Scotland Marks St.Andrew's Day

Scotland and other countries,as well as the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches,are observing St.Andrew's Day today,November 30.It is a bank holiday in Scotland-an optional day off which will take place on Monday,since November 30 is on Saturday this year.The weekend will be celebrated with parties,dances and dinners.People will paint their faces with the Saltire,the X-shaped St.Andrew's cross,which is also the flag of Scotland.
This year,the event is marred by tragedy,the dimensions of which are still unclear as of time of publication.A police helicopter crashed into a crowded pub,Clutha Vaults,in Glasgow,causing a roof collapse.Many people were trapped inside and rescue teams are gingerly extricating them.The structure is very unstable.Casualty figures are not being released yet,but several injuries and some fatalities are anticipated.
St.Andrew's Day is being observed with church services;the wearing of kilts;the ceilidh,or traditional dancing;preparation of traditional Scottish food;and the playing of bagpipes.
It is also celebrated in Romania;Greece;Russia;Ukraine;the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople;St.Andrew's Barbados;and in churches and ethnic communities worldwide.St.Andrew was one of the Apostles of Jesus Christ.He and his brother Peter left the fishing trade when they were called to be "fishers of men" by the Lord.According to tradition,he preached along the shores of the Black Sea and as far east as Kiev,founding the see of Byzantium-later called Constantinople and today Istanbul,Turkey-and installing its first permanent bishop,Stachys.Eventually he irked the pagans and was crucified for his faith by being bound to an X-shaped cross,according to the Acts of Andrew,an early text familiar to historian St.Gregory of Tours in the sixth century.
Scottish tourism publicises the holiday extensively.

Holly Throsby on RocKwiz Sydney,Australia

Holly Throsby - A Heart Divided Sydney,Australia

Lockett Meadow

Lockett Meadow, a photo by Coconino National Forest on Flickr.

Mike Elson,US Forest Service photo,Coconino National Forest,Arizona.

Lakers Halt Warriors;Navy Stops San Jose State

The Los Angeles Lakers(6-7) halted the Golden State Warriors 102-95 Friday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.Both teams are hobbled by injuries,with the Lakers missing Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant,while the Warriors lack Stefan Curry.The Lakers handled it better as Pau Gasol stepped us with 24 points,10 rebounds,3 assists and a block.Jordan Farmar and Steve Blake helped with 14 points each.
For the Warriors(8-5),David Lee led with 21 points,13 rebounds,4 assists and a steal.Hamilton Barnes contributed 20 points.
You look at our team,Nash said,there are not a lot of NBA starters.It takes a lot of discipline.Sacrificing yourself for your teammates is paramount.I've had a lot of teammates and coaches who allowed me to be successful.
I like Golden State.That's a championship starting lineup.If they can find a bench,they've got to be in the conversation.
The truth is,a lot of guys have been discarded by their teams.They have a lot of talent.In this system,it does take effort.I think Chris Paul is the best point guard in the league.I love Stef Curry.
The came continues to evolve,the Canadian star observed.He attended Santa Clara University before playing for the Phoenix Suns,Dallas Mavericks,and now the Lakers.He is currently sidelined with a back injury,but says he 18 more months of basketball in him,and he intends to make the most of them.
I got good rhythm going on,Pau Gasol said at halftime,and it was good enough to bring the Lakers within one game of .500.*
In a big college football struggle,the US Naval Academy Midshipmen edged the San Jose State Spartans 58-52 in three overtimes.Navy sophomore quarterback Keenan Reynolds ran for an impressive seven touchdowns,and passed for one more.That brings Navy to a 7-4 record and improves their chances of getting a better bowl invitation.
The Army-Navy game is December 18.*
In European Tour golf,the 2014 season got underway at the South African Open Championship hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni at Glendower Golf Club.After two rounds,Marco Crespi(ITA) topped the leaderboard along with native son Charl Schwartzel(RSA) at -12.Morten Madsen(DEN) held third place at -11.

Paramore: Daydreaming [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Air refueling

Air refueling, a photo by The National Guard on Flickr.

A South Carolina ANG F-16 receives fuel from a KC-135R Stratotanker en route to SC from training at Nellis AFB,Nevada November 12,2013.

Paramore: Still Into You [OFFICIAL VIDEO] (+playlist)

Stenson Tops in Dubai,Adam Scott in Melbourne;Knicks Off

The Super Swede,Henrik Stenson,holds the lead at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai,United Arab Emirates after two rounds.Swede,who earlier won the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour,is now vying for an unprecedented double by also leading in the European Tour's Race To Dubai,its overall season championship.In Round 2 at Dubai,Stenson birdied the eighteenth hole to take sole possession of the lead with his twelve under par 64,one stroke ahead of Spaniard Alejandro Canizares.
The tournament is being played on the Earth Course,one of two courses at Jumeirah Golf Estates,a luxury resort community in the desert just outside Dubai,the city with the world's tallest building.The top three players on the Race To Dubai leaderboard have a chance to take its gold scepter trophy by winning the DP World Tour Championship tournament.Besides Swenson,they are Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell.
1.Henrik Stenson SWE -12
2.Alejandro Canizares ESP -11
3.Marcus Fraser AUS -8
3.Victor Dubuisson FRA -8
5.Kiradech Aphibarnrat THA -7
5.Ian Poulter ENG -7
5.Justin Rose ENG -7
5.Jonas Blixt SWE -7
9.Peter Hanson SWE -8
9.Francesco Molinari ITA -8
9.Rory McIlroy NIR -8
21.Graeme McDowell NIR -4
47.Peter Uihlein USA +2
Meanwhile,on the PGA Tour of Australasia,Australian sport hero Adam Scott leads the Talisker Australian Masters at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Victoria after three rounds with his -14.American star Matt Kuchar is in sixth place at -9.*
The New York Knicks were off Friday after losing to the Houston Rockets 106-103 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday,their eigth staright loss to the Rockets.This was despite Carmelo Anthony's amazing 45 points and 10 rebounds.The Rockets were led by James Harden with his 36 points.Chandler Parsons conributed 22 points,and Jeremy Lin 21,to the Houston victory.
The Knicks are near the bottom of the table with their 3-5 record,but the season is just getting started.

