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A little over a year ago, a rager of a storm that DC residents came to know as "Snowmageddon" stymied my plans for driving down to Asheboro, N.C., for the Uwharrie Mountain Run 40-miler. The race was on, but there was no way I was getting there from here.
So when I toed the starting line last Saturday, clad in a 35-gallon lawn and leaf bag and wishing the steady rain pouring down would end by midday, it was time to take care of some unfinished business.
This time around, I had some company for the race weekend, joined by a handful of speedsters — members of the Woodley Ultra Society faction of the VHTRC. How fast? Well, put it this way:
Martha holds the VHTRC Women's Half Marathon course record;
Brian is a relative newcomer to trail running but racked up at least three 1st-place finishes in 50K events in 2010;
Brittany was VHTRC's "rookie of the year" for 2010 after an impressive series of 2010 finishes at distances including 50 and 100 miles;
And then there's Sean. A sponsored athlete, Sean's won more races than I've bought running shoes over the last few years — including three consecutive wins at Uwharrie from 2006 to 2008. Scary fast.
So yeah, I was the token slow guy on the team. With an IT band that was still irritated after pushing too hard during the fall racing season, I was looking to run a conservative race, enjoy the day and finish under 10 hours — a respectable time on the challenging out-and-back Uwharrie course.
WUS gone wild at Walmart
After meeting up at the hotel Friday night, we headed to pick up our race packets and scare up some dinner. As it turned out, Martha had some trouble with her race registration, so while she sorted that out the race directors let us parachute in on the pre-race dinner (for which we hadn't RSVP'ed). Very cool.
With a couple plates of pasta (and a glass or two of wine) in our bellies, we made what we thought would be a quick stop at the local Walmart to pick up some breakfast supplies, since we weren't sure our oh-dark-30 wakeup call would leave us time to hit the breakfast buffet before heading to the starting line at the Uwharrie National Forest trailhead.
We fanned out through the store, each with his or her own bizarre list of dietary requirements in mind – we ultrarunners are fussy, to say the least. Brittany and I wandered off mumbling about needing soy milk, damnit, not regular milk, while Sean was combing the shelves in search of Ensure-brand nutrition shakes, and god only knows what else we were looking for.
Five people wandering aimlessly through a super-sized Walmart … no way we would ever find each other in the store, right? Not so much. We all ended up gravitating to the treadmills over in the sporting goods section. Go figure.
I won't say we caused any trouble at Walmart … but we may have scared a few natives who thought (wrongly) that they'd be able to get in a quick and quiet shopping trip by hitting the store so late at night.
With Mission: Breakfast complete, it was back to the hotel from there, where we had a couple of beers, goofed around, grumbled about the rainy forecast and organized our gear for race day before turning in early.
Outbound: Trash bag as fashion statement
By the time Brian, Brittany and I reached the starting line for our 7 a.m. start (Sean and Martha were running the 20-miler, which started an hour later), we weren't in the middle of a downpour, but the rain was definitely hard and steady — enough to quickly soak through the lightweight windbreakers I and many other runners had opted to wear.
Temperatures were in the low 30s, so we were cold, wet and bitchy in fairly short order. A few dozen of us made like sardines in the tent that was being used to stage drop bags. It wasn't big enough to fit everyone, but tough luck, chumps. Opportunity favors the bold.
Fortunately, Brittany exercised the common sense that a lot of us were lacking that morning and fetched some trash bags from a course volunteer, and soon she, Brian and I were poking head and arm holes in 35-gallon lawn-and-leaf bags that, once properly fitted, hung down to our kneecaps. Not sexy, but definitely effective.
The out-and-back course traverses a 20-mile section of mountain trail in the Uwharrie National Forest. It more or less follows a ridge line, so once you've made it through the first steep climb, there are a lot of very runnable sections of trail. Of course, each mile holds a little something special, whether it's a rock garden of technical mess, a creek crossing, or a short-but-steep climb.
