There is fighting going on a few miles away, and the surge, while of course it has worked in many respects, the Iraqi security forces are being backed up by U.S. forces, and in many cases, especially here in Sadr City, we're seeing U.S. forces taking the lead.

NPR: U.S. Troops Killed as Fighting Reignites in Sadr City

These are usually one day affairs and are typically based on a running race of 3-12 miles, but those miles are fraught with hazards not found on any normal marathon or half-marathon course, from mud pits to vertical walls, fiery flame barriers to electric shocks, ice plunges to crawls under barbwire.

FORBES: New Year's Fitness Resolution: Try Adventure Or Obstacle Racing?

The report by the National Transportation Safety Board said the airliner and the C-17 were put on a collision course in the dark over the Atlantic Ocean about 88 miles off New York after controllers mistakenly instructed the planes to converge in the same area.

MSN: Air traffic controllers blamed for 2011 close call

Thinking the time was right for an exegesis on the bow, we asked our own Miles Hoffman to bring in his bow and his viola, of course.

NPR: The Importance of the Bow