text:
"Istiwa' is one of the Attributes of acts (min sifat al-af`al) according to the majority of the explanations." - Al-Qurtubi.1
"The establishment of His Throne in the heaven is known, and His Throne in the earth is the hearts of the People of Pure Monotheism (ahl al-tawhid). He said: { and eight will uphold the Throne of their Lord that day, above them} (69:17), and [concerning] the throne of the hearts: { We carry them on the land and the sea} (17:70). As for the throne of the heaven: the Merciful established Himself over it (`alayhi istawa); and as for the throne of the hearts: the Merciful conquered it (`alayhi istawla). The throne of the heaven is the direction of the supplication of creatures, while the throne of the heart is the locus of the gaze of the Real - Most High -. Therefore, there is a huge difference between this throne and that!" - Al-Qushayri.2
"We believe that { the Merciful established Himself over the Throne } (20:5), and we do not know the reality of the meaning of this nor what is meant by it (la na`lamu haqiqata mi`na dhalika wa al-murada bihi), while we do believe that { There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him } (42:11) and that He is exalted far above the most elevated of created things. That is the way of the Salaf or at least their vast majority, and it is the safest because one is not required to probe into such matters." - Al-Nawawi.3
Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash`ari said: "The establishment of Allah - Most High - on the Throne is an action He has created named istiwa' and related to the Throne, just as He has created an action named ityan (coming) related to a certain people; and this implies neither descent nor movement."4 Al-Bayhaqi confirms this: "Abu al-Hasan `Ali al-Ash`ari said that Allah - Most High - effected an act in relation to the Throne, and He called that act istiwa', just as He effected other acts in relation to other objects, and He called those acts 'sustenance' (rizq), `favor' (ni`ma), or other of His acts."5 This is also the interpretation of Ibn Hazm (d. 456) - although a vehement enemy of Ash`aris - who explains istiwa' as "an act pertaining to the Throne".6
Abu al-Fadl al-Tamimi mentioned that two positions were reported from Imam Ahmad concerning istiwa': One group narrated that he considered it "of the Attributes of act" (min sifat al-fi`l), another, "of the Attributes of the Essence" (min sifat al-dhat)."7 Ibn Battal mentions that Ahl al-Sunna hold either one of these two positions: "Those that interpreted istawa as `He exalted Himself' (`ala) consider istiwa an Attribute of the Essence, while those who interpreted it otherwise consider it an Attribute of act."8
Al-Tamimi further related that Ahmad said:
[Istiwa']: It means height/exaltation (`uluw) and elevation (irtifa`). Allah - Most High - is ever exalted (`ali) and elevated (rafi`) without beginning, before He created the Throne. He is above everything (huwa fawqa kulli shay'), and He is exalted over everything (huwa al-`ali `ala kulli shay'). He only specified the Throne because of its particular significance which makes it different from everything else, as the Throne is the best of all things and the most elevated of them. Allah - Most High - therefore praised Himself by saying that He { established Himself over the Throne }, that is, He exalted Himself over it (`alayhi `ala). It is impermissible to say that He established Himself with a contact or a meeting with it. Exalted is Allah above that! Allah is not subject to change, substitution, nor limits, whether before or after the creation of the Throne.9
The Maliki scholar Ibn Abi Jamra (d. 695) said something similar in his commentary on the hadith "Allah wrote a Book before He created creation, saying: Verily My mercy precedeth My wrath; and it is written with Him above the Throne":
It may be said from the fact that the Book is mentioned as being "above the Throne" that the divine wisdom has decreed for the Throne to carry whatever Allah wishes of the record of His judgment, power, and the absolute unseen known of Him alone, in order to signify the exclusivity of His encompassing knowledge regarding these matters. This makes the Throne one of the greatest signs of the exclusivity of His knowledge of the Unseen. This could explain the verse of istiwa' as referring to whatever Allah wills of His power, which is the Book He has placed above His Throne."10
Sufyan al-Thawri (d. 161) interpreted istiwa' in the verse { The Merciful established Himself over the Throne } (20:5) as "a command concerning the Throne" (amrun fi al-`arsh), as related by Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni and quoted by al-Yafi`i in the latter's book Marham al-`Ilal al-Mu`dila fi Daf` al-Shubah wa al-Radd `ala al-Mu`tazila ("Book of the Resolution of Difficult Problems for the Removal of Doubts and the Refutation of the Mu`tazila"):
The understanding of istiwa' as the turning of Allah - Most High - to a particular command concerning the Throne is not far-fetched, and this is the ta'wil of Imam Sufyan al-Thawri, who took as corroborating evidence for it the verse: { Then turned He (thumma istawa) to the heaven when it was smoke } (41:11), meaning: "He proceeded to it" (qasada ilayha).11
Al-Tabari said, in his commentary on the verse { Then turned He (thumma istawa) to the heaven, and fashioned it as seven heavens } (2:29):
The meaning of istiwa' in this verse is height (`uluw) and elevation... but if one claims that this means displacement for Allah, tell him: He is high and elevated over the heaven with the height of sovereignty and power, not the height of displacement and movement to and fro.
