Lartmada

TOKYO - A Chinese warship dropped anchor off Tokyo today for the communist nation’s first military visit to Japan since World War II, in a highly symbolic display of improving ties between the two Asian giants.

The port call by the guided-missile destroyer Shenzhen was part of a mutual exchange that will bring a Japanese warship on a visit to China at a later date. It was the first visit ever to Japan by China’s People’s Liberation Army.

The Chinese ship arrived under heavy security with a Japanese destroyer as its escort and a half-dozen helicopters buzzing the sky.

During its four-day stay, the Shenzhen will be opened to the Japanese public for tours. It will also dock at the Japanese naval headquarters in Yokosuka, just south of the capital, before returning to its home base in the southern Chinese port of Zhanjiang.

Diplomatic relations between Japan and China, two nations increasingly vying for economic and political clout in the region, have visibly improved during the past year.

Ties hit a low two years ago over territorial disputes and Japanese leaders’ visits to a Tokyo war shrine, which many Chinese saw as inflammatory. But both sides have toned down their rhetoric and agreed to expand political and military exchanges.

Still, distrust between Beijing and Tokyo runs deep, particularly in military issues.

Japan’s brutal invasion and occupation of much of China in the 1930s and 1940s have left a legacy of bitterness, one that Beijing has occasionally stoked to cater to nationalist sentiments.

Japanese officials, meanwhile, have repeatedly expressed concerns about China’s surging military spending in recent years, calling for more transparency.

Japan and its top ally, the United States, are especially concerned with China’s growing naval capabilities and its development of submarines that can operate farther away from China’s shores for longer periods.

Washington, which has some 50,000 troops based in Japan, sees China’s military growth as a potentially destabilizing factor in Asia.

Beijing last week deeply embarrassed the U.S. by refusing to allow the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier and its battle group entry into the port of Hong Kong.

The Kitty Hawk has its home port in Japan.

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Name of event: Bellevue Chamber Eastside Elected Officials Reception

Date and time: Nov. 28 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Place: Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue.

Cost: $50

Web site: www.bellevuechamber.org

Event phone: 425-213-1205

Description: An evening of collaboration, access and networking with business leaders and elected officials from local, state, regional, and federal governments.

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Name of event: ASWA dinner meeting & CPE

Date and time: Nov. 28, 6-8:30 p.m.

Place: The College Club, 505 Madison Street, Seattle

Cost: $27 with meal; $3 without

Web site: http://aswaseattle.org/calendar.cfm

Event phone: 206-467-8645

Description: The meeting of the American Society of Women Accountants Seattle Chapter (ASWA) will feature Rick Downey from the Swedish Medical Center Foundation, who will give an overview of the planned giving field, including an explanation of various planned giving vehicles, and the tax and personal benefits for donors.

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Name of event: Behind The Scenes Of Your Business Web site

Date and time: Nov. 29-Dec. 6, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Place: Downtown Seattle

Cost: $69

Web site: www.discoveru.net/classes/detail.cfm?CID=2418

Event phone: 206-365-0400

Description: Learn enough about coding in this Discover U class so you can feel comfortable making minor changes, including basic concepts about HTML (the language that is “behind the scenes” of your Web site) to help you take control of your site. Bring your laptop to this hands-on class and create a mini-page and see it “live” on the Internet.

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Name of event: Lunch & Learn Workshop

Date and time: Nov. 30

Place: 9057 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle

Web site: www.actioncoachseattle.com

Event phone: 206-352-0600

Come and learn how to take control of your cash flow and your profit, attract more customers and increase your revenue from a local business coach who has helped 250 small and midsize businesses.

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Name of event: Internet Business

Date and time: Nov. 30, 1-3 pm

Place: SCORE, 2401 4th Av., Suite 450, Seattle

Cost: $25, $20 for each additional attendee

Web site: www.seattlescore.org

Event phone: 206 553 7320

Description: Use your Web site to promote, operate and grow your business.

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Name of event: AIPMM CPM/CPMM Certification Review & Exam

Date and time: Nov. 30, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Place: 15355 S.E. 30th Place, Bellevue

Cost: Single certification exam, $395; exam plus 1/2-day workshop, $895. (A IPMM membership required. Dual certification exam $100 extra.)

