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yepp... manado food is all about pork and chili!
the writing on my T's "here is where i fall in love"
i wish! hi, my name is FAITH.. and I'm friggin' ADORABLE :)shutter island??b'day cake a la Tondano town for my girl wullie. yes, it's corn! i got the chance to have a karaoke with a full band!
it was A disaster... but then again who cares :D first time i saw a living sea urchin up close n personal
a boy dragged his dog to the sea to get cleaned up
the dog was scared as hell... LOL my cute n handsome nephew >.< the most beautiful sunset everrrr!!this is the kind of view that you would want to see with ur significant other ;)
I had a month vacation to my parents hometown Manado, located in northern part of Sulawesi island. It was my forth visit and my longest one, last time i went there was about 4 years ago and it was a short stay, so i barely remember the place.
In a month i visited most of the tourist destination there, mostly beaches ^^
My first impression of manado was, it got a hell lot of coconut trees!! Believe me, you'll be amaze! The trees cover the land anywhere you go, from beaches, hills, mountains, and even at the side of the road... unbelievable!
Here are some great places that i visited when i'm there, maybe it could be your choice for your next vacation destination ;)
2. Benteng beach Its a white sandy beach with clear turquoise colored water. Though the sand was very white, but it wasn't very soft. There's big rocks that put squared around the beach, so that people could swim safely without feel afraid got swept away by the strong tide.
3. Love hill (bukit kasih) Its a hill where they have five house of worship from five official religions in Indonesia on top of it. People have to climbed about 2000 stairs to reach the top. FIY, i did reached the top of the hill! I was so tired when i got to the top and my heart beating like crazy, that i seriously think i'm gonna die of heart attack! It was a bloody accomplishment!
4. Linow lake The lake water have a pretty emerald green color. There's a coffee house by the lake side, where you could enjoy the beauty of the lake while chit-chatting with friends and sipping coffee or tea. The place defines the word tranquility, it was so peaceful and beautiful there.
5. Tondano It's a small town outside manado city. The town is surrounded by hills, mountains and rice fields. The air is so clean, i think i breathed too much clear oxygen.. as i live in the polluted city like Jakarta, my lungs was not used to it!
6. Kora kora beach It takes more than 2 hours ride by car from Tondano town to this beach, but it was totally worth it. The beach was undeveloped but clean... such a perfect laid back beach! I felt like i could hang out there whole day, it was like my own private beach. The only problem was that they don't have shower to clean up there, so you must endure the salty water lingering on your body for the whole 2 hours way back home.
7. Lembeh strait This place is rrreally famous for its diving spots, its one of the top 5 greatest diving spots in the world! But since i don't have diving license so i cannot dive there.. it's too bad:( Even so, me and my friends got a chance to ride on coastal police speed boat and beach-hopping around lembeh strait and even go to restricted areas with 2 coastal police as our guide.. luckyyy (^_^)v I got the most amazing experience there, it was my first time swim in open sea! it was a thrilling experience, since the depth was more than 10 meter (i was not brave enough to look down for a long time), and i feel like some wild shark might show up anytime and drag me under water, so scary..! (i blame JAWS for my scary imagination of sea).
(yess its me, i didn't want to get separated from the safety belt.. go on n laugh!)8. Lihaga island I swear on Jay Chou (believe me, Jay Chou means everything to me!) that it was the most beautiful beach i have ever visited in my whole 23 years of life! Lihaga is a very small uninhabited island , that have soft white sand beach and crystal clear water. Beautiful is an understatement! What makes the place more special was that we were the only visitor, it felt like our very own paradise island. We spend a whole day there, and it wasn't enough. They said that the owner was foreigner, and in the near future they will make the island private so that public is not allowed to go there anymore.
What i get from the whole vacation (besides a completely tanned body of course..) was that Indonesia is a REALLY beautiful country, most of the beautiful places here is undeveloped and unknown. I mean this country got 17,000 freaking islands! and how many islands that even the natives have ever been to in their life? maybe two, Java and Bali? You can see my point here, eh! I am so sure that this country could get rich by tourism industry alone if the government and people know how to take care and develop their land.
Most Men… claim to be feminists because they let YOU open doors, drive, and pay for dinner.#7 Men are like … Placemats.
They only show up when there's food on the table.
They take so long to mature.
Fun to look at it but not all that bright.
Without a lot of money they don't generate a lot of interest.
Keep one around long enough and your gonna want to shoot it.
The good ones are taken, and the rest are too small.
Female: A desire to get married and raise a family.
Male: Not trying to pick up other women while out with one's girlfriend.
Female: The greatest expression of intimacy a couple can achieve.
Male: Call it whatever you want just as long as we end up in bed.
"I've found a man just like father!". Her mother replied,
"So what do you want from me, sympathy?"
Woman: Yes, that's why I don't go there anymore.
Woman: If I saw you naked, I'd probably die laughing.
Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and soccer games and romances and best friends and favorite foods and secret fears and hopes and dreams. A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house
the last word. Anything a man says afterwards is the beginning of a new argument.
Here is the meaning of being born on each numeric day of the month:Is your birthday day 1 of the month?You are very curious and dedicative. When you are interested in something, everything else has to wait. This is your quality. But if you learn to be more patient and complete what you have started, you will be successful in life. Your Love, You believe in love at first sight. You won't wait to learn more about the person. Vise versa, people who fail to impress you will hardly get a chance to be your friend. Your emotion is on the extreme. You can only love or hate, nothing in between and this often shows in your expression. Try not to end a relationship in a quarrel.
Is your birthday day 2 of the month?Your Life, You have great common sense but usually fail to follow through. This might happens because you are too busy with your mission and shut yourself from the outside world. You are clever and profound so there's a slight chance for self-control problem Your Love. Your love progress slowly, and quietly. You seem to be contented with your unrequited love. You are a romantic and loyal lover. Is your birthday day 3 of the month? Your Life, Although you are innocent and romantic but your expression often mislead others that you are an active, fun loving kid. Because of your double personality, it's hard for others to really know the real you. You are careful and patient. Your Love, Your love is the greatest which often surprises others. No one can bring you to light when you are in love. Your confidence might lead you to the track your parents disagree. Is your birthday day 4 of the month? Your Life, You usually think before acting which makes your life quite easy. But you often are the one who give yourself a hard time by being paranoid. People might not truly understand you but you are really nice to be around. You are cheerful and friendly. Your Love, Still water runs deep, that's what you are. You always surprise others with your new character when you are in love. Your love trap often comes unexpectedly and your love life is full of surprises. Is your birthday day 5 of the month? Your Life, Although you are on the quiet side, but you enjoy excitement and changes. Routine is something you cannot stand. Because of your extreme confidence, you hardly ask others for opinion. You believe in leading your own life, and you have got the gift in doing so. Your Love, Nothing can stop you from making progress in your love life. Once you are in love, you feel the ownership of your lover. A third party can only makes your jealousy becomes worse. Is your birthday day 6 of the month? Your Life, You are generous with people in need, sometimes to an extreme that people find you nosey. Your hidden courage and dedication often surprise others. Your imagination is extremely unique. Your Love, Your love life is on the smooth track because it grows from friendship. Although you may not make a sweet lover but your sincerity bring happiness to your couple. Is your birthday day 7 of the month? Your Life, You are sensitive to changes around you but your feeling is hardly expressed. You hate exaggerations. Under your quiet personality, you are rather stubborn and self-centered. These qualities are the force behind your extreme persistence. Your Love, You have enormous courage to please your lover. Your relationship often progress quickly. Is your birthday day 8 of the month? Your Life, You have pleasant and friendly personality. People look up to your wit and imagination. You are unpredictable and hardly complete what you started, which sometimes create negative impact to people around you. Your Love, Falling in love becomes your routine. Most of the time, you are lucky. You fascinate people with good taste but you never have enough with one. Although your love progresses very fast, it never lasts. Is your birthday day 9 of the month? Your Life, You often have problem in promoting yourself, just because you don't know how to express your true self. On the other hand, you don't really care what they think. This is why people misunderstand you until they really get a chance to learn about your pleasant personality. Opposite sex find you mysterious and worth searching. Your wit is remarkable but sometimes you are too fast to follow. Your Love, You won't reveal your feeling even after dreaming about the same guy over and over. Your first love lasts forever. You are responsible to the feeling of your lover. The chance to betray your lover is none. You have luck with children. Is your birthday day 10 of the month? Your Life, You are very capable. If you are a woman, you have high chance to be a renowned workingwoman. If you are a man, your path to fame and honor is near. As an innovator, you are not a good follower. You are good in implementing your imagination and share it with others. You are always well dressed. Your Love, You often lose your love ones from being too jealous. You always feel like you own the person you fall in love with and that often blows your relationship. Is your birthday day 11 of the month?Your Life, You are gracious, elegant and prudent. People admire your qualities and some even become jealous of you. You are realistic, flexible and adaptable. You are remarkably kind and moral person. Your Love, You are willing to sacrifice yourself for the one you love. Your lover will always have your gentleness, care and loyalty. You will always be happy to hand around the one you love. Is your birthday day 12 of the month? Your Life, You are friendly, humorous and full of energy. You are open-minded and do not care for minor details. Your weak point is