text:
Skip to main content
Search the history of over 279 billion
web pages
on the Internet.
Search the Wayback Machine
All Texts
This Just In
Smithsonian Libraries
Lincoln Collection
Additional Collections
eBooks & Texts
American Libraries
Canadian Libraries
Universal Library
Shareware CD-ROMs
Community Texts
Project Gutenberg
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Open Library
Children's Library
Library of the Printed Web
All Video
This Just In
Prelinger Archives
Democracy Now!
Occupy Wall Street
TV NSA Clip Library
TV News
Animation & Cartoons
Arts & Music
Community Video
Computers & Technology
Cultural & Academic Films
Ephemeral Films
Understanding 9/11
News & Public Affairs
Spirituality & Religion
Sports Videos
Videogame Videos
Youth Media
All Audio
This Just In
Grateful Dead
Old Time Radio
78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
Live Music Archive
Audio Books & Poetry
Community Audio
Computers & Technology
Music, Arts & Culture
News & Public Affairs
Non-English Audio
Librivox Free Audiobook
Radio Programs
Spirituality & Religion
All Software
This Just In
Old School Emulation
MS-DOS Games
Historical Software
Classic PC Games
Software Library
Internet Arcade
Community Software
Software Sites
Tucows Software Library
Vintage Software
Console Living Room
Atari 2600
Magnavox Odyssey 2
Bally Astrocade
ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum Library: Games
Sega Genesis
Sega Game Gear
All Image
This Just In
Flickr Commons
Occupy Wall Street Flickr
Cover Art
USGS Maps
Metropolitan Museum
NASA Images
Solar System Collection
Ames Research Center
Brooklyn Museum
Toggle navigation
6:00 am
know if i should tell you that because other governments will hear me and not help us anymore. $7 billion in our reserves. more than 30 universities private and public. roads, electricity, the future holds clear and progress and prosperity but the standards of our region and afghanistan. now will afghanistan, 10 years from now be a very prosperous country? will they have resolved all the difficulties? will afghanistan be a super power? no.
6:01 am
but afghanistan will be a country that will be moving forward. education will grow better. thousands of students will graduate in our own universities. thousands more will come from studies abroad who are now studying abroad. the democracy and institutions that democracy requires will grow, there will be more elections. there will be more institutional reform. there will be a better government but afghanistan will continue to face problems, there may be violence and there might be other challenges as we move forward but the speed of progress will move and will not stop. will afghanistan remember the united states as a country that helped or a country that did not help?
6:02 am
definitely afghanistan will remember the united states as a country that helped. definitely afghanistan will remember that it was the u.s. assistance that brought so much to afghanistan. who will forget the less pleasant aspect ours relationship and we will move forward in the gratitude of the help that the united states has provided to afghanistan and also our other neighbors. but from today as we move forward will this relationship be a emotional as it was at time as you have heard in the past many years? will this relationship billion more mature? this relationship has already grown mature. we recognize the united states interest and afghanistan and
6:03 am
the region and the united states recognizes that afghanistan is a good country. and has a life of its own. it has a law of its own and has a social context of its own. in that social context afghanistan will move forward in partnership with america and also until partnership with the other countries of nato that have helped us in the past many years. will afghanistan, beyond 2014, be a country that you can visit as tourists? yes, it will. will afghanistan suffer the consequences of terrorism? it might on occasions. will the peace process work? it will.
6:04 am
will the peace process take us back to times where the afghan woman could not go to work? no. will we keep our progress it is part of if peace process? yes. it is important today to get through this forum where the afghan woman council was created many years ago. if afghanistan will have peace but peace with the taliban will not drive us away from the gains that we have made. rather those gains will definitely be consolidated and those gains will remain with the afghan people. you,m talking to afghanistan has a standing police of 350,000. afghanistan has a banking
6:05 am
sector, afghanistan has a strong culture. you've all heard of pomegranates they come from afghanistan. you have heard of grapes. they come from afghanistan. the ones that come from afghanistan, i know you have them in california as well. [laughter] so, ladies and gentlemen, there is a country in afghanistan just like here in america just like the rest of the world. there is wedding and wedding halls, there is music, there is cars honking, there are donkey driven carts. there is society, there is life. this society is out loudly and moving forward as any other
6:06 am
society. it is this that i would like you to remember when you think of afghanistan. a country of 5000 years of history, at least. a country that has produced thinkers, philosophers. a country like other countries, and i can tell you that the most recent suffering will be behind us. a new time is beginning, has already begun. with 2014 coming, your sons and daughters will no longer be burdened with protecting afghanistan. the sons and daughters will take the mantle and move forward. and plenty more can best be
6:07 am
described by frost. the words are lovely, dark, and d. but i have promises to keep and miles to go before i sleep and miles to go before we sleep in afghanistan. thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you. >> thank you for your inspiring remarks. we asked our georgetown community, and now that we have heard from you about your degree, what the first question should be that we ask you.
6:08 am
and we asked facebook so we could get as broad a response as possible. i have the daunting job of choosing which and trying to frame this question. you know students are very frank, and in their responses, the students of georgetown including several afghan students expressed their concerns about corruption, security, women's rights, and economic opportunity. the first question i would like to put to you on behalf of all these students, what hope can you offer a young generation of afghan men and women? >> a great question.
6:09 am
hope has already been offered in afghanistan. what we had in 2001, only a few thousand students going to school, and none of them girls. today, you have a million students going to school, 45% of them girls, and they are used well. out of a membership of 240, 70 of the parliament are women. that is already taken. when you have a country having
6:10 am
thousands of bridges and roads, never did we build some money in 10 years, that opportunity is taken. the country today has students, politicians, business is moving forward and thriving. that hope is taken. the question should be, will this hopes persist in 2014 when international forces withdraw from afghanistan? when they will be on their own, will we continue with this vote? without a doubt. if i am lucky enough to stand before you here again 10 years
6:11 am
ago, we will speak three times in numbers. that certainty is there, and i am absolutely sure it is going to be the case. >> that is very hopeful. in order to get a broad representation of questions, we asked student organizations to formulate questions for his excellency. the first organization out like to call is the international development club. >> good evening, mr. president, and thank you for being with us tonight. i am chair of the international relations club. close enough. my question to you on behalf of my organization is this. if from a security perspective,
6:12 am
one of the greatest concerns is that al qaeda will rebound and afghan the stand will become a terrorist state. how can you mitigate without risking green on blue attacks? >> one of the reasons the united states will continue a presence in afghanistan after 2014 in certain facilities, it is because we have decided to gather to continue to fight against al qaeda. there will be no respite in that. we will continue to work, and they will not. they are decimated, largely, and on their way out.
6:13 am
when i receive security, we have meetings on security issues and we never come across the question whether it is a threat. the fact that the fight will continue, and affiliates will continue. and part of the reason the united states will continue to have limited facilities will be to continue that task. it is also recognized by our neighbors. thank you. >> international relations club, thank you.
6:14 am
i can get it right the second time. the next student organization we would invite is the student association. >> my name is thomas gibbons, i am the president of the student veterans association. if i have served to deployment in your country as the united states marines. what would you say to an american family that has lost a son or daughter in afghanistan, and what would you say they die for? >> that is a relevant question. the united states came to afghanistan, as i said, to defeat terrorism. after these of timber 11 attack. the united states came to afghanistan for the security of the united states.
6:15 am
and also for afghans. that act -- those unfortunate incidents of the lives lost in afghanistan were for the safety and security of the united states. and also, by extension, for the rest of us in the international community. just like the sacrifice of the afghan people. thank you. >> the next organization we would like to thank for organizing this event and the events like this in the university will be the lecture fund. >> i'm a member of the lecture
6:16 am
fund and a sophomore. in the new york times, taliban fighters that lay down arms are getting increasingly frustrated and returning to the taliban. they cite a high unemployment rate for the reason for their frustration. what will you do to combat this trend? >> the high peace council whose chairman is here with us, a fund is dedicated to this purpose. this is the reintegration program. they are driven back with society. if there are instances, and i am sure there are, it requires assistance sooner and we will definitely look at it.
6:17 am
it is a very important question, thank you for reminding us. >> the last student organization we would invite is the muslim student association. >> good evening, mr. president. i am with the moslem student association. we understand education as a vital factor in the overall growth and future stability of afghanistan. educated citizens can drive change from within. what are your plans short-term and long-term to ensure that this progress that you mentioned of education continues to move
6:18 am
forward? especially in regard to increased access of education for women. >> we did see a great deal of violence against schools in the initial years by the taliban. we succeeded against that. there are executions and -- pakistan is going through a very difficult time. and other of events there, they are all a source of concern for us. i can speak with satisfaction, the suffering that we have had, our schools are safer in the past three years, the great majority of girls go to school in afghanistan do if in safety and security.