The above position is exactly that of the Ash`ari school, as shown by Abu Bakr ibn al-`Arabi's and Ibn Hajar's numerous comments to that effect12 directed against those who attribute altitude to Allah in their interpretation of His `uluw such as Ibn Taymiyya. The latter stated: "The Creator, Glorified and Exalted is He, is above the world and His being above is literal, not in the sense of dignity or rank."13 This doctrine was comprehensively refuted by Ibn Jahbal al-Kilabi (d. 733) in his Radd `ala Man Qala bi al-Jiha ("Refutation of Ibn Taymiyya Who Attributes A Direction to Allah - Most High -")14 and Shaykh Yusuf al-Nabahani (1265-1350) in his Raf` al-Ishtibah fi Istihala al-Jiha `ala Allah ("The Removal of Doubt Concerning the Impossibility of Direction for Allah").15
Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597) in the introduction of his Daf` Shubah al-Tashbih said of the anthropomorphists: "They are not content to say: `Attribute of act' (sifatu fi`l) until they end up saying: `Attribute of the Essence' (sifatu dhat)." Ibn Hazm also said: "If the establishment on the Throne is eternal without beginning, then the Throne is eternal without beginning, and this is disbelief."16
Al-Bayhaqi quotes one of the companions of al-Ash`ari, Abu al-Hasan `Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Mahdi al-Tabari (d. ~380) as saying in his book Ta'wil al-Ahadith al-Mushkalat al-Waridat fi al-Sifat ("Interpretation of the Problematic Narrations Pertaining to the Attributes"): "Allah is in the heaven above everything and established (mustawin) over His Throne in the sense that He is exalted or elevated (`alin) above it, and the sense of istiwa' is self-elevation (i`tila')."17 This is the most widespread interpretation (ta'wil) of the issue among the Salaf: al-Baghawi said that the meaning of the verse { The Merciful established Himself over the Throne } (20:5) according to Ibn `Abbas and most of the commentators of Qur'an is "He elevated Himself" (irtafa`a).18 This is the interpretation quoted by al-Bukhari in his Sahih from the senior Tabi`i Rufay` ibn Mahran Abu al-`Aliya (d. 90). Al-Bukhari also cites from Mujahid (d. 102) the interpretation "to rise above" or "exalt Himself above" (`ala). Ibn Battal declares the latter to be the true position and the saying of Ahl al-Sunna because Allah described Himself as "the Sublimely Exalted" -- { al-`Ali } (2:255) and said: { exalted be He (ta`ala) over all that they ascribe as partners (unto Him)! } (23:92).19
In complete opposition to the above Ibn Taymiyya said in his Fatawa: "The establishment of Allah over the Throne is real, and the servant's establishment over the ship is real" (lillahi ta`ala istiwa'un `ala `arshihi haqiqatan wa li al-`abdi istiwa'un `ala al-fulki haqiqatan).20 "Allah is with us in reality, and He is above His Throne in reality (Allahu ma`ana haqiqatan wa huwa fawqa al-`arshi haqiqatan).. . . Allah is with His creation in reality and He is above His Throne in reality (Allahu ma`a khalqihi haqiqatan wa huwa fawqa al-`arshi haqiqatan)."21
Another interpretation commonly used by later Ash`aris for istiwa' is that of istila' and qahr, respectively "establishing dominion" and "subduing." Ibn `Abd al-Salam said:
His establishment (istiwa') over the Throne is a metaphor for establishing dominion (istila') over His kingdom and disposing of it, as the poet said:
qad istawa Bishrun `ala al-`Iraq min ghayri sayfin wa damin muhraq
Bishr established mastery over Iraq without sword and without shedding blood.22
It is a metaphor of similitude with kings, who dispose of the affairs of their kingdoms while sitting among the dynastic princes. The throne may also express rank, as in `Umar's - Allah be well-pleased with him - saying:23 "My throne would have toppled if I had not found a merciful Lord."24
Ibn Battal and Abu Mansur al-Baghdadi attribute the interpretation as istila' chiefly to the Mu`tazila. Ibn Hajar said:
The Mu`tazila said its meaning is "establishing dominion through subjugation and overpowering" (al-istila' bi al-qahr wa al-ghalaba), citing as a proof the saying of the poet:
Bishr established mastery over Iraq without sword and without shedding blood.
The anthropomorphists (al-jismiyya) said: "Its meaning is settledness (al-istiqrar)."25 Some of Ahl al-Sunna said: "Its meaning is He elevated Himself (irtafa`a)" while others of them said: "Its meaning is He rose above (`ala)," and others of them said: "Its meaning is sovereignty (al-mulk) and power (al-qudra)."26
The latter Sunni interpretation is evidently similar to that of istila' and qahr. However, because the Mu`tazila claimed that the divine Attributes were originated in time rather than uncreated and beginningless, their interpretation was rejected by the scholars of Ahl al-Sunna. Ibn Battal said: "The Mu`tazila position is null and void, for Allah is qahir, ghalib, and mustawli without beginning."27 Ibn Battal is referring to the Ash`ari position whereby the Attributes of acts such as creation, although connected with created objects, are without beginning in relation to Allah.28 To those who object to istawla on the grounds that it necessarily supposed prior opposition,29 Ibn Hajar similarly remarked that that assumption is discarded by the verse: { Allah was (kana) ever Knower, Wise } (4:17), which the scholars explained to mean "He is ever Knower and Wise."30
Thus Dawud al-Zahiri's objection that istila' necessitates a wresting from an adversary31 is not absolute among Ahl al-Sunna. The Ash`ari grammarian al-Raghib al-Asfahani (d. 402) said that istawa `ala has the meaning of istawla `ala ("He overcame") and cited the verse of istiwa (20:5) as an example of this meaning: "It means that everything is alike in relation to him in such manner that no one thing is nearer to Him than another thing, since He is not like the bodies that abide in one place exclusively of another place."32 In this sense, both the Mu`tazili position of origination for the Attributes and the literalist requirement of conquest-after-struggle are dismissed, and istawla can be safely admitted among the interpretations of Ahl al-Sunna. As Ibn Battal alluded, "establishing dominion and sovereignty," "subduing," and "conquering" no more suppose prior opposition in the face of the Creator than do His Attributes of "All-Victorious" (Zahir) "All-Compelling" (Qahhar), "Prevailer" (Ghalib), or "Omnipotent" (Qahir) presuppose resistance or power on anyone's part. This is confirmed by the verses: { He is the Omnipotent (al-qahir) over His slaves } (6:18, 6:61) and { Allah prevails (ghalib) in His purpose } (12:21). Al-Raghib said: "It means that everything is alike in relation to him" and he did not say: "became alike."
