Department of Antiquities, Department of Awkaf, the Syrian-German Technical Cooperation, and two local NGOs, the Syrian Environmental Association and French Institute for Near East Studies. The Week of Sabils features 7 days of events includes the inauguration of sabils, musical performances, art competition and an exhibitions and cultural lectures among many other interesting activities, all focused on the historical, social and cultural value of the old public fountains. Click here to download  the Sabils Week daily program . Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:35:31 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=180&lang=enArt Competition In the run up to the Sabil week the rehabilitation of Damascus old city project is arranging an art competition with a topic related to Sabils and the Old City of Damascus. The competition period and the selection process should be in advance to the week, followed by an award ceremony during the Sabil week, and an exhibition of the pictures throughout the week. The theme should focus on the historical uniqueness and social impact of Sabils and/or water in the Old City, and be open to every type of art. Artists are encouraged to be creative! Theme and outcome of the competition The topic "Sabil" has an important social and historical aspect, which the project wants to highlight via art, which raises the awareness of residents in regards to the unique heritage of the public fountains. The Sabils have a long history in Arab cities and especially in Damascus. In former times they provided water for travellers and inhabitants of the Town. The Damascenes can be proud of having Sabils and should be aware of their social and cultural present and history.The goal of the competition is not to simply represent the sabils as they currently exist, but instead to portray different interpretations of Sabils which emphasize the important aspects of Sabils, such as the cultural, social, and architectural elements that make sabils unique. Click here to see the competition terms . Tue, 26 May 2009 12:29:06 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=176&lang=enThe Syrian-German Program for Sustainable Urban Development - Rehabilitation of the Old City of Damascus hosted a meeting with more than 25 institutions concerned with energy consumption. The goal was establishing an energy strategy for the old city of Damascus. Institutions represented included Damascus university, the national Atomic Energy Comission, the German technical cooperation, different NGO's and the Governorate of Damascus. The workshop is the second on this subject after a preceding workshop took place on December 14th 2008 also by the initiative of GTZ project for the rehabilitation of Damascus Old City.The purpose was to discuss the Draft Energy Strategy for the Old City and work on related action plans. The first step of the process was a Vision for the future Energy situation in the Old City which had yet been achieved the previous workshop. After a short opening by the GTZ-project manager Mrs. Regina Kallmayer and Mr. Bassam Jairoudiyeh, member of the Executive Bureau of the Governorate of Damascus, the international energy expert Dr. Adrian Atkinson presented the Draft Strategy, which consisted of an overview of the actual Energy Consumption in the Old City (Energy Balance), analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the actual situation, a vision on the future dealing with energy consumption in the Old City, a list of short- and long-term measures to reduce the energy consumption, as well as suggestions for institutional arrangements. Dr. Atkinson underlined the big relevancy of defining such a strategy as practically all countries have diminishing productions of fossil energy resources and the price of energy may therefore rise rapidly. After the presentation, the attendants discussed the draft and agreed on the Energy Strategy for the Old City as a pilot in order to gain further experience before extending it to the entire city. This approach was justified by the special and unique situation of the Old City and the fact that its constructions are mostly made of traditional materials, which makes any construction work more expensive than anywhere else. The group defined the goals and responsibilities for further work on the Energy Strategy and on establishing an Energy Committee involving all concerned parties (i.e. the Directorate of the Old City of Damascus, civil society organizations, private sector representatives). Action Plans for all sectors will be developed and several audits for all kinds of buildings will be conducted (hotels, restaurants and private businesses, and residence buildings are of strong interest). The audits shall be the first steps towards addressing the current problems and to begin to shift away from traditional energy consumption towards renewable resources of energy supply.Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:54:30 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=175&lang=enThe Directorate of Aleppo Old City confirms again its environmental commitment, working continuously to create a better environment for our beautiful city, and raising awareness towards the importance of trees and their traditional role in traditional houses as well as in the city itself. On Saturday, 4th of April 2009, the City of Aleppo - the Directorate of the Old City in cooperation with the German Technical Cooperation GTZ, has organized the annual greening campaign through planting trees and flowers in the Old City. Volunteers and Residents assembled together with the staff of the DOC in Al Mutanabi garden at - Bab Al Neirab, at 10:00 in the morning, and worked hand in hand to revive this garden and plant it with jasmine, roses, flowers and trees. Mayor of Aleppo Dr. Maan Al Chibli has participated personally in this annual celebration. Jasmine and roses planting has simultaneously taken place also in many houses in the neighborhood. Representatives from the Aga Khan Foundation for Cultural Services, the Friends of the Aleppo Citadel , the Friends of the Environment, the Construction Contractors association branch in Aleppo, Future company for billboard advertisement, and Madaress Al Ibdaa (Montessori school), have all participated in this annual event. Formore information on Aleppo's urban activities please refer to  www.udp-oldaleppo.orgWed, 15 Apr 2009 09:41:52 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=171&lang=enThe country director of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) Dr. Magdy el Menshawy mutually signed with Dr. Tayseer al Reddawy the director of the Syrian State Planning Commission on behalf of the Syrian cabinet the master implementation agreement of the Program for Sustainable Urban Development udp, which is a joint undertaking conducted by the Syrian German Technical cooperation on behalf of the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the Syrian Ministry of Local Administration and Environment (MLAE), the Governorate of Damascus and the City Council of Aleppo through the Syrian State Planning Commission (SPC).The signature of this agreement comes as a further step of one and a half decades of cooperation in the urban sector between Syria and Germany. The program has the following general objective:"Concerned ministries and selected municipalities manage urban development process in accordance with the principle of sustainability"The Program for sustainable urban development includes the following projects:•Project 1: Rehabilitation of the old city of Damascus in cooperation with Damascus governorate, the objective of this project is "The directorate of Damascus old city is effectively making representatives of the Old City's inhabitants and the private sector participate into the rehabilitation of the Old City.•Project 2: Integrated urban development of Aleppo in cooperation with Aleppo city council, its objective is "Political decision makers and Municipality of Aleppo use instruments for strategic urban development".•Project 3: National policy of urban development in cooperation with the MLAE, its objective is" The political, juristic and institutional frame-conditions for urban development in Syria have improved."•Project 4: Support structures for Urban management in cooperation with the MLAE, its objective is" Syrian cities make use of consultancy services and technical support delivered through formalized structures."Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:23:48 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=210&lang=enUnder the patronage of Dr. Besher Al Sabban, Governor of Damascus, a workshop on rehabilitating and enhancing the rooftops in the Old City of Damascus was held on the 26th of January 2010 in the new auditorium of Damascus University’s Faculty of Architecture.The workshop brought together representatives from the Damascus Governorate, the Syrian-German Technical Cooperation’s Program for Sustainable Urban Development: Rehabilitation of the Old City of Damascus Project, line ministries, Damascus Order of Engineers Syndicate, sectoral directorates, Damascus University, private universities, and representatives from local NGOs and JICA.This mix of stakeholders created a wide basis for discussion, enabling comprehensive coverage of the rooftops issue with all its architectural, religious, touristic, social and ecological characteristics considered.The workshop sought to both seek ways to benefit from the large surface area of the Old City’s rooftops while also enhancing the city’s landscape by better positioning water and diesel tanks, water heaters, solar energy panels and satellite dishes.  The workshop also addressed the technical problems created when these new elements are placed on traditional roofs which were not designed to support increased weight.    The workshop also discussed the necessity for a regulatory framework for rooftops, and how this framework could be included in the building code. The participants also suggested architectural and greening solutions in order to enhance the landscape of the rooftops. The workshop contributed a draft guideline for organizing rooftops in the Old City and utilizing them in a safer and better way.Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:55:55 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=170&lang=enThe manager of the GTZ Program for Sustainable Urban Development (UDP) visited Tartous governorate on Tuesday 3rd of February 2009 to hand over the final report on the preservation and development of the old city of Tartous to his Excellency the Governor of Tartous.The report's main themes had been developed earlier in a two day workshop conducted by the GTZ-UDP Aleppo project and stakeholders from all sectors in Tartous city on 17th to 18th of November 2008. Aleppo project is one of the four projects of the GTZ-UDP "Program for Sustainable Urban Development", it has achieved a great success in cooperation with Aleppo city council and directorate of the old city of Aleppo in the rehabilitation of the old city of Aleppo. UDP management aims now to transmit this experience and success to other old cities in Syria.GTZ-UDP General Director