6:19 am
we have not had any major incidents. and this concern for families and students would be less and less a matter to think of. thank you, sir. >> this will conclude the program. i have one important announcement before i thank our remarkable speaker. please do not leave your seat until you hear the voice in the wilderness that will dismiss us. and only the afghan delegation
6:20 am
will depart until such moment. on behalf of all of us, you have given us allot to think about. a lot of inspiration. women are lucky to have your support and we look forward to a wonderful future for your country. thank you so much. [applause]
6:21 am
>> friday's news conference with president obama and president karzai. also, president karzai met yesterday with defense secretary leon panetta and secretary of state hillary clinton. the joint press conference is about 40 minutes. >> it is my pleasure to welcome president karzai back to the white house as well as his delegation. we last saw each other during the nato summit in chicago, a city that reflects the friendship between our peoples, including many afghan-americans and the karzai family. mr. president, welcome. we meet at a critical moment. the 33,000 additional forces i ordered to afghanistan have served with honor, they have
6:22 am
completed their mission, and returned home this past fall. the transition is well underway, and soon nearly 90% of afghans will live in areas where afghan forces are in the lead for their own security. this year will mark another milestone. afghan forces will take the lead for security across the entire country, and by the end of next year, 2014, the transition will be complete. afghans will have full responsibility for their security, and this war will come to a responsible end. this progress is possible because of the incredible sacrifices of our troops and our diplomats, the forces of our many coalition partners, and the afghan people, who have endured. in this war, more than 2,000 american sons and daughters have had their lives ended, whom we honor forever, and as we announce today, in the next
6:23 am
month i will present our nation paused highest military decoration, the medal of honor, to a staff sergeant for his service in afghanistan. today, president karzai and i have been able to review our shared strategy. with the devastating blows we have struck against al qaeda, the reason we went to war in the first place is now within reach insuring al qaeda can never use afghanistan to launch attacks against our country. at the same time, we pushed the taliban out of their strongholds. today, most major cities and most afghans are more secure and insurgents continue to lose territory. afghan forces continue to grow stronger, meanwhile.
6:24 am
as planned, some 352,000 afghan soldiers and police are now in training or on duty. most missions are already being led by afghan forces. of all the men and women in uniform in afghanistan, the vast majority are afghans who are fighting and dying for their country every day. we still face significant challenges, but because this progress our transition is on track. last year we agreed with partners that afghan forces will take the lead for security in mid 2013. president karzai and his team have been here for several days, we have consulted with our coalition partners, and we will continue to do so, and today we agreed that as afghan forces take the lead and as president
6:25 am
karzai announces the final phase of the transition, coalition forces will move to a support role this spring. our troops will continue to fight alongside afghans when needed, but let me say it as plainly as i can -- starting this spring, our troops will have a different mission, training, advising, assisting afghan forces. it will be an historic moment, and another step toward full afghan sovereignty, something i know that president karzai cares deeply about, as do the afghan people. this sets the stage for the further reduction of coalition forces, and we have already reduced our presence to roughly 66,000 u.s. troops, and we will continue to bring our forces home at a steady pace, and in the coming months i will announce the next phase of our draw-down. president karzai has discussed the nature of our security cooperation after 2014.
6:26 am
our team continues to work for an agreement, and they will be guided by our respect for afghan sovereignty and by our tenets which will be specific and narrow. first, training and assisting afghan forces, and, second, targeted counter-terrorism missions against al qaeda. it is hoped we will reach an agreement this year. security gains must be matched by political progress, so we have recommitted to a process between the afghan government and the taliban. president karzai has updated me on the afghan government's commitment to peace, and we agree this process should be -- reconciliation requires constructive support from across
6:27 am
the region, including pakistan. we welcome recent steps that have been taken, and look for more tangible steps, because a stable at future afghanistan is in the interest of not only the afghans and the united states but of the entire region. we reaffirmed the strategic partnership that we signed last year in kabul, an enduring partnership between sovereign nations. this includes deepening ties in trade talks, commerce, , education, and opportunities for all afghans, men and women, boys and girls. this sends a clear message to afghans into the region as afghans stand up they will not stand alone. the united states and the world stands with them. let me close by saying this continues to be a very difficult mission.
6:28 am
our forces continue to serve and the tremendous sacrifices every day. the afghan people make significant sacrifices every day. afghan forces will still be growing stronger. we remain vigilant against insider attacks. lasting peace and security will require governments at the ballot that delivers for the afghan people an end to safe havens for al qaeda. this will continue to get our work. make no mistake, our path is clear and we're moving forward. every day, more afghans are stepping up and taking a possibility, and as they do, our troops will come home. next year, this long war will come to responsible end. president karzai, i thank you and your delegation for the progress we have made together and for your commitment to the goals that we share. a strong and sovereign afghanistan, where afghans find security, peace, prosperity, and dignity, and in pursuit of that future, afghanistan will have a long-term partner in the united states of america. mr. president?
6:29 am
>> thank you very much, mr. president, for your warm welcome and for appearing with us during our talks in the blair house. the president and i discussed today in great detail all the relevant issues between the two countries. i was happy to see that we have made progress on some of the important issues for afghanistan. concerning afghan sovereignty, we agreed on the complete return of detention centers and detainees to afghan sovereignty and that this will be implemented soon enough on my return to afghanistan.
6:30 am
we also discussed all aspects of transition to afghan government and security. i am very happy to hear from the president as we also discussed it earlier that in the spring this year the afghan forces will be fully responsible for providing security and protection to the afghan people and that the international forces will be no longer president in afghan villages, that the task will be that of the afghan forces to provide for the afghan people in security and protection. that we also agreed on the steps that you should be taking in the peace process, which is giving sovereignty to afghanistan.
6:31 am
we agreed on allowing the taliban have an office, where the taliban will engage in direct talks with the representatives of the afghan high council for peace, where we will be seeking that help of relevant reasonable countries, including pakistan, where we will try our best together with the other allies to return peace and stability to afghanistan as soon as possible and employee in all the means that are within our power to do that, so that the afghan people can live in security, peace, and work for the prosperity and education of their children.
6:32 am
the president and i also discussed the economic transition of afghanistan and all that entails for afghanistan. once the transition to afghan forces is completed, once the bulk of the international forces are withdrawn from afghanistan, we hope the dividends of that transition will be beneficial to the afghan people and will not have adverse effects on afghan economy and the prosperity that we have obtained. we also discussed the issue of the election in afghanistan and the importance of election for the afghan people, with the hope that we will be conducting a free and fair election in afghanistan where our friends in the international community and the united states will be assisting in conducting those elections. of course, where afghanistan will have the right environment for conducting elections without interference and without undue concern. we also discussed in a bit of
6:33 am
detail and in the environment that we have all aspects of the bilateral security agreement between afghanistan and the united states, and i informed the president that the afghan people already have given their approval to this relationship and value it as one that is good for afghanistan. in that context, the bilateral security agreement is one that the afghan people approve, and i am sure we will conduct it in detail where both the interests
6:34 am
of the united states and the interests of afghanistan will be kept in mind. we had a number of other issues also to talk about during our conversations, and perhaps many times in that conversation, beginning with the composition of, of course. i thanked the president for the help that the united states has given to the afghan people for all that we have gained in the past 10 years and that those gains will be kept by any standard while we're working for peace and stability in afghanistan, including concern for the afghan constitution. i also thanked the president for the sacrifices of the men and women and those of other countries. i also informed president obama of the sacrifices of the afghan people, the immense sacrifices of the afghan people in the last
6:35 am
10 years, both servicemen and the afghan people. i am going back to afghanistan this evening to bring to the afghan people the news of afghanistan standing shoulder to shoulder with america as a sovereign, independent country, but in cooperation and in partnership. thank you, mr. president. >> thank you very much. we have got two questions each from u.s. and afghan press, and we will start with scott wilson of "the washington post." >> mr. president, moving the deadline to the spring, it does that mean you will be winding down u.s. troops faster than you
6:36 am
expected this year, and specifically, how many troops do you expect to leave in afghanistan beyond 2014 for the missions? and would you consider leaving any trips beyond that date without an immediate agreement for their actions? president karzai, you have spoken about the american presence poses as a threat to afghanistan sovereignty. how many u.s. troops you would accept after that time? thank you. >> scott, our first task has been to meet the transition plan that we set first in lisbon, then in chicago. and because of the progress that has been made by our troops,
6:37 am
because of the progress that has been made in terms of afghan security forces, their capacity to take the lead, we are able to meet those goals accelerate them somewhat. so let me repeat. what is going to happen this spring is that afghans will be in the lead throughout the country. that does not mean that coalition forces, including u.s. forces, are no longer fighting. they will still be fighting alongside afghan troops. it does mean, though, that afghans will have taken the lead and our presence, the nature of our work, will be different. we will be in a training, assisting, and advising mode. we will still have troops there, and that means that our men and women will still be in harm's way, that there will still be the need for enforced protection, the environment will still be very dangerous, but what we have seen is that afghan soldiers are stepping up at
6:38 am
great risk to themselves, and that allows us than to make this transition during the spring. what that translates into precisely in terms of how this drawdown proceeds is something that is not yet fully determined. i am going to be over the coming weeks getting recommendations from general allen and other commanders. they will design a responsible plan to make sure that we are not losing the gains that had already been made, that we're in a position to support the afghan
6:39 am
units when they are in theater, and to make sure that our folks are also protected, even as we are drawing down. i cannot give you a precise number at this point. i will be making a separate announcement once i have got recommendations from the generals and our commanders in terms of what that drawdown might look like. with respect to post-2014, we have two goals, and the main conversation today was establishing a meeting of the minds in terms of what those goals would be with a follow-on presence of u.s. troops. number one, to train, assist, and advise afghan forces so they can maintain their own security, and, number two, making sure that we can continue to go after remnants of al qaeda or other affiliates that might threaten our homeland. that is a very limited mission, and it is not one that will require the same kind of footprint that we have had over the last 10 years in afghanistan.