your hot temper. Your Love, You are willing to start off in one-sided love affairs because you strongly believe that you will eventually win his/her heart. On the other hand, once you are together, you always want to do things your way, which is often the fire starter. You usually run in and out of love quickly. Is your birthday day 13 of the month? Your Life, You are sincere and easy going. Flattering and charming around are not your style. You care so much for freedom that often leads you to the difficult path. Because of your sincerity, most people find you easy to be around although you are sometimes too straightforward. Your Love, Your gentleness, care and sincerity make you an attractive person. Even though you don't intend to be charming, but you naturally are, especially in the eyes of opposite sex. Is your birthday day 14 of the month? Your Life, You are so confident that sometimes you forget about the people around you. If you have to be in one of the two teams, you will choose to be in the winning team. On the other hand, you are kind and caring but above all, you care for your own benefits. Your imagination is unique and often gets implemented shortly after it comes across. Your Love, You will not get soft with the one you don't really like, no matter how hard he/she tries. But once you feel for someone you have chosen, there's no getting back. Is your birthday day 15 of the month? Your Life, You are outgoing and love to be at the center of attention. From the outside, you may seem flashy, flirty, and tricky but your true self is strong, full of hope to be the leader. When you fail to convince someone, you will get frustrated, and perhaps let your temper shows. Your Love, You are emotional. Many can win your heart at once, but not for long. This is why you hardly win a decent relationship. Is your birthday day 16 of the month? Your Life, You always follow the good and the right instead of listening to your heart. Another word, you are a perfectionist. You care for every word people say about you. You often seen isolated while you are, by nature, curious and a dreamer who is ready to get over the edge to make your dream comes true. Your Love, You often fall in love with a person who is much different from you, in age and other aspects. Your relationship grows on friendship. Love at fist sight is not your style. Is your birthday day 17 of the month? Your Life, You neither want to be interfered nor have the desire to mess with others' life. But you are friendly and occasionally a party animal. You are always in a circle of friends. You often do things in your own way that occasionally go beyond the acceptable limit. People may find you childish and not very attractive in that sense. Your Love, Your fun-loving character attracts opposite sex. Many of those are great. You often find yourself trapped among a few great guys while you have to choose only one. Is your birthday day 18 of the month? Your Life, At first glance, people think you are quiet type of person. Actually you are cheerful, but conditionally. You will show your joyful character only in good mood. One the other hand, when you are moody, no one would dare to be around. Because of your emotion fluctuation and frank character, some find you hard to be around. Your Love, You hardly show your feeling towards opposite sex no matter how much you like him/her. Your partner also has similar character so your love affairs often take quite a while to flourish. Time tells it all. Your sincerity makes you very attractive. Is your birthday day 19 of the month? Your Life, You are great in managing everything in your life and this is how you gain respect from others. Because of this quality, you sometimes feel that you are better than the rest. Extreme confidence might lead you to the wrong path. You are a free bird and want to lead your own life. Your Love, You love life is rather different from others'. When you are in love, nothing can stop you. You may often fight with your partner but, soon after that, you will make up in a way that surprises others. Is your birthday day 20 of the month? Your Life, You are prudent, circumspect and take things seriously. Before you make any move, you will think of a few alternatives that might take a while. You are patient, imaginative and target oriented. You value friendship more than anything else. Your Love, You usually study your partner carefully before making any move. You never demand anything beyond the natural quality of that person. Your sincerity doesn't bring excitement in your love life but it brings deeply grown relationship. Is your birthday day 21 of the month? Your Life, You are curious and a true follower. You can please someone so much that it seem like you are trying to charm that person. You hide your disagreement under your smiling face. This is a charming quality of yours. Your Love, You are quite unlucky in love. You are loved by someone you don't like while your dream person is so far away. Your love life is occasionally under turbulence. Sometimes you don't have the clear view of the guy/gal in your heart. Is your birthday day 22 of the month? Your Life, You have the boss character, but not a leader. Most people look up to you for your capability and confidence although they find you quite stubborn. You should listen more to others. You are a unique and charming individual. Your Love, You hardly take the moderate track. You either love or hate someone. Whom you call friends are the chosen ones. If any of them betray you, you won't let them get away without having hard time. Is your birthday day 23 of the month? Your Life, You never live your life in the way others want you to. You are an independent individual who loves challenges and excitement. You are ready to ace with the result of your decision. You are usually the one your friends count on. Your Love, Because you love excitements, you occasionally get involved in forbidden love affairs. You may fall in love with a married person and no one can stop you from making progress. You are very charming, although you might not realize it. Is your birthday day 24 of the month? Your Life, You are very optimistic and that's why you always enjoy life. You are gifted in entertaining others. Your friends love and trust you. You'll be the first they come to when they are in need of someone to speak their heart out. Your Love, Sometimes you fall in love just because you want to be in love, not that you really like that person. You always be seen as a sweet couple but you can't really get over your love ones from past. Your partner is usually crazy about you because you are remarkably charming and romantic. Is your birthday day 25 of the month? Your Life, You are a warrior. No obstacle can stop you from reaching your goal. You always keep yourself busy. This quality plus your responsibility will eventually bring you success. Your Love, You adore your partner as the number one priority. You value your love one more than yourself. Your love is the greatest of all and your have potential to get married young. Is your birthday day 26 of the month? Your Life, You are always curious and responsive to changes. Routine life is not the way you choose to live. Traveling is your favorite hobby because excitement is what you are after. Your Love, You will not stand being around the one you dislike. Your love comes and goes quickly. You can be deeply in love but soon after you will be looking around for the next one. Is your birthday day 27 of the month?Your Life, You are sensitive and vulnerable. Tears often run down your cheeks even when the matter is not that bad. This might be the result from being to pessimistic. You might seem cold on the shell, but your inner self is a loving person. Your Love, You will be elegantly dressed, no matter how casually dressed your date may be. You are demanding in love and sometimes to an unacceptable extend. Is your birthday day 28 of the month?Your Life, You are a capable person but you usually underestimate your own ability. This is the cause of missing numbers of opportunity to step forward. If you try to give yourself a chance, you can be successful in life. Try to see things on the bright side and you will be happier than ever. Your Love, You are quite unlucky in love. The one in your arm is not the one in your heart. Your love has so many ups and downs. You often chicken out before seeing any progress in love. Is your birthday day 29 of the month? Your Life, You can trust your sixth sense. Life is exciting so routine job is not your interest. You have great ideas and fantastic imagination. You often feel tired of things and people around you. Your Love, You can tell what's in the mind of another person just from looking into his/her eyes. You are paranoid and jealous and these are the cause of fights between you and your lover. Sometimes the thing you believe in is just your imagination. Is your birthday day 30 of the month? Your Life, You are always surrounded by a circle of friends. You are friendly and fun to be with. Although you occasionally disappoint them by being stubborn, but over all, they love your qualities. Your Love, You want to have full control of your love and that's not a nice way to treat your partner. You take your time in saying yes to his wedding proposal or if you are a man, you will not propose anyone until you are certainly confident which might take ages. Is your birthday day 31 of the month? Your Life, Your emotion is hard to predict. You can be sad this minute and happy in the next. People might find it difficult to follow your emotion and understand you. You tend to take things seriously. Your Love, You take your time to study a person before falling in love. Once you decide that he or she is the one, no one can stop you from making progress, even your partner.
i've just read this... check this out..!
Women are often misunderstood by men . That's why men should know the words used by women to warn them about arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminologies..
Here are the top 9 words women often use to hide their feelings:
**FINE:* This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up . **FIVE MINUTES:* If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour . Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house. **NOTHING:* This is the calm before the storm . This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine. **GO AHEAD:* This is a dare , not permission. Don't do it. **LOUD SIGH:* This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot
and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.) **THAT'S OKAY:* This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake . **THANKS:* A woman is thanking you, do not question or faint. Just say "you're welcome" . (I want to add in a clause here - this is true, unless she says "Thanks a lot" - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say "you're welcome" … that will bring on 'whatever'). **WHATEVER:* Is a women's way of saying F-YOU ! **DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, I GOT IT:* Another dangerous statement, meaning you knew it had to be done
but you were lazy to do it and had to wait till i came home to do it. Men should automatically know it has to be done, also, this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'what's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to #3. for the girls waddya think? do u agree?
and for the boys... take a note...!
i meant to show the pic, few weeks ago.. but i got busy with work.. gomen ne :D
thnks warren for the AnD cap...!
its gorgeous.................<3 <3 <3
we all miss u here warren... come again soon... XP
Ar e Yo u Th e Pe rf ec t Gi rl fr ie nd Ma te ri al ??