Ibn al-Jawzi mentions another reason for permitting this interpretation: "Whoever interprets { and He is with you } (57:4) as meaning `He is with you in knowledge,' permits his opponent to interpret istiwa' as 'subduing' (al-qahr)."33
As for the linguistic precedent of the meaning istawla for istawa, it is provided by the poet al-Akhtal (d. 110) who said: "Bishr established mastery over (istawa `ala) iraq without sword and without shedding blood." some "Salafis" reject this linguistic proof on the ground that al-Akhtal was a second-century Christian. This shows ignorance of agreed-upon criteria for the probative force of arabic poetry in the shari`a, which extends at least to the year 150 and applies regardless of creed.
Dr. Muhammad Sa`id Ramadan al-Buti said:
The consensus in place regarding these texts is the refraining from applying to them any meaning which establishes a sameness or likeness between Allah and His creatures, and the refraining from divesting their established lexical tenor.
The obligatory way to proceed is either to explain these words according to their external meanings which conform with divine Transcendence above any like or partner, and this includes not explaining them as bodily appendages and other corporeal imagery. Therefore it will be said, for example: He has established Himself over the Throne as He has said, with an establishment which befits His Majesty and Oneness; and He has a Hand as He has said, which befits His Divinity and Majesty; etc.
Or they can be explained figuratively according to the correct rules of language and in conformity with the customs of speech in their historical context. For example: the establishment is the establishment of dominion (istila') and that of authority (tasallut); the hand of Allah is His strength in His saying: { The hand of Allah is over their hand } (48:10) and His generosity in His saying: { Nay, both His hands are spread wide, and He bestows as He wills } (5:64).34
As for the interpretation of istiwa' as sitting (julus), it is asserted in the book attributed to `Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal under the title Kitab al-Sunna (p. 5, 71): "Is establishment (istiwa') other than by sitting (julus)?" "Allah - Most High - sits on the kursi and there remains only four spans vacant." Al-Khallal in his own Kitab al-Sunna (p. 215-216) states that whoever denies that "Allah sits on the kursi and there remains only four spans vacant" is an unbeliever. `Uthman al-Darimi went so far as to say in his Naqd al-Jahmiyya: "If He so willed, He could have settled on the back of a gnat and it would have carried Him thanks to His power and the favor of His lordship, not to mention the magnificient Throne."35 Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn al-Qayyim endorsed these views.36 Al-Kawthari wrote in his Maqalat: "Whoever imagines that our Lord sits on the kursi and leaves space at His side for His Prophet to sit, he has followed the Christians who believe that `Isa (a.s.) was raised to heaven and sat next to his Father - Allah is elevated above the partnership they ascribe to Him!"37
Al-Munawi quotes the following conclusion on the verse of the Throne upon the water:
Al-Tunisi said that the verse { And His Throne was upon the water } (11:7) contains a clear proof that direction is impossible for Allah - Most High - because the Throne settled (istaqarra) upon the water, therefore, since natural custom was broken by the settlement of that huge mass (jirm) - the largest of all masses - upon the water, contrary to the habitual fact that such a mass - or, rather, much less than it! - does not usually settle upon the water: it becomes known with certitude that istiwa' over it is not an istiwa' of settledness nor fixity.38
The above proof is similar to the proof derived from Imam Malik's statement: "The establishment is known, the 'how' is inconceivable, and to ask about it is an innovation!"39 Shaykh al-Islam Taqi al-Din al-Subki pointed out that the inconceivability of the modality of istiwa' proved that it precluded the meaning of sitting.40
In his Qur'anic commentary entitled Lata'if al-Isharat ("The Subtle Signs"), Imam Abu al-Qasim al-Qushayri (d. 465) - together with Imam al-Haramayn Ibn al-Juwayni and al-Khatib al-Baghdadi the main figure in the fourth generation-layer of al-Ash`ari's students - sums up the position of Ahl al-Sunna concerning istiwa':
{ He established Himself over the Throne } (7:54; 13:2; 20:5; 25:59; 32:4), however, the One without beginning has no limit (al-qadim laysa lahu hadd). He "established Himself over the Throne," however, it is impermissible to attribute to Him proximity with His Essence nor remoteness. He "established Himself over the Throne," however, the Throne would be the most needful of all things to an iota of connection (al-wisal) [with Him] if it were only alive! But it is a lifeless solid, and when did solids ever possess volition? He "established Himself over the Throne," however, He is the Everlasting Sovereign (al-Samad) without rival, the Unique without limit.41
And Allah Almighty is Most Knowing and Most Wise. May Allah Almighty bless and greet our master Muhammad, his Family, and his Companions!