Web site: www.pivotalpm.com

Event phone: 425-806-6982

Description: This credential is increasingly sought after by employers looking for proven experience in product management candidates. The CPM/CPMM certification exam focuses on strategies and skills considered to be the most critical across industries. The half-day educational workshop provides four hours’ review of key concepts covered in the exam, to provide a “level-set” on terms and methodologies.

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Name of event: Realtors - Thrive in Today’s Marketplace - Agent Productivity

Date and time: Dec. 3, 2-3:30 p.m.

Place: Keller Williams Realty Southeast Sound, 560 Naches Ave. S.W., Suite 100, Renton

Cost: $25

Event phone: 425-785-6538

Description: There is a new type of agent emerging in the real estate industry: business-wise, service-oriented and productivity savvy. Join us to understand at a deeper level, where the real estate industry is going and how you can be in step with those trends, ahead of the curve.

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Name of event: Small Business Financial Clinic

Date and time: Dec. 4, 6:30-9 p.m.

Place: Discover U, 2901 Third Ave, #150, Seattle

Cost: $45.

Web site: www.discoveru.net/classes/detail.cfm?CID=2633

Event phone: 206-365-0400

Description: Running a small business can be like driving an old pickup through the back roads of Montana - after dark. It’s a bumpy ride, you’re not sure where you are, and you hope you don’t run out of gas. Here’s a discussion of financial fundamentals that helps you read and understand your road map and your key dashboard instruments.

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Name of event: Bellevue Chamber Morning Buzz Networking breakfast

Date and time: Dec. 4, 7-9 a.m.

Place: The Bellevue Club Hotel

Cost: $25 members, $35 non-members

Web site: www.bellevuechamber.org

Event phone: 425-213-1205

Description: A structured and effective networking event, The Morning Buzz is the Eastsides most energetic and results-oriented business breakfast!

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Name of event: Pacific Northwest chapter of the Institute of Management Consultants December Roundtable Breakfast

Date and time: Dec. 5, 7 9 a.m.

Place: The Bellevue Club, 11200 S.E. 6th St., Bellevue

Cost: Members: $30-35; nonmembers: $40-45. Register by Nov. 30 to receive a discount. Reservations and cancellations must be made by Dec. 3.

Web site: www.imcpacnw.org

Event phone: 206-367-8997

Description: James Shaw will speak on “Criteria for Performance Excellence: How Consultants Can Serve Clients by Understanding the Baldrige National Quality Award.”

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Name of event: Playing Games - Serious Business: Building and Fostering Player Communities Date and time: Dec. 5, 5-8:30 p.m.

Place: Hyatt Regency, 900 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue

Cost: $48

Web site: www.mitwa.org

Description: With billions of dollars on the table, game companies are racing to build and maintain massive player communities. Join the MIT Enterprise Forum as industry experts examine the dynamic issues surrounding opportunities in the world of video and online games.

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Name of event: Business Growth and Marketing Workshop

Date and time: Dec. 5, 7-9 p.m.

Place: City University, 150 120th Ave N.E., Building F, Room 1029, Bellevue

Cost: First time guests are free

Web site: www.nobsseattle.com/

Event phone: 425-458-1011

Description: Learn how to improve your income potential and build your customer list using proven marketing principles. Also, enjoy networking with other business minded professionals.

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Name of event: Find Additional Tax Deductions

Date and time: Dec. 6, 7 p.m.

Place: City University, Bellevue

Cost: $25 RSVP, $30 at the door

Event phone: 206-214-6224

Description: This session - organized by Accum, in partnership with American Retirement Group and Sound Property Solutions - will help you make sure you have all of the tax deductions that the IRS makes available to you.

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Name of event: Bellevue Chamber December Business After Hours

Date and time: Dec. 6, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Place: ExOfficio Travel Clothing Innovators

Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members

Web site: www.bellevuechamber.org

Event phone: 425-213-1205

Description: Make lasting business connections at this after-work, networking focused event.