Do you know what will be revealed if we ask about what men really want?
Aside from C or D-cups, receiving oral sex and being allowed to watch games in peace - here's a glimpse into the traits that men want their 'perfect' girlfriends to have- as compiled by LadyThrills.com:
For me, this is already a given. Men are such visual creatures (don't we all know it?) - so you need to act and look feminine . But there's a thin line between enjoying a man holding open the door for you and throwing a hissy fit at him if you break a nail or something!
I'm sure that this refers to the cold treatment or the hysterical blunder that some men have to bear when dining out in public you accuse him of flirting with a blonde bimbo (lol). It's natural for men to look - but open flirting is a no-no!
In short, they want us to look great and not spend two hours preparing for a date – sigh.
Is this a case of the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?
I think that it's only fair for men to expect us to fend for ourselves financially - although he should not be a spendthrift, either!
Check!!! Ok, next…. =)
Really, why would any man want to be with somebody who's in a dour mood 24/7? If you're not a natural bubble of happiness - at least make the effort to look happy while he's around.
The great sex apparently wears off - so save those witty comebacks for later.
You wouldn't want to marry a guy with a beer belly, right? Just as we expect the men that we date to at least make an effort to look good - they naturally want us to look beautiful and fit and perfect.
Take his side when you or he is in a standoff in public - and never cheat!
There you have it, the top 10 traits that men expect their 'perfect' girlfriends to have. Whatever your score is, just remember that if you're not already hitched, there's someone out there who's willing to overlook any flaws that you may have and embrace you for exactly who you are.
I believe that imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and its better to be absolutely rediculous then absolutely boring. Maybe some woman aren't meant to ...Read more
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There are multiple artists using the name "Vincenzo." [1]
Vincenzo Ragone was influenced by by HipHop and Black Music in his teenager days and then being overwhelmed by the energetic vibe of early Acid-House Vincenzo started to dj in Hamburg's growing clubscene in the early 90's with his first regular gigs at the Club Front. Soon he got into the production of own tracks, started working with artists like Duffer Swift, Rasoul, Elmar Schubert and delivers nowadays a fascinating blend of deep floating housemusic.
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COMMANDER BILL SPEAKS, DOD PRESS OFFICER: Good morning here in the Pentagon, and good evening in Kabul. First, we apologize that we've been having satellite difficulties, but we are proceeding with an audio briefing from Kabul. I'd like to welcome to the Pentagon press briefing room via telephone General Joe Dunford, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. forces in Afghanistan. General Dunford is a native of Boston and has been a Marine for 36 years.
He is familiar to many in this room, having served previously as the deputy commandant for plans, policies and operations, and for more than two years as the assistant commandant for the Marine Corps. This is General Dunford's first appearance before you since assuming his duties as COMISAF on February 10. He will make some opening remarks, and then we'll take your questions.
And with that, sir, I'll turn it over to you.
GENERAL JOSEPH F. DUNFORD: Thanks folks on that end for working through the technical difficulties. Good evening from Kabul, and good morning back in D.C. Today was a really significant day here in Afghanistan. This morning, we conducted a ceremony here in Kabul with President Karzai and NATO Secretary General Rasmussen to mark a milestone 2013 in the transition process.
And as of today, Afghans have the lead for security responsibility across the country. And as you can imagine, this is a source of great pride for the Afghan people and the Afghan security forces, and, frankly, it's also a great source of pride for members of the coalition.
At this morning's ceremony, we emphasized three things, first that we're at this point in the campaign due to the extraordinary sacrifice of the men and women of the coalition for over a decade. We remember the fallen and wounded. Some of our wounded warriors actually joined us from the states today, as we also had some from the United Kingdom and Italy, and we honored the Afghan fallen and wounded as well.
The main thing we highlighted this morning was that the nature of our relationship is changing, that the coalition is going to continue to support the Afghans through 2014. And finally, NATO Secretary General Rasmussen emphasized that the coalition and the international community are going to continue to support Afghanistan beyond 2014.
As we mark milestone 2013, I'm confident in the cardinal direction of the campaign. I believe the Afghans are, in fact, ready to take the lead right now. I believe they'll be able to secure the elections in 2014. And I believe we'll be ready to affect full transition in December of 2014.
Increasingly, our focus is on sustaining the progress we have made. In addition to doing all we can to support the Afghans as they take the fight for the first time this summer, we're working hard to mature the systems, the processes and institutions that are going to allow the Afghans to become fully self-reliant in the days ahead.
And with that, I'd be glad to take your questions.
CMDR SPEAKS: Bob?
Q: General, this is Bob Burns with AP. You didn't mention this, but I wonder if you could give us your view on what your take on the prospect for these peace talks that President Karzai has referred to today with the Taliban.
GEN. DUNFORD: Hey, Bob, thanks. Good to hear from you. I've been watching the news throughout the day and listened to President Karzai today. I don't know if I can assess the prospects from here any better than you can. Certainly, encouraged on this end that they're gaining movement on the political side, but I think we all realize that the successful conclusion to the campaign is eventually going to come through the political process, so we're certainly watching with interest from over here in Kabul and encouraged that there seems to be some positive movement.
Q: A quick follow-up?
CMDR SPEAKS: Go ahead.
Q: General, just a quick follow-up. If I heard you correctly, your last comment there that you're encouraged as there appears to be some movement. Are you referring to the talk of opening talks? Or has there been some communication with the Taliban recently that's encouraging?
GEN. DUNFORD: No, thanks, Bob. I'm referring to the media reports that I've been watching throughout the afternoon here in Kabul, you know, that referred to the opening of an office in Doha. But, again, I don't have any information from here that you probably don't have available to you from the open source back on your end.
Q: Thank you.
CMDR SPEAKS: Phil?
Q: Phil Stewart from Reuters. Have you -- when General Petraeus was there, he talked about having helped facilitate some of these initial reconciliation contacts by moving -- helping transport Taliban. And did you do anything of a similar nature? Did you help facilitate these contacts that led to the start of these peace talks?
GEN. DUNFORD: No, Phil, we -- we have not done anything on this end at ISAF to facilitate those talks.
CMDR SPEAKS: Tony?
Q: Hi, general. Tony Capaccio with Bloomberg. Can you talk a little bit about the key enablers you want to accelerate to the Afghan security forces this year and next year, your top four or five enablers?
GEN. DUNFORD: Sure, Tony. I would tell you that there are several of them. The counter-IED capability – and we've got a significant amount of equipment coming in here over the next 18 months, and certainly a good training program in place. I've been out to see that a couple times on my visits. They're really helping the Afghans in terms of their command-and- control capabilities and their intelligence.
Really, one of the key things to improve the Afghans at this point is the integration of Afghan capability across all the (inaudible) if you would, police and the army.
We're fielding a mobile strike vehicle and their artillery pieces as well as mortars to give them the kind of fire support that they need. And finally, although we won't field a great deal in the next 18 months, we're certainly working very hard to develop the Afghan air force capability. We do have some initial Mi-17s, some C-208s which are really Cessna-type aircraft, and I know you followed the news this week and saw that we -- we're now going to be able to move forward on the A-29 or the attack aircraft, and we also have some C- 130s coming in later in the fall.
So, those would probably be my top four or five, Tony.
Q: One follow-up. The Mi-17 purchase has drawn much criticism from Congress and from human rights advocates who question why we're buying Russian helicopters from a big Russian company helping Syria. My question to you is this. Why are Mi-17s so important to the Afghan military? Why can't they get -- why can't they use U.S.-made helicopters?
GEN. DUNFORD: Sure, Tony. As you know, that decision was made a couple years ago. It was based on taking a look at the environment here in Afghanistan, taking a look at the residual capacity to fly Mi-17's in the Afghan armed forces, and based on the simplicity of the aircraft. So those are the key factors that were considered. And again, that decision was made two years ago.
I can tell you, having watched them very closely here over the last several months, the Mi-17 is actually operating very well for the Afghans. It seems to be going through their operational construct and they seem to be using it very effectively, both for casualty evacuation, to move troops around the battlefield, and in fact, this week we've just equipped it with a weapons system, so it's also now capable of providing some limited fire support.
CMDR SPEAKS: David?
Q: General, David Martin with CBS. Could you explain exactly what in the lead means? I watched a video yesterday on the NATO website, which quoted -- well, in which General Carter was giving an interview and said we will still provide the Afghan forces with air cover, with medevac, and with logistics. And then you read things like the story in today's New York Times where Afghan soldiers are complaining that they were in trouble and were denied both air cover and medevac. So which is it?
GEN. DUNFORD: Sure, I can get after that, David. First of all, let me -- let me (inaudible) a few years ago, as you recall -- I'm sure you visited during that time -- we were in the lead for operations, it was coalition forces conducted operations. We then eventually migrated towards partnered operations, where we conduct operations alongside the Afghans. At this point, the Afghans are conducting operations, and we have trainers and advisers embedded in Afghan formations.