Among ultras, the 40-mile distance is fairly uncommon. And among 40-milers, this is one that ultrarunners often say "runs like a 50." Meaning: Hard like Chinese algebra. I got a good bit of advice from a North Carolina-area ultrarunner a few days before the race, who told me via Twitter that the course is "deceptively challenging." He's a veteran 100-miler who plans to run the Barkley Marathons – a race you have to be crazy to even consider entering – so I took his intel as gospel.
My knee felt a little wobbly at the outset, given the IT band issue that's been dogging me these past few weeks, but it eventually quieted down and I settled into an easy pace that felt right for the trail conditions and my fitness level. I couldn't hammer the downhills like I wanted to, but I was moving reasonably well otherwise.
The rain was still coming down steadily through the first aid station at mile 5, but by the time I hit the second station at mile 8, it seemed to have more or less stopped, so I and most of the other runners finally shed our fashion-statement trash bags.
The trail was in pretty good shape despite the rain, but the creek crossings were definitely an adventure. Nothing like slogging through cold mountain creek water at calf-, knee- or thigh-high levels to remind you that North Carolina in February can be a damned chilly place. I fell into a rhythm with a couple of runners from North Carolina, Donnie and James, and the conversation flowed easily as we picked our way through the climbs, descents, rocks and creeks together.
By the time we nearing the turn-around point, the 20-mile runners were already well into their event and were starting to overtake us. Soon enough, Sean blew past like we were standing still, with Martha following shortly thereafter. I missed Sean as he came by and sighted him only after he was well ahead on the trail, but Martha and I traded quick hellos as she came through.
After that, the lead 40-milers were already starting their return trips, while those of us in the mid-pack were still a few miles away from the turnaround. Brian came blazing through in first place, wild-eyed and looking strong. I shouted a hello to him as he blasted through and, finally, Donnie and James turned to me and said "wait, are ALL your friends fast?"
Most of 'em, yup. The VHTRC never fails to impress.
What goes out must come back
I hit the turnaround aid station at mile 20 at 4:40 or so, putting me on track for a finish well ahead of the 1o-hour goal I'd set going into the day. But in my foggy state at that point, I wasn't sure whether that would get me to the finish before sundown. I'd packed a headlamp in my drop bag for the turnaround just in case, but I just couldn't do the math. So as a volunteer handed me my bag, I asked "do I need a headlamp to make it back to the finish?"
He looked at me, looked at his watch, looked back at me, chuckled and said "um, no, you're good, man." I realized then that he was right — I was on track to finish at about 4:30 p.m., easily an hour before sundown. Even if my return trip went all to hell, I'd beat sunset — a huge morale boost, knowing that there would be other runners behind me fighting through the darkness to get in ahead of the 12.5-hour cutoff.
My comrades and I stayed tight on the return leg, grinding out the climbs together and comparing notes on past races. Donnie is a veteran 100-miler who's training for the Umstead 100 this coming April, while James is an Ironman triathlete who was running his first ultramarathon just to get a taste of something a little different. Both were in hella good shape and setting a strong pace, so I knew that if I could hang with them for the trip back, I'd finish in good time.
A few miles out from the turnaround, I saw Brittany grinding it out on a climb, the grim look on her face signaling the IT band trouble that she's been fighting had taken its toll. She'd anticipated possibly dropping at the 20-mile mark and decided that bailing was the smarter option. We're both trying to get and stay healthy for the MMT 100 later this spring, so that was a wise call on her part.
After that, the three of us kept an even, steady pace for the next 15 miles or so, passing a handful of runners who were starting to fade and staying well ahead of the mid-packers who were in the chase behind us. I wasn't sure where we were in the pack, but I figured we were probably somewhere in the middle. It was tough to tell, as there were less than 100 entrants in the 40-miler and we all spread out quickly across the long course.
With a little less than five miles to go, they were both feeling strong and put the hammer down. I was happy with my even pace and decided not to press my luck. As they moved off ahead, I pulled out my iPod and fired up some tunes to keep me motivated for the last few miles. First up was Guns 'n' Roses' "Rocket Queen," a favorite of late, followed by Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls." I couldn't have asked for a more perfect lead-off music combo to get me moving.
