text:
Campus News
Asst. U.S. Sec. of State Christopher Hill '74 Provides Insight into North Korea, Diplomacy
Story posted April 18, 2008
July 23, 2007, was an awkward day at the office for Christopher Hill. The White House had just announced that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would preside over a Middle East peace meeting in the fall — an engagement that critics were calling short on specifics and too little, too late for an administration that had announced early on that it did not want be drawn into the vexing Middle East peace process.
Inside North Korea
Click here for rare photographs from inside North Korea taken during Hill's recent trip to observe the dismantling of the Yongbyon nuclear plant and to urge disabling and declaration of that country's nuclear weapons programs.
But now Rice was making plans for a late November peace meeting in Annapolis. In its July 23, 2007, editorial, The New York Times suggested that the Secretary seek some expert advice on how to make the session a success.
"She could start by asking, what would Chris Hill do?"
Chris Hill — Bowdoin Class of 1974 — was, at the time, fresh off another success in a diplomatic career that has taken him from one global hot spot to another, most recently to east Asian capitals as head of the U.S. delegation to "the six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue," a multinational effort to convince Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons capabilities in return for economic and diplomatic gains.
"I took a pretty low profile in the senior staff meeting that day," remembers Hill.
Since that day — and, in fact, long before it — Hill's profile has been anything but "low." Born in Paris, Christopher Hill grew up in Little Compton, R.I., the son of a diplomat. At Bowdoin, he majored in economics and was a standout lacrosse player — a sport he remains passionate about today. After college, he served for two years with the Peace Corps in Cameroon and then joined the State Department in 1977.
Hill received the State Department's Distinguished Service Award for his work on the Bosnian agreement and was subsequently named U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia and Special Envoy to Kosovo, a position that frequently put him at odds with Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic. In 2000, Hill was named U.S. Ambassador to Poland, a post he held until 2004.
Married with three children — one of whom is a current Bowdoin sophomore — Hill earned his master's degree at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., and today speaks Polish, Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian and Albanian. As a frequent visitor to the Bowdoin campus, he often speaks to students about diplomacy and the intricate negotiations he has been a part of over the course
of his remarkable career.
Hill agreed to talk with BOWDOIN magazine in December just days after returning from a landmark trip to North Korea. He had been there to observe the agreed-to dismantling of the Yongbyon nuclear plant and to urge his North Korean counterparts to fully disable and declare all their nuclear weapons programs as agreed to in the six-party talks. During an hour-long conversation in Hill's State Department office, Bowdoin Vice President for Communications & Public Affairs Scott Hood asked the career diplomat about his impressions of North Korea, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and what it's like to negotiate on behalf of a U.S. government not always willing to talk with its enemies.
BOWDOIN: It's mid-December, and you've just arrived back in Washington from North Korea.What is it like to be an American in North Korea?
HILL: Well, for anyone who served in the old Eastern Europe in the 1970s and 1980s as I did, it would be strangely familiar. Of course, what's remarkable is that there are just very few countries today that look like North Korea. The buildings tend to be very old — sort of a Soviet style architecture — and being there as we were in the winter, I know the Bowdoin campus can get cold, but at least you can duck into the Moulton Union to get warm! Every place [in North Korea] is cold, and the buildings tend not to be heated.You will have individual rooms where you can be warm, but the buildings are just as cold as the outdoors. So, it's really kind of another world. People are not used to seeing Americans. They tend to avert their eyes. They don't feel they should be looking at you. There's not a big police presence, but I think everyone kind of understands that they are not to be too curious.
BOWDOIN: So, presumably, they have no idea who they're looking at or why you're there.
HILL: Probably not.While the regime may choose to show you on television or put out a press release, people don't have a lot information there, so they probably don't know who you are, and they probably feel that if someone wanted them to pay attention they'd be told to pay attention.
BOWDOIN: Did you experience any ill will or anti-Americanism while you were there?
HILL: I certainly didn't get the feeling of that, no. Certainly, the people who first went to Yongbyon to begin the site surveys — Yongbyon is the nuclear facility — they felt that the engineering staff was pretty hostile to them, but after the engineering staff got the word that they were supposed to be cooperative, they were very cooperative.
BOWDOIN: Why were you at Yongbyon?
HILL: Well, we had begun the disabling [of the Yongbyon nuclear facility] in early November, and I wanted to see how it was going, because that's one of the big things that we are trying to get from the North Koreans — disabling the facility so that it can't work again. The second thing was the North Koreans are to give us a list of all their nuclear programs, and this is a so-called "declaration," and we wanted to make sure that it's a complete and correct declaration, so I had some discussions about that.
BOWDOIN: So they take you to Yongbyon and give you a list. How do you know that's all there is?
HILL: Well, first of all, with respect to a nuclear reactor, which is what has been shut down, you can tell by so-called "national technical means," — i.e., satellites — whether you've got another reactor operating in North Korea. So we have ways of knowing what the universe of their reactor program is. Of course, there are things that are more difficult to see. One of the things that we have been concerned about is a uranium enrichment program, kind of like what Iran has. To do that, you often monitor as best you can purchases overseas of equipment that are entirely consistent with a uranium enrichment program. So we're looking at a number of indicators, but one thing we are not doing is playing "trust me." It's a process where everything needs to be verified.
BOWDOIN: Even if you are ultimately successful in North Korea, can you really "put the genie back in the bottle" when it comes to nuclear technology?
HILL: Well, I think the big task through the spring of '08, and perhaps through the whole calendar year is to get them to give up the plutonium that they have already produced and turn that into some international monitor of some kind — to abandon that material. That is going to be a tall order, but that's what they need to do to completely denuclearize. By shutting down the reactor and disabling the reactor, we are ensuring that the 30, 40, 50 kilos of plutonium — and by the way, we anticipate getting a precise figure on that — we can ensure that it doesn't become a 100 or 200 kilo program. So getting the reactor and the production facility is important, but it is an unfinished work until you actually get them to give up the materials already produced.
BOWDOIN: But what about just their knowledge? Isn't that the concern? There was a recent report that North Korea was providing nuclear technology to Syria. How do you prevent them from sharing their knowledge?
HILL: That's an ongoing proliferation concern, and when you find things out, you have to confront them. We have been doing that fairly systematically. We have a lot of pledges from them that they won't be sharing their knowledge, but we need to ensure that this doesn't go on in the future, and again, we have national technical means to do that.
BOWDOIN: What are the eventual goals here? Reunification with the South? Normalized relations with the U.S.? Is that what they want?
HILL: That's what they say they want. Certainly the initial goal is to denuclearize North Korea so that we don't have a situation where there is a danger of proliferating material — this plutonium that I spoke of — we don't want a situation where they sell it to somebody. So, certainly denuclearizing North Korea is the first order of priority, and then it would be in everyone's interest if North Korea could be brought into the family of nations.
Now, this is with the understanding that our problems with North Korea don't end with the nuclear problems. One can argue that this is a country with one of the worst human rights records in the world. Certainly the United States cannot be indifferent to that, nor should it be indifferent to that. In having a relationship with North Korea, it doesn't mean we won't have any disagreements. I can foresee that if we do get to a point where they are denuclearized and we establish diplomatic relations, we will have ongoing differences with them over issues such as human rights.
BOWDOIN: Is it realistic to think that a treaty between North and South Korea — and with it, an official end to the Korean War — might come in the foreseeable future?
HILL: We have looked and will continue to look at the idea of substituting the armistice agreement for a more comprehensive peace arrangement on the Korean peninsula that would, in effect, turn the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea — and by the way it's not very demilitarized — into an international border (as long as the Korean people want it to be) to reduce tensions, and to create a situation where North Korea will invest less in a military.We're prepared to do all that, but we are not prepared to conclude any peace arrangement with North Korea until they denuclearize.
Denuclearization is, frankly, the key to everything, and we hope the North Koreans will see it that way and understand that their security is secured by better relations with its neighbors, including South Korea. We need to understand one other point on the North-South issue: Unlike in East and West Germany, the Korean people had nothing to do with the division that took place on the Korean peninsula.
The Korean peninsula was divided on an ad-hoc basis when U.S. troops took the surrender of Japanese troops south of the 38th parallel, and Soviet troops took the surrender of Japanese troops north of the 38th parallel. It was never intended as an international border, and so Koreans are resentful that their country was divided by outsiders — and it was divided by outsiders, although no one could have foreseen that it would be so lasting. It really is one of the great tragedies of the mid-20th century, and Korean people are understandably very sensitive about it.
As Americans,we need to be respectful of this fact, and we need to be careful that we are not appearing to tell them how best to do things on their peninsula and how best to deal with their cousins in North Korea. With nuclear weapons we have an important say-so, and with security issues we have an important say, because we are treaty allies of South Korea and we could be drawn into a war. But on issues like social contacts, et cetera, we need to really let the South Koreans take the lead.
BOWDOIN: What are the challenges of reunification? Reunifying East and West Germany was difficult, but the situation in Korea is said to present many more obstacles.
HILL: For starters, in West and East Germany you had an income differential of maybe three to one. Economists differ on that figure, but three to one seems like a reasonable figure. Between South and North Korea it's 10 to one, maybe 30 to one. It's enormous. Seoul is one of the most modern, exciting cities in the world. Pyongyang — let's be diplomatic about it — is not. So you would have an enormous gulf. For example, North Korea essentially has no paved roads outside of the area around the capital city so it would require enormous investment projects. If the West Germans felt they had to pay heavily for German unification, you can imagine how the South Koreans might view that.
BOWDOIN: Have you met [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Il?
HILL: No, I haven't.
BOWDOIN: Do you have an impression of him from your travels and talks with others?
HILL: Well, first of all, he is a second generation leader. He derives a lot of legitimacy from his father's role as the first leader of North Korea. He seems to be very much in charge. He seems to be a politician in the sense of knowing what the various factions and what the various institutions want. You know, people often think that dictatorships don't have politics. Dictatorships can have very serious politics, because you have to deal with various institutions. So, he seems to have a good feel for that.