6:40 am
similar to the issue of drawdown, i am still getting recommendations from the pentagon and our commanders on the ground in terms of what that would look like. and when we have more information about that, i will be describing that to the american people. i think president karzai's primary concern, and you will hear directly from him, is making sure afghan sovereignty is respected. and if we have a follow-on force of any sort past 2014, it has to be at the invitation of the afghan government, and they have to feel comfortable with it. i will say, as i have said to president karzai, that we have agreements with countries like this all around the world, and nowhere do we have any kind of security agreement with a country without immunity for our
6:41 am
troops. that is how i as commander in chief can make sure that our folks are protected in carrying out very difficult missions. i think president karzai understands that. i do not want to get ahead of research in terms of the negotiations that are still remaining on the bilateral security agreement, but from my perspective, it will not be possible for us to have any kind of u.s. troop presence post-2014 without assurances that our men and women who are operating there in some way subject to the jurisdiction of another country. >> well, sir, the bilateral security agreement is in mind for the interests of both countries.
6:42 am
the issue of the immunity is of very specific importance to the united states we understand, as was for us the issue of sovereignty and the tensions and the continued presence of international forces in afghan villages and the conduct of the war itself. with those issues resolved, as we did today, the rest was done earlier, i can go to the afghan people and argue for immunity for u.s. troops in afghanistan in a way that afghan sovereignty will not be compromised, in a way that afghan law will not be compromised, in a way that the provisions that we arrived at through our talks will give the united states the satisfaction of what it seeks, and will also
6:43 am
provide the afghan people the benefit that they are seeking through this partnership and the subsequent agreement. [indiscernible] that is not for us to decide. it is an issue for the united states. numbers are not going to make a difference to the situation in afghanistan. it is the broader relationship that will make a difference to afghanistan and beyond in the region. the specifics of numbers are issues that the military will decide and afghanistan will have no particular concern and we are talking of numbers and how they are deployed. [indiscernible] >> i direct my question in my own language.
6:44 am
mr. president, the mission of the united states, after 2014 -- how this mission will be, will it be resembling the same mission as it was during 11 years, or instead, a different kind of mission? and pakistan in particular, the safe havens that are in pakistan, what kind of policy will you have? thank you. >> the mission will be fundamentally different. just to repeat, our main reason, should we have troops in afghanistan post-2014, at the invitation of the afghan government, will be to make sure that we are training, assisting,
6:45 am
and advising afghan security forces who have taken the lead and are responsible for security throughout afghanistan, and the interest the united states has, the reason we went into first place, is to make sure that al qaeda and its affiliates cannot launch an attack against the united states or other countries from afghanistan. we believe we can achieve that mission in a way that is very different from the very active presence that we have had in afghanistan over the last 11 years. president karzai has emphasized the strains that u.s. troop presence in afghan villages, for example, has created.
6:46 am
that will not be a strain if there is a follow-up operation because that will not be our responsibility. that will be the responsibility of the afghan national security forces to maintain peace, order, and stability in afghan villages, in afghan territory. so i think, although obviously we are still two years away, i can say with assurance that this is a very different mission and very different task and a very different footprint for the u.s. if we are able to come to an appropriate agreement. with respect to pakistan and safe havens of there, afghanistan and the united states and pakistan all have an interest in reducing the threat of extremism in some of these border regions between afghanistan and pakistan.
6:47 am
that will require more than simply military actions. that is really going to require political and diplomatic work between afghanistan and pakistan, and the united states obviously will have an interest in facilitating and participating in cooperation between the two sovereign countries. as president karzai has indicated, it is very hard to imagine a stability and peace in the region if pakistan and afghanistan do not come to some basic agreement and understanding about the threat of extremism to both countries and both governments in the capitals, and you are starting to see a greater awareness of that on the part of the pakistani government.
6:48 am
>> the question that you have made about -- we talked about this issue in detail today, about the presence, the detention centers. all of these will refer to the afghan sovereignty, where the u.s. forces will pull out from villages, will go to their bases, and afghan sovereignty will be restored, after 2014. we're working on these relations. these relations will have a different nature and will be working on different principles.
6:49 am
it will resemble turkey or germany. we are studying these relationships, and we will do that. >> thank you, mr. president. as you contemplate the end of this war, can you say something as commander in chief of the huge human, financial costs that this is, if it can be justified, that the world left behind will be somewhat diminished than at the beginning of the war? president karzai, many independent studies have criticized afghanistan for corruption and poor governance. do you stand by your assertion that much of this is due to influence of foreigners? will you stand down for elections next year? >> i want us to remember why we went to afghanistan. we went into afghanistan because 3,000 americans were viciously
6:50 am
murdered by a terrorist organization that was operating openly and at the invitation of those who were then ruling afghanistan. it was absolutely the right thing for us to go after that organization, to go after the host government that had aided and abetted or at least allowed for these attacks to take place, and because of the work of our men and women in uniform and because of the corporation and the sacrifices of afghans who had also been brutalized by the then host government, we achieved our central goal, which
6:51 am
is -- or have come very close to achieving the central goal -- which was to decapitate al qaeda. everything we have done over the last 10 years, from the perspective of the u.s. national security interests, have been focused on that goal. and at the end of this conflict, we are going to be able to say that the sacrifices that were made by those men and women in uniform has brought about the goal that we sought. now, when we also recognize the very early on was that it was in our national security interest to have a stable, sovereign afghanistan that was a responsible international actor, that was in partnership with us, and that that required afghanistan to have its own security capacity and to be on a
6:52 am
path that was more likely to achieve prosperity and peace for its own people. and i think president karzai would be the first to acknowledge afghanistan still has work to do to accomplish those goals, but there is no doubt that the possibility of peace and prosperity in afghanistan today is higher than before we went in. and that is also in part because of the sacrifices that the american people have made during this long conflict. do i think have we achieved everything that some might have wanted us achieving in some areas?
6:53 am
probably not. this is a human enterprise. did we achieve our central goal, and have we been able to shape a strong relationship with a responsible afghan government that is willing to cooperate with us to make sure that it is not a launching pad for future attacks against united states? we have achieved that goal, we are in the process of achieving that goal, and for that we have to take our turn very military, diplomatic and intelligence teams as well as the cooperation of the afghan government and the afghan people. >> on the question of corruption, whether it has a foreign element to it, in answer to your question, there is corruption in afghanistan, there
6:54 am
is corruption in the afghan government that we are fighting against through various means and methods. we have succeeded in certain ways, but if your question is whether we are satisfied, of course not. and on the corruption that is foreign in the origin, but occurring in afghanistan, i have been very clear and explicit, and i do not think that afghanistan can see this corruption unless there is cooperation between us and foreign international partners on correcting some of the methods or applications, delivery of assistance to
6:55 am
afghanistan, without cooperation, and without recognition of the problems. on elections, for me, the greatest of my achievements eventually as seen by the afghan people will be a proper, reorganized, interference-free election in which the afghan people can elect their next president. certainly, i would be a very tired president and a very happily retired president. >> my questions to you, mr. president, afghan women fear that they would be the victim of
6:56 am
the process in afghanistan. what assurances can you give them that they will not suffer because of that process? thank you. >> the united states has been very clear that any peace process, any reconciliation process must be afghan led. it is not for the afghan press or the united states to determine what this peace will be, but what we have also been clear about is that from our perspective it is not possible to reconcile without the taliban renouncing terrorism, without them recognizing the afghan constitution, and recognizing that if there are changes they want to make to how the afghan government operates, then there is an orderly constitutional process to do that, and that you cannot resort to violence.
6:57 am
the afghan constitution protects the rights of afghan women. and the united states strongly believes that afghanistan cannot succeed unless it gives opportunity to its women. we believe that about every country in the world. we will continue to voice very strongly support for the afghan constitution's protection for minorities, its protection of women, and we think that a failure to provide that protection not only will make reconciliation impossible to
6:58 am
achieve, but also would make afghanistan's longterm development impossible to achieve. the single best indicator or one of the single best indicators of a country's prosperity around the world is how does it treat its women. does it educate that half of the population? does it give them opportunity? when it does, you will unleash the power of everyone, not just some, and there was great wisdom in afghanistan ratifying a constitution that recognizes that appeared that should be part of the legacy of these last 10 years. thank you very much, everybody.