I powered through the last steep and rocky downhill leg, rounding the corner to the cheers of a handful of spectators and fellow runners at the finish line. What a beautiful sight. I grabbed the pottery cup that they were handing out as finisher premiums (how cool!) and greeted by my running mates, who'd finished about seven minutes ahead of me and were hanging out and noshing on finish line chow while waiting to congratulate me as I came in. Awesome.
Post-race celebration: Bojangles and beers
I crossed the line at 9:33:52, well ahead of my 10-hour goal, so I finished the day happy. It was good enough for 46th out of 88. Not bad for going into the race slightly broken.
Sean, Brian, Martha and Brittany had pretty good days as well. Brian ended up winning the 40-miler in an amazing 6:10:55, Sean took sixth in the 20-miler in 2:44:41 and Martha was first female in the 20-miler (and 11th overall) in 3:07:40. See? Hella fast.
I changed clothes, caught a lift back to my car and made a beeline for Bojangles, a uniquely Southern fast-food joint that is not to be missed. I am a firm believer in the healing power of a chicken biscuit, fries, mac and cheese and sweet tea.
Back at the hotel, I met up with the rest of the gang and we all piled into my hotel room, had a few beers, talked trash and compared notes on our day on the trails.
Oh, and we pillaged the hotel breakfast buffet the next morning. Viking hordes have nothing on a gang of hungry ultrarunners.


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The hits just keep on coming for Denver Broncos' linebacker Von Miller. Unfortunately for both he and the Broncos, they are not the bone-crushing hits that Denver fans have come to know through his first couple of seasons in the Mile High City.
Miller was arrested over the weekend in Colorado after a bench warrant was issued back in January for his failing to appear in court on multiple charges including: driving without a license, failure to show proof of insurance, and careless driving back in October of 2012.
These latest legal hurdles add to the mounting off-field issues facing the All-Pro. Miller is set to appeal his recently handed down 4-game suspension from the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
Unnamed reports have surfaced over the past few days that Miller did not fail a league drug test, so it will be interesting to see how his appeal plays out. If Miller loses his appeal, he will sit until Week #5 of the regular season.
Be sure to "Like" NFL Draft Insiders on Facebook and keep up with the latest coverage on college football, the NFL and more!


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Document Type
- Working Paper (9)
- Article (1)
- English (10) (remove)
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (10) (remove)
- Wozu Dichter? (2010)
- Goethe's Tasso is no "Dichter in duerftiger Zeit." He is rather duerftig himself, unbalanced and impulsive in the extreme. In fact, in an annoyed moment, the diplomat Antonio sees him as a useless and pampered brat and undiplomatically says so, triggering a fateful sequence of events that generate a seemingly unstoppable momentum.
- Murnau's Faust : eine deutsche Volkssage (2010)
- The 1926 silent classic was directed by FW Murnau and stars Emil Jannings (Prof. Unrat in "The Blue Angel") as Mephisto. Goesta Ekman is Faust, the incomparable Camilla Horn an unforgettable Gretchen.
- The house of Tantalus (2010)
- Faust : the legend and the book (2010)
- (Excerpts and paraphrases from a spectacular scholarly achievement of the 1950ies, the Faust edition with introduction, text and extensive notes by Heffner, Rheder and Twaddell, DC Heath & Co., now sadly out of print. Vol. I, p. 18 ff.).
- Goethe: Helena (2010)
- Although we are concentrating on the Third Act, Faust's appreciation of legend's most beautiful woman begins much earlier, perhaps as early as the Hexenkueche scene where he is thoroughly enraptured by a woman's image in a magical mirror. It drives him crazy, he says (2456), particularly since he has to stay at a certain distance to keep it in proper focus (2434); can you see Mephisto's mischievous smile at this bit of enforced "disinterested contemplation"? Woman is God's final art work, the true Crown of Creation, we learn from Schiller's Princess Eboli; Mephisto seems to say as much, and Faust like most men needs no convincing. We can't be sure that this is indeed Helen, we (and Faust) have yet to meet her. She remains nameless but, by any name, would be as sweet.