It would be very interesting to get a better sense of how he relates to senior military and things like that. He calls himself a general, in fact, so what does that mean in terms of relationships with the military? Hard to say. North Korea is not a transparent society. It is a very opaque society, and they're proud of it. They consider that a strength of the place, and for that reason Chairman Kim Jong Il is someone who does not put himself on display. He makes it difficult to understand what he is trying to do.
BOWDOIN: President Bush has been publicly critical of Kim Jong Il. He has called him a "tyrant," among other things. Do remarks like that make it difficult to do your job?
HILL: Well, first of all, it is not for me to critique the President. He can call whoever he wants whatever he wants. What I am doing is following a policy that is really laid down by the President and Secretary of State, and that policy is to try to engage with our partners in what some call the six-party process to get the North Koreans to abandon their nuclear ambitions. For that policy, I have received an enormous amount of support and when I've asked for things in particular, I've been able to get them. Whatever went on before, I don't know what I can say about it except to say that I've gotten the support I need.
BOWDOIN: During this latest trip to North Korea, you actually delivered to your North Korean counterpart a letter from President Bush to Kim Jong Il. That seems like a major departure from previous policies intended to isolate North Korea and its leaders.
HILL: Secretary [Condoleezza] Rice has made it very clear that when you engage in a diplomatic process, and in this case, the six-party talks, you better be able to work within that process with the tools available. Certainly having the President convey his thoughts on that process to the other five leaders in the six parties is entirely appropriate and highly usual. What is unusual is that one of the them happens to be North Korean.We have never sent letters to the North Korean leader in the past.
BOWDOIN: How was the letter received? Did they know it was coming or was it a surprise?
HILL: No, it was a surprise. I tried to deliver it in person, but it was very clear that Chairman Kim Jong Il does not receive foreign diplomats directly, so I ended up giving it just before my departure. So, I don't know how it was received, as we sit here.
BOWDOIN: What did the letter say?
HILL: The content of the letter is not public. There were five letters, all different — all addressed to the other five members, and the basic concept of the letters was to say that we were getting to the end of 2007, and let's try to get to the end of this phase and move on to the next phase.
BOWDOIN: And would it be customary for Kim Jong Il to write back? Is that how that works?
HILL: That could well happen. I think we could well see an answer at some point.
BOWDOIN: One of the conflicts between the U.S. and North Korea has been over ways in which North Korea has been financing its nuclear activities, including producing counterfeit U.S. currency, and distributing fake cigarettes and methamphetamines. The U.S. responded with intense financial pressure and other tactics that The Wall Street Journal has said may be more effective in this day and age than military pressure. Do you agree with that?
HILL: Well, the trouble with military pressure is, if you're prepared to threaten it, you need to be prepared to use it. When you threaten war, you need to be prepared to fight a war. Often that's not an option, or even if it is an option, it's not an option we prefer to use. So, you look at other options. Friendly persuasion is one of them, but often that doesn't work either, so you look for not-so-friendly persuasion and for ways to exert pressure, and the idea of economic sanctions come up. The trouble with economic sanctions is that often you end up hurting poor people in the country rather than the leaders whose behavior you are trying to change.
Another way to exert pressure is to try to find financial levers that really get the attention of the leadership. So with respect to North Korea, the banking issue really had to do with our taking defensive measures against North Korean abuse. For example, North Korea unfortunately has a history of counterfeiting the U.S. dollar, specifically the U.S. $100 bill. It's hard to say who is responsible for it, but we have pretty good evidence that it takes place in the territory of North Korea.
BOWDOIN: Are they good at it?
HILL: Yes, they are very good at it. So good, that in Asia if you give a $100 bill to someone, chances are they won't take it. So that's one issue that we have to be very vigilant on, but there are other examples where we were concerned about money laundering, so we went after a particular bank in Macau — an autonomous district in South China — and found out that North Koreans had used this account, in our view, to money launder. We, working with the Macau authorities, we went after this bank and, in effect, we were able to shut it down.
BOWDOIN: Is that what brought the North Koreans back to the negotiation table?
HILL: Well, we'll have to ask them at some point, but some would argue that is what kept them away from the table for a long time; others will argue that's what brought them back. The North Koreans kind of pride themselves on having a very high threshold of pain; that they're willing to take a lot of this before they change their behavior, so it is hard to say at this point, and that is the trouble with dealing with North Korea. It is very difficult to determine whether your actions really have the effect that you are looking for.
BOWDOIN: Another Wall Street Journal article noted — and perhaps it is because of this high threshold for pain that you mentioned — that rather than finding their North Korean counterparts menacing,U.S. negotiators often feel sorry for them. Have you ever felt sorry for them?
HILL: I don't know. I feel sorry for myself a lot, but I am not sure I feel sorry for them.
BOWDOIN: Do you get the sense that the North Koreans understand how to interact with the rest of world, or are they so isolated that this belligerence is based instead on a lack of understanding about how things work?
HILL: I think there's an element of that, although I don't underestimate their skills as diplomats. I wouldn't want to be a North Korean diplomat. I don't think they are playing with a very strong hand, but they have people who understand the tricks of the trade and who understand the trade craft of diplomacy. It's very hard to say because, frankly, when you don't have relations with a country, and you don't have people in-country, you don't develop a lot of expertise. Much of what we have about North Korea is gleaned from listening in from people stationed in China or in South Korea. We don't have a good sense of how the place works.
BOWDOIN: Can you describe the different levels of expertise or what each of the other four parties — Russia, China, Japan, South Korea — brings to the table and how it is to work with them on this issue?
HILL: Well, it's interesting. With the six-party talks, everyone has the same goal, which is denuclearization. No one wants North Korea to have a nuclear weapon or a deliverable nuclear weapon or any nuclear weapon for that matter. But when you get up closer, you see that everyone has a different approach to the issue. South Koreans very much want to keep open some North-South channels. They're not interested in having another Cold War descend on the Korean peninsula. They want to keep some sort of notion of communication going in the hopes that somehow this will moderate the system in North Korea and eventually somehow make it possible for normal interaction to take place. A tall order, but that's how they are thinking.
Some of them think in terms of reunification, but I think most have a more modest goal of achieving some sort of modus vivendi with the North. The Japanese are very much focused on a series of events that took place in the late '70s and early '80s where Japanese citizens sometimes were literally pulled off the streets of Japan and pressed into service teaching Japanese to North Korean security agents. The Japanese have a great interest — and an interest that I think is even greater at this point than denuclearization — they have a great interest in trying to find closure to this so-called in the long run it is absolutely in our country's interest to figure out a way to work with 1.3 billion people. If the six-party process has helped that process of working with China, I think it is an added benefit.
BOWDOIN: How do the Chinese treat you when you're there?
HILL: I am treated very well by the Chinese. I have a terrific counterpart. We understand each other really well, and I think the Chinese have high hopes that this process is going to work.
BOWDOIN: You have characterized the Chinese as being "extraordinarily pragmatic." Is that good news for the U.S.?
HILL: I think so. I think they're very transactional. They understand that to get something, you have to give something. They are natural bargainers in that regard, so I like to think that their pragmatism appeals to our pragmatism, and that we can work together.
BOWDOIN: We want to ask you some general questions about diplomacy. You've said that war may be hell but peacekeeping isn't far off. How so?
HILL: Peacekeeping is not far off in the sense that it is very difficult. I was referring not so much to the situation in Korea but rather to situations that require conflict stabilization and the difficulty of bringing in peacekeepers and of getting a mandate that fits the circumstances. For example, we had U.N. peacekeepers in the Balkans at a time there was no peace to keep. Then we brought in NATO war fighters at a time when there was no war to fight, but rather there was a peace to keep.You have to have the appropriate troops, and then you have to define the problems in appropriate terms. Armed peacekeepers might not be the right people to deal with questions of civilian governance, if that's the issue you've got to work on. So, it's very difficult to generate forces for peacekeeping missions, and it is very difficult to come up with terms of reference to determine what, exactly, you want from this force.
People often would say,"Send NATO to the Balkans!" with no inkling of what they want NATO to do once they are in the Balkans. So abductions question.The Japanese prime minister met with the Korean president in October 2002, and five of these people were released to the custody of the Japanese who took them back to Japan.This is a big issue in Japan, and they are very focused on that. The Chinese would really like to calm this issue down so that by the time of the Olympics we are not talking about nuclear weapons.
The Russians, I think, want to get paid for a lot of the assistance they have given to North Korea, and they find they would like North Korea's economy to be working a little better.The Russians look forward to having a sort of decent trade relationship if North Korea could modernize and ultimately pay their bills. I probably also associate the Chinese with that thinking, and of course from the U.S. perspective, we want to do something about the nuclear weapons.
What I am trying to do, though, is sketch a picture where you can see that everyone has a slightly different take on events, and the result is that it does make it a little difficult to get everyone together and firmly behind one line of approach. Nonetheless, I think we are doing a decent job of it.
BOWDOIN: And we assume you agree with the approach, rather than having the U.S. deal with this on its own?
HILL: It's not just a U.S. problem. I don't mind talking to the North Koreans on my own. I think it is very necessary
to have bilateral processes embedded in the multi-level framework, but the notion that this is some sort of U.S. problem that the U.S. alone needs to solve is wrong.
BOWDOIN: Has this experience strengthened our relationship with the Chinese?
HILL: This has indeed had a positive effect on our relationship with the Chinese. Now, that said, we have a lot of problems with China. We have problems on Taiwan. We have problems on Chinese domestic issues, such as their human rights issues. We have problems on Tibet, and we have problems with the trade relationship with China — the enormous surpluses that they're running up against us. So there are many, many issues with China, but this is one issue where I think we are really trying to work together, and I am of the view that in the long run it is absolutely in our country's interest to figure out a way to work with 1.3 billion people. If the six-party process has helped that process of working with China, I think it is an added benefit.
BOWDOIN: How do the Chinese treat you when you're there?