1In his Tafsir (18:281).
2In Lata'if al-Isharat (4:118).
3Al-Nawawi, al-Majmu` Sharh al-Muhadhdhab (1:25).
4As cited in `Abd al-Qahir al-Baghdadi, Usul al-Din (p. 113).
5Al-Bayhaqi, al-Asma' wa al-Sifat (2:308).
6In his al-Fisal fi al-Milal (2:125).
7Ibn Abi Ya`la, Tabaqat al-Hanabila (2:296).
8In Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 13:406).
9Ibn Abi Ya`la, Tabaqat al-Hanabila (2:296-297).
10Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari, Tawhid ch. 22 (1959 ed. 13:414; 1989 ed. 13:508 #7422).
11In al-Yafi`i, Marham al-`Ilal (p. 245) and Abu al-Ma`ali Ibn al-Juwayni, al-Irshad (p. 59-60).
12Respectively in `Arida al-Ahwadhi (2:234-237) and Fath al-Bari (3:37-38, 6:136 [Jihad], also Tawhid ch. 23 last par.).
13In al-Ta'sis al-Radd `ala Asas al-Taqdis (= Talbis al-Jahmiyya 1:111).
14Its text is quoted in full in Ibn al-Subki's Tabaqat (9:35-91) and its translation is forthcoming insha Allah.
15Reproduced in full in al-Nabahani's Shawahid al-Haqq (p. 210-240).
16In al-Fisal (2:124).
17In al-Bayhaqi, al-Asma' wa al-Sifat (al-Hashidi ed. 2:308).
18As reported by Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 13:409f.), book of Tawhid, chapter 22.
20Ibn Taymiyya, Majmu` al-Fatawa, Vol. 5 entitled al-Asma' wa al-Sifat (5:199).
21Op. cit. (5:103).
22Cf. Mukhtar al-Sihah (p. 136).
23Narrated as a dream seen after `Umar's death. See the following under the entry `arsh: Lisan al-`Arab, Ibn al-Athir's al-Nihaya, al-Raghib's Mufradat Alfaz al-Qur'an, al-Basa'ir (4:24), and `Umda al-Huffaz.
24Ibn `Abd al-Salam, al-Ishara ila al-Ijaz (p. 104-112).
25The explanation of istawa as istaqarra in the verse {Then He established Himself over the Throne} (32:4) is actually reported from al-Kalbi and Muqatil by al-Baghawi - in his commentary entitled Ma`alim al-Tanzil (al-Manar ed. 3:488) - who adds that the philologist Abu `Ubayda [Ma`mar ibn al-Muthanna al-Taymi (d. ~210)] said "He mounted" (sa`ida). Pickthall followed the latter in his translation of the verse as {Then He mounted the Throne}. It is a foundational position of the "Salafis" as stated by Imam Muhammad Abu Zahra: "The `Salafis' and Ibn Taymiyya assert that settledness takes place over the Throne.... Ibn Taymiyya strenuously asserts that Allah descends, and can be above (fawq) and below (taht) `without how'.... and that the school of the Salaf is the affirmation of everything that the Qur'an stated concerning aboveness (fawqiyya), belowness (tahtiyya), and establishment over the Throne." Abu Zahra, al-Madhahib al-Islamiyya (p. 320-322).
26Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 13:409).
27In Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 13:409f.).
28See Ibn Khafif's `Aqida ßß15-19.
29Cf. Ibn al-A`rabi in al-Dhahabi's Mukhtasar al-`Uluw (p. 195 #241) and Dawud al-Zahiri - both of whom are quoted by Ibn Hajar in his discussion in Fath al-Bari - and Ibn `Abd al-Barr in his discussion of the hadith of descent in al-Tamhid: "The meaning of istawla in the language is `to overcome,' and Allah Almighty does not need to overcome anyone."
30In Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 13:409f.).
31In Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 13:409f.).
32In al-Zabidi, Taj al-`Arus, entry s-w-y.
33In Daf` Shubah al-Tashbih (1998 al-Kawthari repr. p. 23).
34Al-Buti, al-Salafiyya (p. 132-133). For "Hands" = kindness, mercy, generosity, etc. see al-Qari, Mirqat al-Mafatih (1892 ed. 2:137, 1994 ed. 3:302) and al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim, hadith "Then He stretches out both hands, saying: `Who shall loan One Who is neither indigent nor inequitable?'" This phrase concludes the hadith of descent in one of Muslim's narrations.
35`Uthman al-Darimi, Naqd al-Jahmiyya (p. 75).
36Cf. the latter's Bada'i` al-Fawa'id (1900 ed. 4:39-40, 1994 ed. 2:328-329).
37Al-Kawthari, Maqalat (p. 358).
38In al-Munawi, Fayd al-Qadir, under the entry for the hadith: "Allah inscribed the destinies of all created things before creating the heavens and the earth by fifty thousand years, while His Throne stood upon the water." Narrated from `Abd Allah ibn `Amr ibn al-`As by al-Tirmidhi (hasan sahih gharib) and Ahmad; also by Muslim with the following wording: "Allah inscribed (kataba) the destinies of all created things before creating the heavens and the earth by fifty thousand years, while His Throne stood upon the water (wa `arshuhu `ala al-ma')."