- Gretchen's infanticide (2010)
- In the scene At The Well, Gretchen herself describes the sequence of events best and in all their fateful simplicity. It is the progress from "sin" to "shame", that is to public disgrace as soon as her private transgression becomes "visible" as pregnancy. Already here the painful confusion over her private perception ("good, dear love", lines 3585/6) and public judgment ("slut", line 3753) which will eventually drive her mad is obvious. In her derangement and despair she will destroy the evidence against her, that is, drown her child.
- Goethe - Egmont (2010)
- Goethe : Novelle (2010)
- Eckermann reports a conversation with Goethe on January 29, 1827: Es kam sodann zur Sprache, welchen Titel man der Novelle geben sollte; wir taten manche Vorschlaege, einige waren gut fuer den Anfang, andere gut fuer das Ende, doch fand sich keiner, der fuer das Ganze passend und also der rechte gewesen waere. "Wissen Sie was", sagte Goethe, "wir wollen es die Novelle nennen; denn was ist eine Novelle anders als eine sich ereignete unerhoerte Begebenheit. Dies ist der eigentliche Begriff, und so vieles, was in Deutschland unter dem Titel Novelle geht, ist gar keine Novelle, sondern bloss Erzaehlung oder was Sie sonst wollen. In jenem urspruenglichen Sinne einer unerhoerten Begebenheit kommt auch die Novelle in den Wahlverwandtschaften vor." This is the epilogue, as it were, to a lengthy conversation on January 15, 1827, in which Goethe interprets his own Novelle. Here an excerpt, a highly condensed analysis: Zu zeigen, wie das Unbaendige, Unueberwindliche oft besser durch Liebe und Froemmigkeit als durch Gewalt bezwungen werde, war die Aufgabe dieser Novelle, und dieses schoene Ziel, welches sich im Kinde und Loewen darstellt, reizte mich zur Ausfuehrung. Dies ist das Ideelle, dies die Blume. Und das gruene Blaetterwerk der durchaus realen Exposition ist nur dieserwegen da und nur dieserwegen etwas wert.
- An ode to joy : a season of grief (2007)
- Beethoven's Ninth in Bailey Hall the other evening, April 20, ending in an instant standing ovation by a clearly enchanted audience, was an unforgettable experience. And, like all such truly extraordinary events that are marked not only by artistic merit, but draw their power from the circumstances surrounding their creation or performance, it recalled others and enhanced their significance. I was reminded of a stellar performance on Christmas Day of 1989, only weeks after the unexpected fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, that haunting date in German history. Few people believed it would ever happen. But now, suddenly, reunification in justice and freedom, as the truncated old national anthem phrases it, was within reach.
- Therapeutic theatre and spontaneity : Goethe and Moreno (2006)
- Moreno noted a similarity between a late 18th Century play by the great German scholar and artist, Goethe, and some elements of psychodrama, which can be substantiated; however, Goethe was not, as Moreno suggested, an early promoter of spontaneity. The similarities and contrasts between these two men are intriguing.


text: Prev | Next Brian Wilson poses backstage with the best historical album award for "The Smile Sessions (Deluxe Box Set)" at the 55th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Gallery: 2013 Grammy Awards Feb. 10, 2013 @ 10:19 PM The Herald-Dispatch / 2015 The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held Sunday, Feb. 10, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. (u'nobuy',)


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Kansas City Roller Warriors
Is this team a collection from home teams, or a separate entity?
Collection from our four home teams: Dreadnought Dorothys, Victory Vixens, Black Eye Susans, and the Knockouts.
How do you keep the team as a working whole?
We practice together three times a week, which means extra practice time outside of normal practice.
What is your general regimen with the team?