HILL: I am treated very well by the Chinese. I have a terrific counterpart.We understand each other really well,
and I think the Chinese have high hopes that this process is going to work.
BOWDOIN: You have characterized the Chinese as being "extraordinarily pragmatic." Is that good news for the U.S.?
HILL: I think so. I think they're very transactional. They understand that to get something, you have to give something. They are natural bargainers in that regard, so I like to think that their pragmatism appeals to our pragmatism, and that we can work together.
BOWDOIN: We want to ask you some general questions about diplomacy. You've said that war may be hell but peacekeeping isn't far off. How so?
HILL: Peacekeeping is not far off in the sense that it is very difficult. I was referring not so much to the situation in Korea but rather to situations that require conflict stabilization and the difficulty of bringing in peacekeepers and of getting a mandate that fits the circumstances. For example, we had U.N. peacekeepers in the Balkans at a time there was no peace to keep. Then we brought in NATO war fighters at a time when there was no war to fight, but rather there was a peace to keep.You have to have the appropriate troops, and then you have to define the problems in appropriate terms.
Armed peacekeepers might not be the right people to deal with questions of civilian governance, if that's the issue you've got to work on. So, it's very difficult to generate forces for peacekeeping missions, and it is very difficult to come up with terms of reference to determine what, exactly, you want from this force. People often would say, "Send NATO to the Balkans!" with no inkling of what they want NATO to do once they are in the Balkans. So there are an incredibly complex number of problems, and for that reason I said war may be hell but peacekeeping isn't far off.
BOWDOIN: We are now in the midst of a presidential election. What impact does a so-called "lame duck" presidency have on your ability to do your job when other countries might now want to take a wait-and-see approach?
HILL: I think there is always that difficulty, where countries will look at the U.S. election calendar and decide to see what the next administration will bring. I like to think, though, that the North Koreans who told me they want to cut the deal with the current administration really mean it, and that they understand they can't really afford to lose that much time in this process. But to be sure, that is an issue, and that is why in the last year of an administration it really has to set certain goals and priorities and to make it clear to the other countries in this process that we really want to reach something in the next year. We can see that with Middle East peace, and I like to think you can see that in North Korea.
BOWDOIN: Some have argued recently that as a result of the war in Iraq and for other reasons, American standing in the world is at a low point, even as American power remains unchallenged. Is that fair?
HILL: Well, I'm a currently employed government official, so I'm not sure how much I can discuss on that point except to say that I think there are a lot of people in the world who have questions about the United States. The end of the Cold War has meant that we don't enjoy unquestioned support and so, to get support, we will have to earn it and get out there and convince people. I think you do that with a process of give and take. I don't think you can just tell people to support you because of who you are. I think others need to be convinced by our arguments, so I like to think that now, more than ever, we need a few good diplomats.
BOWDOIN: But if others around the world see Americans as arrogant, how do you work to change that?
HILL: By not being arrogant. I think arrogance is really something you should avoid as a diplomat, you should avoid it as a freshman at Bowdoin, you should avoid it whenever you can because it never helps, and it will create problems for you throughout life.
BOWDOIN: Since you mentioned Bowdoin... how did you end up there? We know your father went to Bowdoin.
HILL: Yes, my dad went to Bowdoin. I was at Moses Brown School in Rhode Island. I got a letter from the Brown lacrosse coach and I was thinking, "Do I want to go to Brown?" I wanted to play sports, and Bowdoin gave me the opportunity. At Brown, I don't know if I would have made the top four mid-fielders, but at Bowdoin I lettered as a freshman, so that was one thing
on my mind. I also just liked the small classes, loved the atmosphere, and I applied early decision.
BOWDOIN: Are your fondest Bowdoin memories on the lacrosse field?
HILL: Probably. Either that or in the library working on a term paper — I guess it was lacrosse.
BOWDOIN: The last time you were on campus, someone asked you to talk about the one thing you learned in college that helped you in your job. You replied that it was playing on the lacrosse team because it taught you about team work.
HILL: Yeah, yeah, I really do believe in that. I think diplomacy is about team work. When I go on these trips to China or wherever, I go with a very able group of people and you have to have a sense of people's strengths. You are often running plays in the dirt and you're improvising a lot but you do that by having a good relationship with people and you stick up for each other.
BOWDOIN: You were an economics major. How did that prepare you for this?
HILL: I studied resource economics and I took demography courses, studying lesser developed countries. I was very interested in development so it was kind of a macro look at economics. I was never interested in economics from the point of view of going into business. I was also interested in it from the point of view of how countries work. So, from Bowdoin, I went into the Peace Corps, which was a continuation of that, where I worked on rural credit institutions in rural Cameroon in West Africa. So, I think to understand a country's economy and to get a sense of how things work is a real skill, and I think I can probably without too much difficulty trace that back to college.
BOWDOIN: We assume you remain a strong believer in the liberal arts, especially since one of your daughters is now at Bowdoin.
HILL: I sure am. You know — unless you know precisely what you want to do, which I did not, I think it is the way to go. I cannot imagine just going in and studying something as a sophomore and thinking that's what I am going to end up as. So, I think a liberal arts college is best, including English classes because people always ask in the foreign service what is the most important language and the answer I always give is "English." I think a liberal arts degree is the way to go. You haven't closed any doors, and you've probably opened up a few.
BOWDOIN: Did you take any science classes when you were at Bowdoin? You've clearly had to learn a lot about nuclear physics.
HILL: Well, I think a liberal arts education is a good basis for getting a briefing on nuclear physics and being
an educated consumer of it, but come to think of it I don't think I did take any science courses.
BOWDOIN: So how did you pick up all the knowledge you needed to go inspect a North Korean nuclear power plant and know that it was being dismantled?
HILL: Well, I can't trace it to lacrosse [laughs]. You know, if you have an analytical mind...I understand things because I listen well. I think you can be an educated consumer, and that's what I am on these things. I know well enough the things I don't know, and that's why I have people I work with.
BOWDOIN: Former U.S.Ambassador to the U.N. Richard Holbrook, whom you worked with on the Balkans, has described you as "brilliant, fearless and argumentative." Fair assessment?
HILL: Well, I don't know about the first two things, but yeah, sure — I mean we would discuss a lot of things together..."argumentative" sounds slightly pejorative. I would rather say that I would question things before doing them.
BOWDOIN: We also read that you have been described as being unflappable. Have you ever lost your cool in a negotiation?
HILL: No.
BOWDOIN: But you are also someone who has been described as a person not afraid to pound the table.
HILL: Well, there's a lot of "performance art" in negotiation, but I have never lost my cool in a negotiation. Yeah, I've lost my cool when the Red Sox lost a game they shouldn't have lost, but I wouldn't lose it in a diplomatic negotiation. I think it is really important to keep your cool. Occasionally you want to do things that look like you are pretty upset, but you should have
command of your actions.
BOWDOIN: Have you ever really pounded the table?
HILL: Sure, for effect. There are times when you want to make it very clear to people what is acceptable and what is not acceptable, so you may want to walk out. You might want to theatrically tear a piece of paper up in front of people. There are a bunch of things you might do theatrically, but you shouldn't have lost your cool. You should have a reason for doing them.
BOWDOIN: And how do you learn all those techniques? Just experience?
HILL: I have been in this business a long time. It all comes back to lacrosse.
BOWDOIN: We've heard you speak at Bowdoin and have detected what we'll call "verbal eye rolling" at times when you have recounted some of your experiences. Is the work just bizarre at times?
HILL: No, I just sometimes have an overdeveloped sense of irony. I am always looking for sort of weirdness in situations, and I have a bit of a sense of humor, which is certainly my constant companion.
BOWDOIN: We heard you took up golf for diplomatic reasons. How is that going?
HILL: Well, in Asia — if you're an ambassador in Korea as I was, you need to know how to play golf. So you just learn it. It's not impossible. Some of the worst athletes I've ever known know how to play golf. I got some clubs, and then I got some Wiffle balls in the back yard of the residence and pounded out drive after drive and figured out how to drive it straight.The point is that you don't want to put yourself in a situation where you can't keep up with the rest of the people. But frankly, I prefer lacrosse sticks.
BOWDOIN: You are among a relatively small number of senior diplomats — including Tom Pickering '53 — who have been successful in both Democratic and Republican administrations. How do you navigate those political waters so well?
HILL: I think you would be surprised to know how many things are the same between administrations. Certainly you will see issues of war and peace, and they may be different and how things are handled at the presidential level may be different, but a lot of the issues we deal with can be similar.
In terms of what I am doing right now dealing with this North Korean issue, I am very comfortable with where we are. I have my frustrations with people I fight battles with within the Administration, but I feel I have the allies, and I think I have enough support to win these battles.
A lot of what you do in this business is you reserve your best diplomacy for home. If I was in a situation where an administration just had me in the wrong job, I wouldn't be doing it. In all these jobs — especially in the foreign service where it is not just a nine-to-five job, it's a life — if you're not comfortable with the way the issue is being handled, you probably shouldn't be working on it.
BOWDOIN: One of your battles appears to have been with those who believe the U.S. simply should not negotiate or even speak with North Korea.
HILL: I completely disagree with that view. I know that was a view that prevailed before I was working on it, but when I was asked to work on it, my first question was, "How are we going to deal with them?" I got all the assurances that I needed that we would be engaged with them. I want to emphasize that negotiation or engaging with a country doesn't mean that you necessarily agree with that country. You are engaging with them because engagement is a tool of getting something done.
If you take the argument that you shouldn't be engaging then the question is, how are you getting something accomplished? I don't think posturing is a good substitute for policy. I think you should be looking at how to get your way on an issue. If you're not going to engage, you have to tell me, then, why isolating a country is really going to accomplish your goals, and usually people don't have any explanation for that.
BOWDOIN: Getting back to the New York Times editorial — that Secretary Rice should simply ask you what to do about peace in the Middle East — what should be done there?
