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The Best And Worst Days Of The Year For Holiday Travel
The holiday season is supposed to be "the most wonderful time of year," but we all know that when it comes to traveling it can also be one of the most stressful and expensive times of year, too. Popular travel days lead to higher airfares, longer security lines, busier street traffic, and all around less merriment for those unprepared to deal with the hoards of travelers making their way through the particularly crowded airports. However, if you have a flexible schedule, it might delight you to know that there are a handful of days during the holiday season where traveling can be a breeze.
If you don't mind making your travel arrangements for Christmas Day, for instance, you won't have to put up with too many other travelers. Airlines sometimes give perks like upgraded seats or complimentary meals to those traveling on these days because, well, it's Christmas! If you don't want to travel on Christmas Day but have the ability to fly out a week before, CheapAir's flight report shows that December 18 is a good day for holiday travel as well. It's during crunch time that you can expect airports to turn into a circus. That includes days just before Christmas Eve as well as just before or after New Year's.
Best Days:
When booking flights for the holiday season it quickly becomes apparent which days will be the craziest for travelling, considering popular days tend to be on the more expensive side. That said, the "best days" are less popular for a reason. On these days airports should be somewhat calmer and flight tickets are usually cheaper because they often fall on holidays.
Christmas Eve: Monday, December 24
First up on the list of best days has to be December 24. According to CheapAir, Christmas Eve is a good time to fly for the holidays this year and can save "travelers an average of $76" as opposed to traveling on a more popular day, like the Saturday before. However, you do risk the possibility of missing Christmas if your flight gets canceled or delayed for any reason.
Christmas Day: Tuesday, December 25
Christmas is a good day for traveling if you don't want to deal with large crowds and are looking to save money on airfare. If you don't mind arriving to your destination on Christmas Day itself, you won't have to deal with much traffic nor the long security lines at the airport.
Before New Year's Eve: Friday, December 28
Between Christmas and New Year's Eve is a sweet spot for traveling, which happens to fall on December 28 this year. If you plan to spend the two holidays in different places, the 28th is just far enough past Christmas that you won't have to deal with the back-to-work flight rush, and early enough that people haven't quite left for their New Year's plans either.
New Year's Eve: Monday, December 31
Just as with Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve is also a good day to travel. According to the CheapAir holiday report, "NYE is the most economical day to fly" since travelers are typically flying before the holiday and not the day itself. However, if you don't mind partying as soon as your flight lands, you can avoid the holiday airport madness by traveling on NYE.
Worst Days:
The worst travel days are the ones that tend to be most desired by travelers because of convenience and timing. Beyond the high cost of flying on these popular travel days, you'll also run the risk of having a stressful experience with the potential to miss your flight if you get stuck in unusually busy traffic or excessively long security lines.
Week Before Christmas: Friday, December 21
People looking to make the most of their Christmas vacation will be flying out the weekend leading up to the holiday. With people leaving work early or heading to the airport as soon as they're done on Friday, traffic will be brutal, an indicator of what likely lies ahead at the airport. If you're leaving on this day you'll want to head out for the airport with ample time.
Weekend Before Christmas: Saturday, December 22
Much like Friday, December 22, Saturday is equally hectic for holiday travel for very similar reasons. Travelers are looking to spend as much time as possible with their loved ones during the holidays, and what better way than over the weekend when you don't have to take off any additional days from work? As mentioned with Friday travel, you'll want to get to the airport with more time than usual just to be on the safe side.
Day After Christmas: Wednesday, December 26
With Christmas taking place toward the beginning of the week this year, you can safely assume airports will be jam-packed on December 26 with people trying to make it back in time for the rest of the work week. Since the day after Christmas is so popular among travelers, you should also be prepared to encounter some of the highest flight fares of the season.
Day After the New Year: Wednesday, January 2
If you can wait a few extra days to fly home after the New Year, you should. January 2 is the most expensive day to fly, according to CheapAir's report — meaning almost everyone else will be trying to get home, which will likely result in you having to deal with long delays.


