ambassador crocker is joining us from the state department.dor crocker, one of your goals was to get the enemy to the negotiating table. that really hasn't happened, and i wonder why the taliban aren't talking. >> scott, bear in mind, that while we definitely want to see a negotiated settlement-- that's how insurgencies end-- it's not our negotiating table where we want to see the taliban. it is the afghan negotiating table. what you're not going to get, scott, in my estimation, is some kind of grand bargain or the entirety of the taliban come to terms with the afghan government. it's going to be chipping away, breaking them apart, breaking them loose, defections, and a general degradation, i think, of the taliban through political as well as military means. >> pelley: that sowns like a long slog. how does that square with the idea of getting all u.s. troops out of there by 2014? >> as secretary clinton has said, we can fight and talk at the same time. and so can the afghans. it's great if large numbers of the taliban decide that they'd rather

ryan crocker amazon, france would say you are planning their, you have to be careful. it is a little tough down there. all that changed when the fields were transformed. this could happen again at the beach chalet. it could be a place where people are brought together, people from different backgrounds come together in a nice, and ranching community sort of way. please support this project. thank you. president chiu: thank you. next speaker. >> i also have two children in the city and do my best to remain positive and loving of this beautiful city. tonight we have heard fantastic arguments and when we evaluate a project like this where often considering benefits vs. costs and how to the benefits outweigh the costs we have to evaluate in a decision that ultimately is based on one which has a rigorous methods and best practices based on scientific evidence from other projects. the opposition has held the sponsor to enormous and exacting rigour with regard to proving that the environmental impact will be minimized. the sponsor has gone through excessive project review and

and i trust the opponents would go to crocker amazon and protect the kids who go there. this meeting is about golden gate park and money. it's a terrific park. i side with the earlier parent who said if we were paving over a meadow, i would be against it. but this is 1,000 acres. the contemplated renovation is less than 10 achers. less than 10 achers that has been a soccer field since the 30's and has never been a meadow land or a bird sanctuary. what this is about is also money, of course. to uphold the appeal is to invest my tax dollars in the least productive alternative, is to invest in having fewer hours of play for san francisco residents, children and adults. please shoot down this appeal. let's put tur inform the park where san franciscans can can stay and play. thank you. >> good evening supervisors my name is ron dudam. i live a half a block. i can observe that the soccer fields has grown and having had personal conversations with a will the of the neighbors, i can tell you it's through this information much of what you've heard this evening. i recall an earlie

lee ann has the story. >> crocker amazon park is a soccer player dream come true. several well groomed field to play on. during the day it's full of kid. but recently odd things have been happening here at night. supervisor john avila represents the crocker amazon district. >> if where you have a functional play field and people are taking parts away. >>reporter: the braces that support these aluminum bleach remembers gone. stolen. but the ones on the other side of the park closest to geneva avenue are still there. and two weeks agoxd an early morning park crew found 3 dismantled soccer goal on the ground. they were presumably going to be picked up later by the thieves. san francisco recreation park department reassembled the 3 soccer goals. and this time pute poxy glue on the nut and bolt making it harder for the thieves to undue them. people who value the park are upset. >> that's really bad. all this stuff right here is for the community. i live like a couple blocks away. i used to work on geneva this place used to be like really horrible. >>reporter: this has b

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ryan crocker helped to pull his colleagues from the rubble and then got back to work. he was one of the first civilians into afghanistan and iraq after the recent wars, helping to re-establish our diplomatic presence in both countries after decades. he returned to iraq during the surge, and as general petraeus tells everyone, was absolutely indispensable in turning around our war effort, even as his life was constantly in danger from the rockets that smashed into his office in baghdad and perhaps more threatening his own relentless work ethic which literally almost killed him. many presidents, republicans and democrats alike, have had the wisdom to appoint ryan crocker as their ambassador to six different countries -- lebanon, kuwait, syria, pakistan, iraq and finally afghanistan. ambassador crocker has been just as indispensable in kabul as he has everywhere else in his career. from enhancing our relationship with president karzai and the people of afghanistan to negotiating and concluding the strategic partnership agreement with afghanistan, to being the dedicated pa