HILL: First of all, I did not talk to anyone from the New York Times editorial page that day, I can assure you of that! Look, I think people need to be careful not to think that all these issues can be solved with a sort of one-size-fits-
all approach. I'm not in a position to really say what needs to be done in the Middle East, but I know there is engagement throughout the Middle East, and that Secretary Rice has been in the Middle East more often than in Washington of late engaging these countries. So, I'm not in the position to second guess what anyone is doing there. These are tough issues.
The old cliché is; The reason they are around so long is that they are tough issues. That's very true. They're not easy to solve. What you are trying to do is to get people to do things they don't want to do. I always remember dealing with the Kosovo issues, and I felt I had a really good solution and this Albanian leader just wouldn't go along with it and I finally said, "What is the problem — what is your alternative?!" He said,"I don't have an alternative." "Well, why won't you support this?" I asked. He said,"You don't understand. If I support this, I will go home and someone will kill me." I said,"OK, I understand." So, you have to know that people often have a different reality they're dealing with, and you try to be respectful of that.
« Back | Campus News | Academic Spotlight | | Subscribe to Bowdoin News by Email


text:
Dedicated to the Preservation and Restoration of the Whole of Creation: Humans - Animals - Environment
"And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.
And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31)
(Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) - 11) This is another patch of jewelweed in which we can see the stages of flowering from bud to seed pod.
Previous | Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) | Next
| Wild Flowers of SHL: Photo Identification, Common Name, Scientific Name | Art and Photos |
Presented here are just a few of the countless components of God's creation. Just as we cannot have human and animal life without water and plants, neither can we have lasting peace without love and compassion. It is our hope and prayer that this series will motivate people to live and act in a cruelty-free manner; that we would no longer hurt or destroy each other, the animals or our environment.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Professional Candle Making Supplies Since 1972
Lemon Lavender Yankee Type Fragrance Oil
A powdery fresh blend of tangy lemon citrus and sweet lavender flowers.
- Good for Paraffins and Natural Waxes
- Skin Safe
- Best Sellers
- Phthalates Free
Product Description
All designer or brand name fragrance "Types" are Trademarked names and are the exclusive property of the original manufacturers. Lemon Lavender is a Trademark of Yankee Candle.
Customer Reviews
"I got my big order today, my children helped me made some candles already, the lemon lavender scent is INCREDIBLE, not sure about the gardenia :(, everything else is perfect! You have a customer for life!" - Agnerys C. on Facebook
People Who Bought This Item Also Bought
Shipping Information
To see shipping costs, proceed to checkout to get up-to-date rates. Orders are shipped by UPS or FedEx. View the Shipping Information page for more details.


text:
Sonoran Breakfast Empanadas
These breakfast empanadas feature chorizo sausage, Idaho potatoes, green chili peppers and cheddar cheese.
2 lbs. chorizo sausage
16 oz. whole eggs with citric acid
2 sprays Pam cooking spray
1 lb. Idaho potatoes, pre-peeled, fresh, shredded
8 oz. green chili peppers, diced, drained
12 oz. mild cheddar cheese, shredded
4 puff pastry sheets, frozen
3 oz. egg wash
1. Cook chorizo thoroughly and drain liquid entirely from sausage. Chill to 40°F.
2. Scramble eggs on nonstick cooking surface and cook thoroughly. Remove eggs and chill to 40°F.
3. In mixing bowl, add chilled sausage and eggs. Add shredded potatoes, diced green chilies and cheddar cheese.
4. Defrost puff pastry sheets. Cut each puff pastry sheet into 15 equal squares.
5. Fill each square with egg filling. Fold over one half of puff pastry to form triangle.
6. Seal empanada using fork. Brush each empanada with egg wash and place on sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 375°F until product is golden brown.
Recipe by Idaho Potato Commission


text:
Jessie Laurita-Spanglet and Friends: Alongside
Dancer and choreographer Jessie Laurita-Spanglet, in collaboration with Meredith Bove, Matthew Cumbie, and Sarah Beth Oppenheim, presents Alongside, a rousing evening of contemporary dance that will spark and transport. Also featured are members of the Wake Forest University Dance Company, and the haunting tunes of electric violinist David Schulman.
Related Artists
Recent Broadcasts
U.S. Navy Band Commodores
8/21/2018 at 6:00 PM
From John Coltrane and Clark Terry to Artie Shaw, the U.S. Navy Band Commodores, the Navy's premier jazz ensemble, celebrate their 49th year serving the Navy and the nation through the legacy of America's quintessential art form: jazz.Featured Artist(s)
U.S. Navy Commodores
International Young Artist Piano Competition
8/20/2018 at 6:00 PM
Winners of the 2018 International Young Artist Piano Competition perform a classical and family friendly concert featuring music by Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Tien Zhen, Cheng Yu, Zhong Rong Luo, Jiang Wan Tong, and a new premiere by Li-Ly Chang. Enjoy the celebration of the Year of The Dog.Featured Artist(s)
International Young Artist Piano Competition
8/19/2018 at 6:00 PM
Subhi's songs showcase a blend of her Indian roots and the prominent jazz culture of Chicago. These songs were written during her travels back and forth between Mumbai and Chicago. With lyrics in Hindi and Urdu, the music is a blend of pop, jazz, and everything in between.Featured Artist(s)
Charles Covington
8/18/2018 at 6:00 PM
Recognized as a virtuoso jazz pianist and jazz organist, Charles Covington incorporates the styles of jazz greats while achieving the colossal feat of blending disparate elements into a coherent, codified style.Featured Artist(s)
Charles Covington Jr.
Aisha Badru
8/17/2018 at 6:00 PM
Aisha Badru has been featured on NPR and in the show The Originals. Her music blends influences of folk, pop, and alternative music to craft a distinct sound. With hushed vocals and an emotive undertone, her storytelling explores how what once haunted her now empowers her.Featured Artist(s)
Aisha Badru
Watch more videos
Millennium Stage Calendar
Perform on Millennium Stage
Are you interested in performing on Millennium Stage, or do you have a program you'd like to recommend? In order to be considered, please submit any recent videos of live performance within the last two years, website, Facebook page, or other pertinent information to email@example.com.


text:
Now GetFerrari 458 Speciale Renatl in Sharjah
The Mercedes AMG GLE 63 available at RAC Luxury Cars rental Dubai represents the sportiest form of SUV Driving. The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 skillfully embodies the firmly established principles of Mercedes-Benz design: sensuousness and clarity.
The BMW X6 M is a Sports Activity Coupe wrapped in the powerful body of M. Its bold looks defy all conventions, while its responsive handling combined with the all-weather capability of xDrive, BMW's intelligent all-wheel drive system lets you lay it all out on any road—with a whole lot of pavement hugging traction
Huracán was designed with open-roofed aspirations from the start helps the cause, and it means that popping the top didn't require extra bracing for its aluminum and carbon-fiber spaceframe.
The sleek 2016 A5 may be missing some of the latest technological features, but it still gets high marks for the way it drives and makes you feel.
With its combination of compelling good looks and stunning performance, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT ranks among the top choices for a high-end luxury sports car. The already outstanding performance of the Mercedes-AMG GT is boosted even further. With additional highlights that allow configuration of vehicle systems to make it desirous of a race track, the Mercedes-AMG GT S is an outstanding expression of the essence of AMG
Unmatched interior space with true walk-through cabin; variety of body styles; relatively maneuverable; available four-wheel drive; above-average build quality.
Porsche 911 Turbo S. Characterised by extraordinary engine power and surprisingly low consumption. And this truly special presence. porsche cayenne turbo s from brand porsche is one of the most exotic and fastest car.It is very efficient. porsche cayenne turbo s is easy to drive and easy to manage.
The new Panamera GTS is driven by a 4.8-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine of lightweight construction with integrated dry-sump lubrication.The porsche Panamera GTS from porsche Brand is one of the most exotic and fastest car. The porsche Panamera GTS is a perfect balance between proportions and aerodynamic efficiency
That's really all you need to say to set your pulse racing. Uncompromising athleticism combined with superior handling and a passion for the road. Porsche cayenne turbo from porsche brnand is very comfortable for driving.It is very Fast and reliable.It is best Selling Car.
V6 twin-turbo power makes the Porsche Cayenne GTS an easier SUV to live with. It's faster and just as sharp too. Porsche Cayenne GTS is best selling sports car.It's speed is very fast.porsche cayenne GTS is moe reliable and affordable car.
The new 911 Carrera S is powered by a new twin-turbo 3.0litre engine but is it actually better in the real world. The porsche 911 Carrera S is quickly became one of the best-selling sports cars on the road.
The Porsche Boxster has long been the archetypal sports car. Stylish, luxurious, fast and sleek. The porsche Boxster is more affordable high-end sports car.The porsche Boxster quickly became one of the best-selling sports cars on the road.
The Range Rover Vogue from Range Rover Brand is one of the most exotic and fastest car.It is a Superb balance of Refinement and capability. The vogue is nothing if not a head-turner. Available in either three or five-door body styles, the vogue'sue's chic styling comes at a cost to both cargo space and outward visibility.
The Range Rover Sports from Range Rover Brand is one of the most exotic and fastest car.Range Rover Sport delivers transformational on-road dynamics, twinned with Land Rover's all-terrain performance. Sports-car handling in an SUV seems impossible, but the Range Rover Sport's handling is impossibly sharp, especially considering it's a highly capable off-roader, too.
The Range Rover Sport SVR offers a superior driving experience, most agile and fastest proves as the most responsive Land Rover yet. Created by a passionate team of designers and engineers at our purpose-built innovation centre, Special Vehicle Operations, this vehicle drives like no other Land Rover.
Born of the desire to build The Best Car in the World, Phantom is the result of complete creative and engineering freedom. A commanding presence, Phantom Family encapsulates contemporary luxury.
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is a unique way to travel, perhaps more like a beautifully built water craft than a car. Happily, there are two additional offerings in the Phantom family: a coupe and the drophead—Brit-speak for softtop
Effortless. Uncompromising, never ordinary – innovative technology and unrivaled engineering make driving Ghost intuitive. Rooted in simplicity, every detail has a timeless elegance and purity.