And the other significant thing that today means is that the responsibility for planning security, the responsibility for conducting security operations across the country rests now at the security level with the minister of interior and the minister of defense. And I am in fact supporting -- as I told the collective leadership of the ministry of defense with the minister of defense there, effective today, I'm a supporting commander to the ministry of defense with regard to the Afghan army.
Now, what we have continued to do and we will continue to do for the next 18 months is, within our capacity, provide close air support for the Afghan forces, provide medevac support to Afghan forces. We'll provide logistics support to the Afghan forces and, again, continue to train and mentor them.
That doesn't mean that we have sufficient capacity to provide all close air support that the Afghans would want, that we are confident that we can provide them with the close air support that they will need to be successful in a campaign. By the same token, there are also other ways that the Afghans are starting to now evacuate their wounded and their fallen from the battlefield. In some cases, it's using a ground system which has been effective way for the Afghans to do that. And it's also increasingly their ability to leverage the Mi-17s. I mentioned a minute ago, they're developing a light aircraft -- a Cessna- like aircraft (inaudible) recover the bodies of the fallen, as well as -- as well as some of the wounded.
CMDR SPEAKS: Courtney?
Q: Hi, General Dunford. It's Courtney Kube from NBC News. I'm sorry. I had a hard time understanding something you just said in response to David's question. Did you say that you're now the subordinate commander to the ministry of defense in Afghanistan? I apologize if that's not what you said.
GEN. DUNFORD: Courtney, I'm very glad that you asked that question. Again, I said was the supporting -- supporting -- commander for the Ministry of Defense.
Q: Sorry, just wanted to make sure. And then -- and then just one more follow-up question on that. So does that mean that if the U.S. working in conjunction -- or, I'm sorry, NATO working in conjunction with Afghanistan, the NATO side determines some sort of an operation needs to be conducted that the Afghan Ministry of Defense has essentially veto power to not conduct that raid?
GEN. DUNFORD: Courtney, we are no longer conducting unilateral operations except in three cases. We're conducting security operations. We conduct route clearance to ensure we have freedom of movement. And we conducted retrograde operations. The only operations that are being planned and conducted against the enemy are being conducted with the Afghans in the lead.
Q: Thank you.
Q: General, hi. It's Andrew Tilghman with Military Times. A couple of weeks ago, your predecessor, General Allen, helped author a report that suggested that maybe after 2014 that the Afghans might need what they would call a bridging force of enablers beyond the deadline that we've talked about at the end of 2014 for some time.
Can I ask, is that -- is that part of your planning? Do you have any thoughts on this bridging force that might be temporary, but beyond 2014?
GEN. DUNFORD: Sure, Andrew. Where we are in the process is a few weeks ago, the NATO defense ministers met. Secretary Hagel was there. And they approved, as you probably know, what's called the Resolute Support Mission, and that's our presence post-2014. Once we got the approval of what was described as a concept of operations, we went into detailed planning, and that's the phase we're in right now. And in October, I expect the defense ministers will meet again to approve our plan for January 2015 and beyond.
And that plan will include our recommendations for the methodology for delivering train, advise and assist post-2014, and I will also this fall provide my assessment of the capability gaps that may still exist post-2015 and make some specific recommendations as to which of those gaps are significant enough for us to consider filling, post-2015.
Much of that war-gaming is based on the success of fielding equipment that continues to arrive on almost a daily basis here in Afghanistan, and it certainly depends on the performance of the Afghan forces this summer, particularly their ability to affect positive command and control. As I mentioned a minute ago, I believe the critical thing that has to happen this summer is the integration of Afghan security force capability. And if they're going to do that, that will obviously provide much greater capability after 2015.
So I think what General Allen is suggesting is that the Afghans may still need some support post-2015. I wouldn't argue with that at this point. I'd just tell you that the next two or three months, we're doing the detail homework necessary to make a recommendation to our secretary of defense and eventually he'll bring that recommendation forward to NATO after getting approval from the president. So that's where we are in the process.
CMDR SPEAKS: Barb?
Q: General Dunford, Barbara Starr from CNN. I wanted to ask you a couple of quality-of-life questions for the troops remaining for the next 18 months. Now that the U.S. component has reduced the number of hot meals for the troops to two a day, done away with breakfast, hot cooked meals, done away with MIDRATs, hot- cooked meals, in other words, MREs or packaged meals of some sort, is ISAF headquarters doing the same thing? Are you eating, you and your commanders at ISAF headquarters, are you eating the same way now as troops in the field, only two hot meals a day? Or have you been convinced that this is something that is healthy for the troops for the next 18 months?
And I wanted to also ask you about medevac. How convinced are you that you can maintain the golden hour for U.S. troops, given the fact you just said you don't have enough medevacs to be everywhere where the Afghans may want you? Can you maintain the golden hour for U.S. and NATO troops?
GEN. DUNFORD: Hey, Barbara, thanks for those questions. Let me answer the second one first. We will maintain the golden hour. There's absolutely no consideration for not maintaining the golden hour. We will adjust our force posture and our operations so that we're operating within a range of our capabilities. And in all cases, the operations that we conduct will be covered by one hour, to be able to get our -- our individuals to Role 3 medical facility, just like we have done over the past several years.
So I've given that guidance. We've had a long discussion about that. I'm confident we can maintain it. And, frankly, it's one of the critical factors as we plan operations to ensure we can maintain the golden hour.
With regards to the two-a-day hot meals, we supplement those meals with MREs and other supplements. I don't believe there are any health considerations with two hot meals a day for our forces. It allows us to reduce our contracted footprint literally by the thousands, and that's not about cost. It's about reducing footprints, so we can ensure the force has good force protection and we retrograde in an orderly manner.
And with regards to NATO forces, NATO forces are not yet on that same standard, although Barbara I would tell you, I don't think I've had three hot meals since I've been here. Thanks.
Q: May I follow up with one additional follow-up today to David Martin's question? And let me -- I understand -- I don't mean to put you on the spot, but are you -- two things, sir. Are you eating, you know -- whether you're able to take advantage of it or not, are you as a U.S. Marine eating the same way as your Marines in the field?
And my question, to follow up on David's, I still don't -- I'm still not clear. You said the operations that you do sort of more in a unilateral basis includes security operations. So straight up, can the Afghans veto a U.S.-NATO ISAF operation that may be labeled as a security operation or counterterrorism operation of any sort? Do they have veto authority over that?
GEN. DUNFORD: Barbara, you're back on the food question. I'm not sure why you're asking that. I've been in the Marine Corps a long time, and I've never had a different standard than -- than my Marines. So I'm not sure what you're asking, but if you're asking me if up here at the headquarters, you know, I'm going through the mess hall three times a day, and three hot meals, the answer is no. And I was being facetious a minute ago. I haven't done it once since I've been here.
With regard to security operations, nothing is going to preclude us conducting operations that are necessary to protect the force. Nothing is going to preclude us from conducting operations necessary to retrograde the force. Nothing's going to conclude us from conducting operations that are -- that are in our mandate.
So it's not about a veto. It's about us supporting the Afghans as they plan and conduct operations.
CMDR SPEAKS: Jon?
Q: Hi, general. Jon Harper with the Asahi Shimbun. How optimistic are you that these new rounds of peace talks will lead to a decrease in insurgent-initiated attacks? Or do you anticipate that the violence will continue unabated throughout the remainder of the fighting season?
GEN. DUNFORD: Well, thanks for the question. Let me tell you what I think is actually going to have the greatest effect on violence this summer, is my assessment. One of the things that the Taliban has still been capable of is a pretty strong narrative, and that narrative has really (inaudible) issues. It's (inaudible) us as occupiers and also a message of us as abandoning Afghanistan. And interesting enough, those apparently inconsistent messages exist at the same time.
The message of us as an occupier has actually, I think, rallied Taliban forces to attack the coalition force and also to attack Afghan forces that were perceived as being part of the coalition force. This summer, as the Afghan people increasingly see that it's Afghan forces providing security, that it's the sons and daughters of Afghanistan that are out there on the checkpoints in the villages conducting the operations, I believe that's going to have an impact on the level of violence.
What I have seen even in the past six or eight weeks, in the wake of some incidents that occurred on the border, what I have seen is increased pride in the Afghan security forces, increased ownership by Afghan leadership, and increased ownership of the Afghan people. And, frankly, if I think there's mitigator to violence this summer and the thing that may actually change the campaign in a positive direction, I think it's that relationship.
Since I don't know exactly where we are with regard to the peace talks or how that will progress, I cannot tell you what the impact will be on violence, but what I did see in the open source today is that one of the criteria for opening the peace office in Doha was for the Taliban to renounce violence. So if that's true, then my assumption is that that'll also have a mitigation effect on the violence this summer.
CMDR SPEAKS: Anna?