39The sound versions of Imam Malik's famous response to the man who asked about istiwa' are as follows: [1] "The `how' of it is inconceivable; the `establishment' part of it is not unknown; belief in it is obligatory; asking about it is an innovation; and I believe that you are a man of innovation." Narrated from Ja`far ibn `Abd Allah by al-Dhahabi, Siyar (7:415). [2] "{The Merciful established Himself over the Throne} just as He described Himself. One cannot ask `how.' `How' does not apply to Him. And you are an evil man, a man of innovation. Take him out!" Narrated from Ibn Wahb by al-Bayhaqi with a sound chain in al-Asma' wa al-Sifat (2:304-305 #866), al-Dhahabi in the Siyar (7:416), and Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 13:406-407; 1989 ed. 13:501). [3] "The establishment is not unknown; the "how" is inconceivable; belief in it is obligatory; asking about it is an innovation; and I do not think that you are anything but an innovator." Narrated from Yahya ibn Yahya al-Tamimi and Malik's shaykh Rabi`a ibn Abi `Abd al-Rahman by al-Bayhaqi with a sound chain in al-Asma' wa al-Sifat (2:305-306 #867) and by Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani in al-Jami` fi al-Sunan (p. 123). Note that the wording that says: "The `how' is unknown" (al-kayfu majhul) is also narrated from Rabi`a by al-Bayhaqi in al-Asma' wa al-Sifat (2:306 #868) with a sound chain, but is an aberrant narration (riwaya shadhdha). Yet it is the preferred wording of Ibn Taymiyya in Dar' Ta`arud al-`Aql wa al-Naql (1:278) and Majmu`a al-Fatawa (17:373) as he infers from it support for his positions.
40In al-Sayf al-Saqil (p. 128).
41Al-Qushayri, Lata'if (5:139).
GF Haddad ©


text:
PHP specialists Zend have unleashed an open source framework for creating and managing APIs to help developers make their applications interface effectively.
The Apigility software was announced at Zendcon in Santa Clara, California on Tuesday, and sees the company try to let devs lasso APIs via an open source software package that deals with some of the trickier parts of API management: versioning, error handling, and so on.
"Building REST services right is really hard," Zend chief Andi Gutmans told The Register. "Apigility is the easiest way for developers to build high quality APIs that are based on well established best practices."
The tool is designed as an "API builder", Gutmans explained, that handles validation and filtering, content negotiation, version control, and error handling.
Apigility should verify things like whether data submitted to an API is an acceptable content type, or whether each client is capable of viewing an application. When errors happen on the server-side, the technology can report back the issues to the programmer to help with debugging. The software is hosted on Github and available to download.
Though many applications today have few APIs and are built in a more monolithic manner, Zend is betting that the future is in modular, decomposed apps that shuttle data among one another via discreet APIs.
The idea is that this makes it easier to upgrade complex applications while avoiding downtime, and can make it simpler for developers to build apps whose properties change according to the devices on which they're being used.
"We assume a lot of the new applications are going to be built this way," Gutmans says. "We have a lot of ideas on how we can help companies that have these API architectures." ®

subset: commoncrawl


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A running discussion on the Cincinnati Reds and everything else in the baseball universe.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Draft Musings: Leake and Boxberger sign on the dotted line
Well, the card carrying members of the Reds nation can rest easy today. This weekend, the organization inked their top two picks from the 2009 draft, both of whom could provide a nice boost to the farm system.
It seems that every year fans get up in arms and worry that the draftees won't sign, but every year the negotiations drag out to the last hour. Players electing not to sign and heading back into the draft the following year is mostly definitely the exception, rather than the rule. Agents use the paranoia of the organizations and fans to drive up the asking price, so it's not necessarily in the players' best interests to sign early. This year, the Reds got it done with a day or two to spare.
The Reds signed RHP Mike Leake to a contract that includes a $2.27M signing bonus, which was ~$200,000 over his MLB slot recommendation. The Reds reeled in RHP Brad Boxberger for $857,000.
Given that Leake signed for only ~$200K above MLB's slot recommendation, it's easy to wonder why the deal didn't get done earlier. It hardly seems like he was making unreasonable demands or driving a hard bargain. One possible reason for the delay in the signing could be the strategy of MLB of not approving contracts that exceed slot recommendations until right before the deadline.
Before the draft takes place, MLB establishes recommendations for signing bonuses for draft picks. This tactic is designed to keep costs down and was implemented by the commissioner in 2000. According to Baseball America, first round signing bonuses rose 23.3% in the 1990s, but only 3.9% in the 2000s. So, at least in the big picture, it's a strategy that has worked. However, it's also a tactic that has rewarded teams willing to run afoul of MLB by exceeding slot recommendations. So, the benefits and burdens haven't necessarily fallen on all teams equally, which is a problem given that the amateur draft is designed to remedying competitive imbalance.
It'll be interesting to see how the Reds handle Mike Leake for the rest of 2009. I've heard conflicting reports that he'll pitch in 2009 and that the Reds will shut him down. If the tendinitis he was battling has completely subsided, then I'd like to see him pitch a few professional innings in 2009.
Given how conservative the Reds are with their prospects, I'd expect both Leake and Boxberger to start out in the Pioneer League or low A-ball.
The Nationals find themselves in a rather interesting conundrum in regard to their first round pick, Stephen "best pitching prospect ever" Strasburg.
Short-Term Considerations
First, it must be said, that it's in the best interests of BOTH Strasburg and the Nationals to get a deal done.