Wraith is an imperceptible force. By fusing the iconic Rolls-Royce grace and elegance with the marque's most powerful engine, Wraith redefines luxury like never before. Dynamic. Enigmatic. Built to perform.
Designed to thrill, the Audi R8 Spyder sets you free by setting you apart. This is a supercar that's been engineered to its fullest.
Audi has taken the wraps off its S8 V8, and the executive luxury sports sedan gets a power boost and a host of important upgrades.
Audi brand produces some of the best exotic sports cars you can drive. The Audi R8 coupe is the perfect choice for anyone who loves luxury, power and superior engineering.
Drive one and you'll experience the raw power and unique roar from its 4-litre V8. Lighter and leaner than its larger siblings, the new Continental GT V8 is nonetheless every inch a Bentley, right down to the luxuriously redesigned cabin.
The sharp, sophisticated silhouette of the Flying Spur hints at both the exhilarating, all-wheel drive power that lies beneath the bonnet and the unrivalled luxury within. Consider it the ultimate expression of the exquisite craftsmanship and design.
The V8 engine is perhaps the best addition, as it brings more efficiency, almost as much performance and a sporty soundtrack into the mix. Bentley's Continental GT is a series of incremental updates over the years have kept it fresh.
Only one thing could make the roar of the monstrous V8 engine sound even more exciting: hearing it from the outside. And for those whose grand tour deserves nothing less than a heart-pumping soundtrack, must drive the new Continental GT V8 S Convertible.
The BMW i8 is ready to revolutionise its vehicle class. As the first sports car with the consumption and emission values of a compact car. The i8 is the flagship of BMW's burgeoning eco-friendly i sub-brand. Offered exclusively as a coupe, the i8 uses an advanced plug-in hybrid drivetr.
BMW 7 Series: pre-eminence redefined – with comfort, safety, dynamics and efficiency. The 7 Series hails as the flagship sedan of the BMW lineup. It has been given a total overhaul, which includes fresh styling, a new powertrain lineup. Luxury and Comfort is here!
As instruments of pure speed, few cars can touch the 458 Speciale and its convertible counterpart, the 458 Spider. Powered by a 562-hp V-8 mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and riding on an F1-inspired suspension, the mid-engined 458 is as pure a sports car as anything on the road.
The 488 GTB name marks a return to the classic Ferrari model designation with the 488 in its moniker. The new car not only delivers unparalleled performance, it also makes that extreme power exploitable and controllable to an unprecedented level even by less expert drivers.
The California T is Ferrari's return to forced induction.It's the softest in the Ferrari range, designed for daily ease and use—it even has a cupholder. Powered by a 552-hp, 3.9-liter V-8 mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, the T is plenty quick and agile, though not as rewarding as a 458.
Even with all the power, the F12 berlinetta is one of Ferrari's more comfortable cars, making it a true daily-driver. Power comes from a 730-hp 6.3-liter V-12, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic with rear-wheel drive. The F12 berlinetta is everything you could want from an Italian supercar.
The Aventador is the flagship coupe (or roadster) in the Lamborghini stable. Only one powertrain exists: a 6.5-liter, 691-hp V-12 mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The Aventador is brutally powerful and obscenely flamboyant, but it's also surprisingly agile for its size, making it one of the most drivable Lamborghinis ever produced.
Lamborghini's new supercar, the Huracán. Its angular design manages to be both severe and elegant, and its stelamborghini rental in dubaih fighter–like cockpit is as luxurious as it is intense. Nestled behind the passengers is a 602-hp V-10 mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automated gearbox and all-wheel drive, helping Lambo's new bull accelerate from 0–60 mph in just under three seconds, and a top speed of 202 mph.
The new Lamborghini Roadster is a completely open vehicle with sleek lines combining perfectly balanced sportiness and elegance, with an extreme design and breathtaking performance. Its 700 horses propel the Aventador Roadster from 0 to 100 kph in just 3.0 seconds. It is also surprisingly agile for its size, making it one of the most drivable Lamborghinis ever produced.
he Lamborghini Gallardo looks every inch the supercar, and it has the perfomance to back it up. Peer beneath the car's glass engine cover and you'll spot the mighty 552bhp 5.2-litre V10 powerplant. Mated to a permanent four-wheel drive system it serves-up scintillating performance, with the Coupe model able to scorch from 0-60mph in just 3.7 seconds, and on to a top speed of 202mph.
The Lamborghini Centenario represents a new, extremely precious piece in Lamborghini's one-off strategy. It is a perfect example of innovative design and engineering skills of the full branded manufacturer. The best tribute to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mr. Ferruccio Lamborghini, a man who managed to create the world class brand and beleive that nothing is impossiple
The Lamborghini Reventon is the perfect choice for anyone who loves luxury, power and superior engineering. With an extensive history of excellence, ferrari brand delivers exotic sports car rentals that are perfect for all occasions
The McLaren 12C has extraordinary pace and handling, but is a touch clinical. The 12C (initially called MP4-12C, but it was too much of a mouthful) is most definitely a pure McLaren production with speed, look and luxury. Here is the super fastest, the beautiful and amazing car from McLare - McLaren MP4 12C. The amazingly fastest car from the McLaren Family.
The heart of the car (and the name) is the 650-PS (641-hp) 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-8. The 650S may look like a face-lifted 12C, but there's a lot more to it. The revised styling pays tribute to the P1 hybrid, the body tub is lighter, and about 25 percent of the parts are new. McLaren 650 S - from McLaren Family is no Doubt a powerful, Beautiful, Ultimate Excellence. Its now very easy to drive this car. RAC Luxury Cars Rental Dubai Provides you service whenever you want
For generations, an S-Class Sedan has been instantly recognizable not just for its iconic design, but for predicting the future of the automobile. Strong, powerful and majestic. Proved to be a most luxurious car. trong, powerful and majestic, it's also sleek, lithe and decidely athletic. It slips through the wind with quiet ease, yet stands out in any crowd. In fact, it stands above
The Mercedes AMG GLE 63 available at RAC Luxury Cars rental Dubai represents the sportiest form of SUV Driving.. The 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 makes 516 hp and 550 hp with the optional Performance package. At about twice the cost of a base ML350, the ML63 AMG requires a big outlay to enjoy its prodigious power and exclusivity.
The Mercedes-AMG S 63 combines outstanding driving dynamics with world-class, standard setting appointments and, naturally, the power that defines AMG, with exemplary efficiency. A global mark of luxury and exclusivity, refined to become lighter, more agile and more efficient
The ultimate powerful and stylish beauty of Mercedes Benz Group - The Mercedes G63 AMG is all the to its path to astonish people through its power. Sporty and agile appearance, commanding performance: with the most powerful engine in the competitive field, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 sets standards in terms of its dynamic response, pulling power and speed.
A super SUV with a conscience. Well, sort of. The third generation of Mercedes' flagship Cayenne Turbo fighter has a downsized engine and lower emissions .The ML63 AMG requires a big outlay to enjoy its prodigious power and exclusivity. It's quick, yet isolates driver and passengers from the sensation of speed. The 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 makes 516 hp and 550 hp with the optional Performance package.
Range Rover Sport Autobiography
Mercedes G63 AMG
MC Laren 650 S
BMW i8
Mercedes S63 AMG Coupe
Audi R8 spyder


text:
Downloading book2 Deutsch - Dðnisch 1.1
Download In Progress......Description:
Learn Danish quickly and easily with 100 downloadable mp3 files. The audio trainer book2 is free and contains 100 lessons that provide beginners with the basic vocabulary. Listen to book2 on your mp3 player anywhere! You will be able to fluently speak short sentences in Danish in real-world situations in no time. The book2 method (www.book2.de) successfully combines audio and text for effective language learning.


text:
Get Started
More Info
Contact Us
Member Login
August 16th: 52,797 Roommates Available
There is nothing bad I can say about this service, I feel it is above and beyond all other services I have tried. I get new matches emailed to me daily, which I love. Every time I sign on I see a new match, as opposed to other services, where I only see the same 3 people every time. When I emailed in a question about my account, I got a response within the hour, I really appreciate that! And the renovations you've done make it even better! Keep up the good work! - Emelye
Of all the Roommate services out there. Roommates.com is the easiest to use, offers the best features, and asks all the right questions for a potential roommate. It is the only one I have found that is completely worth subscribing to. I never would have found my new apartment without this site. Thanks! - Sharon
More testimonials...
Sorry, the profile that you're trying to access is currently unavailable.


text:
Brief SummaryRead full entry
Members of the Myxozoa are microscopic metazoan parasites with an extremely reduced body. The dimensions of the myxospore, the typical myxozoan stage in fish hosts, range usually between one hundredth and two hundredth of a millimetre. Myxospores consist of several cells, which are transformed to shell valves, nematocyst-like polar capsules with coiled extrudible polar filaments and amoeboid infective germs. Myxospores develop in plasmodia (trophozoites), which can be very large and polysporic (generally histozoic in host tissue) or small and mono- or disporic (coelozoic in organ cavities). Myxozoans are parasites of fish, worms (oligochaetes and polychaetes) and bryozoans. Few representatives were found as parasites of amphibians and reptiles, and recent findings confirmed the ability of myxozoans to infect mammals (Prunescu et al. 2007, Dyková et al. 2007) and birds (Bartholomew et al. 2008). Humans as potential hosts for myxosporea were also reported (Boreham et al. 1998, Moncada et al. 2001), however, myxospores were detected in faecal samples and probably just passed through the digestive tract.
Myxozoa Grassé, 1970 contains two classes: Malacosporea Canning, Curry, Feist, Longshaw et Okamura, 2000 and Myxosporea Bütschli, 1881. Malacosporea includes only two genera (Tetracapsuloides and Buddenbrockia) with a total of three described species. Myxosporea includes about 2200 species in 60 genera.