Q: General, this is Anna Mulrine with the Christian Science Monitor. And I just wanted to follow up on a question that Andrew has asked about, the bridging force. I'm -- I'm not sure I understood your answer. You know, how do you feel about the idea of a bridging force? And is that something that's in the mix, as you guys plan post-2014 drawdown?
GEN. DUNFORD: You told me it's John Allen's term, so maybe it is. I'm not familiar with the term bridging force. What I would tell you is that we're taking a look now. We have -- we have guidance to be operating in four corners of Afghanistan (inaudible) coalition now in Kabul. We're going to be providing training, advising and assisting at the corps level.
And the word assist in the NATO context means providing enabling support. We have not received any approval for providing enabling support right now, but my specific answer to Andrew was that I'm in the process now of assessing what capabilities and capacities the Afghans will have, what the environment will be post- 2014 within which we'll be operating, and thus what specific capabilities might be -- might the coalition provide for the Afghans.
Now, if what you mean by bridging force is that we will provide close air support, intelligence support and logistics support post- 2014, those are exactly the areas that I will assess and make a recommendation on come the fall.
Does that answer your question, Anna? Did I get at it time?
Q: Yeah, thank you.
CMDR SPEAKS: Otto?
Q: General, Otto Kreisher with Seapower Magazine. Kind of a morale question. A lot of your people -- particularly your young Marines -- went to Afghanistan thinking they were going to be in a fight. You know, we've seen some comments that the kids are getting a little bored sitting in the background as just assisting. You know, how are you -- how are you handling the situation of all of your grunts, you know, not getting into the fight where they thought they would get into?
And the other thing -- what's the definition of an extreme circumstance in which you'll -- the NATO forces would come to the help of the Afghans?
GEN. DUNFORD: (inaudible) Otto. First of all, with regard to the first question, in terms of the Marines wanting to get in the fight, you know, God bless them for that. That's what they came in the Marine Corps to do, and they're ready to do that when we ask them to. And, frankly, there is -- there is a unique leadership challenge in the current environment where Marines have to hold back. You're talking specifically about Marines. I would argue that the challenge is equally the case with soldiers who also want to do something when they came over here.
What we've them is this is what winning looks like. The hard sacrifices of their predecessors in the last ten, 11 years have allowed the Afghans to step up and take the lead. They still do have a role in terms of providing training and advising to their Afghan counterparts. In many cases, that's the most effective thing we can do at this point. And frankly dealing with boredom is a leadership challenge, and what I have seen as I've gone around and visited, is that leaders have found innovative ways to train their Marines who are not engaged with Afghans on a daily basis and ensure they're ready when they're called. And that's what Marines have always prided themselves as being, is the 911 force that's ready to answer whatever call they get, and that's what they'll be, I'm sure.
With regards to an example of when we will support, I'll give you a quick example. Recently, there was a firefight up in Badakhshan, which is a province in northeast Afghanistan. During that firefight, an Afghan unit initially became surrounded. They lost about 20, 25 Afghan soldiers within the first few days of the operation. The minister of defense called me on the telephone and asked me if we could provide close air support to his forces up in Badakhshan. So we flew a JTAC [joint terminal attack controller] team with some special forces to link up with the Afghan unit so that we had the ability to determine control aviation fires. And then subsequent to establishing good command and control, we then flew close air support up in Badakhshan in support of the Afghans. That air support was effective in destroying the enemy that was attacking and surrounding those Afghans at the time. And after getting that initial support, the Afghans were able to recover, continue the operation without our support and accomplish their objectives.
I would anticipate those kinds of examples repeating themselves over the next several months, particularly in the difficult terrain in the east and the northeast and to some extent up in the northwest. There are certain areas where the use of close air support is going to be required by the Afghans, particularly given the state of the insurgency this summer, and we're certainly prepared to provide close air support in those cases.
Q: It's Phil again, just to follow up on that, you mentioned the high casualty level in that -- in that incident. What is -- what -- where are Afghan casualties through this year compared with the same period last year? Do you have any sense of that?
And also, just a quick question on the peace process. Do you believe the Haqqanis are reconcilable? Thank you.
GEN. DUNFORD: Sure. On the first question, I would tell you that Afghan casualties are among my top concerns. I've gathered all of our commanders and talked about it, and I've also had extensive conversations with the Afghan leadership, including the minister of defense and the chief of the army's staff.
We're suffering in some cases 100 or 120 killed in action in a week for the Afghan forces. We're in the process – in fact, I took a brief on it yesterday, we're in the process of doing a very detailed analysis to see how we can mitigate those casualties. If we in the coalition would have taken those kind of casualties, we would gather all of our commanders and assess the specific causes of those casualties and do all we could to mitigate those casualties, and that's exactly what we are doing in conjunction with Afghan leadership to address that.
The largest number of casualties are caused by improvised explosive devices, just as has been the case for our forces over the past 10 years, and in a key area of training now for the Afghan forces and a key area of equipping and fielding, is related to counter-IED. In fact, we just fielded some medium trucks that would push mine rollers, similar to mine rollers we have (inaudible) IED equipment out there. In fact I personally went out to observe some engineer training and some EOD training that the Afghans were doing about two weeks ago and -- and have made significant progress in that area.
So the short -- the short answer is that they're taking a significant number of casualties this spring and this summer. We are concerned about it. We are doing all we can to mitigate it. We believe we've identified at least the major cause of Afghan casualties. Not only is it just material capability for counter-IED which we're fielding, but it's also a function of leadership and tactics, technique and procedures. And those are all things we're working on, and I can assure you that the -- the Afghan leadership is as concerned about this as we are.
Q: And on the Haqqanis?
GEN. DUNFORD: Oh, oh, sorry, Haqqanis. I would just tell you that all I've seen of the Haqqanis would make it hard for me to believe they were reconcilable.
Q: Sir, Richard Sisk, Military.com. As a supporting commander, I think you described it, to the -- now to the Afghan minister of defense, how will that arrangement work? Will you be having daily discussions with him to talk about continuing operations? Can you give us a sense of that, please, general?
GEN. DUNFORD: Sure. First of all, Richard, we're -- our commanders at every level are linked up with their Afghan counterparts and speaks at various degrees. I mean, I would say in many cases, if not most, it's daily, certainly not less than a few times a week. I probably see the minister of defense four or five times a week in one venue or another, and then we speak to each other on the phone or visit each other as required to deal with specific issues.
Beyond interaction on a day-to-day basis, in terms of tactical employment, our C commanders working with the Afghan core commanders, frankly, the way we affect the supporting relationship on a day-to-day basis, at my level, the number one thing we're concerned about is the sustainability of the Afghan forces, and so that's what I work with Minister Mohammadi about, mostly is on -- on systems and processes and institutions necessary to ensure the gains that we've made over the past several years are sustained well -- well past 2014.
When it is as an operational requirement in the near term, then we'll absolutely meet and work through those issues. And I gave you in that one example, that was a case where the minister of defense was confronting a challenge and he called me, and probably within two or three hours, we had resolved the issue and we provided him the level of support that he needed. And I expect that's exactly what I'll do here over the next 18 months.
So the short answer is, we talk whenever required, and we see each other virtually every day, but no less than five times a week, and then -- and as required for, you know, an operational issue. But we have a three-star headquarters here, as well, Lieutenant General Mark Milley. He's plugged into what's called the ground forces command. That's headed by a three- star lieutenant general Afghan, and those two individuals are literally joined at the hip in working through the detailed operational issues on a day-to-day basis.
CMDR SPEAKS: Yes?
Q: General, Paul Shinkman with U.S. News and World Report. You had talked about how the Taliban is portraying ISAF as going to abandon the Afghan people after 2014. I understand that ISAF has a good relationship with the Afghan forces currently. Can you talk about the assurances that you're giving them that you will not abandon them 2014?
GEN. DUNFORD: Sure, Paul. From my perspective, a couple of things have happened over the last couple weeks that really, really helped us in terms of having a compelling narrative of commitment post-2014. And I do think that's important for a wide range of reasons.
One of the things that happened was that in Brussels, the defense ministers approved the concept of operations for NATO mission post- 2014. And in that -- in that session, the United States committed to be the lead nation for the south and east of Afghanistan. Germany agreed to be the lead nation for the north. And Italy, with some conditions right now, agreed to be the lead for the west. And Turkey is considering the lead nation for the capital.
So that -- that meeting in Brussels -- and I was there with my counterpart, Minister Mohammadi. We were both there, and that meeting was something that I was able to bring back to the Afghan people to talk about with some degree of authority the commitment that NATO was making post-2014.
Today's ceremony with the secretary general coming down was also another opportunity to speak directly to the Afghan people and to the Afghan security forces about post-2014. And Secretary General Rasmussen, on behalf of NATO, was very clear that there will be a post-2014 presence if the Afghan people invite us to be here, that that presence will be focused on training and advising and sustaining the Afghan security forces, and that the international community, both in Tokyo and Chicago, pledged resources to ensure that the Afghans are able to take advantage of what was described in Tokyo as the decade of transformation, and what we described here in Afghanistan as a decade of opportunity, where the Afghans can take advantage of that continued international commitment which comes in the form of both training and advising and significant development as well as security resources post-2014.