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A newer version of this documentation is available. Use the version menu above to view the most up-to-date release of the Greenplum 6.x documentation.
Shows the query plan of a statement.
EXPLAIN [ ( option [, ...] ) ] statement EXPLAIN [ANALYZE] [VERBOSE] statement
ANALYZE [ boolean ] VERBOSE [ boolean ] COSTS [ boolean ] BUFFERS [ boolean ] TIMING [ boolean ] FORMAT { TEXT | XML | JSON | YAML }
EXPLAIN displays the query plan that the Greenplum or Postgres Planner generates for the supplied statement. Query plans are a tree plan of nodes. Each node in the plan represents a single operation, such as table scan, join, aggregation or a sort.
Plans should be read from the bottom up as each node feeds rows into the node directly above it. The bottom nodes of a plan are usually table scan operations (sequential, index or bitmap index scans). If the query requires joins, aggregations, or sorts (or other operations on the raw rows) then there will be additional nodes above the scan nodes to perform these operations. The topmost plan nodes are usually the Greenplum Database motion nodes (redistribute, explicit redistribute, broadcast, or gather motions). These are the operations responsible for moving rows between the segment instances during query processing.
The output of EXPLAIN has one line for each node in the plan tree, showing the basic node type plus the following cost estimates that the planner made for the execution of that plan node:
- cost — the planner's guess at how long it will take to run the statement (measured in cost units that are arbitrary, but conventionally mean disk page fetches). Two cost numbers are shown: the start-up cost before the first row can be returned, and the total cost to return all the rows. Note that the total cost assumes that all rows will be retrieved, which may not always be the case (if using LIMIT for example).
- rows — the total number of rows output by this plan node. This is usually less than the actual number of rows processed or scanned by the plan node, reflecting the estimated selectivity of any WHERE clause conditions. Ideally the top-level nodes estimate will approximate the number of rows actually returned, updated, or deleted by the query.
- width — total bytes of all the rows output by this plan node.
It is important to note that the cost of an upper-level node includes the cost of all its child nodes. The topmost node of the plan has the estimated total execution cost for the plan. This is this number that the planner seeks to minimize. It is also important to realize that the cost only reflects things that the query optimizer cares about. In particular, the cost does not consider the time spent transmitting result rows to the client.
EXPLAIN ANALYZE causes the statement to be actually executed, not only planned. The EXPLAIN ANALYZE plan shows the actual results along with the planner's estimates. This is useful for seeing whether the planner's estimates are close to reality. In addition to the information shown in the EXPLAIN plan, EXPLAIN ANALYZE will show the following additional information:
- The total elapsed time (in milliseconds) that it took to run the query.
- The number of workers (segments) involved in a plan node operation. Only segments that return rows are counted.
- The maximum number of rows returned by the segment that produced the most rows for an operation. If multiple segments produce an equal number of rows, the one with the longest time to end is the one chosen.
- The segment id number of the segment that produced the most rows for an operation.
- For relevant operations, the work_mem used by the
operation. If work_mem was not sufficient to perform the operation in
memory, the plan will show how much data was spilled to disk and how many passes over the
data were required for the lowest performing segment. For
Work_mem used: 64K bytes avg, 64K bytes max (seg0). Work_mem wanted: 90K bytes avg, 90K bytes max (seg0) to abate workfile I/O affecting 2 workers. [seg0] pass 0: 488 groups made from 488 rows; 263 rows written to workfile [seg0] pass 1: 263 groups made from 263 rows
- The time (in milliseconds) it took to retrieve the first row from the segment that produced the most rows, and the total time taken to retrieve all rows from that segment. The <time> to first row may be omitted if it is the same as the <time> to end.
Only the ANALYZE and VERBOSE options can be specified, and only in that order, without surrounding the option list in parentheses.
- Carry out the command and show the actual run times and other statistics. This parameter defaults to FALSE if you omit it; specify ANALYZE true to enable it.
- Display additional information regarding the plan. Specifically, include the output column list for each node in the plan tree, schema-qualify table and function names, always label variables in expressions with their range table alias, and always print the name of each trigger for which statistics are displayed. This parameter defaults to FALSEif you omit it; specify VERBOSE true to enable it.
- Include information on the estimated startup and total cost of each plan node, as well as the estimated number of rows and the estimated width of each row. This parameter defaults to TRUE if you omit it; specify COSTS false to disable it.
- Include information on buffer usage. Specifically, include the number of shared blocks hit, read, dirtied, and written, the number of local blocks hit, read, dirtied, and written, and the number of temp blocks read and written. A hit means that a read was avoided because the block was found already in cache when needed. Shared blocks contain data from regular tables and indexes; local blocks contain data from temporary tables and indexes; while temp blocks contain short-term working data used in sorts, hashes, Materialize plan nodes, and similar cases. The number of blocks dirtied indicates the number of previously unmodified blocks that were changed by this query; while the number of blocks written indicates the number of previously-dirtied blocks evicted from cache by this backend during query processing. The number of blocks shown for an upper-level node includes those used by all its child nodes. In text format, only non-zero values are printed. This parameter may only be used when ANALYZE is also enabled. This parameter defaults to FALSE if you omit it; specify BUFFERS true to enable it.
- Include actual startup time and time spent in each node in the output. The overhead of repeatedly reading the system clock can slow down the query significantly on some systems, so it may be useful to set this parameter to FALSE when only actual row counts, and not exact times, are needed. Run time of the entire statement is always measured, even when node-level timing is turned off with this option. This parameter may only be used when ANALYZE is also enabled. It defaults to TRUE.
- Specify the output format, which can be TEXT, XML, JSON, or YAML. Non-text output contains the same information as the text output format, but is easier for programs to parse. This parameter defaults to TEXT.
- boolean
- Specifies whether the selected option should be turned on or off. You can write TRUE, ON, or 1 to enable the option, and FALSE, OFF, or 0 to disable it. The boolean value can also be omitted, in which case TRUE is assumed.
- statement
- Any SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, VALUES, EXECUTE, DECLARE, or CREATE TABLE AS statement, whose execution plan you wish to see.
In order to allow the query optimizer to make reasonably informed decisions when optimizing queries, the ANALYZE statement should be run to record statistics about the distribution of data within the table. If you have not done this (or if the statistical distribution of the data in the table has changed significantly since the last time ANALYZE was run), the estimated costs are unlikely to conform to the real properties of the query, and consequently an inferior query plan may be chosen.An SQL statement that is run during the execution of an EXPLAIN ANALYZE command is excluded from Greenplum Database resource queues.
For more information about query profiling, see "Query Profiling" in the Greenplum Database Administrator Guide. For more information about resource queues, see "Resource Management with Resource Queues" in the Greenplum Database Administrator Guide.
To illustrate how to read an EXPLAIN query plan, consider the following example for a very simple query:
EXPLAIN SELECT * FROM names WHERE name = 'Joelle'; QUERY PLAN ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gather Motion 3:1 (slice1; segments: 3) (cost=0.00..431.27 rows=1 width=58) -> Seq Scan on names (cost=0.00..431.27 rows=1 width=58) Filter: (name = 'Joelle'::text) Optimizer: Pivotal Optimizer (GPORCA) version 3.23.0 (4 rows)
If we read the plan from the bottom up, the query optimizer starts by doing a sequential scan of the names table. Notice that the WHERE clause is being applied as a filter condition. This means that the scan operation checks the condition for each row it scans, and outputs only the ones that pass the condition.
The results of the scan operation are passed up to a gather motion operation. In Greenplum Database, a gather motion is when segments send rows up to the master. In this case we have 3 segment instances sending to 1 master instance (3:1). This operation is working on slice1 of the parallel query execution plan. In Greenplum Database a query plan is divided into slices so that portions of the query plan can be worked on in parallel by the segments.
The estimated startup cost for this plan is 00.00 (no cost) and a total cost of 431.27. The planner is estimating that this query will return one row.
Here is the same query, with cost estimates suppressed:
EXPLAIN (COSTS FALSE) SELECT * FROM names WHERE name = 'Joelle'; QUERY PLAN ------------------------------------------ Gather Motion 3:1 (slice1; segments: 3) -> Seq Scan on names Filter: (name = 'Joelle'::text) Optimizer: Pivotal Optimizer (GPORCA) version 3.23.0 (4 rows)
Here is the same query, with JSON formatting:
EXPLAIN (FORMAT JSON) SELECT * FROM names WHERE name = 'Joelle'; QUERY PLAN ----------------------------------------------- [ + { + "Plan": { + "Node Type": "Gather Motion", + "Senders": 3, + "Receivers": 1, + "Slice": 1, + "Segments": 3, + "Gang Type": "primary reader", + "Startup Cost": 0.00, + "Total Cost": 431.27, + "Plan Rows": 1, + "Plan Width": 58, + "Plans": [ + { + "Node Type": "Seq Scan", + "Parent Relationship": "Outer", + "Slice": 1, + "Segments": 3, + "Gang Type": "primary reader", + "Relation Name": "names", + "Alias": "names", + "Startup Cost": 0.00, + "Total Cost": 431.27, + "Plan Rows": 1, + "Plan Width": 58, + "Filter": "(name = 'Joelle'::text)"+ } + ] + }, + "Settings": { + "Optimizer": "Pivotal Optimizer (GPORCA) version 3.23.0" + } + } + ] (1 row)
EXPLAIN (FORMAT YAML) SELECT * FROM NAMES WHERE LOCATION='Sydney, Australia'; QUERY PLAN -------------------------------------------------------------- - Plan: + Node Type: "Gather Motion" + Senders: 3 + Receivers: 1 + Slice: 1 + Segments: 3 + Gang Type: "primary reader" + Startup Cost: 0.00 + Total Cost: 10.81 + Plan Rows: 10000 + Plan Width: 70 + Plans: + - Node Type: "Index Scan" + Parent Relationship: "Outer" + Slice: 1 + Segments: 3 + Gang Type: "primary reader" + Scan Direction: "Forward" + Index Name: "names_idx_loc" + Relation Name: "names" + Alias: "names" + Startup Cost: 0.00 + Total Cost: 7.77 + Plan Rows: 10000 + Plan Width: 70 + Index Cond: "(location = 'Sydney, Australia'::text)"+ Settings: + Optimizer: "Pivotal Optimizer (GPORCA) version 3.23.0" (1 row)
