Year 143 (CXLIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Torquatus and Hipparchus (or, less frequently, year 896 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 143 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Shafie Ayar (born 1961) is an Afghan-born activist and author. He ran the Afghan Revolutionary Youth Association at Kabul University in 1978.

Ayar is the author of five books: Hamasa-e-Eman, Paqnjal Hae-e-Khoneen, Nawrooze tan Behrooz, Afghanistan – Jihad and Peace, and Afghan Hearts & Minds.

John Iwasaki, in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, wrote that Ayar was critical of the Afghan regime: "With Karzai able to appoint one-third of the upper house of the Afghan legislature, 'it's not democracy at all'". Apart from the politics, wrote Iwasaki, Ayar saw Afghanistan in a poor state: the roads were potholed "'even on streets in front of the Capitol,' Ayar said", while "The only eggs he saw for sale were trucked in from Pakistan and Iran". And while the Soviets had long gone (since 1984), "Twenty years is enough time for people to have chicken farms".

The poet Nicholas Klacsanzky, reviewing Afghan Hearts & Minds, wrote that "Through pleasant and conversational language, author Shafie Ayar induces the reader into a state of enjoying simple pleasures through his sincere gratitude for a life other than torture."

Mark D. Wallace is an American businessman, former diplomat and lawyer who has served in a variety of government, political and private sector posts. He served in several positions during the administration of President George W. Bush, including as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Representative for UN Management and Reform.

He is currently the CEO of Tigris Financial and CEO of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI).

Prior to government service, Wallace was a practicing commercial litigation attorney in Miami, Florida. He began his political career under Florida Governor Jeb Bush and was active in his election campaigns in 1994, 1998 and 2002.

In 2000 Wallace played a key role working for then Governor George W. Bush’s legal team in the decisive Florida recount in 2000 where he served as counsel to the campaign in Florida and was a spokesman for the legal team in various national media outlets. Wallace was portrayed in the HBO movie Recount for his role in the disputed presidential contest.