The Nationals are a recent transplant to Washington, D.C. and it hasn't gone well. They have a new ballpark, which means that they will be in D.C. for the long haul. However, the Nationals are in dire need of a shot of legitimacy. They "won" the right to draft Strasburg by losing the more games than any other team in 2008. They are on pace to "win" the first pick in next year's draft by again dropping more games than any other organization.
As for Strasburg, he was picked first overall, so he's not going to improve his draft status by returning to the draft in 2010. In fact, unless he would be willing to sign a "redraft approval" to allow the Nationals to draft him again in 2010, Strasburg would be selected no higher than 3rd. The Nationals will likely get the #1 overall pick on merit and they would be awarded the #2 overall pick as compensation for not signing Strasburg.
It's difficult to envision anyone giving Strasburg significantly more money when he is the 3rd overall pick in 2010 than when he was the 1st overall pick in 2009. In addition, given that he is such a polished prospect, Strasburg would likely spend the entire 2010 season in the Nationals' rotation. That would give him an entire year of service time, which would move him one year closer to free agency. If Strasburg sits out the entire 2010 season, then he will not earn any service time. Instead of hitting free agency in 6 years, he will instead require 7 years. And, that extra year will cost one season of "prime of his career" salary. By sitting out, Strasburg will cost himself one year of free agent level earnings (maybe ~$15-20M) that he'll never get back.
To make sitting out a year worthwhile, Strasburg would have to get ~$10M more from the team that drafts him in 2010 than what he would receive from the Nationals. Obviously, there is an argument to be made that Strasburg should hold out for more because he could get injured during the course of his career and never reach free agency. However, that argument would seem to be countered rather effectively by the chance that Strasburg could get injured pitching in independent ball while waiting for the 2010 draft and never get a big pay day at all.
In short, Strasburg and the Nationals need each other.
Long-Term Considerations
However, there are long-term considerations at play that may derail the deal.
Clearly, uber-agent Scott Boras is trying to use Strasburg to completely redefine the established benchmarks for MLB signing bonuses. If he can get Strasburg significantly more money than any previous draftee, then that will have a significant trickle down effect on all high draft picks in the future. And, of course, on Boras's bank account. For Boras, Strasburg isn't simply another player, but rather a significant opportunity. Strasburg is the best chance Boras has had to explode the draftee pay scale in MLB.
As for the Nationals, they too have future considerations to take into account. The Nationals are bad enough that they will likely receive the 1st overall pick in 2010. Fortunately for the Nats, they will likely again have the opportunity to draft a "once in a generation" talent in catching prospect Bryce Harper.
However, it's obvious that the starting point for the negotiations with Bryce Harper will be the contract given to Stephen Strasburg. In essence, the Nationals are setting their own benchmark for their negotiations with Bryce Harper. Whatever they give to Strasburg will be the floor in their negotiations with Harper. So, if they exceed the previous signing bonus record by $5M to sign Strasburg, then they'll have to do it again in 2010.
Ultimately, it makes too much sense for both sides not to get a deal done, but it'll go down to the final minute. Regardless, given the escalating cost of the #1 overall pick in both the NFL and MLB, expect each league to address the issue in the next round of Collective Bargaining. The draft is a mechanism for addressing competitive imbalance, but it has to be considered broken if the worst teams cannot sign the best prospects.
3 comments:
ive always hated boras, he is greedy bastard who will ruin the draft if strasburgh gets the money they are demanding. Its just not right.ReplyDelete
ok done ranting, great post btw. The nationals sure are one "lucky" team to get both strasburgh and harper. Maybe the reds will continue to suck and get the first pick haha
It will be interesting to see how Bryce Harper responds to all the attention he is getting. He is probably the most coveted high scholl baseball player since Josh Hamilton.ReplyDelete
I agree on Harper. I can't recall the last time a prospect got this much hype. I'm not sure Hamilton even got this much, though that may be a function of the internet. Still, how many amateur basball players land on the cover of Sports Illustrated??? Not many.
It'll be tough for Harper to handle all the expectations, but he's clearly a special talent. Even as a Reds fan I can recognize how cool it'll be for the Nats to have Strasburg and Harper in the organization.
Anyway, thanks for the thoughts!!


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Changing the game in delivering legal services across South East Asia
Of course, there are a number of well-regarded law firms doing business across Asia. But how many truly know their way around this dynamic and exceptionally diverse part of the world? Now, there's a new name that genuinely changes the game...
Asia's new home team
Rajah & Tann Asia is the region's new "home team". By bringing together leading local law firms and lawyers in ten countries, we've created the first unified, coherent, and authentically Asian legal services offering throughout the region. Individually, each firm offers the highest standards of service to locally based clients. Collectively, we have the capacity to handle the most complex regional and cross-border transactions and to provide seamlessly excellent legal counsel across the region.
One shared goal
We have more than 750 fee earners across all our offices and practice areas, all working towards one shared goal: to give our clients home advantage.
Wherever you need us, we are Lawyers who know Asia - doing business on our own turf, firmly rooted in a part of the world that we know and understand in a way that only a native-speaker can.


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In our apartment, my wife and I have one TV, and it's in the living room.
Sometimes, one of us will want to watch a show that the other does not.
That means one of us has to get out of the room to escape the noisy TV.
(She can stand only so many Hank Haney swing analyses; I, only so many yesses to dresses.)