There is no EXPLAIN statement defined in the SQL standard.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
By Paul Cruickshank
The trial of three Birmingham men convicted Thursday of plotting to launch a "catastrophic" suicide bombing attack in the United Kingdom revealed that al Qaeda has developed a new strategy to target the West.
The new strategy involves a teacher-training approach in which a select few Western operatives are taught bombmaking and other aspects of terrorist tradecraft in the tribal areas of Pakistan and are then instructed to return back to the West to "spread the knowledge" to a larger body of Islamist extremists keen on launching attacks.
The new approach is a response to the growing toll of drone strikes which have made travel to the tribal areas increasingly perilous for Western recruits and significantly diminished al Qaeda's ability to orchestrate terrorist plots from the region.
The trial revealed that terrorist groups in Pakistan are actively dissuading Western militants from making the trip.
Two of those convicted Thursday - Irfan Naseer and Irfan Khalid - received 40 days of terrorist training in the tribal areas of Pakistan in the spring of 2011, mostly inside houses in the valleys of Waziristan.
In conversations bugged by British police, the plotters described being handled by al Qaeda operatives and having attended a training camp run by Harakat al Mujahideen, a Pakistani terrorist group closely affiliated with al Qaeda.
The recordings revealed that like other Western militants before them, they were provided detailed instruction in the tricky and potentially hazardous methods to make bombs out of substances readily available in the West, and practiced detonating them. Their instructors included Arabs and Pakistanis.
They also were taught how to put poisons in face creams.
And their teachers emphasized they should put nails inside their bombs, to act as razor-sharp shrapnel.
Naseer, a pharmacy major and the plot's alleged ringleader, was heard recalling how one of their trainers had said the July 7, 2005, London bombers had missed an opportunity to kill more people by failing to put nails in their devices.
Naseer commented on how they were given so much information that they had accumulated 30-40 pages of notes.
They were told the smaller the cell they recruited the better, illustrating al Qaeda's move away from spectacular attacks on the 9/11 scale toward smaller strikes that have a better chance of getting through.
In the recordings played in court, Naseer said his cell should keep the numbers launching the attack in the United Kingdom to around half a dozen. The recordings, however, indicated the cell's plans grew increasingly ambitious with talk of launching an attack bigger than the 2005 London bombings.
The need for less ambitious attacks was previously stressed by two senior American al Qaeda operatives: al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and Adnan Shukrijumah, an operative believed to be still at large in Pakistan.
An internal al Qaeda strategy document, authored in around 2009, and recovered in 2011 from a Berlin operative, had called for a greater emphasis on low-cost low-tech attacks by Western militants, whom it said should be quickly trained in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
Teaching Westerners to teach back home
In Pakistan, Naseer and Khalid's al Qaeda handlers had a new "command" for them: go back and teach others.
Naseer is heard talking with an associate, keen on traveling to Pakistan, that he and Khalid wanted to stay in the United Kingdom to participate in the plot.
"AQ's main aim is... the knowledge that they give us, [they] want more and more people [to] have [the knowledge] in Europe. So they can start whacking [attacking] there, yeah, do you understand?
Analysts say that if al Qaeda manages to put into practice their new teacher training model, it will raise alarm bells with Western security services because it would reduce the need for Western militants to travel overseas for terrorist training.
"This seems to be a product of al Qaeda's desperation to try to get an attack through, but it's a potentially scary development," Raffaello Pantucci, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, who closely followed the trial, told CNN.
While Islamists militants have access to many bombmaking recipes online, analysts say they often contain potentially fatal errors and have been seen by militants as a poor substitute to hands-on training by an instructor schooled in the art of bombmaking.
Security services fear the presence of such instructors on Western soil could be a game changer.
Message from al Qaeda: Stay Put
The Birmingham case revealed that al Qaeda had begun actively dissuading recruits from going to Pakistan.
"They told me don't send anyone [more to us]," plot ringleader Naseer said in one of the recordings.
In a June 2011 video "You are Only Responsible for Yourself," released around the same time the Birmingham duo trained in Pakistan, al Qaeda's leadership in Pakistan had urged Western militants to stay home to launch attacks.
Khalid, in one conversation recorded by British police, pointed out that Inspire magazine - the online English publication of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen - had the same advice: "we don't want people to be traveling cos it's getting risky." In 2011 Samir Khan, an American member of the group, urged followers to launch attacks in the West rather than travellng to Yemen.
Naseer and Khalid painted a dim picture of the tribal areas of Pakistan in their attempt to stop their associate from traveling there.
"[Waziristan] hasn't got no more camps now... the brothers used to be in the mountains [but] the drones just get them straight away, they just bomb the camps, so ... they taught us inside houses," Naseer is heard telling the associate in the recordings played in court.
He described how he had had to cower for several hours in 100-degree heat when a drone circled above. "That day was bad ... it's a nasty situation to be in, man," chipped in Khalid.
Khalid described how the drones restricted movement for fighters in the region: "They were restricted to one place most of the time: One place to eat, sleep, go to toilet and do everything."
Terror training on UK soil
Naseer and Khalid implemented the new al Qaeda strategy when they returned to the United Kingdom. Just days before their arrest on September 18, 2011, Naseer provided Ashik Ali, the third Birmingham man convicted Thursday, with hands-on instruction in how to make explosives.
According to expert witnesses consulted in the trial, Naseer had acquired the correct knowledge to teach recruits how to make viable bombs. The recordings suggested their planned attacks were still months away.
In one of the bugged conversations, Naseer is heard suggesting that the restrictions on training in Pakistan meant it was just as effective training recruits in the West.
"[In the tribal areas] you get bit of an experience in fighting - but you know the rest of the stuff that could be taught - they taught us in a room."
At one point, Naseer warned Ali that if he hit or rubbed the explosives in a certain way it could explode and potentially kill him; just one of the many lessons he passed on from his training in Waziristan.
In the days before their arrest, Naseer experimented and tinkered with potential bombmaking chemicals in a Birmingham apartment, including the chemicals inside sports injury cold packs. The recordings revealed that his instructors in Pakistan had taught him that ammonium nitrate- – a potentially high powered explosive - could be extracted from such packs, demonstrating al Qaeda's continued inventiveness.
Pantucci told CNN the Birmingham case illustrated that despite intensified drone strikes in Pakistan, Western militants were still finding ways to connect with al Qaeda in the region, providing the terrorist groups opportunities to attack the West.
He said al Qaeda's new emphasis on training Westerners to in turn provide terrorist instruction in the West reflected the group's looser control over plots than just a few years ago.
Unlike the 7/7 bombers, and other recent terrorist conspiracies like a plot to attack Manchester in 2009, the Birmingham plotters do not appear to have been in touch with their handlers in Pakistan after returning to the United Kingdom.
Pantucci says the pressures on al Qaeda have resulted in a shift toward a new model of "fire and forget."
The March 2012 Toulouse terrorist shootings provided further evidence of looser control by al Qaeda of terrorist plots in the West. The perpetrator of the attack - Mohammed Merah - was encouraged by the group to return to France to launch an attack during a short stay in the tribal areas of Pakistan in September 2011 but planned every aspect of the operation himself, including which targets to strike.
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Sakuracon occurred, and we attended it. It was good to see Sam and Claire, to the extent that I actually did. The extended Questionable Content "kroo" also provided mechanically detectable amounts of joy. This was until I had to leave the convention unexpectedly, taking to the air in order to return to the ancestral homeland. This left Gabriel to manage a two-hour panel by himself in the convention's largest hall. I was distraught, but only regarding my dereliction and not because I thought he would be unable to manage it. He is the funny one, after all. It has ever been thus: he the damaged genius, and I the loyal archivist who scrambles to collect his mad prophecies.
Catching up with world events during our con-induced seclusion, I was surprised to hear Epic's dirty laundry with Microsoft aired on the newest (ahem) "1UP Yours" podcast. Is 1UP Yours the most important gaming podcast? Evidence is mounting.
Let us continue.
There have been comments floating around that Microsoft has been stalling the release of free content from the Xbox Live service until the creators of said content would agree to charge for it. I've heard this too, but I don't know how widespread it actually is. You should know that (in the case of Gears, anyway) the issue has been resolved already, with a solution drawn from Bungie's experience creating Halo 2 maps - a staggered premium release. That is to say, the maps will be available day one to paying customers, and then released free of charge at a date to be determined. There was an official response posted to a thread at Evil Avatar on the subject, clarifying the shared position.
It's really surprising to me that we ever heard anything about this - that Microsoft didn't realize when rumors like storm clouds began to gather it was time to get out in front of it. I understand their position, too: that the certification, promotion, and transfer of supposedly "free" content isn't something they want to make routine. They're trying to create an environment where content has value, for themselves and their partners. That's all well and good, but it's far too abstract to be used rhetorically - particularly for Gears, a four-million selling system exclusive title that symbolizes the strapping vigor of their platform. This kind of thing doesn't seem prudent to a person starving for new content to extend their experience, someone who is already paying a monthly fee for the privilege of paying more fees. Honestly, it just looks sort of shabby.
(CW)TB out.