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Name of event: WSA Cocktails and Contributions

Date and time: Dec. 6, 5-8 p.m.

Place: Twist Restaurant and Lounge

Cost: $25

Web site: www.wsa.org/pages/events/events_events_wsaevent.asp?id=0712NETWK”>www.wsa.org/pages/events/events_events_wsaevent.asp?id=0712NETWK

Event phone: 206-448-3033 ext. 111

Description: Join the WSA in celebrating the holiday season with Cocktails and Contributions at Twist. Bring a donation for Toys for Tots. Registration: www.wsa.org.

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Name of event: Behind The Scenes of Your Business Web site

Date and time: Dec. 6, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Place: Downtown Seattle

Cost: $69

Web site: www.discoveru.net/classes/detail.cfm?CID=2418

Event phone: 206-365-0400

Description: Learn enough about coding in this Discover U class so you can feel comfortable making minor changes, including basic concepts about HTML (the language that is “behind the scenes” of your Web site) to help you take control of your site. Bring your laptop to this hands-on class and create a mini-page and see it “live” on the Internet.

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Name of event: Build a Bigger, Better Business - One Day, One Page

Date and time: Dec. 7, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Place: Columbia Tower, 701 5th Ave., Seattle

Cost: starts at $999.

Web site: www.businessandmarketingplan.com

Description: Advisers can bring their laptops to this clinic and leave with a printed draft of their plan at 5 p.m. There will be plenty of feedback by participant and the speaker, too. The plan will be ready to use immediately.

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Name of event: Fall Tax Seminar - ASWA/SU

Date and time: Dec. 7, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Place: Seattle University

Cost: $135

Web site: www.aswaseattle.com/bulletin/2007falltaxseminarregistration.pdf

Event phone: 206-284-4163

Description: Join the American Society of Women Accountants Seattle Chapter (ASWA) and Seattle University for this year’s annual Fall Tax Seminar. Registration will close Nov. 30.

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Name of event: Bellevue Chamber December business lunch

Date and time: Dec. 12, noon-1:30 p.m.

Place: Hilton Bellevue

Cost: $35 members, $45 non-members; corporate tables available

Web site: www.bellevuechamber.org

Event phone: 425-213-1205

Description: Greg Johnson, president of Wright Runstad & Co. will speak about the 36-acre Spring District project in the Bel-Red Corridor. The environmentally sustainable, mixed-use urban neighborhood is a joint venture of Wright Runstad and Shorenstein Properties.

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Name of event: Certified ScrumMaster Course

Date and time: Dec. 13-14, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Place: Seattle Harbor Club

Cost: $1,200 per attendee

Web site: www.solutionsiq.com/scrum/training_events.html

Event phone: 800-235-4091

Description: This two-day ScrumMaster certification course, delivered by SolutionsIQ Agile, provides everything you need to get started with Scrum and Agile. On completion, participants are registered as Certified ScrumMasters (CSMs).

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Name of event: 90 Day Business Planning

Date and time: Jan. 7, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Place: Ray’s Boat House

Cost: $299

Web site: www.actioncoachseattle.com

Event phone: 206-352-0600

Description: Map out the winning game plan for your business for the next 90 days. Build a plan to help you achieve your business potential.

The election landscape will be dramatically different in February when seven Snohomish County school districts ask their voters to approve funding measures.

State voters narrowly passed a simple-majority requirement for school levies in the Nov. 6 general election. District leaders say that instead of the high-stress uncertainty of securing a 60 percent supermajority, they now will have to convince a little more than half of their voters to pass the levies that fund about 17 percent of daily school operations. Construction-bond measures still require 60 percent approval.

But for the first time, school districts also face the county’s all-mail election, which means more ballots in the hands of people who don’t necessarily support schools or the taxes to pay for them.

District leaders around the county say they are uncertain what effect the changes will have.

“It changes our anxiety level,” said Judy Schwab, Mukilteo School Board vice president. “This is the great unknown.”

Arlington, Darrington, Granite Falls, Lakewood, Monroe, Mukilteo and Stanwood-Camano all plan to go to their voters with school-levy and/or construction-bond measures Feb. 19.