This is a problem because the living room is the best place to be in my apartment. It's also connected to our office and kitchen.
Enter set-top box maker Roku, which has this cool feature on its remote:
New York startup guy Drew Breunig, who brought my attention to the remote, says it shows just how well Roku understands its customers.
"Roku gets their target market: college kids and mid 20s adults relatively comfortable with digital video, can't spare the cash for cable, and often live with roommates. Hence a headphone jack on a remote. Great feature."


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My first reaction: If you already know you sway when you speak, you're ahead of the game--many speakers have no idea how their bodies move while they speak, which is why video recording is so helpful.
To my mind, swaying and avoiding eye contact are two sides of the same coin. When you can't face your audience squarely and hold your position, and can't look them in the eye, you may be speaking but you're avoiding a confrontation with your audience. For some speakers, swaying and avoiding eye contact are a kind of safety blanket, a comforting way to face a stressful situation. Trouble is, you need to face the audience--and look at it--if people are going to relate to you in person.
So what to do? Here are a few suggestions:
- Remember it's OK to be nervous. Then focus on getting at the root of your fears, which are in large part a normal physical response. Learn the breathing exercises and preparation that will help you face the crowd.
- Focus on centering--or moving--your body. There are lots of tactics you can use to avoid swaying. Try pulling in your core muscles and making sure you have a steady stance. If that doesn't help, try moving your body (it's hard to sway when you're walking) around the room, pausing to stand still for emphasis.
- Concentrate your eye contact. Start out by looking at one person at a time, rather than the whole group. (Moving around the room rather than standing in one place helps you do that easily.) Remember that while your physical reaction is "OMG, they're all looking at me," that's a sign of success for a speaker. Use your platform to connect with the audience, using your eyes.
- Use simple stress reduction practices to help you focus. Take several deep breaths to relax about five minutes before you begin, and be sure to take breaths and pause while you're speaking. Smile, so the action of your facial muscles will release the "feel-good" chemicals that will help you warm up and relax. Try to meet and talk to several audience members ahead of time, so you can find them and look at them when you speak--just to make the scene more familiar.
What do you do to combat swaying and help with eye contact?
Related posts: "I'm not nervous when I speak, but...": Why it's OK to be nervous
Five eye contact tips for speakers
Use the Evernote clip button, above, to save this post in an Evernote notebook. Go here to subscribe to Step Up Your Speaking, my free email newsletter that looks at a different speaking topic in depth each month...then become a fan of The Eloquent Woman on Facebook and join the conversation with thousands of other women (and men) about public speaking skills and confidence. Subscribers also get a 25 percent discount when they register for our next Good On Your Feet! workshop on dynamic speaking skills, March 2 and 3 in Washington, DC.


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El Salvador has an absolute prohibition on all abortions — they can't even be done to save the life of the mother (it's a very Catholic country, are you surprised?) Now a situation has made the news that exposes the villainy of that policy.
A young woman named Beatriz is petitioning El Salvador's supreme court to be allowed to get an abortion. Why? There's a couple of really good reasons.
The four-month fetus is acephalic — no brain has formed. It's doomed. It will never be viable. At best, it will be born, live a few days as a vegetable on life support, and die.
The mother is suffering from complications from lupus and kidney disease. The fetus won't even get to the point of being born — the mother will be killed by this pregnancy first.
The heartless, amoral, religiously-based rules of that society are condemning this woman to death. In addition, if any doctor honors their Hippocratic oath and helps her live, they can be prosecuted and sentenced to long terms in prison for it.
Beatriz has been refused a necessary and simple medical procedure because the demented fuckwits of the Catholic Church have prioritized dogma over human life. She has to beg authorities, right up to the highest levels of government, for the right to live.
All because some old assholes believe god has told them that the dying lump of meat in her belly is more precious than a woman's life.


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Reforming the Multilateral Development Banks
Testimony before the Subcommittee on International Trade and Finance Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
United States Senate
Washington, DC
This is my third appearance before this Committee to discuss the findings and recommendations of the International Financial Institutions Advisory Commission (IFIAC). Hence you are well aware that I, along with three other members of the Commission, both agreed with a number of proposals made by the majority and dissented from a number of its suggestions.
Today's hearing addresses the role of the multilateral development banks (MDBs) and I would stress at the outset that our minority's strongest disagreements with the IFIAC majority relate rather to its proposals regarding the International Monetary Fund-as discussed before the Committee on April 27. I and my fellow dissenters believe that the majority also goes much too far with a number of its proposals regarding the MDBs and hence we oppose those as well. However, we also believe that the majority makes a more persuasive case with respect to this set of institutions and that some of its proposals, if properly modified, could point in the direction of useful reform. I will briefly spell out these differences and similarities in my statement.
The Minority's Disagreements
I and my fellow dissenters believe that the IFIAC majority errs substantially in its criticisms of the World Bank and the other MDBs.1 As a result, we believe that it goes much too far with four of its key recommendations for the MDBs.
First, the majority wants to end all nonconcessional lending by the World Bank. They propose to replace its $20-25 billion of annual credits to some unspecified extent with similar nonconcessional lending by the regional development banks, private lending and-for the poorest countries-grant aid. There is no indication of whether these offsets should be total or partial, or of what the replacement mix should or could be.