[ female announcer ] betty crocker fruit flavored snacks.e, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you wanted a firm bed you can lie on one of those. we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. wow, that feels really good! once you experience it, there's no going back. hurry in now for our lowest prices of the season. save $300 to $1000 on selected sleep number bed sets. final days! sale ends sunday. only at the sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699. >>> this morning on "today's" kitchen celebrating national fried chicken day, everybody's favorite finger lickin' good meal. here to show us how to make suck lent fried chicken. good morning, k.c. >> good morning. how are you? >> great. >> this the big recipe at the restaurant. >> it is for brunch. it's funny. we make italian food. for our brunch we want to be payful, fun, everyone loves fried chicken. french americana funniness. >> start off with batter. >> start off with egg and buttermilk mixture. this the most important thing to do. two eggs,

eventually ambassador crocker relented, but still he was only going to leave on his own terms. he said that america asks the best of our country, our men and women in uniform and their many civilian partners who work and sacrifice shoulder to shoulder with our troops in the field. to serve in afghanistan for one year, ambassador crocker said he would expect no less of himself and do no less

. ♪ >> we are at crocker amazon park, which had been renovated beautifully. kids are here every saturday. about 300 kids from local public schools. we see our kids here all the time. we are going to need more fields like this. it is really what makes the weekend special for our kids. >> the family that will be here will know the reason why we named this important institution in our community after someone who sacrificed her life and was a hero for all of us. so with that, if i may present to the family, on behalf of the whole city, the board, police department, community organization, i would like to proclaim today, in recognition of this event, the chinese red center day in san francisco. by the way, a low budget and on time? are you kidding? >> that concludes the general manager's report. >> thank you very much. >> is there any public comment on this item? >> good morning, commissioners. i am the president of humanitarian mission. 13 years ago, our organization created in golden gate park a garden of humanitarian. this was created in honor of humanitarian h

[ female announcer ] betty crocker fruit flavored snacks. yeah, and i took on all the bigger, tougher ones. but now that mr. clean's got this new select-a-size magic eraser, i mean, he can take on any size job. look how easily he gets things cleaned. it's enough to make you cry. you, specifically. not me. i'm just happy we don't go near rex's mobile home as often. because it's hard to clean or because you're scared of an itty-bitty doggy? [ dog barks ] aah! oh! [ clears throat ] yeah, that was a sneeze. i think i sprayed myself. [ male announcer ] new mr. clean select-a-size magic eraser. lets you pick the right size for every job. >>> welcome back to london. it was one of the biggest upsets in women's gymnastics. reigning world champ jordyn wieber didn't qualify for the all around final. ladies, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> it was a shocker. jordyn wieber was expected to make it to the individual all-around. what do you think happened? >> it's obviously devastating for her coming in as the reigning world all-around champion. it'

pleeeeeeeease... [ female announcer ] betty crocker fruit flavored snacks. pleeeeeeeease...s than 100 calories and made with real fruit pleeeeeeeease... thanks mom! [ female announcer ] betty crocker fruit flavored snacks. >>> whether it's a barbecue, birthday or graduation, summertime means party time. that translates to a lot of gift giving. here with creative ideas to help you find the perfect gift, lifestyle expert and "today" contributor. good morning. >> good morning. >> a lot of different parties and celebrations to get to. you found gifts for every occasion. first, say somebody has a new home to decorate or somebody that's a tv buff. i love this idea. >> this is really interesting. it's a woman who studied interior design. she didn't want to decorate but loves drawing floor plans. she does what's called fantasy floor plans. they are floor plans of your favorite tv set. for example, this is jerry and cramer's apartment, the "mad men" office, the golden girls, how all the ladies lived. you name it, she's got it. go to her website, fantasy floor plans.com. they are $40.