6:59 am
>> today on c-span, coco washington journal or coat -- "washington journal." later, it discuss -- discussion of mexican regulations under new relationship. >> myron ebell of the competitive enterprise institute. we will be joined by mark pozen ball -- ho
TV News
Search inside
Search only quotes
Search only political ads
Date - Most Recent
Date - Oldest
Politics Public Policy Today
CSPAN January 12, 2013 6:00am-7:00am EST
United States
Al Qaeda
Scott Wilson
Leon Panetta
Scanned in
San Francisco, CA, USA
Comcast Cable
Channel 91 (627 MHz)
Video Codec
Audio Cocec
Pixel width
Pixel height
Internet Archive
sound, color
Borrow a DVD of this show
Stream Only
In Collection
In Collection
Television Archive
In Collection
Television Archive News Search Service
Uploaded by
TV Archive
on 1/12/2013


text:
Thorne Research, Animal Health, Small Animal Antioxidant, 120 Capsules
- You earn loyalty credit for every order you place at iHerb!
- Loyalty credit is equal to 5% of the value of your order, excluding shipping charges.
- Your loyalty credit will be applied towards your next order as soon as your current order has shipped.
- Your loyalty credits are valid for up to 60 days from the date of your last purchase.
This product is already in your Wish List.
View Wish List
This product is now in your Wish List.
View Wish List
Expiration Date:?Nov 2017Expiration Date
The length of time for the expiration date or "best used before" date depends on the type of product, as well as the brand.
Perishable items (such as flax oils or certain probiotics) generally have shorter expiration dates. Although our warehouse is fully air-conditioned, these more fragile items are put in cold storage (freezer or refrigeration unit) for maximum freshness.
Our receiving department does its best to verify and then enter the correct expiration dates for all incoming products. However, discrepancies do occur from time to time. This being said, the exceptionally high turnover at iHerb ensures that our inventory is among the freshest in the industry.
Shipping Weight:?0.22 lbsSwitch to Metric units
- Product Code: THR-09935
- UPC Code: 693749099352
- Package Quantity: 120 Capsules
2.3 x 2.3 x 4.3 in, 0.15 lbsSwitch to Metric units
|Combo Discount:
|- $2.00
- Pure Ingredients, Trusted Results
- Antioxidant Support for Small Animals
- NASC - Quality Seal
For use in cats and dogs only.
Recommended as an antioxidant for small animals
Suggested Use
Cats: 1 capsule daily
Dogs: 2 capsules per 25 lbs body weight daily
Other Ingredients
Hypromellose (derived from cellulose) capsule, microcrystalline cellulose, Alaska pollock (dried skins) (Theragra chalcogramma), silicon dioxide.
Safety during nursing has not been proven. If animal's condition worsens or does not improve, stop product administration and consult your veterinarian. Potential drug interactions. May be GI irritant. Do not use in high doses with anticoagulants drugs or in patients with stomach ulcers.
For animal use only.
Keep out of the reach of children and animals. In case of accidental overdose, contact a health professional immediately.
|Product Facts
|Amount Per Serving
|Active Ingredients per Capsule:
|Curcumin Phytosome* (curcuma longa extract (root) / Phosphatidylcholine complex) (CurcuVET)
|25 mg
|Milk Thistle Extract (fruit) (silybum marianum)
|25 mg
|Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
|25 mg
|Grape Seed Extract
|20 mg
|Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone
|20 mg
|20 mg
|20 mg
|Glutathione (Reduced)
|15 mg
|Glutamic Acid
|15 mg
|d-Alpha Tocopheryl (Vitamin E) (12 IU)
|10 mg
|Quercetin Phytosome (Sophora japonica concentrate (leaf) / Phosphatidylcholine complex from Sunflower)
|10 mg
|6 mg
|Carrot Powder
|5 mg
|Sulforaphane Glucosinolate (from broccoli seed extract)
|5 mg
|*CurcuVET is a registered trademark of Indena S.p.A.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Memphis - The Bucks announced late Friday afternoon that they will salute the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers in a special halftime ceremony during Saturday night's home game against the Indiana Pacers.
The Packers will be represented by chief executive officer Mark Murphy, veteran cornerback Charles Woodson and safety Charlie Peprah.
The ceremony will be hosted by Bucks announcer Jon McGlocklin and also will include Bucks general manager John Hammond.
The Vince Lombardi trophy also is expected to be on display during the ceremony, according to the Bucks.


text:
Journey through Lent with the best devotional writing of pastor and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Click to sign up.
This chapter continues and concludes the acts that passed in the first session (if I may so call it) upon mount Sinai. Here are, I. Some laws of universal obligation, relating especially to the ninth commandment, against bearing false witness (Exod. 23:1), and giving false judgment, Exod. 23:2, 3, 6-8. Also a law of doing good to our enemies (Exod. 23:4, 5), and not oppressing strangers, Exod. 23:9. II. Some laws peculiar to the Jews. The sabbatical year (Exod. 23:10, 11), the three annual feasts (Exod. 23:14-17), with some laws pertaining thereto. III. Gracious promises of the completing of the mercy God had begun for them, upon condition of their obedience. That God would conduct them through the wilderness (Exod. 23:20-24), that he would prosper all they had (Exod. 23:25, 26), that he would put them in possession of Canaan, Exod. 23:27-31. But they must not mingle themselves with the nations, Exod. 23:32, 33.
Starting your free trial of Bible Gateway Plus is easy. You're already logged in with your Bible Gateway account. The next step is to enter your payment information. Your credit card won't be charged until the trial period is over. You can cancel anytime during the trial period.
Click the button below to continue.
You've already claimed your free trial of Bible Gateway Plus. To subscribe at our regular subscription rate of $3.99/month, click the button below.
It looks like you're already subscribed to Bible Gateway Plus! To manage your subscription, visit your Bible Gateway account settings.
Try Bible Gateway Plus, a brand-new service that lets you experience Bible Gateway free of banner ads! It also gives you instant access to over 40 Bible study and inspirational devotional books, including the NIV Study Bible. With Bible Gateway Plus, you can experience and understand God's Word in life-changing new ways, without the distraction of ads. Try it free for 30 days—you can cancel at any time. Following your 30-day free trial, Bible Gateway Plus is only $3.99/month.
Three easy steps to start your free trial subscription to Bible Gateway Plus.


text:
Thanks, Jim. I've done just that. It just broke my heart to see such a
beautiful plant succumb like that. It was looking so good sitting there in
the foreground of the Christmas tree, too. Brenden had one of his wooden
dinosaur skeletons "nibbling" on a frond. (O.K., so a dinosaur may not be
traditional Christmas fair, but we have an eclectic approach to things.)
Before the tree went up, it sat in front of one of the living room windows
on a table top giving the room a much needed botanic feel.
Here's hoping it returns to its former glory!!!
Bonnie (SW Oh - zone 5)
-----Original Message-----
From: email@example.com [mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com] On Behalf
Of james singer
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2003 5:56 PM
To: email@example.com
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Fashion Note: now sago
If you want to quit spraying it, Bonnie, just cut the fronds off. It
will probably put out a flush of new ones... and they will likely be
scale-free. I think it's old enough to take that kind of shock in
stride. That, incidentally, is how we have treated some of the very
large ones at the nursery. If the infestation was really bad and the
fronds began to turn brown, we cut them all off [bald stump], sprayed
the trunk to kill any scale that might be hiding there, and fertilized
the stump with osmocote. They all came back free of scale.
Man, this cold [don't laugh, northern persons] is really beginning to
annoy me. About 60 degrees today with a north wind. An office chum, who
is new to the area from another part of Florida, leased a beach house
that is neither insulated nor heated. Every morning she looks like a
smurf with red hair.
On Sunday, December 14, 2003, at 04:27 PM, William Morgan wrote:
> Now I'm trying to find room somewhere near light (away from a vent, of
> course) for my throatwort and a new little hibiscus. I think I caught
> my
> Sago Palm's "bugs" too late as it is starting to brown. I'm still
> spraying it on the off chance it will recover once the infestation is
> crushed.
Island Jim
Southwest Florida
Zone 10
To sign-off this list, send email to firstname.lastname@example.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE GARDENCHAT
To sign-off this list, send email to email@example.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE GARDENCHAT


text:
I started working at Encore Stage and Studio 2.5 years ago, when I started I was not in a great place however encore is such a great environment that it brought me out of that and is now the most important part of my life. Aside from this I have learned a huge amount about theater, leadership, and carpentry. Skills which I use all the time out out side encore. I cannot properly express how good encore is in almost every way.
Encore Stage and Studio has been the most wonderful place for me and my family to spend a few years working in theatre together with other families and theatre-lovers. The work is remarkably creative and professional. Gratefully, Susan
Participating in Encore shows taught me how to work in a team and speak in public. It also inspired my interest in theater. I am grateful for all the lessons learned and memories created!
I performed in my first show with encore when I was nine. It was an awesome experience! I have seen many shows at encore over the years. Everyone is so nice and it's a great organization!
My teenage twin daughters have been involved with Encore since their elementary school days. Their Encore experience has taught them invaluable lifelong skills, such as teamwork, resilience, poise and resourcefulness. I joined the board of directors because I saw first-hand what this powerful community theatre organization can do for kids in building their confidence, meeting new friends, and introducing them to the performing arts.
I watched a performance for the first time last year and it was darling! The theater was packed and I was impressed by the professionalism of the cast and crew. Looking forward to another great show
It's fun to see the students enjoy the programs and shows that this organization provides for the community! I started volunteering for Encore last year and I can see why the staff members are so dedicated. They truly believe in the organization and making sure that students have an outlet of the arts.