Snohomish County adopted all-mail voting in January 2006, but it didn’t take effect until the September primary, making the seven districts the first to run finance measures under the all-mail vote.

When Thurston County changed to all-mail voting in 1993, one of the first casualties was school-finance measures, said Auditor Kim Wyman. Instead of running one campaign, which often consisted of mailings and phone calls to supporters on the eve of the election, Wyman said districts had to shift to running campaigns timed to the mailing of absentee ballots and continuing through the election date.

“In 1994, [North] Thurston schools had a double levy failure for the first time. A lot of people pointed fingers at us,” because of the change to all-mail voting, Wyman said,

Once school supporters adjusted their campaign strategies, she said, they successfully passed finance measures, though by narrower margins. The upside for the county, she said, was that voter participation nearly tripled, from about 13 percent to 42 percent in general elections.

Schwab said the Mukilteo campaign will include community forums and getting information to voters early on its $139.2 million construction-bond measure and $11.2 million capital-projects and technology levy.

“Then we’ll ramp it up,” she said, noting that the state simple-majority measure went from apparent election-night defeat - the early ballots of absentee voters - to victory on the strength of late poll voters.

Lakewood Superintendent Larry François said the challenge under all-mail voting will be to ensure that poll voters, who have traditionally favored school measures, return their ballots.

Lakewood’s March 2004 levy failed on its first try despite 75 percent approval by poll voters. Just 51 percent of absentee ballots supported the measure. Those measures passed in a second attempt, but at a cost of $21,300, François said.

And the costs can be higher. The Snohomish School District spent $90,165 to rerun its failed levy in April 2006, said budget analyst Ruth Floyd.

This time around, Lakewood is seeking approval of a $20.1 million, four-year replacement levy and a $3.8 million technology levy. And under the simple-majority provision, they only need one vote more than 50 percent to pass.

“We’re all hoping it’s not such a stressful situation, that the levy will pass the first time and spare everyone the time and expense of a second election,” François said.

In the past four years, levies in every district received at least 50 percent approval. But a Marysville construction bond in 2003 received just 48 percent approval, and a February 2006 levy crossed the 60 percent mark by only 23 votes.

Marysville Superintendent Larry Nyland called passage of the simple-majority measure “huge.” He said rerunning failed levies not only costs money, it effectively puts a district’s administrative work on hold until the levy is approved. Budgets are cut in anticipation of the levy failing; employees must be notified of potential layoffs; and instead of directing energies to supporting classroom instruction, administrators are taking all of these steps while trying to support a second campaign.

“Life stops,” Nyland said.

Adding all-mail voting to the mix may reduce the overall percentage of voters favoring schools, Nyland said, but on balance, the simple majority should make levies easier to pass the first time.

Mukilteo’s Schwab said the basic compact between the school district and the voters remains unchanged.

“We still have to get their permission to spend money and prove we’re spending it wisely,” she said.

Lynn Thompson: 425-745-7807 or lthompson@seattletimes.com

In June 2000, newspapers ominously noted that oil had “surged” to more than $31 a barrel and that, come summer, gas might average a lofty $1.50 a gallon. Nonetheless, the gas-guzzlers were flying off the lots.

A year later, gas topped $2 a gallon. That “high” price was deemed politically problematic for the new President Bush. But rather than encourage Americans to burn less oil, Vice President Dick Cheney famously remarked that saving energy was a “sign of personal virtue,” not a basis for “a sound energy policy.” The guzzlers continued to fly.

As the price moved past $40 a barrel, $50, $60, economists kept wondering when Americans would start reacting to the higher costs and cut energy use. Now the price of oil is “flirting” with $100 a barrel, and a gallon of gas has zoomed past $3.

And it has happened. Americans have responded. People who don’t need trucks to visit the mall are looking for more fuel-efficient vehicles, and the guzzlers are sitting on the lots. Seems to be a recent change.

To find out how recent, I consulted an oil-price analyst - not just any energy expert, but Henry Groppe, a Houston-based veteran and independent thinker.

“All our work indicates consumption has actually been flat these three years,” he said.