last year, we had a rousing success, with probably over 250 people at crocker amazon park. we rededicated the bocce ball parks. we had supervisory candidates that were there. we have hot dogs and hamburgers and food, and people who donated drinks and soft drinks and what not. it was a rousing success. this year is only going to be bigger. we have more volunteers, more donations. i know the police department is donating money toward each station in san francisco to do the national night out. we also have donations from the poa, in the amount of neighborhood grocery store is and merchants who are donating to our event. i think this year will probably surpass last year's 250 attendants to about 300 or 350. this year, it will be at the upper noe rec center. i welcome the commissioners and the command staff. i welcome the community to be involved. i was watching the news tonight on channel 7. they did it last year and they did it the year before, but they have done a great community service with announcing national night out two weeks from today. it opened with over 600 interest

ken bastida is live in a global five >> we have been hearing about the middle thieves out here at crocker amazon park so we brought mobile 5 out to take a firsthand look and you can see the damage. there are no steps to get up to the bleachers and over the weekend, they took all the benches. they took a 16 ft. benches and out and now you have cordless drills and other things with which you can do this work pretty fast. someone took all of this stuff. the city is not very happy about this and neither are the neighbors. this has been happening all over san francisco and what is going on has been costing the city a lot of money. the director of san francisco parks and recreation says it costs the city several million dollars over the last several years >> in the last six years, this department has probably spent $1.8 million cleaning up after people's bad behavior between vandalism and theft. it makes us all mad when people disrespect them in the way that happens from time to time. >> the city of san francisco has some 220 parks and open spaces so the supervisors are talking about hiring a f

. >> and the going of the rocker and betty crocker. this is crazy, you got cookies ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone likes a bit of order in their life. virtual wallet helps you get it. keep track of spending, move money with a slide, and use the calendar. all to see your money how you want. ♪ how you want. but they can be really well thexpensive.ted a puppy, so to save money i just found them a possum. dad, i think he's dead. probably just playin' possum. sfx: possum hisses there he is. there's an easier way to save. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. . >>> the battle between congress and the district is up again. a bill that would ban certain abortions in d.c. it was introduced by arizona congressman trent franks and would ban all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. eleanor holmes norton joins us now and do you feel like this has a real shot since you're on the floor? >> may be in the house but not in the america or the senate. this is one in a series of attacks on reproductive choice.

my son who is 13 and plays every single day, he has played at franklin square, garfield, crocker, balboacred heart, her and now we desperately need 14 more acres of synthetic turf? what we have played on is a small sampling of the artificial surfaces that we have in the city already. i was hot and beautiful practice on grass and i want kids to play all the time, it is part of my business in training them. most of the fields were empty and i got to hear birds and snodgrass, it was a wonderful experience. has the fields get older, you see that the synthetic material gets trampled and the public and start flying in to your nose. i am sure he covered this, but games and practices, that is ridiculous. most played between 102 hundred practices a year and at least 30 games. thanks.

thank you to ambassador crocker likewise for working on this problem. as he led the embassy in babl through profoundly and deeply challenging times, when we here in washington revise our policy toward afghanistan and as we go through those provisions now, he has adapted, he's carried out policy and he has served well our national interests, even in the midst of change and challenge. i welcome deputy ambassador cunningham to his new post. i have worked and been briefed by him, in fact stayed with him in the embassy and seen his keen insight, his quiet, understated manner, but his strength and will, and indeed all of these men are men of intellect, but they are also men of action, committed to deliver results to the nation, men of loyalty and courage. and i would just finish on this note. nobody should underestimate the courage that is required to serve in these positions. anyone who has visited these countries know that the threat of physical danger is everpresent, not only to the brave men and women who serve in uniform, in our armed forces, but to our

it is 20 foot candles greater than at crapo -- crocker amazon. we want a higher level of play and activity at this particular facility. we wanted a toggle switch on the lights, so we could have them at 50 foot candles or 30 foot candles. in discussions with the national park service, they recommended we talk to their liking expert. i made contact with that gentleman, and spoke about lighting and dark sky issues. he recommended that we talked to city staff about one of the most stringent policies in the country. these are identical to fixtures at flagstaff arizona. but they illuminate their field at 20 foot candles. we to value with that particular option also. we talked to a part design specialist and looked at literature and the american soccer foundation recommends that we eliminate soccer fields at 30 foot candles, similar to what we are doing i have spoken to lighting manufacturers. they have instituted 20 foot candle light fixtures at different facilities, mixed results from the end users. a lot of folks say it is insufficient. this is appro