In terms of training, we stepped it up in the months leading up to nationals by adding practices and playing tough bouts heading into the tournament. We peaked at nationals by design.
What do you think your team does differently?
Our team prioritized fitness and skating skills and played basic derby strategy with the goal of simply outskating our opponents, which we feel we did. We drew on a broad base of strong talent and specialized our players in positions. Our two coaches focused separately on jammers or blockers.
Tell us about the win at Nationals, how did it feel, is it comparable to anything?
Winning Nationals is just like winning the lottery. Actually, I've never won the lottery, but I expect that's what it would feel like. Winning was very satisfying. Going into the Championship bout against Rat City, I honestly don't think anyone but our team felt we had any shot at winning. Rat City was supposed to be unbeatable. But we just played our game, believed in ourselves, and refused to lose. When the final whistle blew, everyone rushed the floors to celebrate our win. It was mayhem. I don't think I've ever seen so many people crying at one time in the same room. It was awesome! I remember at one point looking at Annie Maul and asking her, "is this real?" To this day I still get goosebumps and a big smile thinking about it. We were unstoppable.
What advice would you give other captains looking to push their teams up in the national rankings?
Make your players drink the blood of the enemies first thing every morning. Ha, just kidding. Trust your coaches, trust your teammates, trust yourself. Never believe that any team is better than your team and never underestimate any opponent.
Now that you're number one, what are you going to do next?
We're going to Disneyland! We have some tough, upcoming bouts against Texas and Windy City along with Western Regionals in the fall and hopefully Nationals in November where we hope to defend our 2007 title.
Where do you see roller derby in five years?
The #1 sport in the world! Total derby domination!
How would you feel about roller derby becoming a professional sport?
It would be nice to not have to worry about going broke just to play the sport I love. If we went pro we'd have to carefully do it in such a way as to not undermine the hard work of the dedicated amateurs who have created this sport and achieved everything we have so far.
Anything you want the derby world to know?
With hard work and dedication, anything is possible. All you have to do is believe. Watch out for the Warriors we're coming to getcha!


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DNR to Make Counteroffer to all LCC License Holders for Buy Back Program
Annapolis, MD — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today that it is revising the Commercial Limited Crab Catcher (LCC) License Buy-Back Program. The agency began the voluntary Buy-Back program in July in an effort to reduce the amount of latent (inactive) effort in Maryland's commercial blue crab fishery.
The large amount of potential crabbing effort in the Maryland fishery poses a
long-term biological and economic threat to the crab population, as an unknown
number of inactive licenses may re-enter the fishery in any year. On July 8 the
Department sent all (3,676) latent and active LCC license holders a letter
offering to permanently buy back licenses through a process called a reverse
auction. The reverse auction offered individuals an opportunity to submit a bid
to the Department for the amount of money for which they would be willing to
permanently relinquish their license.
DNR chose to use a reverse auction approach to help set a fair value for an LCC license. The goal of the Buy-Back Program is to buy and permanently retire 2,000 LCC licenses. The deadline to participate in the initial offer was July 31.
A total of 494 LCC-holders submitted bids to the Department by the deadline. While participation in the auction was less than the Department had hoped, the bids submitted did provide important data to allow DNR to determine a fair value for an LCC license. Based on the limited participation in the first wave, and the Department's desire to acquire additional LCC licenses in the future, DNR is revising and extending its program offer.
All initial bids will be formally declined. Instead, the Department will immediately offer a fixed price of $2,260 to all LCC holders who may wish to sell their license. DNR used the 494 bids received through the reverse auction to determine a fixed, fair value for an LCC license.
"By establishing a fixed sales price for an LCC license we can now eliminate uncertainty for the license holder," said DNR Secretary John Griffin. "In addition, we plan to extend this offer to LCC license holders until the funding for this project is exhausted. We feel that this course of action will ultimately get us closer to achieving our goal."
Each LCC license holder that submitted a bid in July will be receiving a letter from DNR by August 21 with the fair value counteroffer of $2,260, regardless of the value of their original offer. This letter will contain the instructions necessary for a licensee to accept this counteroffer and surrender his/her license to the Department.