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As some of you may recall, Windows Server 2008 shipped with SP1 already installed. Microsoft made this decision in order to synchronize the Windows client and server release schedule. As such, SP2 will be released simultaneously for both Vista and Server 2008. Earlier this month Microsoft put up Knowledge Base Article 948465, a placeholder for both Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008:
This Microsoft Knowledge Base article will be updated with more information about Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2) and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) when the information becomes available. Currently, the product release notes and related information about Windows Server 2008 SP2 and Windows Vista SP2 are not available.
History suggests that the service pack will arrive before the next release of Windows (remember that the late release of Vista is an exception), meaning that we could see Vista SP2 sometime next year (and this is what I think is most likely). However, given that Microsoft wants Windows 7 out the door as soon as possible, and since SP2 will be released for both the latest Windows client and server versions, Redmond might not follow its usual practices. The fact that we know a lot more about Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 than we do about this upcoming service pack shows where Microsoft's priorities currently lie. Beyond the usual bug fixes and performance improvements, SP2 is likely to include certain changes to Vista and Server 2008 that are coming in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, but what exactly that will entail is an unknown.


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Apparently Iran was on to something when it said the Saudi leadership wouldn't be around in another 20 years from now. Maybe Iran knew beforehand something was going on behind the scenes. Maybe Iran penetrated the Saudi leadership circles and now have influence.
We'll know more in the future about any possible influence as events unfold, especially if they become pro-Iran.
If Iran ever somehow took control of Saudi Arabia through influential channels, or united with them, they will have succeeded in their long-term ambitions of becoming the Middle East hegemon and new superpower on the world stage. How events have already been unfolding throughout the last decades, it seems already likely, but this would erase all doubt that Iran is the Biblically prophesied King of the South.
Senior member of Saudi royal family calls for coup to replace King Salman as the country's leader
A Saudi prince has reportedly launched an unprecedented campaign against Saudi King Salman, calling for a coup to replace the monarch, claiming he "led the country to disaster."
Speaking to the British daily The Guardian, the unnamed prince — one of the hundreds of grandsons of the nation's founder, Abdulaziz Ibn Saud — said plans were being put into place to replace Salman, who succeeded King Abdullah in January. Continue reading


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Cheetah Morning Hunt Mara Kenya 2012
Salaash, our friend and Masaai guide, got us out early and we found mom and her 2 cubs. They were very active as it was about 6:30 AM. They played and often used mom as a play and practice toy. Then mom found a baby Thompson's Gazelle and brought it back for the kids. Who tried to get it while in moms grasp. She put it down for them and after a little while, you will SEE when this happens, sees another baby Thompson's and goes for it. Gets it first try. Meanwhile the first gazelle was NOT dead and the kids chase it and bring it down. Eventually they dined on it. The second, and very dead, gazelle was just left there. There is also a video of mom finding the first Thompson's Gazelle and getting it in her mouth. Got to teach the kids early.Read More


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Peyton Manning's MVP bid comes into focus
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Peyton Manning got a head start in the MVP race.
By throwing seven touchdown passes on a Thursday night in the first week of September, before 30 other teams had even taken their first snap, Manning became the front-runner to win his fifth MVP award.
Fourteen games later, Manning remains the favorite.
"I don't think it's close, personally," Broncos coach John Fox said Wednesday.
Manning laughed, a deep, hearty chuckle even, when asked if he deserves to be the MVP. If it didn't have to do with Sunday's game against the Houston Texans, Manning didn't really want to discuss it, even if this is the time of year when the MVP discussion really gets cranking.
"It gets heated up maybe for you guys," Manning said. "It does not get heated up for me."
There will be late-season bids by players such as Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, with his five touchdowns last weekend against the Oakland Raiders, and quarterback Tom Brady, who has the New England Patriots on the verge of the AFC East title despite a lackluster group of players around him. Some young quarterbacks have entered the conversation, such as Russell Wilson, who has led the Seattle Seahawks to the NFL's best record, or the Philadelphia Eagles' Nick Foles, who, like Manning, has thrown seven touchdown passes in a game.
But voting for anyone other than Manning would be downright silly, at least according to Fox.
Fox stated his case for Manning's MVP candidacy less than two weeks before the 50 voters chosen by The Associated Press will cast ballots that contain just one name. This isn't like the Heisman Trophy, where voters can rank several worthy candidates.
Last year, Manning finished second in MVP voting to Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.
Fox thinks Manning should have won the award last year, when he led the Broncos on an 11-game winning streak in his first season in Denver. Manning has led the Broncos to a 11-3 record and is on pace to break several major individual records, including TD passes and passing yards.
"I don't think there is any question the kind of season he's having this year, and not just individual records. I think his win-loss record and team success speaks for itself," Fox said.
Manning has won four other MVP awards in his career — in 2003 (shared with Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair), 2004, '08 and '09. Never has he won the award by a unanimous vote. Manning was close in 2004, receiving all but one vote (that rogue vote went to then-Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick).
He likely won't be unanimous this year, either — if voting history is any indication. Even Brady, when he threw 50 touchdown passes and led the Patriots to an undefeated regular season in 2007, received 49 of the 50 votes. In 2011, two voters picked Drew Brees over Aaron Rodgers in a season in which Rodgers threw for more than 4,600 yards with 45 TD passes and six interceptions.
But even if Manning is reluctant to campaign for himself, his teammates and coaches — and even opponents — are willing to do it for him.
Through 14 games, Manning already has thrown for more yards than he did in any of his four prior MVP seasons, and he is within two touchdown passes (47) of tying the career high he set in 2004.
"No disrespect to any of these other great players, but I think he's No.1," receiver Andre Caldwell said.
An argument in Brady's favor could be his sustained success while playing significant stretches without tight end Rob Gronkowski and receiver Danny Amendola — the player signed to replace Wes Welker. In Denver, Caldwell is the perfect example of the similar argument that could be made for Manning.
When Welker missed last weekend's game with a concussion, Caldwell, the team's No. 4 receiver who had five catches in the first 13 games, caught six passes and scored two touchdowns.
Said Caldwell: "(An MVP) should be on a winning team, and it should also be about how much your team depends on you. There are some great players out there, but things would still roll. If we didn't have Peyton, it would be a totally different show around here."
While his teammates certainly want Manning to get the award, the Broncos insisted this week that they were driven by far more than breaking records and winning individual awards. Denver remains tied with the Chiefs atop the AFC West and can clinch the division title with a win vs. Houston this week and a Kansas City loss to the Indianapolis Colts. That won't happen, players said, if the Broncos play the way they did in a loss to the San Diego Chargers in Week 15.
Fixing an offense that scored 20 points and a running game that had 18 yards is of higher priority than notching TD passes Nos. 48, 49 and 50. The Broncos are 8-1 this season in games in which Manning has thrown at least three TD passes.
"We got whipped in a lot of areas," he said. "I would hope we respond to that loss with a better performance this week. It doesn't guarantee anything. There are a lot of teams that get mad when they lose and say, 'We're going to play better next week,' and it doesn't happen."