Encore is an amazing organization. My first contact with Encore was through attending shows in which my students were performing. I saw these students grow with their continued interactions with Encore. Both in front of the stage and behind the stage Encore offers opportunities for young people to be involved with theater in real, meaningful ways. I have enjoyed taking my own daughter to shows and she has now had the opportunity to attend the camps. As a board member I feel privileged to be involved with an organization that infuses theater into the lives of youth and the larger community.
I got involved with Encore a few years ago, after my daughter was cast in a show. Now I am the President of the Board of Directors. To me, Encore is an amazing organization. On the one hand, it is a children's theater. But on the other, perhaps less visible, side, it is really a laboratory where young people learn leadership, responsibility, teamwork, accountability, poise, thinking on their feet, and how to develop others. I have never seen a place with groups of young people working together quite like this: they are mixed gender and range in age from 9 to 18. Schools are segregated by age. Sports are segregated by skill and/or age and usually by gender. But here, they are all working together and the older kids - the teens - take care of and nurture and guide and support the younger ones - who are usually in elementary school. I have never encountered anything like it before and its really remarkable to watch.
My first exposure to Encore was as a parent, bringing my very young children to many shows. It was the perfect introduction to theater for them, and always a special outing for all of us. (Even better because the shows were 10 minutes from home, with very reasonable ticket prices and free parking!) I was always amazed by the professionalism of the young casts, the fabulous sets and costumes, and the obvious commitment to creating a positive experience for all involved. Once my children were a bit older and I was better positioned to indulge my longtime passion for musical theater, I won roles in two of Encore's summer productions (in 2010 and 2012). I was fortunate to get to know Encore even better from an insider's perspective, and Encore now holds a very special place in my heart. What a joy to be part of a thriving community theater experience once again, after so many years! I was always particularly happy when busloads of audience members arrived from local senior citizen centers (they actually got all the jokes in "Anything Goes"), or when little kids were excited to meet us "real actors" in the lobby after a show. And wow, what a fabulous summer experience for high school and college kids. I feel quite fortunate to have worked with so many talented young people. And now I have come full circle...one of my children will soon audition for an Encore show herself!


text:
Campaign launched to save The Owl Sanctuary in Norwich from closure
Archant Norfolk 2016
A campaign has been launched to safeguard the future of a popular Norwich pub and music venue, which is due to close at the end of the month.
Overwhelmed by support
Owl Sanctuary manager Dan Hawcroft said he was overwhelmed by the support which had flooded in after he announced the upcoming closure of the venue.
A crowdfunder campaign set up to raise money to help him and the staff had seen more than £3,000 pledged last night, while a Facebook page of Give A Hoot: Save The Owl Sanctuary was created.
While Mr Hawcroft said he would donate the money to flood victims in the north of England, he urged people to visit the venue to show support before the closure.
Lucy Galvin, founder of Friends of Marlpit, the first pub listed as a community asset in Norwich, which was saved for the community said: "The Owl Sanctuary is a gem of a pub and the Marlpit campaign has proven that people power saves such pubs. We stand ready to help. The fight is only just beginning."
Chloe Alexander, from the Union of UEA Students, which has offered support, said: "The contribution The Owl Sanctuary and other small venues in Norwich and across the country make to music cannot be quantified.
"Whether it's the band that plays to 50 people night after night, bringing joy and inspiration to that handful of fans, or being the first to take the risk on a young group that the following year becomes a global sensation, small venues are the lifeblood of the music scene."
The Owl Sanctuary will shut its doors on January 31 - to the disappointment of legions of music fans and its manager, who said the building he leases was sold without his knowledge.
The Cattle Market Street venue has been bought by Richard Pratt, who also owns the building occupied by Warings, the furniture shop and cafe next door.
Dan Hawcroft, who set up The Owl Sanctuary in 2014, said the venue would now be closing.
He said: "It's been a nightmare. We only found out just before Christmas that it had been sold. The first thing I knew was when I got a call from Mr Pratt saying I would be paying him rent and it turned out that a deal had been done in August."
Mr Hawcroft said he had had a verbal agreement with the previous landlord to extend the lease beyond March, when it is due to expire.
He said: "We created one of the most respected DIY venues in the country. We did the first ever sold out gig by Slaves, who have gone onto great things and we've had bands from all over the world, such as Japan and Brazil.
"They have come because they loved our ethos and what we are trying to do here. There's some great bands coming up in Norwich and if they're not nurtured at grass roots level, how are they ever going to break out?"
Mr Hawcroft added that the Norwich Soup Movement, which provides support for the homeless, also use a room at the venue, so they will need to find a new base.
Mr Pratt said he had been trying to buy the property from its previous owner - Roger Watkins - for three or fours years, as an "investment".
He said: "I have no plans for the property at the moment, but it is common knowledge that I have planning permission for the building next door (Warings)."
He said Mr Hawcroft's lease had always been due to expire in March. He said: "He has not been told to leave, it's his decision to leave. His lease is until the end of March and there is no option in the contract to extend that. He knew that when he agreed the lease with Mr Watkins.
"At the end of the day, I don't wish anybody any ill. We have all started in business somewhere and they could have had a little longer to stay there."
Mr Hawcroft said if Mr Pratt could give a genuine promise that it would remain as a pub then he would be prepared to have a conversation with him.
The Norwich branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) is drawing up a submission to Norwich City Council to get the pub declared an asset of community value.
That affords a degree of protection to pubs and was instrumental in saving The Marlpit Pub. Neil Bowers, from Camra, said it would be a "crying shame" to lose the venue.
The Evening News, through its Love Your Local campaign, has been urging people to use their local pubs.
• What do you think? You can leave your comments below


text:
Read an Excerpt
Big in Japan
A Novel
By Jennifer Griffith
Jolly Fish PressCopyright © 2012 Jennifer Griffith
All rights reserved.
Buck Cooper squared his shoulders and tucked in the back of his damp shirt — again. In thirty seconds, Alison Turner would be off her phone, and he would do a strategic walk-by past her desk, the desk with the polka dot coffee mug and the eleven purple Sharpie markers and the picture of her vacation to South Padre Island last fall. Today was the day she'd shake her long hair and glance up when he passed, look at him with her melting chocolate brown eyes and finally really notice him.
The Eaglestone Pharmaceuticals break room stifled with heat, but it gave him a view of the receptionist's desk. He shifted his weight, no small task, and listened for her fetching Texas drawl of "buh-bye." It was almost go-time. He moved his stack of statistical analysis files into his right arm, just in case she wanted to give a high-five to his left hand as he passed. Not that she ever had before.
The water cooler bubbled behind him.
"Ooh, hoo-hoo, Mr. Buck. You watching that woohman again? Ar-har-har-har."
Great. Ranjit and his super skinny frame in the brown argyle sweater, the same one he wore daily. He wasn't even breaking a sweat, but he still smelled like curry.
"You know, of course, a girl with luscious hair like that is never going to be looking in the direction of a 400-pound man. Ar-har-har-har. Why are you discombobulating yourself over her?" the lothario of Mumbai sniggered. "Well, of course there's the luscious body."
"Ranjit. Didn't your mama teach you how to talk about a lady?" Buck got enough of Ranjit on his stats team. But the jerk was right about her hair. It was luscious, the way it cascaded in spun gold waves over her shoulders. She was the only bright spot in this pain cave of an office.
Sadly, Ranjit was right about the other thing, too. When in history had the enormous guy ever snagged the hottest girl in a five-mile radius? Worse, when had Buck ever snagged any girl in all his twenty-four years?
"Give it up, Mr. Buck." The Indian accent lilted and Ranjit bobbled his head side to side. "Take a look at yourself. Your body is a superstructure constructed entirely of junk food." Ranjit patted his own stomach and then Buck's before punching him in the arm.
That buh-bye should be coming any second now. He wished Ranjit would evaporate in the orange cloud of curry vapors that followed him everywhere.
"You should be more worried about getting laid off. Impending doom for all of us." Ranjit cackled all the way down the corridor to his cubicle.
Layoffs. Whatever. Buck pulled more than just his own considerable weight in the stats department. He pulled Ranjit and Gupta and all the other Indians' weight as well. Management should be considering Buck's application for the promotion just about now, not whether to lay him off.
Alison hung up the phone. Yes! Buck made his move. His damp shirt had come untucked again. Stupid heat. Somebody turned off the air conditioning again. Just because the calendar read September didn't mean Texas heat was done. It was probably one of those underweight exercise freak boys on the company soccer team, the kind who were perpetually freezing and wearing cardigan sweaters even in the dead of summer. The kind Alison Turner probably dated on weekends.
He attempted a swagger, but it came out more like a lumber. "Hi, Alison." Buck lifted a hello hand, but his greeting got swallowed up in the ring tone of her cell phone, which she snapped open immediately. She didn't even look up when he passed.
Thwarted. His smile faded.
He stumped back to his desk. Superstructure. He rolled a hand over the shoddy addition out front and winced. He just had to lose some of this weight — he had to. Maybe he would take the stairs today when he went to lunch. But it would be hard to take them on the way back, especially after a plateful of Charlie Unger's barbecue. Today was Thursday — Brisket day! But he would definitely take the stairs.