Mr. Hilmar von Lojewski emphasized three major necessities: 1. Immediate interventions to ensure safe living conditions for people and visitors in the old city and allocation of related funds.2. Elaboration of a rehabilitation strategy based on the major findings of the workshop 3. Seeking alliances with private sector based on public-private agreements on uplifting the physical and economic situation of the old cityMr. von Lojewski added that the UDP-Aleppo project team is ready to support Tartous old city in advising further on the rehabilitation strategy, and GTZ-UDP encourages the local authorities to establish close links with the private sector for the acquisition of funds.On his side, His Excellency the former Governor of Tartous Dr. Waheeb Zeineddin stressed that Antrados Project is expected to rehabilitate the facades of Tartous Old City. Further details on this private funding still need to be elaborated. Click on the link below to download the full report. Tartous Old city report in EnglishMon, 02 Mar 2009 11:23:42 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=193&lang=enUrban Syria is the quarterly bulletin on urban issues by the Ministry of Local Administration . It is supported by the Program for Sustainable Urban Development in Syria (and a number of international donor agencies in the sector). What does Urban Syria mean to us and all contributors to this first issue of the quarterly bulletin? It shall draw the attention to the fact that Syria's future lies in the urban areas - without neglecting the rural areasand further strengthening the urban-rural ties. It shall also draw attention to the fact that the future of urban areas in Syria requires meticulous preparation and a wide variety of activities by the public sector, civil society and stakeholders of the private sector: No future is thinkable without strengthening the strengths of Syrian cities - their density, their mixtureof residential, service and production uses and their compactness which allows for comparably short traveldistances within the cities. No future is thinkable without overcoming the weaknesses of Syrian cities - their haphazard sprawl, their alarming environmental problems and their deficiencies in public transport and traffic management. And finally - no future is thinkable too without safeguarding and developing the urban past, the wonderful urban heritage of many Syrian cities. Urban Syria wants to cover these issues and beyond - not by adding scientific articles to thewide range of publications but rather by offering a forum for various perspectives on these themes, by writers, non-scientists, citizens, administrators etc. Urban Syria likes to invite for discussion and is open for exchange. And Urban Syria is open for criticism and further improvement.Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:43:09 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=194&lang=enThe 2nd issue of Urban Syria as the quarterly bulletin on urban themes by the Ministry of Local Administration concentrates on the upcoming Conference of Syrian Cities in Damascus from 28 - 29 September. In a joint effort the Ministry of Local Administration, selected cities and the Urban Development Program supported by GTZ have been working on a Memorandum on Sustainable Urban Development in Syria and a Charter of Syrian Cities (please visit also www.udp-syra\......). These documents are going to be discussed amongst the representatives of cities, delegates by ministries and MLA during the conference. The documents shall outline the framework for an urban development strategy for Syria, provide the necessary inputs for the 11th Five Year Plan and an action program jointly agreed upon by MLA and the Syrian cities. The new urban development policy shall draw the attention to the fact that Syria's future lays in the urban areas. It shall also draw attention to the need that a bright future of urban areas in Syria requires reform activities by the public sector at central and local level. For this, joint efforts are required - the Charter of Syrian cities which you find enclosed explores on this in further detail. Urban Syria relies on your comments and contributions. Please use the chance to expand on the raised issues and to improve the contents of the newsletter by your own contributions.Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:43:23 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=145&lang=enThe German technical cooperation holds in the 17th/11/2008 at the old city of Tartous a workshop with the title" conservation and development of the old city of Tartous", with the presence of H.E. the Governor of Tartous, mayors of Syrian cities and a number of the local administration representatives, and also the gtz team lead by Dr. Thomas Pritzkat the project manager of urban development project in Aleppo. The workshop comes within the context of the sustainable urban development through which the gtz cooperates with the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment on establishing a common understanding for the current status of the old city of Tartous. The basic tasks for this workshop are: analysis of the current status of the old city of Tartous, development of a vision to make a change, setting participative practical strategies that can be relied on in planning the activities of the potential rehabilitation of Tartous' historical centre. The workshop is held on 3 days from 17th to 19th of November, and it includes a tour on the most important historical sites in the old city.The main focus areas for the workshop are: Socio-Economical