In the next few weeks, all additional LCC-holders who did not participate in the reverse auction will receive a similar letter, providing them another opportunity to accept the counter offer.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), through Federal Blue Crab Disaster Funds, is providing funding for the LCC Buy-Back Program. The funding was secured under the leadership of Governor Martin O'Malley, Senator Barbara Mikulski and the Maryland Congressional Delegation in 2008.
|August 17, 2009
Contact: Josh Davidsburg
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 461,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries, and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic, and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov


text:
Falcao's future has been the subject of intense speculation for some time as he has been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid following a series of exceptional displays for Atletico.
It is thought that an Italian club would find it difficult to afford Falcao at the current time, but he admits it would be wrong to rule anything out later in his career.
The Colombian has, however, indicated that there is one club he dreams of playing for at some stage.
"Now I'm thinking to my present and to the club in which I'm playing, that's to say Atletico Madrid," Falcao told Sky Italia at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Zurich on Monday night.
"A future in Italy? It could be. Heaven knows what the destiny is. I don't exclude a future in Italy.
"I have a favourite club but I prefer not to say which it is."


text:
December 5, 2011
butterfly-it {a reader corrected terminology switcheroo}
BOOM! It's definitely not perfect -- yes, there are tiny gaps and spaces where perhaps there wouldn't be if it was not my first time doing butterflies. But I feel very proud of myself, nonetheless. Though, it just about took me forever. Ugh. But time aside, I think I can officially call myself a woodworker now, eh? I'd like to think I just passed some unspoken woodworking test that grants me, oh I dunno, "wood-cred and mad respect yo", right? Right.
So anyway, today was productive and there are now three more, slightly larger than the last, floorboard cheeseboards up in the shop. See?
14 comments:
So rad. So so rad.ReplyDelete
HELL YES!!!ReplyDelete
So cool!!!ReplyDelete
I thought these are called butterfly joints?ReplyDelete
Love what you do!
Thanks people!ReplyDelete
Yeah, I've heard them referred to as both dovetail and butterfly joints. From what I can decipher {correct me if I'm wrong anybody!} a dovetail can be this way, OR a series of joints running in a line, like the corner of a drawer. This could definitely just be called a butterfly too. {?} "Dovetail butterfly joint", haha.
This is butterfly joinery. A dovetail joint is made of pins and (dove)tails, wherein two solid pieces are joined through the interlocking of said pins and tails.ReplyDelete
Butterfly joinery involves the joining of two boards using the butterfly (third) piece.
It's an understandable misnomer.
Beautiful work!
It should also be noted that a dovetail joint is used to create an angle (generally 90°); like the corners of a drawer.ReplyDelete
Oooh. Good clarification. Hmm, I think I'll change it on the post. Thank you for your corrections!ReplyDelete
Ariele, I LOVE that butterfly dovetail joint on the cheese board. Would it be possible, if I give you my email, to make one for me? It is: firstname.lastname@example.com If you're not too busy, please email me and let me know? Thank you very much!ReplyDelete
Note: re email, in youngestone, you have to use the number zero (0), instead of an o in youngest0ne. Thank you again!ReplyDelete
GAH! i can't believe i missed this by like, hours. CURSES.ReplyDelete
the butterfly boards- my god are they beautiful. any chance you'll do another....or, even better, do you do commissions?
ALSO!!! i just saw your gorgeous photoshoot on sous style! OH MY GOD, hello gorgeous babe with a chop saw! totally loved it. breezy, effortless, and totally badass. GO LADY, GO!
bigBANG: I'll make you one :) And yep, I do commissions!ReplyDelete
AND to your comment on the sous style shoot, THANKS!!! it was SO much fun. Though is wasn't entirely effortless so I'm happy it appeared that way!
my com from yesterday disappeared!!!! sniffffffReplyDelete
Nice job btw!!!!