"Who left this window open?"
Buck walked up to his cubicle to find another Indian coworker, Gupta, complaining at Buck's desk. He had his head out the window across from the line of desks and was reaching for something.
"What's going on?"
"Some idiot left this window open and now my best collector card of Aishwarya Rai blew out onto the ledge and some stupid seagull is going to come along and use it to line its nest, and that is just sacrilege." Gupta had a piercing whine Buck knew too well.
Buck pressed Gupta aside and leaned out the eighth story window. Sure enough, the photo of the Bollywood actress was about five feet away, perched on the ledge and about to fall eight stories to the streets of Dallas.
"I was the one who left the window open. What were you doing at my desk, anyway?" Buck leaned farther, but the card was just out of reach.
"You always have a twenty-dollar bill in your top drawer, and it's lunchtime. Brisket day at Charlie Unger's. I forgot my wallet." As usual.
Buck leaned back in and gave Gupta a look of disbelief. "Give me that chair." He grabbed the steel chair from Gupta and stood on it, adding another eighteen inches to his already six-foot-six frame. With a long stretch over the lip of the windowsill, Buck procured the card and brought it back to safety. Gupta snatched it and kissed the card.
"I missed you, Aishwarya!" Another kiss. "Now, Mr. Buck, how about that twenty dollars? I'm good for it. I'm not going to be cut in the layoffs."
It was worth twenty dollars to Buck to see Gupta scatter.
Gupta called over the cubicle wall on his way to spend the cash. "You ought to keep your window shut, Mr. Buck. It's September already."
Right. Autumn. Of course.
Buck lifted his shoulder-length hair off his neck in a wad. He swiped at a lock of hair frizzing at his brow line. Cutting this mop would make sense — to help cool his head in this heat — but he hadn't had time. The quality control analysis of this latest drug trial kept him past eight every night for the last month. He could finish it up this afternoon, but then tonight he needed to look for an apartment. Mrs. Jenkins put him on notice two weeks ago. Her nephew was moving into the place, and Buck had to vamoose.
Plus, the Rangers game was on tonight, and Mays had first at-bats —
His phone rang, yanking him out of his field of dreams.
"Mr. Buck? Hi. This is Alison Turner."
Alison? Buck jumped to his feet. His pulse ratcheted up five notches.
"A-a-alison?" Over the tops of all the cubicles he spotted her head at the front desk. That hair — he could see it rippling over her shoulder from here, like metallic honey.
"At the front desk? Do you speak English?"
"Alison. Uh. Yeah."
Sort of. He sort of spoke English. Gack! He was being such a dork. Get it together, pal — this is your big chance.
"Oh, thank goodness. You do speak English." She gave a long whew. "I really need a favor."
"Sure, Alison," he stuttered. "Anything." Buck's heart thumped like a jackrabbit's leg. He knew it! He just knew today was the day. He stood up straight and tucked in that damp shirt — again.
"Fantastic. It's about lunch. Oh, shoot. There's my other line. Gotta take it. Can you just, like, drop by my desk up here in a few shakes? Whoops. Gotta grab that. Thanks. Buh-bye, Mr. Buck." The phone clicked off.
Yes! Buck danced a little jig. Finally, the nice guy was going to win. Lunch! She said it was about lunch. She wanted him to take her for the brisket, obviously. Cha-ching! He'd have to hit the ATM real quick. He could make that work. A plate of savory beef and Alison Turner. He plopped down in his chair and stared up at the popcorn ceiling in joy.
He'd always sensed Alison Turner was the one girl who had the X-ray vision that let her see through all Buck's outer layers into his inner goodness.
Most people had more than X-ray vision when it came to seeing Buck: they saw clean through him. How could someone who took up as much of the visible spectrum of light as he did still be utterly invisible, the fat guy no one noticed? Sometime he'd calculate and find a quantifiable ratio between a person's becoming less noticeable and reaching a certain body mass index.
Buck thought back. What marked the beginning of his invisibility? When he hit three hundred pounds? And he wasn't invisible just to women. Barely a handful of guys — mostly Ranjit's countrymen — knew his name, and only as "Mr. Buck."
Suddenly it hit him — the reason Alison noticed him today. The promotion! It had to be the promotion. Management had been bandying his name about, Alison caught wind of it and called to congratulate him. Joy melted him into a puddle of grease.
Then reality resurged and bit hard, and he pulled open his desk's bottom drawer. Book titles stared out at him:
Body Fit.
You and Your Super-Slim Hardbody.
Ripped Abs Without Steroids the Dwayne Johnson Way.
Lose to Win.
Several promised quick weight loss with little effort. Others required vast amounts of dedication and time. None of them recommended deep fried okra from Charlie Unger's five days a week.
A-ha. There it was — the fake "before and after" picture of himself he'd photo-doctored on a free website. It showed how he looked now at 375 pounds, beside a potential picture of himself at 220 pounds, the perfect weight for his six-foot-six height according to web experts. His Gold's Gym membership haunted him. Maybe if he hadn't avoided it so religiously for the past year, he wouldn't be sitting here cursing the sweat pool between the layers of flab on his back like some panting beached walrus.
"My, my, son. You have got to get that hair of yours trimmed." A woman's voice cut the air, and Buck snapped awake. Mom? "You're starting to look like Jon Bon Jovi. Or is it David Lee Roth? The blond one."
"Mom, what're you doing down here?"
She never came to downtown Dallas. She stood over him in her daisy sundress, clutching and unclutching the strap on her patent leather purse. He stood up and let her have his chair. He perched on the edge of his desk.
"Is there an emergency? Dad —" There'd been an accident at his lab —
"No, no, Buck. Everything's fine. Oh, look at that picture of your grandma and grandpa's farm. So peaceful."
Yeah, it was. The photo served as his escape hatch some days. At least the family hadn't sold the farm when Grandpa died but kept it in a family trust.
"I mean — well, Buck, I came down to ask you a little favor." Worry lines wrinkled her forehead. She wasn't the favor-asking type. His mom was the favor-doing type. "I mean, it might be a big favor. I need you to go somewhere with me tomorrow."
Tomorrow. Friday. Friday looked free. "Okay, Mom. No problem. Where?" He could maybe slip out for a family thing during lunch — lots of people did. Not Buck, but lots of other people, people with families, people with things to do.
Buck double blinked and shook his head.
"It's in Japan."
"I know where Tokyo is, Mom. What are you talking about?"
"Oh, I knew this was a mistake." Her big blue eyes glistened. She pulled a handkerchief from her purse and dabbed at them.
"No, Mom. Just tell me what's going on." Usually she was a pillar, a brick.
"I told your father we should just use a travel agent, but he said the Yoshidas had everything worked out. Plane tickets, sightseeing, accommodations. They want us to stay with them, you know. I'd never ask you if —"
"Back up, back up. What are you talking about?"
"You know how your father is, Buck." She rolled her eyes upward. "Hank Cooper. Head full of dreams."
His mom never spoke this candidly about his dad. She must be really upset. Buck repositioned himself on his desk and folded his arms across his chest to listen.
"Did something go wrong with Nangrimax, Mom? The FDA didn't deny the application, did they?" Dad's latest invention could be the best wonder drug since penicillin. "I thought he had a deal in the works." With a guy in Japan. Ah, Tokyo.
"Oh, sweetheart. We're still waiting on that process." She heaved a sigh. "He does have a sweet deal possibility, but that's the thing. There's this Mr. Yoshida, a man with money and connections in Tokyo. Your father believes he could be key to getting the product off the ground there. It could mean the difference between glorious success or spectacular failure."
Buck tugged at his shirt. Failure. Not good.
"We're going to see Mr. Yoshida. And his family. And for some reason they insist on meeting our whole family, meaning you, too — even though it's during baseball playoffs, and I'll miss three games. I'd get your Aunt Nancy or your Aunt Phyllis to go, but no. It has to be the three of us. The Yoshidas have two sons, your dad says."
She got up and walked the five steps around the middle of his cubicle. "I don't know. We've invested so much ... The point is, we're desperate to make a good impression, and it starts with all three of us showing up. Buck, I tried to tell them you have a job." A wince wrinkled her nose. "I'm so bad at these social things, and your father's worse."
And she thought Buck was better? Aunt Nancy or Aunt Phyllis or any of his dozen other aunts or umpteen uncles or bazillion cousins could make a good impression. Not Buck.
"Ma, I hadn't told you and Dad yet — but I've put in for a promotion. This might not be the best time —"
Her look of sheer despair brought him up short.
"But don't you think about that. I'll just run the trip past management."
"I'm afraid, Buck." His mom cast her eyes down at her shoes. "I'm afraid this is it. Your father only has one failure left in him."
Buck's throat caught. It sounded like he had no choice. "Tokyo. Tomorrow, then. I'm with you."
Relief spread across her face along with a happy smile. Buck glanced around and caught a glimpse of Alison's hair swinging along an inter-cubicle corridor. His heart skipped.
"Mom, I have an appointment to get to, but — tomorrow. Tokyo!" He shot a finger toward the ceiling, and the flab of his underarm wobbled. His sweet mom gave a little jump of delight and pulled a plane ticket from her purse and slung it onto Buck's desk.