development Preservation of the historical heritage of the old cit of Tartous Infrastructure and traffic flow Touristic development. The expertise of the historical cities rehabilitation in Syria include many other experiences in Aleppo and Damascus old cities, that can be followed as successful examples for preservation and development of the old city of Tartous. Tatrous Old City Workshop final report.pdf (714 KB)Sun, 21 Dec 2008 11:26:21 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=199&lang=enThe 3rd issue of Urban Syria focuses on the results of the First Arab-International Conference on Sustainable Urban Development in Syrian Cities. The conference demonstrated clearly, that a viable urban development policy for Syria depends on its sharing amongst a wide range of stakeholders; cities, ministries, planning agencies, the private sector and the public. We are confident, that the Recommendations by Syrian Cities drafted by their mayors, MLA representatives and all other involved ministries and agencies, show the right direction for the years to come. A bias has been laid on the improvement of framework conditions, the reform of service delivery and decentralization of responsibilities. This is how to make the best of the cities' potentials, and this is also what the citizens expect from a local administration authority. Nevertheless, we are in the midst of a demanding policy formulation process. Again we would like to request you to contribute to it. Don't hesitate to share your comments and suggestions with us!Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:35:41 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=195&lang=enWed, 30 Sep 2009 12:47:43 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=173&lang=enThe Directorate of Aleppo Old City confirms again its environmental commitment, working continuously on creating a better environment for our beautiful city, and raising awareness about the importance of trees and their traditional role in traditional houses as well as in the city itself. Aleppo council ,the Directorate of Aleppo Old City in cooperation with the German Technical Cooperation GTZ, have organized an annual greening campaign to plant trees and flowers in the Old City. The Aga Khan Foundation for Cultural Services, the Friends of Aleppo Citadel ,the Friends of the Environment, and the Construction Contractors Association branch in Aleppo are joining efforts together in this event. Volunteers and residents will gather with the staff of the DOC in the Mutanabi garden at - Bab Al Neirab, on Saturday, 4th of April 2009 at 10:00 in the morning, to rehabilitate this garden and plant it with jasmine, roses, flowers and trees. An annual Jasmine planting celebration will take place also in many houses in the neighbourhood.Sun, 05 Apr 2009 07:28:17 UTChttp://www.udp-syria.org/?id=186&lang=enUnder the patronage of His Excellency the Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Al-Otri, the First Arab International Conference on Sustainable Urban Development in Syrian Cities is held on 28th and 29th of September in Rida Said conference hall. The central vision of the conference is to provide contributions "Towards a Syrian Urban Development Policy". The conference is held in cooperation between the Ministry of Local Administration and the Syrian German Cooperation Program for Sustainable Urban Development supported by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, and with contributions from the Arab Urban Development Institute in Riyadh. The conference gathers representatives of the central government, line ministries, planning institutions, universities and the mayors of all Syrian cities. The aim of the conference is to discuss the status of urban development in Syria and the options for enhancing the development opportunities in Syrian cities in line with the principles of sustainable development.The conference hosts international experts from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Arab region. They share their experiences on the status of sustainable urban development and the organization and advantages of city networks. On the first day of the conference, the international and Arab experts present their status reports on urban development, and experiences gathered in city networks. This is complemented by an overview on the state of cities in Syria. Afterwards, the main themes of sustainable urban development in Syria as urban planning, urban economy, urban environment and urban identity are discussed in working groups. On the second day, the groups present their findings and recommendations which are going to be incorporated into the "Memorandum on sustainable urban development in Syrian cities". This document describes in detail the status-quo of urban development in Syria. It explores on the requirements for a more sustainable urban development and draws the key conclusions towards this target. These conclusions are formulated as "Recommendations by Syrian Cities" which provide an input to the chapter on urban development of the upcoming Five Year Plan.Thereby, the central government and the Syrian cities provide a solid basis for seizing the cities' potentials in the best possible way. The cities hereby can make better use of their economic leverage which would lead to a more prosperous and comprehensive development of the Syrian Arab Republic. Download English Memorandum Towards urban development policy for Syrian cities.. Download Draft recommendations of Syrian cities here.. Download the English program.. Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:52:07 UTC