So while there might have been some ambiguity six, eight or 10 weeks ago here in the past six weeks, we've been able to provide the Afghan people with a much greater degree of confidence that the international community won't abandon them, that this is not, as some Afghans have described it, Y2K, where on the 31st of December, Afghanistan falls off the cliff. There's an increasing sense of confidence in the future as a result of both Brussels and in the build-up to the ceremony today. And, frankly (inaudible) recent polls, and the polls with regard to the people here in Afghanistan, also indicate that they increasing believe and have confidence in their ability to take advantage of the post-2014 environment.
So a continued message will be required, but now that we have a NATO decision in today's ceremony with the NATO secretary general re-emphasizing that -- and then the next major milestone from my perspective would be the announcement of the specific force levels that will be here in Afghanistan, and I would expect that to come sometime later this year.
Q: Yeah, sir, Tony Capaccio again with Bloomberg. You said you expected the announcement of post-2014 U.S. troops levels to come later this year. The expectation was what -- it would have been months ago. Hasn't that caused some uncertainty within the Afghans, no matter what NATO says, the fact that the White House hasn't articulated what the U.S. presence will be post-2014?
GEN. DUNFORD: There was some concern about U.S. presence post-2014 some months ago, some weeks ago, frankly. But, again, while we didn't announce a specific group level in Brussels, the United States -- and represented by Secretary Hagel -- made it very clear that the United States would provide the preponderance of forces for a NATO mission post-2014, and they would be what's described as the framework nation in the eastern part of the country where there are two Afghan corps and for the southern part of the country, where there are two Afghan corps. So, from my perspective here in Afghanistan, that announcement in Brussels and our ability to make sure that -- that is well-known to the Afghan people back here and well-known to the Afghan leadership.
And, again, my job is made much easier by having the Afghan minister of defense actually with me in Brussels. I think that has mitigated a lot of the concern that people had a few weeks ago that the United States would not be here post-2014.
I can tell you, when I talk to Afghans, I speak without hesitation and with authority that we absolutely will be here post- 2014. That's what President Obama has said. That's what Secretary Hagel has said. And again, we've described in general terms what specific contribution it will make to post-2014. And again, that, I believe, has mitigated the concern of the Afghan people, as you correctly point out, certainly was there some weeks ago. And my greatest concern some weeks ago was the uncertainty about 2014 and the lack of confidence. And, again, today was all about beginning to build even more momentum towards the whole idea of confidence in the future, hope in the future, because I actually think that'll have an impact on the campaign even this summer.
Q: Sir, one follow-up though. Why has it taken so long for the administration to come up with a number or a range of troops? We all thought it was going to happen months ago.
GEN. DUNFORD: Yeah, I -- you know, from my perspective, what I -- what had told my leadership, specifically Secretary Hagel, was that as we developed a plan -- and that's what we're doing right now -- a specific plan for operations post-2014, certainly going to fall, we'll have to have those numbers to -- to generate forces, which will have to really start being invested early next year, so for planning we would need that, and also so other nations can also plan their contribution.
With regard to why the president hasn't made a decision to date, I suppose it's because he wasn't ready to make a decision right now. And again, what I've told Secretary Hagel is, I'm comfortable with having numbers in the fall – works for me.
Q: David Martin again. I thought I heard you say that U.S. trainers and advisers are embedded with Afghan forces at the corps level. Is that as low as it goes, at the core level, so that there are no American troops out there on patrol with -- with Afghan forces?
GEN. DUNFORD: David, thanks for the opportunity to clarify. When I talked about the corps level, I was -- I was talking about post-2014. We in fact have advisers down to the battalion level and kandak level today. That's the lieutenant colonel level of command as you know, and we'll have them down to the kandak level and the brigade level through the fall of 2013. We'll begin to pull off the kandak level, but still have some force at the kandak level in late 2013, early 2014, and eventually as we get closer to the resolute support mission, which I believe we will have set by the fall of 2014, at that point, we will have lifted off to the corps level.
So is that going to clarify?
Q: Yes. Thanks. And do you have off the top of your head the number of operating bases that the U.S. is down to now?
GEN. DUNFORD: Yeah, I'll confirm a number. We're down to about 123. That's off the top of my head. We're down to about 123 pieces of tactical infrastructure, and that's down from about 800 at the peak.
CMDR SPEAKS: Final question. Anna?
Q: General, just to follow up, while we're talking about numbers -- this is Anna Mulrine again for the Christian Science Monitor -- I was just wondering, how many al-Qaeda operatives do you estimate are operating in Afghanistan right now?
GEN. DUNFORD: That question's been asked many times. Estimates range from 20,000 to 30,000. I frankly think, given a wide range of motivations for the Taliban, that that number is not actually that relevant. But 20,000 to 30,000 is the number that's been put out there. Did you say al-Qaeda or did you say Taliban?
Q: I said al-Qaeda.
GEN. DUNFORD: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. The estimate of al-Qaeda is somewhere between 50 and 75.
CMDR SPEAKS: Okay, sir, with that, we will turn it over to you for any closing remarks.
GEN. DUNFORD: Well, thanks, Bill. I appreciate folks' flexibility once again today and the opportunity just to kind of share what happened today. It is a significant day in Afghanistan. It is a major milestone from my point of view. And the secretary general referred to it as historic, and to be honest with you, I don't think that that's hyperbole. I really do believe that's the case.
And as I've gone around and talked to Afghans this week and Afghan leaders and Afghan soldiers and had them in small groups and large groups, I've spoken to them about the significance of this day and them providing security for their country, to be honest with you, the response has been -- has been overwhelming. You can see in their faces the pride and even the minister of defense – I spoke with him at the ceremony, and he said to me, you can't believe what it means to us to have now responsibility for security of our own country.
So from a psychological point -- and I really do believe we're at the point where psychological factors are most important -- I think today was pretty important. I think, as we look to the future, elections in 2014 are really important. There are a couple things that set the conditions for the elections in 2014. One is, how do Afghans perform this summer, and their credibility in the eyes of the Afghan people this fall and the confidence that they have that the environment would be suitable for elections. So that's the first reason why I think today is really important.
And then once the elections take place in the spring of 2014, from my perspective, at that point, we have a trajectory that really is in a very positive direction, and I'll have a lot of optimism about the post-2014 environment. If what I believe is going to happen this summer happens, and if we're able to have inclusive, free -- free and fair elections, secured by Afghans in 2014, and also I think that'll be a significant point.
So, we're clearly at an inflection point in the campaign. I wouldn't for one minute say that winning is inevitable, success is inevitable, but I would say, I can absolutely see a successful outcome and, more importantly, I can see at this point an effective transition, full transition to Afghans for security, as well as political transition in 2014 which will set the conditions for a much longer process, which is the development of Afghanistan economically.
So thanks very much, again, for the opportunity to share some thoughts with you, and I look forward to doing this again soon.
CMDR SPEAKS: Thank you, sir.


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The Bachelorette
Melissa Rycroft's House Was Burgled! Photos Of Baby Ava Strickland Are Gone
Yikes! Part of Melissa Rycroft's new reality show, Melissa & Tye, is about the Strickland family's move from Dallas to Los Angeles for her career. The Bachelor Season 13 alum told Life & Style that while she and her husband and daughter were away, their home was robbed.
"We'd come back from Dallas to celebrate Ava's birthday, and the place had been burgled," Melissa tells Life & Style. "Drawers had been opened, and when I saw the lingerie drawer open, I said, 'We didn't do that; someone's been in here.' My computer, iPads and jewelry were missing...and the computer had every picture on it."
She says she didn't backup the photos of Ava — so they are gone. The burglar also took a diamond cross necklace that Tye gave Melissa when they were married. Melissa explains her reality TV show was filming at the time, but she's not sure if they'll use the emotional footage from right after the burglary.
But, at least the family wasn't there and no one was hurt, she says, finding the silver lining. And lest anyone get any ideas ... "[Now] I have a better security system."
Melissa's new reality show starts Friday, April 20, 2012, on CMT. Maybe they should do a quick genre change and make the rest of the season about catching the thieves. Everyone loves crime shows, right?
Source: Life & Style
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Welcome to the Classics Department's website. Check here for class information, colloquium announcements, faculty info and more.
To Prospective Students
- Interested in undergraduate study in classics at Columbia? Please check out the Undergraduate section and contact Director of Undergraduate Studies Katharina Volk for more information
- Interested in graduate study in classics at Columbia? Please check out the Graduate section and contact Director of Graduate Studies Elizabeth Irwin for more information. For the interdepartmental program in Classical Studies visit http://classicalstudies.columbia.edu.