"Oh, thank you. You'll help us so much. You see things. So. Six o'clock flight. Don't forget your passport. Oh, and don't bring that ugly duffel bag. The one with the stripes? It's just awful." She bustled away, purse swinging at her side.
Tokyo. Tomorrow. He'd have to find his passport. Oh, and pack boxes to move out. There was no way Mrs. Jenkins would object to his vacating the apartment two days early. Hey, maybe he could wrangle some frequent flyer miles out of this deal. Wasn't Japan about ten thousand miles round trip?
Holy nightmare, thousands of miles on a plane. In coach. He peeked at the ticket. Groan. He really didn't want to go to Japan. At least not this Friday. Sure, some other time, Japan would be great. Not tomorrow. The promotion was pending — but so were layoffs. Not that he should worry about those.
Still, his mom needed him; he might as well go and make the best of it. He owed them a lot more than simply taking a vacation with them. After all, it was ten days out of his life. What could happen in ten days?
He ran his fingers through his hair and huffed in exhaustion. Japan. And now, to Alison. Hot fear pooled in his gut.
Buck stopped by the men's room to freshen up. With a little water on his fingers he smoothed aside some of that long blond hair. He pulled at his left eye. If he stood up straight, squared his shoulders, maybe — just maybe — he could pull it off, as long as he kept the goofiness out of his grin. He practiced a captivating smile, a casual smile, a winning smile. There. The right choice, the one he wore during his promotion interview. Yes. He got a vision of her hair shaking free behind her, and his heart kick-started again. Geez. He'd look like a beet in a dress shirt by the time he got out front.
As he passed his desk his phone rang. Stupid thing. Oh, but it could be Alison. In case it was, he should wait 'til the third ring — the perfect blend of I'm busy, but not too busy for you, Alison. How should he answer? Hi, Alison. Oh, hi, Alison. Hi. Alison. You look nice today. Hi, Alison. You called? No. He didn't want to sound like other guys, guys with lines. She'd probably heard a million lines.
Excerpted from Big in Japan by Jennifer Griffith. Copyright © 2012 Jennifer Griffith. Excerpted by permission of Jolly Fish Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.


text:
I Want to...
Search the Health Library
Get the facts on diseases, conditions, tests and procedures.
Patient Care
I Want To...
I Want To...
Find Research Faculty
Enter the last name, specialty or keyword for your search below.
School of Medicine
The Kimmel Cancer Center has a guardian angel - in fact it has tens of thousands of them. In homes, offices, and hospitals around the world, Bobbie Burnett's stained glass angels have become a symbol in the ongoing fight against cancer. The Caring Collection - her name for the collection of angels she has designed and sold for more than two decades and the people who come together to make them - is approaching $1 million in donations to the Kimmel Cancer Center and other local institutions.
Listen to the WMAR TV broadcast featuring the Caring Collection.
Just in time for the holidays: Buy your Caring Collection angel and support the Kimmel Cancer Center at www.caringcollection.org


text:
Madonna Gallery II
30 Wednesday Dec 2015
Posted Art, reflectionsin
30 Wednesday Dec 2015
Posted Art, reflectionsin
06 Sunday Sep 2015
Posted reflectionsin
It's been almost two months since I last wrote a post and even then I had become rather slack in my once-a-week intention. My recent knee replacement surgery helped me to rationalize a summer hiatus and this morning after I checked email and FB, my curiosity took me to the MT Ink site.
I considered whether to just leave the site as it was – after all how much of what I have written is really that important – or should I dip my toe back into the inkwell, so to speak. It was less my desire to inform or contact others and more my need to write in itself that propelled me to this post. Writing fires up areas of my mind that art does not.
Part of my abstinence from writing has been due to my absence from the inspiration of the neighborhood park. Since last January my knees have been so bad that I have been physically unable to drive to the park, pull out the lawn chair and just sit. But this week I will not only sally forth to the park but to the local grocery store.
In any event, September is inviting thoughts of new beginnings. In December I will have the second knee replaced and I have several mandala art classes scheduled at a local senior center. Hopefully, by next fall I will be able to take a last trip back to Pennsylvania to see the beautiful Autumn-colored hills. The 'older' generation of my family is now gone and I am now one of the crones. It will be a time of leave-taking on many levels.
One of the beauties of aging – and perhaps the most poignant – is you must always be ready to leave. Thus each day, each activity can be filled with unexpected beauty and meaning. I am caring for my little cat as she enters her last year. She is very slow and walks with great deliberation. She is content now to watch birds from the window and does not object when a neighborhood cat comes on the patio. She purrs frequently and easily. She is at peace with herself and brings that contentment to all who are near her. What more can any of us wish for ourselves?
21 Saturday Mar 2015
Posted Poetry, reflectionsin
Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away.
For lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth her green figs,
And the vines with the tender grapes
Give a good smell,
Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away!
O my dove, in the clefs of the rock
In the secret places of the cliff,
Let me see your countenance,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your countenance is lovely.
Song of Solomon 2: 10 – 14
New King James Version
Today spring officially arrived in Northern California. The point of balance is tilted towards the light. The temperatures have been mild and the trees have been blooming for several weeks. What little rain we had this year is past.
The sun is slowly making its way northward and the mornings are filled with the sounds of chirping birds. Last week I heard the honk of geese heading north and today, outside my bedroom window, I heard the cooing of two doves – that low, slightly plaintive call they have that is so beautiful and so comforting.
Spring is the time of promise and new beginnings; a time to leave the past with its mistakes behind; to forgive ourselves and others for not being perfect and moving forward; a time of trust that the worst is over and better times lie ahead; a time of hope.
"Hope is a thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
and never stops – at all –
Emily Dickinson
What song is your soul singing?
The Song of Solomon is part of the Holy Scripture for both Jews and Christians. Its structure has parallels with the pastoral idylls of Theocritus (3rd C BC) and shows the influence of Mesopotamian and Egyptian love poetry. Speculation places its composition form the 10th to 2nd centuries BC. The Song makes no reference to "Law", "Covenant" or Yahweh, nor does it explore wisdom or history. Instead it celebrates human love, although over the years this interpretation has been replaced by the analogy of love between God and his people or his church. (Summarized from Wikipedia)
12 Thursday Mar 2015
Posted reflectionsin
This morning shortly after rising I hear Canadian geese over head on a northward course back home. I go outside and feel a strong breeze from the southwest. It rattles the new baby leaves on the trees, shakes the pink and white blossom until they are dizzy, and buffets the birds up and down so that they first skim over the treetops, then spin earthward on the current.
Near the entrance to the park two men in orange vests carry slow/stop signs to control the flow of impatient cars. The giant arm of a steam shovel breaks the asphalt to reveal the broken sewer pipe beneath. A dark, squat, smoking barrel sits on the side of the road; the thick licorice smell of tar oozes down the sidewalk and across creek and over the pond.
An old blond cocker spaniel, partly blind and hard of hearing, lifts her head to sniff the wind. Her tail is too tired to wag although a spark of light flashes in her shadowed eyes. Does she perhaps remember other springs when the distant bird was clearly seen, the field an invitation to run, the sound of her master voice a call to action. Her limitations do not interfere with her enjoyment of this day and she rambles off behind her master.
Already the little creek lies low within its banks and fishermen are far and few between. The white crane seen last spring standing in the reeds along its banks will not be here again.The short rainy season has expired and another year of water rationing is certain.
Meanwhile, high plumes shoot upward from the pond, the wind blowing the water into a mist that carries across the wide expanse of lawn where a scattering of dandelions seem to be dancing. Except for the pines whose shade is thick and still and black, the trees that line the edges of the field cast a mosaic of dappled shadows that shift in an ever-moving mass of dark and light.
Three Chihuahuas, each on a leash, meet along a path. With sharp high cries they greet each other. Three tails wag furiously as smells are offered and exchanged. Owners walk away, dogs are pulled apart; they look back and give little yips of goodbye.
Having made the long looping circuit of the park, the blond cocker spaniel returns and is carefully lifted into the back seat of the waiting car. As it drives away, she sticks her head out the back window, eyes unseeing, ears unhearing, wind blowing her curling fur. I think, there is not enough time left to have all of the dogs I want.
In how many springs will the wind blow through our hair? How many more bright days filled with the scent of fresh cut grass will intoxicate us? How many more sunsets will we see? Life is so short; love is so long,
21 Saturday Feb 2015
Posted reflectionsin
I started a new approach with mandalas this year. The art is more representational rather than the geometric abstracts I have been doing. My cousin Vince, who is also an artist (great wildlife: see http://vincepagliaroli.vpweb.com) categorized them as Zen/Almish/New Wave/Retro. I guess that means it's hard to say what they are! In designing them I begin with some familiar image and go from there. I love making them as it is a meditation for me that quiets my busy mind. I am not a draftsman or illustrator and they all have a primitive look to them. The medium is ink and markers on Bristol board. The colors are a little more vivid than shown. To see more examples, go to http://MarieTaylorArt.wordpress.com and click on "New Mandalas" on the top menu bar.
16 Friday Jan 2015
Posted Poetry, reflectionsin
Readers have asked me why my poems are usually limited to what I see at the park – too much of a "sameness."
