Pentagon war games confirm what was reported here two weeks ago: al Qaeda will not take over in Iraq if the U.S. leaves. This is in direct contradiction to Bush's claims to the contrary.

The Washington Post reports on the Pentagon's war gaming of such scenarios.

I'm an undergrad Math/CS student. One of my cousins, an exceptionally bright 11-year-old, is interested in learning to program. I'd like to give him some kind of direction; at least, more than I got: to teach him to avoid bad habits, use design patterns (OO vs procedural, especially) properly, and make sure that he stays interested. I'd like to see what Slashdot thinks: what are appropriate resources to use? Which language should I try to teach him? Are there any good books out there?