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COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka faced a possible constitutional crisis on Friday after its parliament voted to impeach the chief justice, disregarding rulings from the Supreme Court that the process was illegal and threatened judicial independence.
The move has caused an outcry among opposition lawmakers, religious leaders and lawyers, prompted the United States and United Nations to voice concern for the integrity of justice in the South Asian state, and may alarm foreign investors.
Dominated by a coalition headed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa's party, parliament voted to impeach Shirani Bandaranayake, Sri Lanka's first female chief justice, with 155 of the legislature's 225 members in favor.
During a two-day debate, lawmakers ignored rulings by the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal against the impeachment, after a parliamentary panel found Bandaranayake guilty of financial irregularities and failure to declare assets.
Bandaranayake will be removed from the post after Rajapaksa declares the outcome of the impeachment in the parliament, the date of which has not been announced.
Lawyers Collective, a judiciary activist group, said in a statement that the appointment of a new chief justice would be unconstitutional as Bandaranayake's removal was against the law.
"This impeachment calls into question issues about the separation of powers in Sri Lanka and the impact of its absence on democratic institutions," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ruled that parliament lacked the legal authority to investigate accusations of misconduct against the chief justice, while the Court of Appeal nullified the parliamentary panel findings.
Lawyers across Sri Lanka boycotted courts for a second day running on Friday in protest at the vote.
A black cloth was hung at the entrance of the Supreme Court building in Colombo, and some lawyers inside covered their mouths with black cloth or wore black headbands.
"There is already a constitutional crisis," S.L. Gunasekera, a senior lawyer and former ally of Rajapaksa, told Reuters.
"The government is totally intoxicated with power," Gunasekera added. "This (move) is to make the judiciary subservient, as are the police and the public service."
The clash between the government and judiciary has underlined the power wielded by Rajapaksa and his family in the island nation, where he has been president since 2005.
Relations between Rajapaksa and Bandaranayake soured after the chief justice ruled in September that a bill submitted by the president's younger brother, Basil Rajapaksa, proposing an 80 billion rupee ($614 million) development budget, must be approved by nine provincial councils.
The ruling party filed an impeachment motion on November 6 and a month later a parliamentary panel appointed by Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, the president's elder brother, found her guilty of three out of the five charges it probed.
Six opposition members walked out of the parliament on Thursday when the speaker rejected an opposition request to postpone the debate. They did not take part in Friday's vote.
"Sri Lanka's parliament and executive have effectively decapitated the country's judiciary in pursuit of short term political gain," the International Commission of Jurists said in a statement after the vote.
Political risk consultancy Eurasia Group said in a note published on Thursday that foreign investors' concerns about the rule of law in Sri Lanka had been heightened by the row, but that the domestic political costs for Rajapaksa were minimal. (Writing by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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Dear RotoRob: How's My NBA Team Looking?
Dear RotoRob,
It's that time of year again and I could use your sage advice. I just had my fantasy basketball draft. The format is 12 teams, H2H with FG percentage, FT percentage, 3-pointers made, Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, Blocks and Turnovers. We start: G, G, F, F, C and two utility spots (with four bench players). I drafted 10th overall and we have since decided to add another bench spot (five in total), so I would have the third pick off the waiver wire.
I need help evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of my team, and picking from the waiver wire.
1st Kevin Garnett
2nd Josh Smith
3rd Rudy Gay
4th Jason Kidd
5th Mike Miller
6th Tyson Chandler
7th Leandro Barbosa
8th Raymond Felton
9th Marcus Williams
10th Nene Hilario
11th Thaddeus Young
Players available on the wire include Monta Ellis (I shouldered the Gilbert Arenas load all last year and it crippled my team), Ronnie Brewer, Matt Barnes, Wilson Chandler, Tyrus Thomas, Jordan Farmar, Chris Duhon, Mickael Pietrus, Rodney Stuckey, Bobby Simmons, Andray Blatche, Paul Millsap, Sean May, (Ricky Davis?), etc.
Thanks for your help.
Well, I see a lack of assists outside of Kidd. Felton has lost the Bobcats confidence (and could be overtaken by D.J. Augustin) and Williams was supposed to take over for Baron Davis in Golden State, but hasn't even played yet, and is clearly not fitting in with Don Nelson. Nene is off to a great start, but is going to be a bust if he can't stay healthy for more than one straight game, so I would want the bench player to be a big man. From what you listed, I'd pick up Thomas, Blatche followed by May. Millsap is a season away from getting his minutes (he is waiting for Carlos Boozer to bolt or possibly be dealt).
Dear RotoRob,
Do any of you have one available or can you offer a written rule on when to veto a trade?
I'm the commissioner of a custom Yahoo! basketball league where most of us are in our second year together and we switched from a voting format to a situation where the commissioner decides on vetoing deals.
Last year, when I solicited input and votes we would get five or six strong opinions, but not enough votes in a 20-team format to overturn trades that many of us thought were unfair.
Now that I am the dictator, I'm trying to come up with an impartial rule (after the fact). My sense is that a trade should be vetoed for one of three reasons: (a) If it appears that the two teams are the same person or colluding together to make another team obviously better; (b) If one of the owners appeared to have been lacking important information such as a recent injury/actual NBA trade that should be considered; or (c) If an owner is extremely novice, and unfamiliar with the scoring system of the league.
This last one is the fuzziest – any help on cleaning it up?
This might be good column to write on – perhaps?
I can't go into your league because I am not a member of it. But, a trade should only be vetoed when collusion is involved or the trade is so lopsided that it is in the best interest of the league to protect an owner from himself. I don't like the idea of telling someone how to run their team unless it is absolutely necessary.
Now, with that being said, if team A trades, say, Larry Hughes to team B for T.J. Ford and Team B didn't know Hughes was going to miss four-to-six weeks, that is Team B's call. Ask him if he knew about the injury and if he still wants to do it. I am the Commish of a league and if I see something like that I will give all the insider info I have on injuries to both teams and ask if they still want to do it or not. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.
What I will also do if I think a trade is lopsided is I will ask for reasoning for the trade before I veto it. And, I say it just like that so they know my position and I want to know why trades are made before I decline them. If they make a strong case, fine. If they don't, veto! Saying some stupid crap like "Ya, I traded Jose Calderon for Ford because now that Ford is running the offense in Indiana, he is going to bust out with Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy." Uh, I am a writer for the Pacers and I am with the team all the time, and I say no he won't! Jarrett Jack will steal minutes from him. Ford is a top 20-ish PG, but his injury history is too much of a concern to deal him for a viable top 10 PG. Veto!
Basically, you can't make everyone run their team as you run yours. The veto button is only to be used for collusion or extremely lopsided trades. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean it isn't a fair deal. You may take a hit at PG because you have depth there to pick up a C because you are weak there. Most people will look at those stupid Yahoo! rankings and say "No. 102 ranked for No. 68, that ain't fair!" But, centres generally get lower overall rankings because their stats are rebounds, blocks, and FG% mostly. Use it sparingly, grasshopper! Hope that helps clear it up for you.
Here's the deal Matt was talking about:
Chauncey Billups, Lamar Odom, Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen for Russell Westbrook, Robin Lopez, Andrea Bargnani and Manu Ginobili.
And James' response to this proposed trade:
I just got the actual trade e-mail now. Based on what I see, I'd veto it. What he gets back is really just Manu and he is ranked around the lower end of the top 20 for SGs. Bargnani is coming off the bench behind Jermaine O'Neal and Chris Bosh. Lopez isn't even in the rotation now, so you can't count on anything from him. Westbrook isn't a true PG and couldn't win the job from Earl Watson! Maybe he overtakes him at some point in the season, but not to start.
On the other side, Odom is a legit top 15 SF and Billups is a top 6-8 fantasy PG. Okay, Haslem isn't much, but right now he's starting at C for the Heat with Michael Beasley at PF and he's playing very well. Andersen shouldn't have even been drafted! Nene is the starter and Steven Hunter (when healthy) is in the mix. Every star in the sky would have to align for Anderson to have fantasy value in your draft.
Basically, I'd say the guy who gets Odom and Billups get twice the deal as the other GM.
Haslem = Bargnani or Lopez
Manu = Odom
Westbrook = Anderson
Billups is supposed to be worth Bargnani or Lopez? Heck no!
I'd veto it.


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SOUTH BEND — Closing arguments are expected to begin Wednesday afternoon in the federal fraud trial of Indianapolis real estate broker John M. Bales and partner William E. Spencer after the defense raced through seven witnesses Tuesday and early Wednesday.
The defense made many of its points to the jury via tough cross-examinations of government witnesses before leading off its own case with former Department of Child Services Director James W. Payne, a long-time juvenile judge in Marion County.
Payne told the jury that Venture Real Estate Services, Bales' and Spencer's company, did a good job for DCS, delivering on a promise to find office space in Elkhart better suited for the agency's staff and children they serve.
"I thought it was a vast improvement," Payne said of the Elkhart office. "It was spacious and met our needs. It was an inviting and warm environment."
On cross examination, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Barrett noted that Payne did not oversee Venture's contract with the state (that responsibility fell to the Indiana Department of Administration), and Payne never inquired about the ownership arrangement for the Elkhart building.
Prosecutors say Bales and Spencer provided the down payment so Indianapolis attorney Paul J. Page could buy the property to lease to the DCS, without disclosing its involvement to the state or a bank. The government says the deal violates an agreement between Venture and the state that barred the company from direct or indirect ownership of properties where state agencies leased space, but the defense argues the arrangement was a loan.
The government took about five days to present its case after the proceedings began with jury selection on Jan. 28. Defense attorneys for each of the defendants will get about one hour for closing arguments, and the government is scheduled for an hour and a half to wrap up its case before the jury gets its instructions and begins deliberations.
The second defense witness Tuesday was Adam Gilliatte, a construction contractor and developer who intended to buy the Elkhart building and serve as landlord for DCS before he "got exhausted" waiting for the state to execute a lease and opted out of the deal.
Indianapolis developer Paul Kite also considered buying the Elkhart building, he testified Tuesday, but decided against becoming a state landlord.
Defense attorneys asked both Gilliatte and Kite whether Bales or Spencer had proposed Venture act as a partner or shadow investor in their deals, and both men said no.
The most time-consuming testimony Tuesday came from Marion Siara, a retired special agent for the Internal Revenue Service hired by the defense to review financial records in the case.
The defense introduced exhibits prepared by Siara, including one showing withdrawals by Page on the bank account of L&BAB LLC, the entity that owns the building. Page had been a co-defendant with Bales and Spencer until he accepted a plea deal in January.
Siara said his research uncovered transfers of $58,300 to Page personally and another $93,700 paid out to family members and associates, including $50,000 for Page's defense attorney, Robert Hammerle, who represented him in plea negotiations with the government.
The Elkhart building is and always was a losing deal for Bales and Spencer, Siara said. His estimates showed that if the building sold for $1.65 million as the defendants estimated in 2009, proceeds needed to pay off the bank loan and Venture investment would leave a $25,000 deficit, not a profit for Venture to split with Page as originally pondered.
The government has introduced emails that indicate Bales and Spencer expected to profit from the deal.
In another exhibit, Siara claimed Venture actually overpaid the state on the Elkhart lease commission refund since the value of the 10-year deal was higher than Venture had calculated. (Venture was required to remit 25 percent of its 4-percent commission on lease deals for the state to a discretionary project fund for the state's benefit.)
Barrett saved his toughest cross-examination of the trial for Siara, needling him when he acknowledged using Google to flesh out an exhibit showing where Page directed money from his L&BAB bank account.
Barrett also pressed the former IRS agent for his exhibit claiming the state had been overpaid on the Elkhart deal. The exhibit showed an adjusted amount due to Venture while keeping the total commission amount the same, resulting in a lower payment due to the state.
Siara said he was hired by the defense team in December 2012, a late date for a fast-approaching trial, and did not know whether another financial analyst had worked on the case for the defense before he came onboard.
Other defense witnesses: Ed Scahill, a Huntington Bank commercial loan officer who said he was "quite surprised" to learn in October 2009 there was a second mortgage on the Elkhart building, but took no action since the loan was performing; and David Nugent, a commercial real estate broker based in Fort Wayne, who explained the concept of a "shared-appreciation loan," which the defense says describes the Elkhart deal.
"It's a loan, it's a mortgage, that's it," Nugent said. "It's not ownership."
On cross-examination, Barrett read Nugent portions of the code of ethics for the National Association of Realtors, which appeared to contradict Nugent's claim that brokers can represent multiple parties at once on a deal.
Barrett said the code makes clear that brokers may not accept payment from multiple parties without disclosure; Nugent contended that a broker can be paid a sale commission, lease commission and development fee on a building because each of those transactions is separate.
The final witness for the defense was Caroline Karanja Smith, a former Venture employee who worked on the DCS office rollout. She testified Wednesday morning that the state officials overseeing her, including leasing director Steve Harless, were satisfied with Venture's work.
The defense introduced an email Harless sent to Smith and another Venture employee: "Without their constant support we would be screwed," Harless wrote. "Good luck and God Bless America!!"
Defense attorney Jason Barclay also asked Smith, who handled property management for the Elkhart building, to describe her interactions with Page. She said he was hard to pin down.
She agreed with Barclay when he asked whether it was a "fair assessment" to call Page "lazy."
To catch up on IBJ's coverage of the trial and Elkhart lease deal, click here.