Wolf and Markiw (1984) discovered myxosporean life cycles altering between two host species – fish and annelid worm. The myxospore is ingested by annelids and then the myxosporean undergoes a schizogony and a gametogony. Finally, the parasite develops into an actinospore, a triradiate myxosporean spore, which infects the vertebrate host. Here, the sporoplasm released from the actinospore divides by endogony, and then presporogenic multiplication of the myxosporean occurs. The life cycle is completed with the development of mature myxospores in sporogonic plasmodia. The annelids are definitive hosts whereas vertebrates are intermediate hosts for Myxosporea.
Myxozoans were considered to be protists for more then one hundred years until the early nineties of 20th century. Then, the phylogenetic analysis of the primal myxosporean SSU rDNA sequence (Smothers et al. 1994) confirmed earlier hypotheses that myxozoans are multicellular organisms (tolc 1899, Weill 1938) and placed Myxozoa inside Metazoa. However, SSU rDNA data failed to find the correct position of the Myxozoa within metazoan taxa. Myxozoan SSU rDNA appeared to be a fast-evolving sequence resulting in long-branches in phylogenetic trees. Therefore, the SSU rDNA data are insufficient to decide whether Myxozoa are closely related either to Bilateria, Cnidaria (including Polypodium hydriforme) or other taxa (Smothers et al. 1994, Siddall et al. 1995, Hanelt et al. 1996, Siddall and Whiting 1999).
The rediscovery of Buddenbrockia plumatellae, a worm-like animal, as a myxozoan species was an important clue to the origin of Myxozoa (Monteiro et al. 2002). SSU rDNA of this enigmatic worm showed its close relationship to Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, and B. plumatellae was assigned to Malacosporea, the sister group to Myxosporea. Consequently Myxozoa were considered to be bilaterians or their close relatives (Monteiro et al. 2002). However, phylogenetic analysis based on sequences of numerous protein-coding genes (Jimenez-Guri et al. 2007) excluded a bilaterian origin of B. plumatellae and suggested Cnidaria as the most closely related taxon to Myxozoa.
The malacosporean Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae and some myxosporean species are of economic importance causing significant losses of farm-reared fish. T. bryosalmonae causes dangerous proliferative kidney disease of salmonids (Kent et al. 1994). Probably the most serious myxosporean pathogen is Myxobolus cerebralis (whirling disease) which infects cartilage of freshwater salmonids and causes vast losses due to death (Nehring and Walker 1996). The other economically important species are e. g. Enteromyxum leei (enteromyxosis) (Palenzuela et al. 2002), Henneguya ictaluri (proliferative gill diseases) (Pote et al. 2000) and Kudoa thyrsites (post-harvest soft flesh) (Kent et al. 1994).


text:
Second suspect arrested in attack on elderly Buffalo man
A 19-year-old Buffalo man was arrested Thursday as the second of the three suspects linked to the Nov. 24 attack on Levi Clayton, the 96-year-old Buffalo church deacon who died Wednesday in Buffalo Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Jordon McKinnon, no address listed, was arraigned in Buffalo City Court on felony robbery and burglary charges in connection with the home invasion at the victim's Longview Avenue home.
Justice Feggans, 18, a former Riverside High School basketball star, was the first suspect arrested.
Police still were looking for the third suspect shown on the home surveillance system that had been set up at the elderly victim's home.
If the Erie County Medical Examiner's office makes a determination that Clayton's death was the result of the facial fractures he suffered in the November attack, homicide or manslaughter-related charges could be placed against his attackers. Clayton was an active deacon at Buffalo's Friendship Baptist Church.


text:
Definition of mishear
v. t. & i. - To hear incorrectly. 2
The word "mishear" uses 7 letters: A E H I M R S.
No direct anagrams for mishear found in this word list.
Words formed by adding one letter before or after mishear (in bold), or to aehimrs in any order:
c - chimeras marchesi d - misheard semihard n - harmines p - samphire seraphim r - marshier s - marishes mishears
Shorter words found within mishear:
ae ah ahem ai aim aimer aimers aims air airs ais am ami amie amies amir amirs amis ar are ares arise arm armies arms ars arse as ash ashier ear ears eh em emir emirs ems er era eras ers es ha hae haem haems haes hair hairs ham hame hames hams hare harem harems hares harm harms has he hear hears heir heirs hem hems her herm herma hermai herms hers hes hi hie hies him hire hires his hm ihram ihrams ire ires is ism ma mae maes mair mairs mar mare mares marish mars marse marsh mas maser mash masher mashie me mesa mesh mi mir mire mires mirs mis mise miser rah raise ram rami ramie ramies rams ras rase rash re ream reams rei reis rem rems res resh rhea rheas ria rias rim rime rimes rims rise sae same sari sea seam sear sei semi ser sera serai sh sha sham shame share she shea shear shier shim shire shmear shri si sim sima simar sir sire smear sri
List shorter words within mishear, sorted by length
Words formed from any letters in mishear, plus an optional blank or existing letter
List all words starting with mishear, words containing mishear or words ending with mishear
All words formed from mishear by changing one letter
Other words with the same letter pairs: mi is sh he ea ar
Browse words starting with mishear by next letter
Previous word in list: mishaps
Next word in list: misheard
Some random words: eliminate pe eskar uintahite aah viking lilac
This is not a dictionary, it's a word game wordfinder.
- Help and FAQ - Examples - Home
Privacy and Cookies Policy - Share - © Copyright 2004-2018 Morewords.com - 51.602mS


text:
Risk management is high on the agenda of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition launched by G8 leaders in May 2012. It's part of a paradigm shift from managing disasters to managing risks, which is central to the New Alliance's commitment to achieve sustained and inclusive agricultural growth, reduce poverty, and improve food security in Africa. Mathewos Hunde, a leading Ethiopian expert in the field, tells us how risks are being managed in his country.
ADDIS ABEBA – In this interview, Mathewos Hunde, the Director of the Early Warning & Response Directorate under the Disaster Risk Management & Food Security Sector of the Ministry of Agriculture in Ethiopia, talks about his country's leadership role in Disaster Risk Management.
African leader
In Africa, Ethiopia is a leader in developing innovative risk management tools that link contingency planning, early warning and financing. A core component of Ethiopia's national risk management framework is the LEAP – Livelihood, Early Assessment and Protection – mechanism.
What is special about Ethiopia's Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Strategy?
As early as 2007, we started shifting our focus from crisis management to a proactive Disaster Risk Management system and made the necessary institutional arrangements for that. As part of this new strategy, we worked with WFP and the World Bank on a Weather Risk Management tool, an instrument called LEAP to trigger a timely response in case of a drought or other emergencies.
The LEAP food security early warning tool converts agro-meteorological data into production estimates and quantifies the financial resources needed to scale up the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) in case of a major drought in a transparent and verifiable way. The response is triggered through a fund of US$160 million which the World Bank made available.
So how exactly is LEAP used?
LEAP has a huge potential for early warning purposes and we use its intermediary products much more broadly than initially planned.The data produced by LEAP are now even being used by different research institutes.
We can say that Ethiopia is two steps ahead compared to other countries, we have a leadership role considering our early response to risks and in understanding the root causes of them. LEAP is the key tool for our early warning system. We use it as a platform to bring together all the different pieces and translate our DRM approach into action.
How does WFP support your strategy?
WFP is one of our key partners, providing continuous all round support apart from working with us on the development of LEAP. The support ranges from capacity building to technical support through staff secondment. All of it helps us to achieve our targets set in the Growth and Transformation Plan including the creation of strategic grain reserves, the strengthening of the early warning system and disaster response capability and the development of disaster risk profiles. This has been instrumental in paving the road towards the operationalization of the new DRM approach in Ethiopia. All of this is an indication of the great collaboration we have with both, WFP's Office for Climate Change, Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction at Headquarters and the Country Office who continuously worked with and supported us in this regard.


text:
Alaska officials blasted the federal government Thursday during a Senate hearing for what they said was a lackluster strategy for plugging more than 100 abandoned oil wells in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska on the North Slope.
Charisse Millett, a Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives, testified along with other state officials to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, whose top Republican is Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
At issue was the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's efforts to plug oil wells that were drilled in the National Petroleum Reserve decades ago but have since been abandoned.
Murkowski organized the hearing to encourage the federal government to take responsibility for what are referred to as legacy wells.
"From the Alaskan's perspective this is the absolute height of hypocrisy, when we hold our private operators to the highest of standards and our federal government can not only reject those standards but literally walk away from their responsibilities," she said.
Federal agencies drilled 136 of these legacy wells during oil and gas explorations from the mid-1940s to the early 1980s.
This year, an Alaska House resolution to urge the bureau to properly fill the wells passed unanimously. Millett, who introduced the resolution, said the wells posed a risk to Alaska's environment and to public health.
"Allowing these unsafe and unsightly wells to litter Alaska wilderness while threatening wildlife and human safety and damaging the pristine Arctic environment is unacceptable," she said at Thursday's hearing.
The bureau said it had plugged 19 of the 136 wells, but Alaskan officials contend that only 16 have been filled to their standards.
Over the next three years, the bureau aims to plug another 13 wells, a rate that Murkowski said wasn't good enough. Alaska officials and the bureau also haven't agreed on criteria for filling the wells.
Right now, the bureau is working with the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to develop those criteria as well as to create a three-year plan for plugging more of the wells. Bud Cribley, the director of the Bureau of Land Management's Alaska office, said that plan would be released by the end of the year.
The bureau and the commission will prioritize the wells that need to be filled, taking into account the risks they pose to the environment and the public, he said.
Cribley said he didn't have an estimated cost for plugging all the remaining wells. He said the cost of filling each one could range from $1.4 million to $25 million.
Although the federal government helped Alaska pay for some remediation efforts through the 2009 economic stimulus measure, financial constraints will continue to make the process of plugging the wells difficult, said Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., the committee's chairman.