- Interested in continuing your classics education, increasing your knowledge of Greek and Latin, or preparing for graduate school in related fields? Check out our Postbaccalaureate Program and contact its Director, Elizabeth Scharffenberger, for more information.
If you are interested in Modern Greek courses and Hellenic Studies, click here.
See upcoming events in Classics at Columbia and in the NYC area here.
Prof. Carmela Franklin has been named a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
The Latin Proficiency Exam for Columbia students will be administered on the following dates 12:15-2:15 pm in 617 Hamilton Hall:
- Friday, January 23, 2015
- Friday, March 6, 2015
- Friday, April 24, 2014
If you have any questions, please call the Classics Department at x4-3902. You may use a dictionary. Please bring your own, as one will not be provided for you.
What's Happening
- See Full List
Get Connected
Contact Info
Department of Classics
1130 Amsterdam Avenue
617 Hamilton Hall, MC 2861
New York, NY 10027
Phone: (212) 854-3902
Fax: (212) 854-7856
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Situated on a quiet, tree-lined street in Chicago's Edgewater/ Andersonvilleneighborhood, Magnolia Studios offers a choice of unique Chicago accommodations only five minutes from the beach and thirty minutes from downtown Chicago.All units offer fully equipped kitchens, luxury en suite bathrooms, plasma TVs with full cable package, laptops with free wireless internet, exceptionally comfortable queen sized beds beds with luxury mattresses/ linens, plus in unit laundry. You have exclusive use of all amenities, which makes your stay relaxing and private. Your in unit kitchen provides maximum mealtime flexibility, and we start you off with a complimentary voucher from our local family run bakery. Your in unit Keurig machine comes with unlimited tea and coffee and you will also find complimentary bottled water in your fridge. Magnolia Studios is a five minute walk from the nearest L stop (Bryn Mawr) which takes you directly downtown in 30 minutes. On street parking is free and we also have garage parking available on request for maximum convenience. Garage parking is available on request, and the L train station ( Bryn Mawr station) is located just two blocks away. The L train goes directly to the city center and all the main city attractions, as well as to Wrigley Field. If you prefer to explore on foot or by bike, Chicago's picturesque lakeshore with bike path is three short blocks away. Alternatively, you can take a relaxing walk to historic Andersonville and choose from an array of funky shops, bars and restaurants. Magnolia Studios provides all the comfort of a downtown hotel, while providing all the conveniences of home.BedandBreakfast.com
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The Chief Mouse and I treated ourselves to a night staying Club Level at Animal Kingdom Lodge before our graduate agent training course at Disney World last year. Little did we know it would start a love affair!
Gold KTTW card for Club Level rooms
Since that experience, we've stayed Club Level at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Yacht Club, and Wilderness Lodge. Of the 3, my favorite club lounge is the Kilimanjaro Club at Animal Kingdom Lodge and the best food vote goes to the Old Faithful Club at Wilderness Lodge.
Each Deluxe Resort has its own themed Club area and they vary in size, amenities, and the overall coolness factor. At Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge these areas were built strictly as Club areas and I think it shows. Being Club Level at Animal Kingdom also affords you the ability to sign up for the Sunrise Safari, available only to Club Level guests.
Club Level lounges serve a continental breakfast, midday snacks, wine & cheese in the afternoon, heavy hors d'oeuvres around dinner time, and then dessert and liqueurs later at night. Of course, children aren't forgotten – pb&j Uncrustables, gummy bears, trail mix, crackers, etc. are available as well.
You can also get beer, wine, canned sodas, milk and juice from the lounge. Some will be in the fridge, others you'll want to request from the Cast Members working in the lounge.
Package delivery to your Resort is taken to your room rather than you needing to fetch it from Bell Services and you also receive nightly turndown service.
Club Level works well for us because we spend a lot of time at WDW actually in our room working so we take full advantage of the food offerings in the lounge. We've found clients with large families or those that return to their Resort for afternoon breaks also get the most from a Club Level stay.
Our next Club Level? Most likely at the Contemporary Resort – I want to try out the lounge there! Have YOU stayed Club Level at a Walt Disney World Resort? Was it worth it? Would you do it again?
– Kimberly


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Attention please!!!
We have registered your ATM of US $1.5M with DHL Express Courier
Company with registration code of ( DCJKT00GF). please Contact with
your delivery information:
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I have paid for the Delivery and insurance fee the only fee you have
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Best Regards.
Mrs.Goodness John


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Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Matt NeSmith is returning to the U.S. Amateur. The North Augusta native and rising junior at the University of South Carolina didnt just advance out of his qualifying stage event, he captured medalist honors ,as well.
It was awesome. I played some really good golf, said NeSmith, who was happy to finish an event with his name on top of the leaderboard for the first time in almost two years.
It gives me confidence to do well, and I got a win under my belt. ... It gets the monkey off my back, he added.
In two rounds at the Columbia Country Club, in Blythewood, NeSmith carded a 66 followed by a 64 to finish at 12-under par.
His combined 130 was three strokes better than the 133 carded by Will Murphy, NeSmiths teammate on the Gamecocks golf squad.
NeSmith opened qualifying last Monday with a bogey-free round that included five birdies, thrusting him near the top of the leaderboard. Although he carded one bogey in last Tuesdays final round, he more than made up for it with eight birdies. That high-scoring round left the rest of the field in his wake and ensured NeSmith a berth in the U.S. Amateur, which will be played at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia, from Aug. 11 through 17.
I hit it pretty straight and didnt get into trouble, said NeSmith, who has qualified for the U.S. Amateur for the second year in a row. Im really excited. I learned a lot last year, a lot about myself. Im going to try to apply it this year.
In the U.S. Amateur, NeSmith will face two rounds of stroke play just to get to match play. Should he advance that far something he wasnt able to do last year when the U.S. Amateur was held at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts NeSmith would be in match play. Hed be among the top 64 amateur golfers in the field, facing off in a bracket, with the championship match consisting of 36 holes.
Before he heads to Georgia, NeSmith will be busy. Hes playing in the Players Am in Hilton Head, followed by a trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee for the Southern Am. Hell shoot up to Buffalo for the Porter Cup before heading out to Chicago for the Western Am.
Now he can add the U.S. Am to his playing card. Should he win that tournament, hell get to add another prestigious event to his schedule the winner of the U.S. Amateur will get a spot in the 2015 Masters Tournament.
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Belen land decision violated law, AG says
Belen councilors violated the Open Meetings Act when they failed to vote on a $619,000 land purchase in a public meeting, the New Mexico Attorney General's Office says.
Belen councilors violated the Open Meetings Act when they failed to vote on a $619,000 land purchase in a public meeting, the New Mexico Attorney General's Office says.
The July 12 determination came in response to a complaint filed by the News-Bulletin in February that said the city should have taken a public vote on the purchase.
In January, the city paid a private land owner $619,386.96 in taxpayer funds for about 14 acres meant to become a retention pond to help alleviate flooding along Camino del Llano.
The determination said the council should "revisit the matter of the purchase of the Camino del Llano property and vote to authorize or ratify the purchase" at its next public meeting, which is Monday, July 19.
But Mary Lucy Baca, the city's interim city manager, said that another vote would likely take place Aug. 2 instead of at the city's next meeting. She said the current agenda is full and has been finalized to give councilors a chance to look at items in advance.
The act says agendas "shall be available to the public at least 24 hours prior to the meeting" except in emergency matters.
According to the determination, City Attorney Norm McDonald said, the council violated the act by not voting on the purchase in public. He said councilors delegated former Mayor Ronnie Torres the authority to take certain steps necessary to acquire the property during a Dec. 7 executive session, a meeting held behind closed doors. City officials have said "they didn't want to get the word out" that the land was for sale for fear the price might have sky-rocketed.
"While we are cognizant of the fact that the deal may (have fallen) through, at a minimum the council should have voted in public session to delegate the mayor its authority to negotiate the purchase terms without identifying the subject property until closing," said Sally Malavé, an assistant attorney general with the New Mexico Attorney General's Office.
McDonald said the ratification of the purchase was put on the agenda of the Feb. 8 meeting after Torres and former City Manager Sally Garley "realized" the purchase had not been voted on in public.
The motion passed, but the meeting's minutes do not indicate whether the motion passed unanimously, and do not show how each member voted, which is also in violation of the act.
The determination said the council had other violations of the act that include motions to close meetings and minutes of its Oct. 5 and Dec. 7 meetings. The document said corrective action should include discussion of the violations and that meeting minutes should identify legal authority for closing each meeting, the subject matter discussed at each closed session and any action taken as a result of its discussion in closed session. Also, how each member voted on a particular action.
Mayor Rudy Jaramillo said there needs to be transparency and open government with his administration.
"We want the public to know what's going on," said Jaramillo, who was part of the previous council. "That's who put us in (office). If I'm a citizen, I want to know the decisions being made that have an impact on me."