In 1980, when the Iranian revolution sent oil prices soaring, everyone else - Exxon, Shell, the U.S. Department of Energy - predicted that a barrel of oil would soon cost $80, $85, $100 a barrel. In a contrarian forecast, now legend, Groppe said that oil would fall below $15 a barrel. And that’s what happened.

Why did his firm, Groppe, Long & Littell, expect the price collapse?

“We thought there would be a significant drop in consumption,” he said.

Groppe sees consumption dropping now. “Everybody is still in denial about the magnitude of the changes.” He predicts the annual average price of oil will fall back to $60 to $80 a barrel in the next several years.

The faulty forecasts, Groppe says, reflect a reliance on the flawed work of the International Energy Agency. His group gathers its own data.

For example, the IEA last year forecast a major rise in production by nations outside of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. The actual increase was tiny.

“The Saudis made a mistake taking the IEA forecast seriously and cutting production when they should not have done it,” Groppe said.

That raised prices to the point where consumers started using less energy. The Saudis want us hooked.

As for the Americans’ part in this, Groppe thinks that “the most important thing is more-efficient usage - particularly greater mileage performance of our vehicles.”

President Clinton pushed for higher fuel-efficiency standards but was stopped by the Republican Congress. Bush, meanwhile, has never worked on the demand side of the oil market - the one thing that Americans could have influenced - while OPEC continued to manipulate the supply.

Last week, the gas pump flashed past $45 and I gasped. After all, it was only a Honda Accord. How many twenties were the Navigators sucking up?

Fuel economy was one reason I bought the Accord eight Aprils ago. A friend questioned my concern. “Gas is cheap,” he shrugged. But it wasn’t just the money. It was the environment. It was that we had recently sent half a million Americans to the Gulf to liberate Kuwait’s oil fields from Saddam.

As happened in the ’80s, conservation may again depress the price of oil. Saving energy sounds like more than “personal virtue” to me. It sounds like a sound energy policy - unlike the one we’ve had these last seven years.

Providence Journal columnist Froma Harrop’s column appears regularly on editorial pages of The Times. Her e-mail address is fharrop@projo.com

It’s nearly time to start dashing through the drizzle to winter parties, tasty treats in hand. And for those of us who lack the time or inclination to create hors d’oeuvre masterpieces in our own kitchens, area grocers say they’ve got us covered.

Costco-size platters of sandwiches, fruit and sliced veggies are ubiquitous at gatherings this time of year, so we asked around for new ideas to join them on the buffet table. With sales of prepared foods surging around the country, supermarkets are hustling to provide plenty of options.

Trader Joe’s, which seems to be party-food central for young urban professionals, has freezers full of ideas: Pastry bites with caramelized onions and feta, tempura shrimp with dipping sauce, mini chicken tacos and spinach and artichoke dip.

And the chain is capitalizing on its popular peppermint Joe-Joe’s cookies with a new Joe-Joe’s cheesecake, a creamy, minty concoction that looks sharp garnished with candy cane, mint sprigs or a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Costco’s sandwich, fruit, shrimp and vegetable trays go flying out of the store this time of year, but fresh foods Vice President Jeff Lyons predicts new tartlets in the bakery and a new chocolate tray with truffles and chocolate bark will be party hits, along with Swedish meatballs and a Margherita pizza.

Jan Thompson’s already a step ahead, with her go-to snacks for the season all picked out. The PCC Natural Markets deli merchandiser is a fan of fancy cheese, Matiz (a thick, sweet fig paste flecked with nuts and bits of orange), La Panzanella Croccantini artisan crackers and lightly salted Marcona almonds from Spain.

For hungrier crowds she recommends lamb, chicken, tofu or vegetable skewers from her deli or triangles of organic polenta topped with caramelized onion, pesto and grilled peppers, spinach, feta and mushroom or prosciutto, goat cheese and artichoke hearts.

QFC will be selling a popular Swiss mountain cheese and plenty of pâté. Panini sandwich trays rank among Safeway’s most popular deli items, and spokeswoman Cherie Myers recommends the chain’s chocolate lava cake, which comes in individual sizes. Metropolitan Market offers several all-local options, including a cheese selection and a Salumi salami sampler.