"We understand that obtaining the resources necessary to remediate these sites has been a challenge in this time of fiscal constraint," he said.
But Murkowski argued Thursday that the federal government is using a lack of funding as an excuse to delay fulfilling its responsibilities.
"We've been helping you out in Alaska, in considerable ways," Murkowski said. "You're walking away from your responsibility, and I'm not going to allow that."
She said she hopes the bureau "recognizes that there is an imperative, that there is an urgency to this."


text:
by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne
llustrations by Franklin Habit
The problem ladies have all the answers!
The Secret to Looking Great in a Handknit
Yo My P.L.s!
How do I tell a newish knitter in my knitting group that she needs to branch out from raglans? Her shoulders droop and her bust sags and she looks four inches shorter and ten inches wider. She would look so much better in a set-in sleeve. But she persists with raglans because they are "so easy," and that's what her mother always made, so she already has all these patterns. Extra credit if you can talk her out of using cotton yarn so her stitches come out all wonky.
Tracey (not her real name) (actually her real name)
Dear Tracey,
This is your lucky day. One of the Problem Ladies is going to share a Personal Story That May Be Relevant!
Once upon a time one of the Problem Ladies needed a new jacket. She was feeling sensitive about her Tummy Situation. It was book tour time, and she was nervous about how she was going to look when being interviewed on local television stations for thirty seconds (between the traffic and the weather) at 6:01 a.m.
On a visit to London, the Problem Lady sought the advice of a trusted friend with experience and training in fashion design. Careful to speak in tender euphemisms, she asked her friend to help her shop for a jacket that would be "figure flattering" and "perhaps skim the waist a bit."
To which the friend replied, "Oh hell yes, we've got to do something about your STOMACH." They then went shopping, and the Problem Lady tried on 500 jackets. With the help of the blunt, yet trusted friend, the Problem Lady learned that if she is to look her best, there must always be a Diversionary Feature, preferably off-center, at her waist. A belt. A bow. A screenprint of David Bowie. Now this Problem Lady has a go-to collection of jackets and tops that she can throw on whenever she needs to appear on local morning television or go out in public. The trusted friend still occasionally emails the Problem Lady photos of famous pot-bellied people wearing fetching outfits, with a cheery note: "This will be fab for your stomach!"
The moral of this story: your friend, if she is wise or even halfway sensible, will be relieved and grateful to be told by a kindly-intentioned, blunt, yet trusted friend, that raglans don't suit her. Soften the blow by telling her that, honestly, raglans don't suit most women. Think of the fun she'll have looking for set-in sleeve patterns on Ravelry!
Dear Problem Ladies:
I have yarn. Shedloads of yarn. (Well, not quite literally shedloads—perhaps ten dog kennels' worth of yarn.) I also have patterns. Lots and lots of 'em. I even have a little time to knit at the moment. I am a lucky duck, I know. My problem is this: I can match the patterns and yarn together pretty well, but then they never seem quite the perfect match for one another. Too much yarn left over, perhaps. Or the yarn is too sproingy for the pattern or something. Or not quite the perfect shade of gray. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm just making excuses not to knit. What can I dooooo, Problem Ladies?
Dear 2plyonRavelry:
There is a saying that we turn to whenever we are a) late on a deadline, b) pretending we are better at something than we actually are, or c) suffering from unrealistic expectations. We are often in these situations, so we're thinking of putting this saying on a needlepoint pillow. (Needlepoint pillows are the 1970s equivalent of tattoos today.) We find it helpful whenever we're stuck, and from what you describe, we're going to declare you stuck. Here's the saying:
Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
The quickest way to get over the fantasy of the perfect project is simply to dive in with what you have right there in front of you. Pretend you are trapped in a motel room alongside an interstate (oh wait, that was the middle school lacrosse tournament we attended last weekend) with only your stash and your patterns. It's all great stuff—you don't buy yarn you hate, right? And you only buy patterns you like to make, correct? Trust those instincts, and give yourself no more than thirty minutes to match yarn to pattern. You have got to get busy on that stash, right this second. It's making us nervous, knowing that there are ten dog kennels' worth of perfectly good yarn waiting for its destiny.
(By the way, "dog kennel" is an excellent unit of measure when talking about yarn quantity.)
Grief 101: When Your Favorite Yarn Shop Closes Down
Dear Problem Ladies,
My beloved local yarn store just went out of business. No more knitting night, no more on-the-spot helpful advice about Japanese knitting chart mystery symbols, no more emergency runs for the other kind of pastel plastic stitch markers or the last skein of the dye lot, no more lovely new yarns to contemplate (and fondle) at my leisure. What should I do?
Unrelated: I recently noticed an accumulation of greenish paper stuff in my pockets. What's up with that?
Suddenly Flush in Katonah
Dear Let's Call You Susan,
In 1967, psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe embarked on a study of whether stress contributes to illness. They surveyed more than 5,000 medical patients and asked whether they had experienced any of 43 life events in the previous two years. Each event was assigned a weight reflecting its relative stressfulness. The more events the patient added up, the higher the score. The higher the score, the more likely the patient was to become ill. Death of spouse was at the top of the list, with a weight of 100, divorce 73, jail term 63, and so forth.
We're sure that Holmes and Rahe were super-smart guys—absolutely top shelf—but clearly they did not knit. The Problem Ladies' research has shown that the loss of an established LYS is weighted in the high 400s on the list of Stressors Affecting Knitters. The reason is simple: all those other things could happen to you, and that would be bad, but if you still had your LYS you could soldier on, score some sweet skeins, and nurse yourself back to health. Once the LYS is gone, your life is a Tarantino movie.
Whatever you do, Susan, please don't panic. There are still many wonderful purveyors of yarn and pastel plastic stitch markers. Gather your strength, knit from your stash for a decent period of mourning, keen if you must. Then, slowly, begin to look upon this loss as an opportunity to explore new yarn purveyors. Abundance awaits you: brick and mortar shops, indie spinners and dyers at fiber festivals and on the Internet. Perhaps open a savings account, or fund the cure of a widespread disease, with the cash that the closure of your beloved shop has liberated.
And Susan, one more thing: that row in your WIP with the Swarovski crystal stitch markers? That's where your fellow knitters carried you.
Should an Old School Knitter Discover 21st-century Knitting?
Dear Problem Ladies:
A woman I work with was taught the very basics of knitting by her grandmother at the age of seven. More than 50 years later, my friend only knits basic scarves and afghans and has yet to discover superwash wool, cashmere laceweight, hand-dyed sock yarn, Noro, Ravelry, KALs, Friday-night knitting groups, and all the other joys of modern knitting. I have two questions. 1. How do I gently introduce her to knitting in the 21st century without overwhelming her? 2. She has no stash! This is a serious problem that must be corrected! Can you give me some suggestions for selecting parts of my stash to give her so that she can have her own yarn collection?
Dear Anne,
We met a woman not long ago who uses only Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool, that sturdiest of sturdies. She makes two cardigan patterns, one with a zipper and one with buttons. Navy blue or cream. That's it. When we discovered that she didn't know what the word Malabrigo meant, we realized that we had come across a member of a tribe as rare as the Yanamamo: an unsullied, untainted Old School Knitter.
We think you need to leave your 20th-century knitter alone. We don't think she will be able to handle what happens when she gets an eyeful of a typical yarn store. She's likely to go wild, doing the yarny equivalent of what happens when Western culture infects the rest of the world. She'll get drunk on eBay, overshare on Ravelry, post embarrassing photos of her stash. You don't want to be responsible for that.
The Sinking Feeling, Or, Facing into Imperfection
Dear Problem Ladies:
I've been working on a Fair Isle cardigan for a while. The colors are lovely, the pattern isn't too hard, and the steeking was fun. So what is the problem? Well, I had the sinking feeling while working on the yoke that it was getting smaller. "That's just the shaping and you'll be cutting it open so you'll be fine," I kept telling myself.
We all know where this is going. It is too small now on the top. I'm going to finish it anyway because I'm sure I have a tiny friend somewhere who will love it. But for next time, what is a good way to keep things from getting super small when you are doing Fair Isle? Pulling at the floats? Going up a bit in needle, just knitting a size bigger? Any advice would be great.
Dear Ikisti,
First of all, you have our condolences. This is the part of knitting that many people cannot even talk about: the close call. The almost-perfect. The thing that almost was.
It's such a dilemma, isn't it? Do we finish the thing that's not right, or do we rip it out and try again? We have gone both ways on this one—we have left deeply imperfect sleeves on sweaters, and we have ripped out entire Fair Isle sleeves. Usually it's project fatigue that leads us to leave imperfections in place. Sometimes they matter; sometimes they don't.
So here are some Fair Isle tips:
- Turn your work inside out, so that the floats are on the outside. This makes the floats a tiny bit longer, and they can't pull tight as they sometimes do when on the inside of knitting in the round.
- Be sure to spread the stitches out on the right needle as you launch a float behind them—this makes the float the right length.
- Going up a needle size sometimes works, though it can be hard to tell exactly how much this changes your gauge—until you've already knitted a lot.
- Knitting a size bigger is also dicey, but it could work. Part of the problem with knitting Fair Isle sweaters is that it can be hard to know exactly what your gauge is. A Fair Isle gauge swatch is tedious business. You knit the gauge swatch flat, but you're most likely knitting the garment in the round. Sometimes that swatch doesn't accurately reflect the knitting that happens once you're using circular needles. This is why we like knitting Fair Isle blankets—size doesn't matter!


text:
Text Size Large SizeMedium SizeSmall Size Color Scheme Black SchemeWhite SchemeGrey SchemePaper Scheme
The Day That Saved Us
A series about Renesmee and Jacob as they close in on her seventh birthday.
I do not claim ownership of any of the characters that appear in my story that are from Stephenie Meyer's books. I'm not stealing her thunder. EVER!!!!