and this jam, me going off my rocker, call me better crocker. oh, man.mittee. brilliant stuff from the people at "sesame street." cookie monster, a huge hit online. 1 million views so far. >> i love it. i love it. >> that was a highlight today. all right. >>> millions love the sound of susan boyle's voice, of course. but her neighbors in scotland, not so much. they're going to court, now, claiming that the "britain's got talent" star sings all hours of the day and night. a situation they're describing as unbearable. >> but a spokesman for susan boyle says both sides have been engaged in a long-running feud. and that the lawsuit is old news. we'll see. >>> and finally, now, we know what every american athlete will be wearing to the opening ceremony at the upcoming olympics in london. >> yes, indeed. ralph lauren, designed the uniforms which feature a beret highlighted with red and white stripes. the men will also have blue and double-breasted blazers, and a red and white tie. >> and the women's blazers will be matched with red, white and blue scarves. the

so we have to go all the way to the other side crocker amazon which is a transportation issue for many of these girls whose parents are working and they have to take the bus from their neighborhood. so please support something in our neighborhood where the teenagers can play in the evening and that won't be closed for rain. thank you very much. >> good evening, mr. president and esteem board of supervisors. my name is alial-sharif. having played soccer, i understand how vital the opportunities are to be active for young people. the fields are a designated place to be active, build community and build self-respect. these doesn'ts are already limited we need to make sure we increase the ones that we have. i'm so proud to have heard tonight all the young children that came and spoke as they are a children that gets overlooked and their interests are not at the forefront. it's a vote of our interest of our city's fleeting families. i ask that you think about the interest of the vulnerable population. think about increasing community safety and increasing opportunity for women and family. t

on to probably my favorite video of the entire day this one is just just so good it's was it chris crocker was that his name to leave britney alone yeah yeah shame it that i know that yes. which i pretended to be one time we are a little compilation of our favorite youtube clips. but this one is an emotional twilight fan for those of you who don't know kristen stewart was caught cheating on robert pattinson because there are pictures of her that surfaced as weekly where she was making out with the director of the snow white movie who also by the way is married and his wife is also in the movie what the hell talking about. this is what this is all about the celebrity gossip of the day but some of us were. there are some really upset fans out there but no one more than the girls take a look. she would. just become the most of those who we. are but i know by the way is over four minutes long and you have to watch the whole thing early as the last few minutes are there they're all worth it because she's like angry at people for caring for the press and she's like leave them alone it's their li

there are, as senator crocker indicated, people who are concerned about environmental issues, but across the board the people that we represent are concerned about the following issues. a, energy, which is the financial base on which we're going to fix this economy and give us more energy security. second issue is some legal certainty when the 161 other countries are involved in a process of basically divvying up in their own mind the natural resources in the sea. also a lot of very important issues here on navigation, on supply chain management, on the ability to get at rare earth minerals. this -- to me this is very important and it's an easy issue because you have all -- you have many protections from any -- any difficulties that might come from being a part of the treaty. you have many exclusions because you're not a part of the treaty, and as everybody on the panel indicated, you obviously had the protection of our armed forces, but we can't sort of run around the world doing our business like that every day, although i would say that the chamber is a vigorous supporter of our armed

we had a reception hosted by ambassador crocker to welcome this year's recipient who is a politician and media person in kandahar. an absolutely incredible woman. we had a number of women from the region for this event and in that event, ambassador crocker said quite perceptively that any woman in public life in afghanistan is a woman of courage. it's a marvel to meet with these people and hear their stories and their sense of determination and commitment as you did. they have a truly invested their lives and personal safety in many cases in taking up a public role whether it is in business or even teaching or working in a health clinic. there are a lot of female politicians now in afghanistan, including at the district and international level. the president's chief of staff is a woman and they have worked hard to create space. it's particularly inspiring to meet with women who are in universities now and coming out educated, looking for opportunities some time with the support of their families, but many times not. that's a long way of saying a lot has been vested in bringing afghan

crocker amazon park is a soccer player's dream come true with several well groomed fields to play on.e day, it's full of kids but odd things have been happening here at night. the supervisor represents the district. >> this is the worst i've heard. you have a functional play field and people are taking parts away. >> the braces that support the aluminium bleachers are gone. stolen. but ones on the other side of the park closest to geneva avenue, still there. two weeks ago an early morning crew found three dismantled soccer goals on the ground. they were presumably going to be picked up later by the