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SonyInsider dug up an FCC filing that indicates that the forthcoming PSP Go will have a significantly faster top processor speed than than current PSP models. Specifically, the Go's CPU can clock up to 480MHz, compared to the 333MHz speed of the existing models.
The site ends the post by asking the obvious question: "What will a 480MHz PSP Go bring to the table?" I suspect the answer to this is, "Nothing that hasn't already been announced." Let me explain.
If Sony is going to transition from physical media to digital distribution and an app store model, it will want to take full advantage of a very old technology that cuts back on download times by trading processor cycles for network bandwidth and storage space: compression. UMD PSP games are already highly compressed, and this accounted for the initial PSP models' epic load times—load times that were decreased with later additions of more memory for caching uncompressed data.
PSP Go users will be relying on wireless connections to move content onto the device, and right now PSP games max out at 1.8GB, which is the size of a UMD. My guess is that Sony will loosen the 1.8GB size restriction at some point, so PSP users may end up with relatively large game downloads. When you add in any downloadable game add-ons and expansions that Sony makes available, it's clear that the 16GB of storage on the device will be fairly precious. It's also the case that it costs money to serve up large downloads—bandwidth is not yet free. So developers will get pressure from Sony to keep file sizes down in order to minimize transport charges. All of this indicates that compression will be every bit as important as it was in the UMD era, if not more so.
My guess is that the extra 147MHz that the Go will ship with will be used to unpack game data that has been compressed to the gills. It may also go to non-game, Go-specific applications, like a browser. Where it will probably not go, however, is toward improved graphics for games.
For the foreseeable future, the PSP Go is likely to represent a very small fraction of the PSP installed base, so it makes little sense for a developer to spend any resources on higher quality assets for a version of a game that will only reach a tiny slice of users.
So as much as I'd like to fantasize about improved visuals on Sony's new UMD-less handheld, I'm afraid we'll have to wait for the second-generation PSP to get anything like that. And given the financial shape that Sony is in right now, I can imagine that the company is currently more focused on looking for ways—like the PSP Go and online game store—to monetize existing technology investments than it is on accelerating the production of the next portable console.�
Get used to the PSP's graphics, because they'll probably be with us for some time to come.
Listing image by Eurogamer


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WIBTA for dividing money meant for just my son between all 3 of my (adopted/step) kids?(self)
A few years ago I got pregnant and married the father, who was such an awful husband/father that when we split up I not only got custody of our shared biological child, but I also got custody of his 2 biological kids, who have no relation to me. They have different birth mothers, who were never involved with the kids and have allowed me to take sole guardianship. Guardianship of the kids was first offered to the biomother and father's extended families, and everyone refused. I'm saying all of this to establish that I am the only family these kids have, and their bio families will never be involved. I love all 3 of my kids, and they see themselves as regular siblings and see me as their mother (despite knowing the truth). I've known the older kids since they were 6 and 18 months old, and my kids are now 4, 6, and 7.
My grandparents (the kids' great-grandparents) are aware of all of this and always seemed to love all 3 of my kids and treated them equally. However, I went to see them recently and they gave me a cheque for 40 grand. They explained that they've sold their house, downsized, and made a massive profit, and my dad recently came to them asking for some money, while my brother is getting married next year, and they know that with the current situation I've been having some money problems, so they're essentially giving out inheritance early. They said my brother got 20 grand, so 20 grand of it is for me, and the other 20 grand is for my 4 year old. They want me to put it in an account with interest and let it sit until he's old enough (they left the details to me). I asked about the other kids and they responded that all 3 kids would get the same amount in the will when my grandparents actually pass away, but this was a "bonus" for my 4 year old because my older 2 "have their real families to help them out". I reminded them that the older 2 don't have any other family, and they said they weren't going to justify themselves so either take the cheque or don't, but don't argue. I took the cheque and left.
This feels incredibly unfair to the older kids, and I can only see it causing issues as they get older. I can't give them 20 grand each to make up the difference, as I just don't have that in savings (even when taking into account the money my grandparents gave me). I feel that the fairest thing to do would be to split the money between all 3 kids, and give them an account/fund each and just not tell my grandparents about it, however, my brother called me to ask what I'm going to do and when I told him what I was thinking he said that would go directly against our grandparent's wishes and be incredibly unfair to my youngest, and that not telling them would make it look worse when the truth inevitably comes out.
Info: forgot to mention we're in England, so medical bills and college funds aren't such a huge concern.
Update: I'm giving the money back. I can't win here. If I split the money, that's unfair to the 4 year old, if I don't split it, it's unfair to the other 2. Best way to avoid later issues is just remove the money from the equation.
your grandparents may have just said that the other kids will get inheritance later when they really plan to leave some only to your one
your grandparents may have just said that the other kids will get inheritance later when they really plan to leave some only to your one
If they were going to be fair, they wouldn't have been AH now


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Tenement House
Mayor Michael Bloomberg's poverty commission (officially called the Commission for Economic Opportunity) released its long awaited report on September 18, with a slew of statistics and recommendations about confronting poverty. Below, a dozen responses, which offer a glimpse at some of the many kinds of New Yorkers who are poor:
Disconnected Youth
David Jason Fischer of the Center for an Urban Future approves of the commission's focus on young adults, arguing that moving these young adults into steady jobs will not only help them stabilize their lives, but fill a major economic need as well. (Read More)
A Blueprint for Children
With 50 percent of all children in New York being born into poverty, the mayor's plan provides a good blueprint for addressing the problem, writes Donna Lawrence of the Children's Defense Fund. The key, though, is how he fills in the details on health insurance, childcare and other important issues. (Read More)
The Working Poor
Urban anthropologist Katherine Newman discusses how many fast food workers – one of the archetypical jobs for the working poor – were able to work their way from poverty to the middle class – and why those who couldn't do so failed. (Read More)
The Government's Role
Heather MacDonald of Manhattan Institute's City Journal urges the government to concentrate on the few things it can do -- creating rigorous, demanding schools and safe streets --, and stay away from things beyond its capacity, such as forcing people to be responsible parents. (Read More)
New Yorkers on Welfare
Public assistance recipient Ketny Jean-Francois argues that any response to poverty must explicitly deal with getting New Yorkers on welfare into stable jobs. (Read More)
Helping People Get Good Jobs
As more jobs pay less and offer fewer benefits, the number of poor people increases. Bich Ha Pham of Hunger Action Network says any strategy to reduce poverty must help people get better jobs.(Read More)
Keeping People Out of College
Higher education can help people get out of poverty but, writes Lynne Weikart of Baruch College, a number of barriers, from high tuition to welfare rules, keep New Yorkers out of college. (Read More)
Poverty Among the Elderly
Seniors in New York City are more than twice as likely to live in poverty as the elderly across the country, writes Bobbie Sackman of the Council of Senior Centers and Services of New York City. She explains why and proposes some steps that could be taken to address the problem. (Read More)
From Foster Care To Poverty
"Aging out" of foster care often leads to a life of poverty. For that to change, argue Betsy Krebs and Paul Pitcoff of Youth Advocacy Center, the foster care system must change. (Read More)
Immigrants and the Language Barrier
Over half of the city's immigrants at either impoverished or near poor. The major issue that needs to be addressed, writes Chung-Wha Hong of the New York Immigration Coalition, is the language barrier. (Read More)
The High Cost of Credit
High-interest loans and a shortage of decent financial services in low-income neighborhoods make New York's poor even poorer, says Sarah Ludwig of the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project. (Read More)
Implementing the Plan
Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum praises the mayor for confronting poverty, but says the issue of funding must be addressed, and public benefits and programs for single mothers should be added as the commission's strategy is implemented. (Read More)