For a different spin on the traditional cheese plate, Whole Foods Market is offering Chello cheese balls, in flavors like fig and blue cheese, cheddar with port and smoked Gouda, ready to serve up with toasted baguette. Each store will offer a range of fondue cheeses and supplies as well.

Ultimately, sources say, just about anything you serve up will look tempting if you take that extra minute or five to transfer those deli sandwiches to a silver tray, pour the dips into those crystal bowls you inherited or lay that big piece of smoked salmon on a gorgeous platter. Or, use fruit and leafy greens to make a pretty border for your other dishes.

PCC’s Thompson recommends slicing open fresh figs (they’re flowerlike on the inside), using different shades of kale to edge a plate and garnishing platters with gleaming, juicy pomegranate seeds or a confetti of cut-up rainbow chard.

Karen Gaudette: 206-515-5618

or kgaudette@seattletimes.com

SAN FRANCISCO - Prosecutors argued Monday that a former Brocade Communications Systems executive was a key enforcer in an illegal accounting scheme, while her attorney said she was just following instructions when she backdated stock options.

Stephanie Jensen, Brocade’s former vice president of human resources, went on trial Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on felony charges of conspiracy and falsifying corporate records. If convicted, she faces up to 25 years in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Reeves said Jensen instructed her staff to choose favorable dates in the past for stock-option awards and warned them never to communicate by e-mail about the company’s stock-option activities.

Reeves said Jensen directed and enforced the practices and knew they were illegal.

“She deliberately falsified Brocade’s options-grant records and carefully tried to cover up her scheme so that the auditors, the company’s watchdogs, would never know what happened,” Reeves said. “It was simple, it was ingenious and it was a total fraud.”

Jensen’s lawyer said her client implemented policies already in place when she joined Brocade.

“This is not her scheme, this is not her idea, this is a process the company used and she followed,” lawyer Jan Little said.

Jensen, 50, sat with her hands clasped and looked at the judge and the jury.

Little said Jensen doesn’t have a finance background and didn’t know San Jose-based Brocade wasn’t properly recording compensation charges for options. Prosecutors contend those omissions distorted the picture investors saw of the company’s profitability.

Jensen “never for one second thought those documents were false, or wrong or illegal,” Little said.

Brocade makes switches used to connect corporate servers and data-storage systems. With a booming stock price and hot technology during the dot-com heyday, the company was in a fierce battle for engineering and sales talent when the alleged offenses occurred between 2000 and 2004.

Jensen is the second person to go on trial for alleged stock-options malfeasance since the Justice Department began probing allegations of options backdating at more than 100 companies.

Her former boss, former Brocade Chief Executive Gregory Reyes, was convicted in August on 10 counts of securities fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

At least 10 executives at several companies have been criminally charged as a result of federal options probes.

The scandal has prompted hundreds of businesses to review their financial records and some to wipe out hundreds of millions of dollars in previously reported profits to account properly for options-related charges.

Jensen, whose office processed all the paperwork for new hires, is accused of changing the dates on offer letters and other documents to make it appear that prized new workers were hired and granted options before their actual hire date. The practice makes the options more valuable because they have appreciated more by the time the employees exercised them.

Backdating options isn’t illegal, but companies must properly account for it. And if the amount an employee can pay for the stock is below the trading price on the day the options were granted, the company must absorb charges for that difference, which can be substantial.

Prosecutor Reeves said Monday that while Reyes bears a heavy responsibility for the scheme, Jensen was the “key person who ensured that the details of this fraud were carried out as they were.”

Jensen was originally charged with eight felonies, but the government unexpectedly dropped six charges, including the more serious allegations of securities fraud. She is now charged with conspiracy to falsify records and falsifying records.

Two former human-resources employees who worked under Jensen testified Monday about company procedures. The trial is expected to last two to three weeks.

South King County firefighters found a body inside a Des Moines house that was destroyed by fire early Monday.

The fire started in a rambler at 4:20 a.m. in the 1400 block of South 276th Street, said South King Fire and Rescue spokeswoman Donna Conner.