I used to write poetry as a means of expressing my thoughts or opinions, purging deep emotions, telling my stories. Now I rarely get into philosophical discussions, describe the turbulence of life and relationships, make reference to current socio-political situations or injustices, or make comments of a personal nature. What poetry I write now is a by-product of sitting quietly and writing down my observations – very visual, very factual without much recourse to any 'story' behind what I see.
I am trying to disappear as a poet, as a presence in the poem – maybe exist as sort of an eye relating what is seen. Why? Because I am tired listening to and recording my thoughts – which often/always revolve around what I think, what I feel, what I want, my past, my future, me, me, me, etc., etc., ad infinitum. If I restrict myself to the visual, the constant chatter of the mind subsides and I feel peaceful. I now leave it to the reader to supply any story line or to give any meaning to the experience.
Here is what was seen the other day. Thanks for visiting.
Mid-January morning,
fog and dew burned away,
reveals a scattering of tiny suns
in the grass – dandelions.
Damp air
filled with the scent of clay and chlorophyll
and the endless twittering of unseen birds,
curls around oak's gnarly limbs
that twist and turn like arthritic arms,
soaking up the sun that drives the sap
coursing through cellulose veins.
White dots are scattered
along black branches of graceful trees –
soon to awake from winter dreams of summer.
Three squirrels
race up and down the trunk,
of the slender willow,
swing from branch to branch,
like drunken acrobats,
tails twitching, eyes sparkling.
Four city workers
wearing eye-blinding orange vests and baseball caps
set out lawn chairs beside the big tall pine,
open brown bags as they discuss the challenge
of keeping the waters flowing
through sewers that lie beneath
the black paved streets of a winter-soaked city.
Young brown girl
sports a sleek 1940's pompadour,
curled and rolled above her delicate shoulders,
ear buds in, iPhone on,
in seeming conversation with the air,
sack purse swinging, smooth hips swaying,
young legs striding across the lawn
she moves to other destinations.
Black boy,
pants at half-mast, bandana round his head,
stands beside the hip hop van
with low rider wheels and dice on the dash,
greets a member of the 'hood'
who arrives slouching and bopping
and snapping his fingers to the booming bass
that smites the air with impact and effect,
and shares the secret tribal handshake.
An old man
in a tattered gray coat
pushing a grocery cart with wobbling wheels
and piled high with fat plastic bags,
rumbles down the street and is followed
by a middle-aged woman
who jauntily holds aloft a gaily striped umbrella
and sings softly to herself.
totters, leading the way to the duck pond,
as the small shoes of the curly-haired girl
blink off and on at each hop and skip,
while Grandma smiles and follows,
walker clacking,
step, roll, pause – step, roll, pause
Little white dog
leashed to a large white woman
is tugged and pulled from enticing smells,
waves its feathery tail
and tosses its head and sets to shaking
ears that are caught up with pink pony-tail ribbons.
Two golden retrievers,
walking along in unison,
jump into a small white car
bearing "Go Kings" stickers –
and as it drives away
big orange heads
hang out of windows,
ears back, tongues lolling,
tails waving goodbye.
03 Saturday Jan 2015
Posted reflectionsin
01 Thursday Jan 2015
Posted Poetry, reflectionsin
Bright, sparkling, clear day of winter,
the first day of the year at play
in this garden of Eden.
The rowdy wind flexes its muscles,
somersaults across the trees
and plays kick-the-can with leaves
as they clatter up and down the street.
Bright sparkling, clear day of winter,
beloved by pine trees and firs,
who shake their skirts and toss their heads
and straighten their aprons
in celebration of the new year's arrival.
The winter sun wraps its chilling arms
around the dark oaks where mistletoe
hangs like giant Christmas balls
and reduces the ladylike white birch to a sleepy stupor.
The naked long-limbed branches of the willow
dance and sway side to side
across the small creek that carries sere leaves
and broken branches and autumn-colored ducks
that paddle around small rocks and yellow reeds.
The sharp sun beams through its blue sky portal
and sets in relief the street man
who rummages through trash barrels
for empty cans and bottles,
setting aside half-eaten sandwiches
and luncheon treats for later consumption
then throws the bulging black plastic bag
over his shoulder, making the bottles clink
as they settle down among the cans
while he walks to the empty playground
that waits in patient silence for the arrival
of the laughing children of spring.
Bright, sparkling, clear day of winter
shows the frosty breath
of the heavy-set, hip-jiggling girl in green
who jogs in the wake
made by long legs
of the young black boy
who slides and glides
along the slipstream of paths
while their stream of conversation
tacks back and forth
in the winter breeze
and startles the small dog with a wagging tail
who sits in a gray camper truck
that wears a kayak on its roof
and waits while the man with a plaid cap
unloads a silver and black tricycle,
long and low and elegant, then
slides down into the molded leather seat.
Man speeds off, dog racing alongside,
as a tall yellow pennant at the rear
whips in the cool breeze.
Bright, sparkling, clear day of winter
with swashes of chartreuse
streaking through the emerald grass
making eyes to squint to mute the vibrancy
while infinitesimal pin pricks of lights
dance behind closed eyes
blinking off and on, each a minute life
played out on a red stage
as the wind tosses and taunts and prods
to create the first poem
of the first day
of the new year.
11 Thursday Dec 2014
Posted reflectionsin
The excitement is palpable; the air vibrating with energy. The evening news is full of Storm, born in the Pacific and growing now to full strength, as it journeys inland.
Hints of its arrival can be felt in the increasing winds that are ripping the last brown and yellow leaves from the autumn trees whose bare black branches seem to sag from holding them aloft.
TV's are tuned to the weather channel where viewers watch white clouds swirl over the ocean and pulsating bands of green move into the Great Valley. Residents in low lying areas are warned of flooding while housewives fill bathtubs and stockpile bread. Christmas decorations are moved indoors and hatches battened.
Soon we will watch with awe as the heavens open and pools form and creeks rush and rivers swell and banks are overflown. For a few short hours the wind will blow without restraint and Mother Nature will loosen her girdle, let her hair down and allow her heavy breasts swing free. The earth will open its mouth to receive her gifts and slacken its drought-weary throat.
A part of our soul yearns for such abandonment, to throw ourselves upon the Mother and changed from the old and ancient into something new and unknown that will rise phoenix-like, not from fire but from water. We seek a baptism into a new life, washed clean of the past and ready to see with child eyes. We are reborn, arisen from Buddha's mud to Christ's shining star that leads wise men across unknown deserts as we breathe deep, drink long and fall with the rain.
03 Monday Nov 2014
Posted reflectionsin
Instead of visiting the local park several times a week as I did in years past, my visits now, due to arthritis, are limited to just a few times a month. But today the glory of the autumn sun and the cool breeze traveling up the delta prove an irresistible inducement.
Getting from the car to the grass carrying the lawn chair is challenging but I soon find a spot that is ideal. As I sit and watch, I reflect how man depends on clocks to know what time it is and sets them back and forth to match his mood – so unlike the trees that are guided by solar tempos and are now changing into their autumn colors.
A squirrel scans me from beneath a nearby tee, sitting on his haunches, tail twitching as his small black eyes probe to evaluate the threat I may represent. Slightly reassured, he makes a quick dash across the open grass, one eye on me, the other on the large oak to my left. Once arrived the squirrel seeks the safety of high branches and startles a large black crow.
The crow who raucously caws at a squat Japanese man wearing a large straw hat who trots by, his forward-looking eyes ignoring the young lady jogging with her two pit bulls stepping in military precision. They are followed by two chattering women and a snuffling Schnauzer who briskly make their way towards the pond, slipping in and out of the sun and shade cast by the trees.
A car pulls up and honks. A short broad man with a bald head emerges and hurries across the field, arms waving, to attract the attention of a backpack-wearing young Indian man. Apologies and explanations about missed directions are shouted until they meet and shake hands. They walk towards a picnic table and soon brochures and iPads are brought out as they discuss new business opportunities and over seas call centers.
A man wearing a Yankee's jacket struggles with a Labrador pulling on his leash while he helps a small boy climb the monkey bars. A bent man with the raveled gray hat is slowly limping around the playground, stopping first at the sliding board, then pausing for a moment near the swings.
Is he perhaps remembering a father who pushed a swing as he tried to touch the sky? Is he perhaps remembering a mother who clapped her hands the first time he slid down the sliding board alone? He is perhaps remembering what it is to be five years old and have his whole life stretched out ahead like a golden road?
The sun slides into a new position and I feel the morning chill. I carry my folded lawn chair in one hand, the cane in my other. My knees creak and my feet shuffle. As I near the car, I reach out to steady myself so that I don't stumble. I feel the car's solid, immovable mass beneath my hand holding me up.
Then it suddenly occurs to me that I am being supported at all times by everything around me. I am never left to fend for myself. When I'm at home, I travel across the room, lightly balancing against a chair, steadied by a wall, upheld by a table. Friends and family appear and help me do the little tasks that now are so difficult.
Everywhere I go, I find support in all directions. When I reach out something solid and deep and dependable that keeps me steady. I drive home elated. Without realizing it, all these years, I have been held by angels in disguise.