Ha, it might be worth it to break all the boards in half.ReplyDelete


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NORTHBRIDGE, Mass. – The Northbridge Education Foundation will host the NEF 5K 2013 on March 30, beginning at 9 a.m. at Northbridge High School, 427 Linwood Ave., Whitinsville.
Register to run or walk at racewire.com. The cost is $20, $10 for students. The first 100 to register receive a T-shirt.
Proceeds benefit students of Northbridge High School through grants given by NEF that enhance and enrich the curriculum.
For more information, contact Kathy Ducey at email@example.com or 508-234-6368.


text:
By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service
CAMP EGGERS, Afghanistan, March 8, 2010 Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met in Kabul today to discuss the challenges still facing Afghanistan and the increasing opportunities in the country.
Gates and Karzai discussed the major operation under way in Helmand province during their talks at the presidential palace before meeting with reporters in a joint news conference.
Karzai approved and devoted significant Afghan troops to the operation in Helmand, which is blunting Taliban momentum in the country, Gates said. Other positive developments include additional military and civilian support from the international community, increasing pressure on the Taliban inside Pakistan, and Afghans' response to Karzai's call to take on the Taliban.
Karzai and Gates also discussed the "Peace Jurga" that the Afghan president will convene in late April. Karzai said the jurga will welcome Afghans from all walks of life all across the nation. "The objective will be to get guidance from the Afghan people on how to move forward toward reintegration and reconciliation, where reconciliation may be possible," the president said. Those who support al-Qaida cannot reconcile without abandoning that support, he added.
Reconciliation efforts are for Afghans forced by circumstances to support insurgents to come back into the fold, Karzai stressed.
Gates agreed, saying he believes thousands of Afghans are fighting for the Taliban "out of economic necessity or because they or their families have been intimidated." It is important to create conditions so these people can rejoin Afghan society, the secretary said, but reconciliation must be on the Afghan government's terms, under which "those who are reconciling have agreed to abide by the Afghan constitution and to put down their arms and disassociate with al-Qaida and to rejoin Afghan civil society."
The discussions already have begun. Karzai visited Helmand yesterday and spoke at length with tribal elders about the concerns and needs of the people there.
"The insights that President Karzai shared with me about his visit shows once again that establishing security is only the first step," Gates said. "Long-term success will ultimately be determined by how well the Afghan government – with the support of the international community – can respond to the needs of the people and inspire their loyalty."
Initial results in the area are encouraging, the secretary said, noting that government officials already have put agricultural and employment programs in place and that bazaars and schools are reopening. "Most importantly, displaced families are returning home," Gates said.
Marja, in central Helmand, is one example of the success of the counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan. The strategy calls for protection of the population as the goal of the coalition and Afghan forces. The operations in Helmand have carefully avoided civilian casualties, which have been dramatically reduced. "When, despite our very best efforts, they do occur, we will continue to acknowledge our mistakes and find new and better ways to coordinate more closely with Afghan forces," Gates said.
Tens of thousands of international forces are joining the fight, and thousands of new Afghan security forces are being trained. "Successful operations depend on Afghan national security forces," the secretary said. "I support President Karzai's goal of 300,000 soldiers and police by the end of next year."
The secretary said he will continue to work with NATO allies and international partners to get more trainers and mentors for Afghan forces. "We are all united in wanting to see the Afghans assume greater responsibility for the security of their own country and their own people," Gates said.
Much fighting remains, Gates acknowledged, and more casualties and more dark days are ahead. "But looking forward, there are grounds for optimism as our countries pursue what President Karzai has called an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned initiative to achieve peace and stability," he said.
Related Articles:Helmand Will Serve as Template, NATO Official SaysMcChrystal Details Lessons of Marja OffensiveGates Seeks 'Ground Truth' in Afghanistan


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The FGS provides both
publications and educational outreach to K-12 students and teachers. In
our publication series we have several posters, including
Florida's Hydrogeologic Environment,
Florida Minerals, Florida.s
Fossil Mammals, and Geologic History of
Florida, which are popular with teachers and students.