Four people lived at the house, and neighbors told firefighters they were all at home, Conner said. Three occupants were sent to hospitals with injuries from the blaze, and investigators found a fourth person dead inside the home, though they could not confirm it was the fourth resident.

The identification of the body will have to be done by the King County Medical Examiner, Conner said.

The fire also killed two dogs.

The cause of the fire had not been determined, Conner said. The home is considered a total loss.

- Seattle Times staff

David Bruce Hardt had never run a marathon like this before. He usually hates the day of a race, because he’s too focused or too sore, and his competitiveness overwhelms his joy.

On Sunday, however, everything felt different for the Iraq War veteran. Eighteen miles into the Seattle Marathon, his tribute to 48 of his fallen comrades, Hardt recognized just how widespread his message of remembrance had become.

The crowd began cheering him loudly. People extended their hands to offer thanks. Others wanted hugs, and Hardt was happy to break his stride to give them. A little girl even kissed his cheek, just as an Iraqi girl had done several months ago in an alley in Baghdad.

As a soldier, Hardt has become adept at anticipation, so he felt this atmosphere before he ran into it.

“It was pretty electric, pretty intense,” said Spc. Hardt, a Fort Lewis soldier who has done two tours in Iraq serving with the Army’s 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry C Company, 2nd Platoon Reapers. “I knew I was going into it. I could sense it. It was inspirational. It was emotional.

“I can’t even properly express what it meant, and I’m a talkative guy.”

So many cameras flashed Hardt must’ve thought he was escorting Jessica Alba on the red carpet. He was a hero. He also represented heroes.

Now the average citizen understands this war better. Real people, not faceless troops, are dying, many more than the 48 names written on the shirt Hardt wore Sunday.

All political views must intersect at that one point - death. Hardt can’t stand the death.

“We’re human,” he said. “We’re not just machines doing a job.”

While training in Iraq, the soldier learned to become his environment. Hardt could only experience freedom, every runner’s craving, by losing himself in the gunfire and explosions, pretending he wasn’t a moving target.

Back then, he didn’t think about Sunday, the big day that would give everything meaning. He didn’t think about anything, just running.

Survival is a simple goal.

Recognition can be much more complicated. But now he has it.

“I’m not looking at me,” Hardt said. “I’m looking at what’s in the news. We’re talking about what the war has done, the lives it’s taken, the soldiers who are injured and paralyzed.

“The message, it’s really taken off. I walk around, and people are asking me questions, shaking my hand. I’m so glad we finally had a chance to get the names out there of lost soldiers. It was beautiful, absolutely unbelievable.”

Leaders of Hardt’s unit congratulated him afterward as only the military can.

“They said, ‘Good job, go home, relax. Take it easy for a day, and come back to work,’ ” Hardt said, laughing.

Hardt’s recovery involves some pool training and light weightlifting. His body is tired, racked, but he’s feeling better than he thought he would.

This was his first marathon in three years. Hardt, 31, had run in marathons and half-marathons throughout his late teens and early 20s, but he lost his competitive edge. Then he went to war.

He dropped more than 40 pounds running in the 125-degree heat of Iraq. This was his release, despite the dangers of weather and warfare. And four months ago, he put purpose behind his training.

Hardt chose to run the Seattle Marathon to create more compassion for soldiers. He wanted to succeed so much that he worried about every little thing that could go wrong in the race, including the recurring tendinitis in his right knee.

He wound up having few problems in this marathon, just a minor breathing issue because of the cold weather. He barely noticed his knee pain.

“It was very weird,” said Hardt, who finished in just under 4 ½ hours, hugs and kisses included. “I don’t feel bad at all.”

This marathon was, Hardt said, “the greatest run I’ve ever had.” He had fun running one for the first time. He figures this was a nice way to end his obsession with marathons.

“I think that was my last one,” said Hardt, who now plans to focus on half-marathons. “I think I’ve reached the pinnacle.”

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com. For his Extra Points blog, visit seattletimes.com/sports

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed Tuesday to immediately resume long-stalled peace talks toward creating an independent Palestinian state by the end of next year, using the U.S.-arranged Mideast peace conference to launch the first serious and substantive negotiations in seven years.