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RTC Championship Previews: Summit LeaguePosted by Brian Goodman on March 9th, 2013
Eli Linton is the RTC correspondent for the Summit League.
Tournament Bracket
Who's Hot, Who's Not
Looking at the last month of play, you would have to say that Fort Wayne and Oakland are coming in as the hottest teams. I wouldn't expect too much from Fort Wayne, but Oakland may be a team to keep an eye on. As for who is cold? North Dakota State stumbled into the tournament, and in a way, South Dakota State doesn't have it all together like they would hope, dropping back-to-back games to Murray State and Cal State Bakersfield. If you are a believer in momentum, then you may be leaning toward Western Illinois or Oakland for this championship. But if you think home court and, well, overall skill has something to do with it, then the Dakota teams will be the favorites in this tournament.
Possible NCAA Tournament Seeding
So if you're like me, you will be watching this weekend wondering who you can scratch into the bottom half of your bracket as a possible Cinderella team. According to kenpom.com, SDSU has the best rank at 109, while Western Illinois is a distant 131st. If SDSU wins, they will probably pull a 14-seed, but I could even see a 13 depending on how the rest of the conference championships play out. If WIU wins, then expect a 15-seed. If anyone else decides to make a crazy run at this, then you can expect to see them in one of those first round games.


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Tunisia, Egypt, Miami: The Importance of Internet Choke Points
The news Thursday evening that Egypt had severed itself from the global Internet came at the same time as an ostensibly far less inflammatory announcement closer to home. Verizon, the telecom giant, would acquire "cloud computing company" Terremark for $1.4 billion. The purchase would "accelerate Verizon's 'everything-as-a-service' cloud strategy," the press release said.
The trouble is that Terremark isn't merely a cloud computing company. Or, more to the point, the cloud isn't really a cloud.
Among its portfolio of data centers in the US, Europe and Latin America, Terremark owns one of the single most important buildings on the global Internet, a giant fortress on the edge of Miami's downtown known as the NAP of the Americas.
The Internet is a network of networks. But what's often forgotten is that those networks actually have to physically connect -- one router to another -- often through something as simple and tangible as a yellow-jacketed fiber-optic cable. It's safe to suspect a network engineer in Egypt had a few of them dangling in his hands last night.
Terremark's building in Miami is the physical meeting point for more than 160 networks from around the world. They meet there because of the building's excellent security, its redundant power systems, and its thick concrete walls, designed to survive a category 5 hurricane. But above all, they meet there because the building is "carrier-neutral." It's a Switzerland of the Internet, an unallied territory where competing networks can connect to each other. Terremark doesn't have a dog in the fight. Or at least it didn't.
Verizon insists there's nothing to worry about. Terremark will be set up as a wholly owned subsidiary. Its carrier-neutral status will remain. "We're not going to try to cramp their style at all," said Lowell McAdam, President and COO of Verizon. "There will be no moves to take certain customers out of play."
I can't help but think of it in the context of another recent purchase. Earlier this month, Google bought its New York office building, 111 8th Avenue, for a reported $1.9 billion. As the Wall Street Journal described, "about one third of the space is occupied by telecommunications companies." But that's severely understating the situation: 111 8th is another of the most important buildings on the Internet, on a short list of fewer than a dozen worldwide. Like the NAP of the Americas, it houses hundreds of independent networks, scattered across the office spaces of multiple independently owned sub-landlords. And now Google owns the whole thing. One assumes that they're not going to cramp their style either.
"It's not about the 'carrier hotel' space," said Google Senior Vice President Jonathan Rosenberg. "We have 2,000 employees on site. It's a big sales center, but also a big engineering center. With the pace at which we're growing, it's very difficult to find space in New York. There are very few buildings in New York that can accommodate our needs. This gives us a lot of control over growing into the space."
But on a day when the government to 80 million people managed to throw the Internet's "kill switch," it's worth remembering that the Internet is a physical network. It matters who controls the nodes. With these two deals, Google and Verizon may have chipped away at the foundation walls of an open, competitive--and therefore free -- Internet.
Images: 1. Alex Hoyt. 2. Terremark.


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Happy summer, and congratulations to the Tulane Law Class of 2015!
It's only been one week since Commencement, and we're already missing our students at Weinmann Hall. But as we reflect on a spring semester packed with one-of-a-kind experiences and celebrations, spanning events such as the Summit on Environmental Law & Policy to Thank You Thursdays, we're prouder than ever to be part of the Tulane Law community. And we can't wait to do it all again next year.
Click the thumbnails below to view them as full images.
PS: Don't be strangers! Share your summer experiences with us on social media using #TulaneLawSummer.


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Once we receive your item, we will inspect it and notify you that we have received your returned item. We will immediately notify you of the status of your refund after inspecting the item. If your return is approved, we will initiate a refund to your credit card (or original method of payment). You will receive the credit within a certain amount of days, depending on your card issuer's policies.
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The News of the World and other Murdoch papers seem to have been able to "buy" certain government employees. Why don't they realise that, if this information exists, then it is at the mercy of human beings who may easily be corrupted by the press (or worse) for private gain?
Tim Berners-Lee Says UK's Net Spying Plans Would Be 'Destruction Of Human Rights'
from the and-he-should-know dept
Not content with inventing the Web and then giving it away, Tim Berners-Lee remains highly active in warning about the threats the Internet and its users face. Most recently he has taken on the British government's disproportionate plans to store information about every email sent and Web page visited in the UK:
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who serves as an adviser to the government on how to make public data more accessible, says the extension of the state's surveillance powers would be a "destruction of human rights" and would make a huge amount of highly intimate information vulnerable to theft or release by corrupt officials. In an interview with the Guardian, Berners-Lee said: "The amount of control you have over somebody if you can monitor internet activity is amazing."
What's particularly useful about his latest intervention is not just the authority with which he speaks on this subject, but the specificity of his warning:
"The idea that we should routinely record information about people is obviously very dangerous. It means that there will be information around which could be stolen, which can be acquired through corrupt officials or corrupt operators, and [could be] used, for example, to blackmail people in the government or people in the military. We open ourselves out, if we store this information, to it being abused."
That is, even leaving aside concerns about crucially important issues such as privacy and total surveillance, the UK plans are an awful idea from a purely practical viewpoint: they will actually make the UK less safe for all the reasons that Berners-Lee lists. Because of this fundamental flaw, he emphasizes:
"the most important thing to do is to stop the bill as it is at the moment"
Let's hope the UK government listens to its own adviser, at least.
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and on Google+
Filed Under: human rights, internet freedom, spying, tim berners-lee, uk