Councilor Lorenzo Carrillo said the council must move on from previous decisions. He said he would like to see the 14 acres offered up for a new hospital site as discussed at the Valencia County Commission meeting in June.
"As far as I'm concerned, the issue is passed," Carrillo said. "That was done by the previous council. But we have the land and have to move forward."
Contact Brent Ruffner
-- Email the author at email@example.com.


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Sweet Potato Gnocchi in Brown Butter Sage Sauce
It should come as no surprise that the day after I finished The Fault in Our Stars, the New York Times bestseller written by John Green and given to us as a gift New Year's Day by Sonja and Alex, Tim and I were in the kitchen mixing and rolling homemade gnocchi dough, he with the camera, me with flour-covered fingers, watching the sunlight streak across our dining room table and the giant bamboo cutting board I gave Tim as a gift two years ago.
It should come as no surprise because, at least according to Instagram, most of you already know about this book, one of those classic star-crossed love stories that, at the end, leaves you looking at life in a different way from when you'd started, which in my case meant grabbing Tim and sobbing about how thankful I am to have him and about how I hope he knows, like really knows, that I feel so remarkably blessed and happy to share his life.
There's this one line in particular, towards the end of the story, that's stayed with me since I turned the last page Friday night, one that sort of echoes a theme reoccurring in the book:


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Internship Applications
|Internship Applications
Please complete the form electronically, print to obtain signatures, and return to the H&S Dean's Office (201 Muller Faculty Center). The deadlines for each semester are published online.
The Independent Study, Fieldwork, and Research application is available on the Academic Advising web page.
|H&S Internship Application Form (Word format)
|H&S Internships - Sample Completed Application


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Wine House & Restaurant Nigl
SenftenbergSenftenberg on the map
When illustrious winemaker Martin Nigl took over the 800-year old farmstead at the foot of the fortress ruins of Senftenberg, it was little more than a ruin. Today, it houses the tasing and sales rooms of the winemaker's headquarters, a small hotel with individually appointed rooms which fit beautifully into the old architecture, and a cozy restaurant where culinary joys to walk hand-in-hand with Nigl's wondrous grüner veltliner and riesling wines: everything is brought to life.
Responsible for that is the orchestral conductor, uh, chef-de-cuisine, Erwin Windhaber, a young maestro who plays to perfection the whole repertoire of compositions from crackling-dumplings to grande cuisine. He tends to stay with both feet on the ground here, and his suppliers bring him the best tools to do just that: Waldviertler lamb, meat from free ranging pigs, fruit, vegetables, sausage and lots more from farmers of the region provide the basic elements which he then turns into refined creations. Wine and Good Living at its Best round out this culinary experience just the way one wishes it to be.


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When I had my son in 2009 I was lucky enough to have an employer that offered backup daycare (a full time center, in the building). Employees were offered 20 days per year to use the emergency service free of charge. I returned to work when he was 10 weeks old. My employer was nice enough to allow me to have more days since I needed to return to work and was on a wait list for a daycare near home. There was a delay with the center I'd chosen and I wound up having him at work in the backup space until he was six months old.
At six months he started at the center near home. He stayed there until he turned one when we decided it wasn't working out. We didn't find another center until he was 16 months. Oh, how he loved it. He looked forward to it, often asking on weekends to see his teachers. I still have one of the daily communication sheets on which a teacher wrote "Z is a joy to have in our classroom."
When you hear that someone's child was removed from daycare you immediately think the child was a menace, right? The child threw things or the parents didn't pay or something else unpleasant? Well, I'm here to tell you that that's not always the case. Based on income, our family qualified for a discounted child care rate. For the first year he was there, we paid one amount. When we were due to re-certify, it was determined that we no longer qualified for the discount. Unfortunately, we weren't given any notice about that decision, just a letter in his cubby dated for that day that stated his last day was that day. I'm sorry, but WHAT?
How was that not something that needed to be discussed in person? Why weren't we phoned when that determination was made? If we opted to keep him there, our payment would jump an additional $400/month. But where else was he supposed to go, especially on such short notice? It was difficult, but we started paying the new amount. We also filed an appeal. I am nothing if not a learner. I used every bit of applicable legal jargon I'd ever heard in over 10 years of law firm work. There was a hearing in front of a judge. There was testimony and paperwork and three months later, we won the appeal. We were due a refund of the overpayment for three months. Surprisingly (by which I mean of course it's not surprising), the daycare claimed we hadn't ever paid the increase. We located all but one receipt to prove otherwise.
Losing the appeal makes the daycare director angry. Angry daycare director makes us uncomfortable because she stops speaking, only stares at us when we drop off and pick up. Boy's jacket is lost. He starts crying at drop off and is crying when picked up in the evening. I have never once suspected he was either physically or verbally mistreated, but I think he was ignored. I think the manner in which he was addressed changed. Adults were gruff and not as happy to see him. Him, with the parents who made them check their books. Him, with the parents who exercised their right to question a decision. Him, with the parents who drive a nice car, have a well manicured lawn, who are never unkempt. Surely they make more than their pay stubs show. They don't fit the stereotype of parents in pajama bottoms dropping their kids off for breakfast. Poor people look a certain way, act a certain way. They must be lying about their need.
It wasn't long before another letter was in his cubby explaining that he had been removed from the center (effective that same day, of course). When they claimed we hadn't paid the increase, then said they couldn't find ANY receipts, my husband went to speak with them. The letter described his visit as threatening. Blame the black man. Classic.
Because that one receipt wasn't found, we settled for an amount lower than what we'd overpaid. I still sometimes want to go by, but I'm not sure why. To have them see me and know that my boy is thriving in a "real" school setting? I don't know what type of closure I'm after but I imagine a scenario where the director apologizes and I accept but I also call her a petty heifer.
For weeks my boy asked to go to school. There were six weeks until the regular public school opened and he started the pre-K3 program. Nearly every day until then he asked for his former teachers. I get their wanting to punish us (I don't really) but they hurt my son. There is no scenario I've been able to imagine that involves my being able to tolerate that. He's doing well in school so I'm trying not to dwell. His education is free now so I'm trying not to dwell. We told the truth, we exercised our right to prove the truth, and we prevailed; I'm trying not to dwell.
If I see the director at the mall I will try not to dwell, but I cannot promise that I won't kick her in both shins.
So I fell off of NaBloPoMo 12 days in. Meh. I am so OK with it on day 13. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow to ring in 14.


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Biggest Loser's Bob Harper Talks About New Book That Will Help You Kickstart Your Bikini Bod
The Biggest Loser's Bob Harper chatted with us about his new book, Jumpstart To Skinny. Just in time for us to get ready for swimsuit season.
50 Shades-Inspired Exercise Takes Fitness To New Level
New exercise boasts moves to get you in "50 Shades of Grey" shape.
Get Your New Year's Fitness Resolutions Fired Up At Sunstone Yoga's Hot Pilates Class
Turn up the heat on your fitness resolutions with some Hot Piltates at Sunstone Yoga!
Working Out Cuts Your Appetite & Flirting Helps Women Negotiate, Study Finds
What's a better way to get your flirt on then by feeling good about your body with a new fitness routine?
Michelle Obama Bonds With Barack Through Exercise
The couple that works out together, stays together.
Lose Weight With Science
Put down that donut! This fun video is full of science facts about weight loss and dieting!
Larry North Offers Tips To Help You Be Fit And Stay Fit
Keep your quest for that summer swimsuit bod on track with these tips from fitness guru Larry North!
Jessica Simpson's Post-Baby Weight Loss Deal
Add Jessica Simpson to the growing list of celebrities endorsing a weight loss company. It's reported that Jessica has signed on with Weight Watchers to shed the baby-weight and make her wallet $4 million fatter.
Personal Trainer Cat Will Get You In Shape
If you're working hard to get your body in shape for summer swimsuits and need some motivation, this cat can whip you into shape. Personal Trainer Cat enjoys spotting humans doing pushups and motivating them […]
Get Swimsuit Fit With Larry North's Tips
Swimsuit season is fast approaching, and everyone is in a tizzy to slim down for summer. Fitness guru Larry North has some awesome tips for exercising and fitness for summer.


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Ingredients List
Knowing what's in the things you eat is as important as how much you eat of it. Click on the links below to educate yourself about which ingredients are in some of our products. This will help you be aware of allergens, as well as sugars and fats. Ingredients are listed from largest amount to smallest amount.
Because we let you double the meat, cheese, dressings and chose your fillings, it is important for you to understand some basics about portion sizes at PACES.
Note: Ingredients and suppliers change frequently. This information has been supplied to us and we are not responsible for errors or omissions in listings. f you are allergic to numerous or specific ingredients, contact Dining Services in Thatcher Hall for options, or Lehman Dining Hall regarding our Zero Zone Program.
The ingredients listings below are available for download in Adobe PDF format.


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