In a joint statement read by President Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged:

“We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate a culture of peace and nonviolence; to confront terrorism and incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis.”

“We agree to immediately launch good-faith bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception, as specified in previous agreements,” it continued. “We agree to engage in vigorous, ongoing and continuous negotiations and shall make every effort to conclude an agreement before the end of 2008.”

The agreement was reached after weeks of intense negotiations and it was not clear until Bush stepped to the podium in the majestic Memorial Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., that the two sides would come together on how to move forward on the path toward peace.

The first peace talks are to be held Dec. 12, Bush said, and are to continue biweekly after that.

Bush was followed by Abbas, who made an impassioned appeal to Israelis to support the peace process, saying that war and terrorism “belong to the past.”

“Neither we nor you must beg for peace from the other. It is a joint interest for us and you,” he said. “Peace and freedom is a right for us, just as peace and security is a right for you and us.”

“It is time for the circle of blood, violence and occupation to end. It is time for us to look at the future together with confidence and hope. It is time for this tortured land that has been called the land of love and peace to live up to its name,” Abbas said.

Next up, Olmert promised that “the negotiations will address all the issues which thus far have been evaded.”

“We will not avoid any subject,” he said. “While this will be an extremely difficult process for many of us, it is nevertheless inevitable. I know it. Many of my people know it. We are ready for it.”

Speaking directly to the Arabs at the conference who do not have relations with Israel, he said: “It is time to end the boycott and alienation toward the state of Israel.”

“We no longer and you no longer have the privilege of clinging to dreams which are disconnected from the suffering of our peoples,” he said.

In his talk, Abbas gave no indication that the Palestinians were willing to concede on any of the flashpoint issues that have derailed previous peace efforts: the status of disputed Jerusalem, refugees, the borders of an independent Palestine and Israeli settlements.

“I have the right here to defend openly and with no hesitation the right of my people to see a new dawn, with no occupation, no settlement, no separation wall, no prisons with thousands of prisoners, no assassinations, no siege, and no roadblocks around villages and cities,” Abbas said.

After reading aloud the freshly reached agreement, Bush shook hands with Abbas and Olmert. Then those leaders shook each other’s hands.

To maximize the moment of potential breakthrough, the three went through the gestures again. This time, they clasped hands together. And, for a moment, Bush stepped back and raised his hands to encourage the other two to come together for a handshake, which they did. It harkened back to a memorable image of his predecessor, Bill Clinton, in one of his own Mideast efforts more than a decade ago.

The Bush administration has been buffeted by skepticism over prospects that the Annapolis Conference can set the stage for the creation of a Palestinian state by the end of Bush’s second term in early 2009. Because of this, administration officials from the president on down have sought to minimize expectations for any major breakthrough here. But they also insist that the exercise is not futile.

In his remarks, Bush laid out the reasons he said now is the right time to pursue a Mideast peace settlement - something he and the Israeli and Palestinians leaders said they would like to achieve before the U.S. president leaves office in January 2009.

“First, the time is right because Palestinians and Israelis have leaders who are determined to achieve peace,” Bush said. “Second, the time is right because a battle is under way for the future of the Middle East and we must not cede victory to the extremists. Third, the time is right because the world understands the urgency of supporting these negotiations.”

For all the high anxiety surrounding this conference, there were lighter moments as well - the kind of intervals typified by the so-called “class picture” gatherings of world leaders engaged in high summitry.

At one point Tuesday morning, Bush, Olmert and Abbas stepped out of the superintendent’s quarters building at the U.S., Naval Academy and waved to media representatives staking out the event nearby. Bush, who was between the two leaders, exclaimed: “Good morning everybody. Thank you. It’s a beautiful day here.”

OLYMPIA - Gov. Christine Gregoire has appointed King County Superior Court Judge Linda Lau to the state Court of Appeals.

Lau, of Seattle, will fill the Division 1, District 1 position being vacated by retiring Judge H. Joseph Coleman.

Lau, 59, has been a King County Superior Court judge since 1995. Before that she was a judge for the Seattle division of King County District Court.