Alpine tundra atop Humphreys Peak

Alpine tundra atop Humphreys Peak, a photo by Coconino National Forest on Flickr.

Brady Smith photo,USDA Forest Service,Coconino National Forest,Arizona.

New Jersey Air National Guard

New Jersey Air National Guard, a photo by The National Guard on Flickr.

Preparing to fuel an F-16C in Atlantic City.

Tiger Woods in Turkey;Arctic Outbreak;Knicks Win

Tiger Woods zeroed in on the Turkish Airlines Open at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal in Antalya,Turkey on Friday,carding a sterling eleven under par 63.Woods logged a bogey-free round-his third of 2013-and scored nine birdies to lift himself within one shot of the lead,jointly held by Henrik Stenson and three others at -12.
Stenson,the 213 FedEx Cup champion,is currently leading the European Tour overall championship run,the Race To Dubai,which culminates next weekend in the UAE.Woods isn't in that overall competition,but has won 39 European Tour tournaments in his career,with a win percentage of 31.2%.
Stenson is complaining of a sore left wrist.I'm just hanging in and it's day by day,the big Swede said.It's not in great shape,but I'm hanging in there.*
1.Justin Walters RSA -12
Ian Poulter ENG -12
Victor Dubuisson FRA -12
Henrik Stenson SWE -12
5.Tiger Woods USA -11
6.Richard Sterne RSA -10
7.Jamie Donaldson WAL -9
Alejandro Carnizares ESP -9
9.Ross Fisher ENG -8
David Lynn ENG -8
An arctic outbreak is on the way south from Canada,and nothing is stopping it,said The Weather Channel.It is a Blue Norther,and will reach all the way to the Gulf Coast.Forecast models disagree on snowfall.One of them shows heavy snow for the Northeast;another one takes it out to sea.*
The New York Knicks cuffed the Charlotte Bobcats 101-91 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte Friday night.Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 25 points and 8 rebounds,while Kemba Walker contributed 25 points and 3 rebounds to the Bobcat effort before 16,465 fans at the North Carolina contest.*
Catch the latest music pick on Twitter @Businessblogger.
Update:Tiger Woods played poorly in the third round of the Turkish Airlines Open,dropping to six strokes back of the leader,Victor Dubuisson of France.Woods made three bogeys on the back nine and had trouble hitting fairways.Ian Poulter dropped to second place and Henrik Stenson slipped to third alongside Woods and two others.

New Jersey National Guard Pre-Flight Briefing in Bagram

New Jersey National Guard Pre-Flight Briefing in Bagram, a photo by The National Guard on Flickr.

An F-16C briefing in Afghanistan,2012.

Pennsylvania Air National Guard

Pennsylvania Air National Guard, a photo by The National Guard on Flickr.

Post-flight inspection of an A-10,merge photo.

F-16 Fighting Falcon

F-16 Fighting Falcon, a photo by Air Guard on Flickr.

Shanghai Golf:WGC-HSBC Champions

The World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions is underway this weekend at Shenshan International Golf Club in Shanghai,China.This year is the first time this event has been part of the PGA Tour,yielding FedEx Cup points for the 2013-14 season and attracting most of the major talent.It's one of the prestige events for sure.As of time of publication,it is Saturday afternoon in the middle of the third round,and the standings are as follows:
1.Dustin Johnson USA -16
2.Ian Poulter GBR -12
3.Graham Delaet CAN -9
5.Martin Kaymer GER -8
5.Justin Rose ENG -8
5.Sergio Garcia ESP -8
5.Rory McIlroy NIR -8
5.Bubba Watson USA -8
10.Jamie Donaldson WAL -13
Phil Mickelson is tied for eighteenth place at -5.There has been some strong progress in the third round.Ian Poulter jumped three places,while Graham Delaet soared eight places.
Update:In the final round,Dustin Johnson and Ian Poulter are tied at -21.Graeme McDowell trails closely in third place at -20.The Chinese crowd has shown itself to be very knowledgeable and involved,voicing their opinion of every shot.

Where You Can Find the Music-flp

I want to apologise for the technical failure to post the music on Blogger this week.It is still possible for you to enjoy it,however.The two selections for this week are available on my Twitter page @Businessblogger,where you can find many other items of interest,so I hope to see you there as well.The selections are:
How To Save A Life-The Fray
Heart Full Of Soul-The Yardbirds.
Music is so important to a lot of people,I don't want them to be deprived.

YouTube Problems

YouTube said they were having some technical difficulties.I am unable to post the music I had selected.