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January 16th, 2014
The Cherokee Indians are preserving the roots of their heritage with a program that allows officially recognized members of the tribe to access seeds that are unique to the Cherokee Nation.
Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Bill John Baker explained the seeds' lineage to CNN. "This strain of seeds came with us on the Trail of Tears," he said, referring to the forced migration of Cherokee nation from their land east of the Mississippi to an area that is now Oklahoma. The 15,000-person march took place in 1838 and 1839 under Andrew Jackson's Indian removal policy, and resulted in the deaths of an estimated 4000 Cherokees, due to starvation and sickness.
"They have been preserved and grown every year before that, and they are the basic foods God gave us that we grew long before the contact with Europeans," Baker continued.
Baker takes special pride in the Cherokee White Eagle dent corn offering. "If you look at each individual seed there is an eagle on the corn," he said.
Heirloom seeds - which come from plants that have remained genetically unchanged and have been open-pollinated (by insects, birds, wind, etc.) for at least 50 (some say 100) years - are prized by cooks, farmers and scientists not just for their exquisite flavor, but also for their genetic diversity, and the stories they tell about generations long past. Baker embraces that mission.
"We are going to keep the seed stock alive and keep storing and keeping them pure," he promised.
The Natural Resources Department's current offerings include two breeds of corn, two kinds of beans (including Trail of Tears beans), two gourds and medicinal tobacco, traditionally used for Cherokee customs. At this time, they are only available to members of the Cherokee Nation who have a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood. The seeds are not available in stores, and eligible parties may request two varieties via an in-person appointment or cherokee.org.
Chief Baker believes the program, which started in 2006, underscores the idea of Cherokees helping Cherokees. "We think we have plenty for our members, and we are growing the gardens every year to provide us with the seed stock. But at this point our citizens are the only ones that seeds are being made available to. If more than 5,000 packages of seeds get requested, then we will distribute more."
This is no small gesture, as the seeds also provide a formidable food source. "If you plant corn and you decided to save the seeds, one packet of seed corn would probably make enough corn to share with a hundred families," Baker said.
"This is just another way we can preserve our link to the land."
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Le Nain
Le Nain lə năN [key], family of French painters consisting of three brothers:
Antoine Le Nain, 1588?–1648, Louis Le Nain, 1593?–1648, and Mathieu Le Nain, 1607–77. They went to Paris from Laon c.1629 and were admitted to the Académie royale at the time of its foundation in 1648. It is believed that much of their work was done in collaboration. Antoine excelled in painting colorful miniatures of family scenes. Mathieu became painter to the city of Paris in 1633 and specialized in portraiture and in depicting the city militia. Louis is credited with the conception of the famous Le Nain genre scenes of peasant life. At a time when allegorical compositions in France were the rule, these pictures are unique in the choice of peasants as subject matter, treated sympathetically and realistically, and yet arranged in almost classical compositions. Among the paintings by the Le Nain brothers may be cited The Forge and Peasants' Repast (Louvre) and Portrait Group (National Gall., London).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: European Art, 1600 to the Present: Biographies


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Forrest is a huge fan of salad and asked for a salad for lunch yesterday. I purchased some Wasabi Powder at Saratoga Salsa and Spice Company a couple of months ago in Saratoga Springs, NY and have been looking to find a recipe that required the spicy horseradish powder. This salad dressing was perfect. The heat of the wasabi powder was balanced out perfectly by the sweetness of the maple syrup. The flavor of the dressing was very smooth and this scrumptious salad was effortless to put together.
Asian Chicken Salad with Sweet and Spicy Wasabi Dressing
Adapted from Cooking Light April 2009
4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups salad and 3 wonton strips)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon wasabi powder (dried Japanese horseradish)
- 1/4 teaspoon NO-SALT salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (11.4-ounce) package Asian supreme salad mix (such as Fresh Express) - if you find this brand it will contain the wonton strips and dried cherries.
- 1 (8 1/4-ounce) can mandarin oranges in light syrup, drained
- 2 cups shredded cooked rotisserie chicken breast (about 3/4 pound)
- 1 diagonally cut green onion
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.
2. Add salad mix to vinegar mixture, reserving wonton strips for topping and sesame-orange dressing from salad mix for another use. Add oranges, dried cherries and chicken; toss gently to coat.
Top evenly with green onion and reserved wonton strips.


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Western District pioneers were exposed to most of the elements Australia offers including flood, drought and fire. Each had its own devastating effect on their lives and livelihood, particularly those on the land.
By summer 1905, my Harman family of Byaduk had already experienced bushfire, Fires in 1888, 1896, 1901, and 1902 had seen the loss of stock, grazing land and life. Bushfires today are just as devastating but the pioneers of the 19th century and early 20th century did not have the weather forecasting, firefighting equipment and communications now available. When a fire went close to their homes at Byaduk on 11 January 1905, one can only imagine how they managed.
The fire broke away in the stony ground near the Byaduk Caves and travelled southerly at a rapid pace.
The first Harman hit was George Harman, son of James Harman. His property Quetta was on the north-eastern corner of the Hamilton-Port Fairy Road and what is now Harman's Road. The fire crossed the main road on to his father's property Mt Pleasant and Frank Kinghorn's The Island next door. Alfred Harper, lost all the timber for a new house, while others lost haystacks. Forty men were fighting the fire but wind changes made it almost impossible for them. The Portland Guardian reported on the fire on 13 January 1905.


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Posted on February 16, 2012 at 8:30am 0 Comments 0 Likes
I am not a huge fan of graffiti. It is fine if it is artistically done and placed there with the owner's permission. We have an area in town where all of the buildings have giant graffiti murals and some of them are truly beautiful.
But, most often in our tiny town, we just have young kids with spray paint cans writing their names (or expletives, or gang names, or pictures of gigantic boobs) where ever they feel like. There is nothing…
Posted on February 15, 2012 at 1:58pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
|I have become addicted to making doll clothes for my namesake - Heather (pictured above). …
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 4:12pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Z did not want to go to sleep last night. I know that this comes as no surprise to those of you that read regularly, the child rarely sleeps and when she does, it is not for a very long period of time.
Last night was different. She seemed genuinely afraid and upset.
Momma, if I go to sleep Cupid will shoot me in the heart with his Love Arrow.
Posted on February 13, 2012 at 8:30am 0 Comments 0 Likes
There have been a myriad of complaints lately, that while people see my husband and my child, they haven't seen much of me, really since Christmas. My only response to this has always been that I am grounded. Today, I am going a bit more in depth with that.
When you don't see me, I might be at work, helping to make our state a better…
I'm doing my part to help raise awareness regarding the issues surrounding cervical cancer and HPV; empowering women to take control of their health. Please feel free to pass it long! Blog: http://julnet.typepad.com/ibelieveintomorrows/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BelieveinTomorrows
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BelievnTomorrow
Love and Hugs!
I hope you are having a wonderful day...
I just wanted to share and pass on some of the freebies that are going on right now at Target, http://www.dazzlingdailydeals.com/2011/04/few-target-freebies.html
Please feel free to share this on your blog, if you would like to stay up on deals like this and many more... please "LIKE or FOLLOW" Thank you
I will return the favor!!
Heather, i 'm following your blog http://timeoutmomma.blogspot.com/.
Hope you can follow me in return, thanks...
My name is Missy and I am also a member of the Mom Bloggers Club. I have a blog,www.luxurybeautyproducts.blogspot.com and I also run the blog hop network.
I wanted to let you know that I am following you, and hoping when you get a chance you can follow me back. I also want to invite you to join my groups, The Blog Hop Network, Beauty Bloggers, and Children's businesses. Also, I would love to place a link to your site on my blog if you want to do the same with my blog on yours. Please let me know by sending me an email regarding this and it has been nice meeting you via the web.
Welcome to MBC!
Just wanted to share my blog with you :)
Little Boys are Made of Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
I'm also a Scentsy consultant and looking for other moms to join my team: Kick the Wick
I host a blog hop every Tuesday! Come link up with us...it's a great way to get new followers!
You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter
I'm looking forward to reading your blogs!


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PetsWar, must-have TD game for your iPhone, iPod touch in 2011! It began with the invasion of an evil wizard with a gang of hideous monsters. Your homeland, Green Kingdom, was in danger of being destroyed. People got bewitched and lost. With inborn super power, you, a cowboy, survived the spell. The power also endows you with the ability to command an army of pets to fight with you. PetsWar comes with numerous characters, 18 scenes and 29 levels. The higher the level is, the harder it becomes, with fiercer attackers and tougher battlefield. Long for victory? March onward!
1. The combat-ready pets you selected for this level.
2. Your start-up coins.
3. Eraser. You can wipe away the pet within the combat zone.
4. Menu.
5. The magic flowers you collected.
6. Cowboy, the role you are playing.
7. Game level.
8. Pets you earned or bought will appear in the selection box. Choose any pet available for new round of fighting.
9. Vacant slot is ready for placing your selected pet.
10. Click to visit the shop. Mr. Woo, the shop owner, has plenty of pets you may like.
11. After you select and click on the pet, it will appear in the left slot. Meanwhile, the relevant selection box turns gray and unclickable. To unselect, click on the pet in the slot. Then you can choose other pet.
12. Fill up all slots before you start the game.
13. Preview the incoming monster attackers.
14. When the icon turns red, click it to start the fighting.
15. All pets cost some amount of coins to get. When coins are insufficient, the pet gets frozen and unselectable. When it lights up, you can use it again.
16. Battlefield.
17. The magic you can use. After collecting a certain amount of magic flowers, you can perform magic to resist attackers.
18. The number of remaining attackers.
Copyright © 2011 Digiarty Software, Inc. All rights reserved