1. I Will Follow You Into The Dark
Rating 5/5 Word Count 2346 Review this Chapter
The woods were dark and forbidding, though the moon shone in little rays of pale light piercing the canopy of trees. The greenery still showed its color despite the lack of illumination needed to show its true beauty. The path wove into the forest and around the trees like a snake slithering around obstacles in its path. I know that most people would have been uneasy about being in a place like that in the middle of the night but I wasn't "most people".
"Where are you taking me, Jake?" I asked as he pulled me deeper and deeper into the dark. Thank god I had built-in, natural night vision or else I'd be stumbling around like an idiot.
"You'll see," he replied, looking back at me quickly with the impish grin that I had fallen in love with.
I stopped in my tracks so quickly that he nearly fell back, stumbling instead and regaining his balance just in time for him to see me cross my arms in defiance, or just plain stubbornness as he called it. But I couldn't frown at him for too long. It had always been hard to be mad at Jake. He was just so damn loveable.
"Aww, come on," he pleaded, batting his eyelashes playfully. "It's supposed to be a surprise. You don't want me to ruin it, do you?"
I couldn't help it. I smiled and gave in, shrugging my shoulders in defeat.
"Why do you have to be such an—".
"Amazingly handsome and charming man?" he finished, cutting me off.
"I was going to say an annoyance but whatever," I said with a smirk.
His grin never faltered as he pulled me close by the waist, his hand on the small of my back as he moved me, until I was close enough to smell the blood running through his veins, to hear our hearts beating as one, thumping heavily against our chests. Being as tall as he was, he had to tilt his head downwards to meet my gaze. I never got tired of his eyes, which made me even dizzier than I had been as he gazed lovingly into mine. I tilted my head back so I could meet it and we both smiled.
"My annoyance," I added.
He rolled his eyes and replied, "Well, who else would I annoy if it wasn't you?"
We laughed simultaneously, his deep chuckle mixed with my high-pitched soprano.
"I love you Jacob Black," I murmured seriously, as I got lost in his dark eyes.
"I love you too, Renesmee Cullen," he replied softly. " And I always will."
"Forever?" I asked in a muted, slightly raspy voice.
He nodded his head.
I had to stand on my toes to kiss him but it was worth the effort. And he was such a good kisser.
I had loved him all my life and I never would stop as long as he loved me back. But I wasn't worried about him finding someone else. I knew, for him, there would be no other woman and that I would always be his. That he would always want me. Forever.
After our lips parted, he grinned again and grabbed my wrist, pulling me through the forest with such ease that only a werewolf and a vampire hybrid would pull off. We leapt in unison over logs and sped along too fast for the human eye to see anything other than a blur. I watched as the moonbeams hit our hair as we moved, shining on his black crop-cut and my lengthy bronze curls, and felt one with nature as well as my soul mate. We moved in the same steps, as if one of us were a mirror reflection of the other. I didn't really pay too much attention to it anyways, wondering instead where Jake was taking me.
"Just a bit further," he said, pulling me closer to him.
When he saw my grimace he added, "Don't worry. It'll be worth it when we get there. Trust me."
And I did, as always. If there was one person I trusted more than my own parents it was Jacob. Ever since he'd imprinted on me when I was born, I'd known I'd loved him. Before I could even speak, I felt a fierce devotion to him. He was what woke me up in the morning and what made me want to go to bed as late as possible at night. Each second I spent with him, I never wanted to end. In the end, I'd die for him just as easily as he would die for me. He was my everything.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, we slowed and came to a halt.
"Are we finally here?" I asked, hands on my hips.
"Almost," he said, looking at me in a way he'd never looked at me before. He continued looking at me like that for a good thirty or so seconds.
"What?" I asked impatiently, tugging him out of whatever fog his mind had been enveloped in.
He smiled and turned me around, hands on my waist, sliding up my abdomen until they reached my face. As he moved his hand up, I felt myself shiver, eyes closed to try to make the feeling last longer. Then I felt a cloth go over my eyes and I pushed it away.
"What the hell, Jake?" I snapped, not used to being blindfolded. "Is this really necessary?"
"If you want it to be a surprise…" he shot back and I knew he had a point.
I sighed and submitted, allowing him to put the blindfold over my eyes. Then he twirled me back around and got in back of me so he could steer me in the right direction. His hands poised comfortably on my hips, he guided me along a pathway for a few minutes. Then, I heard something I didn't expect to hear: the echo of rushing water. Finally, he removed my blindfold, stopped me and put his lips to my ear.
"Open your eyes, beautiful," he whispered as I felt his breath tingling on my earlobes.
The sight I saw caught my attention so intensely that I gasped, putting one hand on my chest and the other over my mouth in astonishment.
The waterfall wasn't huge but it was still magnificent. It must have been roughly twenty or thirty feet high, cascading down in an endless veil of water at the front of a small alcove behind it. The water fell into a moderately sized pool that looked to be quite deep from the shades of blue in its center. But the water was crystal clear and there were pathways made around the pool leading to the space behind the waterfall. As I stood in pure awe, he saw how still I stood and, standing behind me, lovingly wrapped his big arms around my shoulders, my bronze curls cascading over them, and rested his head on top of mine as we both gazed out at the scene before us.
"Incredible, isn't it?" he began, grinning widely. "My mother took me here as a kid to go swimming, just me and her. She loved it here. We would go behind the waterfall, "—he pointed to the small alcove—" and we'd jump into the pool, running through the wall of water and getting completely soaked."
I didn't say anything as I tried to comprehend the significance of this place for him. How much it meant to him to be back there and how major it was that he chose to bring me there. This was a special thing, I realized, what was going on today.
Suddenly, I felt cool water hit my legs and realized it was Jake near the pool's edge, splashing water at me. I hadn't even noticed he'd left my side. Shrinking back from the liquid by reflex, I saw he was smiling slyly at me.
"Well are you just going to stand there or are we going to do some swimming?" he asked, taking off his shirt to reveal his smooth russet skin stretching taut over the muscles of his abdomen.
I gulped and sighed in desire at the same time; tilting my head to the side as I admired him, remembering that all of that was mine and no one else's. The smugness showed on my face and Jake saw it, smiling playfully.
"Are you checking me out, Ness?" he questioned, looking back at me as my eyes shot from his body to his face, trying to hide the fact that I was indeed checking him out. God, I felt embarrassed. A strong blush entered my cheeks as I smiled at him, sauntering over to him, pulling my shirt off at the same time.
"Now why would you think that?' I asked, taking off the rest of my clothes until I was wearing nothing but my bra and panties. It was so worth it as I saw the look on Jake's face.
Then, I winked quickly at him, and dove into the water.
Without surfacing, I swam underneath the waterfall and into the small alcove behind it, not realizing until I did surface that Jake had beat me there. I found myself emerge right next to him, my body against his. While still in the water, he pulled me closer by the waist until I was right up against him and kissed me hungrily. I didn't object, putting passion into the kiss myself. It wasn't until we had to take a breath that our mouths parted.
"Well, that was nice," I murmured.
"Nice?" he asked, putting on a shocked look. "That's all I get for that mind-blowing kiss? Nice?"
I shrugged nonchalantly.
"You've done better," I said plainly.
He looked stunned, his jaw dropped in surprise. I smiled at him and swam closer again. When I got nearer, I laughed.
"I was only kidding," I assured him.
He smiled back, looking at me as if he'd never seen me before…as if he was taking in my face for the first time.
"I know," was all he said as he stroked my cheek with the back of his hand, his dark skin contrasting on my fair complexion.
I looked at him in confusion, turning my head slightly as I furrowed my brow.
"What is it, Jacob?" I asked silently, touching his face to covey my question. He didn't shrink back. Without saying a word, he jumped up onto the stone floor of the alcove and just stood there, looking back at me, obviously waiting for me to follow.
I leapt up and straightened my back, standing to face him, soaking wet and half-naked. Dad would have killed me if he'd known I'd let Jake see me like this before being married. He was, after all, kind of old fashioned.
Still, Jake said nothing.
"You're sort of freaking me out right now," I said as I watched his face, turning from awestruck to slightly nervous. "What's going on?"
He didn't say a word as he walked to the edge of the water, dipped his hand into it, and pulled something out. It was wrapped in a plastic bag so he removed it to reveal what it held. A small, circular box covered in dark blue velvet sat poised in his hands.
A ring box.
I gasped, putting my hand on my chest to brace myself. Everything clicked. Why Jake had brought me to such an amazing place with so many fond memories for him, a place so special. Why it had seemed like he'd planned everything out. Why he had been looking at me to strangely. Why he was holding a ring box.
He was proposing.
I gulped as he gazed down at me, opening the box to expose the simple but stunning antique diamond ring inside. I looked quickly from the ring to his face to the ring and back again. Taking the ring out and breathing in deeply, he began to speak.
"I have loved you since I first saw you. You have been the only thing that has given my life purpose and you are, now and forever more, the only woman I will ever love. I can't live without you and I don't plan on it."
I was speechless.
"Will you, Renesmee Carlie Cullen, have my hand in marriage?" he asked softly, slipping the ring onto my finger to find that it fit perfectly.
I think that was when the first tear fell from my soft brown eyes. But I was smiling and, without even having to consider it, I knew my answer.
"Yes, Jake," I managed as I kissed him, letting the words come out each time I took a breath. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"
I kissed him like I'd never kissed him before and he picked me up by the waist, lifting me into the air and twirling me around before he set me down on my feet. His kiss was deep, the rustic, sweet scent of him intoxicating as our lips were entwined.
Suddenly, I pulled away as a thought came into my head.
"Jake, you know how old-fashioned my Dad is," I began shakily. "You did ask his permission to marry me, right?"
This was going to be one hell of a week. The beginning of the rest of my life with Jacob. My seventh birthday. And my father, murdering my fiancé when he finds out about our unapproved engagement. Great. I was going to be a widow before I even got married.
- Author
- sweetestagony91
- Rating
1 2 3 4 5
- Reviews
- 13
- Words
- 4762
- Views
- 1
- Published
- 13 Sep 08
- Updated
- 22 Oct 08
- Status
- In Progress