The FGS
also distributes a map series titled Guide Map to
Geologic and Paleontologic Sites in Florida, which is
used by older students and adults alike. We have produced a video,
Florida's Geology Unearthed, aimed at the 8th grade level, and used
by teachers in the classroom. In addition, we provide Florida rock and
mineral samples to students upon request, and a boxed sets of several of
our state's rocks and minerals to teachers for classroom use. Our more
technical maps and publications are occasionally requested and used by
upper-level students and teachers in the K-12 range. The FGS Web site
also provides an overview of Florida geology and Survey activities, with
downloadable maps and data, and links to on-line publications.
The K-12 outreach and service components of our work include the
1. A free copy of any
publication to any teacher who requests it on school letterhead.
2. Talks on requested geologic subjects
to classes in reasonable proximity to the FGS.
3. Lead local class geology fieldtrips.
4. Answers to specific questions
received from teachers at our Web site concerning geology, publications
other resources available to them.
5. Assistance to middle school and high
school students seeking earth science related internships.
6. Staff participation as local school
science fair judges and providing technical assistance to students
on earth science projects.
7. Staff participation in agency and
community science education events aimed at least in part at K-12
8. Participation in local school
cooperative programs, engaging selected students in actual FGS projects.
Please address requests for
educational assistance to:
Dr. Christopher Williams
Florida GeologicalSurvey
903 West Tennessee Street
Tallahassee, FL 32304
Last updated:
November 10, 2014
2012 State of Florida
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Our photo of the week for April 10, 2012 is Bare Necessities by photo.net photographer Jack Brittain.
A member of the community since 2006, Jack has contributed over 160 amazing images to photo.net. Check out more of Jack's work by viewing his entire portfolio here.
Want more? See all of our Photo of the Week images, or add to the discussion in our Photo of the Week Forum.


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Akron Hurricane Katrina evacuee watching Tropical Storm Isaac closely
Akron man has daughter, cousin in New Orleans area
AKRON, Ohio - An Akron man, who lived through Hurricane Katrina in 2005, is watching Tropical Storm Isaac closely and praying that his relatives in the New Orleans area are safe.
As Isaac began to hammer the Gulf Coast on Wednesday, Eric Howell, 54, tried to call his 12-year-old daughter, Nadjia Overton, in Louisiana, but wasn't able to reach her. Howell also has a cousin and an uncle living in the area.
"I'm praying that they can get through this and that it won't be devastating like it was the last time. I feel for them," Howell said.
Howell, who served six years with Marines Corps and the U.S. Army, moved to Belle Chasse, Louisiana in 1997 and said he'll never forget the destruction left behind by Hurricane Katrina -- even a month later.
"Caskets were floating around. Animals were floating around. Houses didn't stay at their foundations. It was so bad that people didn't know where their homes were," Howell said.
Katrina killed more than 1,800 people and caused an estimated $81 billion in damage.
Howell, a native Akronite, eventually moved back to the Rubber City and has decided to stay home.
"I've never been through nothing like that," explained Howell. "For me, being from Ohio, I thought it was (going to be) just a real hard rainstorm. When they issued a hurricane, I was naive to what that really was."
Isaac Coverage


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Here & There
A travel blog for San Antonio and the world beyond
Monthly Archive for May, 2013
'Babes' fishing in Rockport
Rockport-Fulton seems like a fun place to be this weekend. Just take a look at this website for "Babes on the Bay," a fishing tournament for girls and women. http://www.babesonthebay.com/ I like the photos of groups of women with big smiles on their faces, holding big fish. Fishing is a great family activity. And it […] [Read More]
Welcome to Here & There
Welcome to mySanAntonio.com and the Here & There travel blog. I'm the travel editor of the San Antonio Express-News and I'll toss some news items and observations your way here as often as possible. If you have a travel item of interest to our readers, please email me at email@example.com. If high-res photos are available, let […] [Read More]