Each part of the proposed replacement pattern raises problems. The majority provides no reason to believe that the regional banks would do a better job than the World Bank; most observers in fact believe they are both less efficient and more politicized. Both the volume of flows in the private markets and their terms are of course highly volatile, providing ample (even excessive) credits in good times but drying up just when they are most needed. We support a shift to grant aid for the poorest countries but doing so would require a sharp increase in appropriated funds from the Congress and other parliaments around the world; hence it is not likely to be a practical prospect.
Our minority thus believes that it would be a huge mistake to shut down the nonconcessional lending program of the World Bank-though I will note in a moment our support for a more modest movement in the direction proposed by the majority. It would also be a mistake to shut down the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guaranty Agency (MIGA), which the majority recommends without offering any rationales whatever, because they help promote direct investment and equity flows to developing countries-the most desirable and most stable types of private capital flows from a development standpoint.
It should be noted that the majority's proposals would result in the return of at least some of the capital of the World Bank, IFC and MIGA to the United States and other donor nations. Those liquidations would in essence be financed by the repayment of existing loans by developing countries. Hence the majority is suggesting a strange kind of "reverse aid" that makes little sense either economically or politically.
Second, the majority would stop all MDB lending to countries that had obtained access to the private capital markets. They want to do so even if those countries were still very poor and even if their private borrowing could take place only on "junk bond" terms. There are numerous problems with this approach:
- it would discourage countries from seeking private funding when we should of course be encouraging them to do so;
- it would place very poor countries at the mercy of very volatile markets, which as noted could close down on them (or at least balloon their costs) during a crisis period when external funding was most needed; and
- it would forfeit the contribution that the MDBs can make to a more development-oriented allocation of resources within the borrowing countries, partly by working with national leaders and officials who seek such a policy orientation and are often decisively strengthened by their alliances with MDB lenders.2
Third, the IFIAC majority wants the more advanced developing countries to rely wholly on the private capital markets. The same problems cited above pertain. Moreover, tens of millions of the world's poorest people live in Brazil, Mexico and other countries in this category. It would be a mistake to cut them off, fully and abruptly, from the benefits of MDB credit.
Fourth, as noted above, the majority would henceforth rely wholly on appropriated grant aid to support development in those poorest countries that retained access to MDB funding. To its credit, the majority is logically consistent in its call for a substantial increase in such aid; its members have courageously called on Congress to provide such increases as part of their proposed reform package. The problem, of course, is that the Congress-and other parliaments around the world-are highly unlikely to do so.
Hence the likely result of the IFIAC majority's proposals, in the real world, would be a sharp cutback in resource transfers to the developing countries, including the poorest of the poor. This result would be compounded if members of this Committee, and of the Congress more broadly, were to insist on linking completion of the HIPC debt relief program to implementation of the IFIAC majority's proposals for reform of the IMF. Such linkages will almost certainly be rejected by a majority of the Congress, and would certainly be rejected by the Administration, so the tragic result would be further delay of debt relief-which all members of the IFIAC support-rather than reform of the IMF or anything else. To their great credit, the members of the IFIAC majority have disavowed any such linkage. The practical reality, however, may again place them in the position of unwittingly undermining their own stated goals.
A Modified Reform Program
Our minority's disagreements with these extreme proposals of the majority do not, however, mean that we reject the view that reform is needed in the MDBs (as well as in the IMF). Indeed, we indicated our full support for several recommendations of the majority in the first paragraph of our dissent: clear delineation of the responsibilities of the IMF and World Bank, full write-off of the HIPC debt to all of the international financial institutions, increasing orientation of MDB lending to the poorest countries, and growing reliance on grants rather than loans for that same set of countries. I will briefly address each of these issues.
As noted, it would be a mistake to shut down the noncommercial lending of the World Bank. However, the Bank should speed up its program of graduating higher income developing countries. There is little or no excuse for continued Bank lending to Argentina, for example, with a per capita of about $9000.
Moreover, the Bank should not re-enroll borrowing countries as it did-to the tune of $5 billion-with Korea during the recent Asian financial crisis. Korea had completely graduated a number of years earlier, and had indeed become a donor to IDA, but it suddenly received a huge infusion of long-term development loans from the World Bank (and the Asian Development Bank) in response to its liquidity crisis in early 1998. Such a step was totally unnecessary, in addition to being totally inappropriate, as demonstrated by the fact that Korea's foreign exchange reserves have now reached $85 billion barely two years after its crisis. All members of the IFIAC agree that the IMF should stay out of long-term development lending but it is equally important to keep the World Bank (and the other MDBs) out of short-term crisis lending.
Acceleration of the MDBs' graduation programs could enable them to start reducing their total loan levels. The proceeds from the net loan repayments that would result could then be transferred to IDA, either to increase its quasi-grant lending and/or to reduce the need for future appropriations of IDA funding by donor countries. New IDA loans could then more easily be made on full grant terms. The Congress and the other World Bank member countries would of course have to approve such programmatic changes; they could not simply be decided by the US Administration, as implied by the IFIAC majority.
Finally, one of the most contentious issues in the current reform debate has been the increasing role of the IMF in longer-term, quasi-development lending via its Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (or PRGF, which replaced the earlier Extended Structural Adjustment Facility and is the institutional locus for the Fund's central role in implementing the HIPC debt relief initiative). All of us on the IFIAC agreed on the need for a clear delineation of the future roles of the Fund and the Bank but we in the minority were uneasy over the further reduction in resource transfers that would be implied by abolishing the PRGF, as the majority proposed.
An idea has surfaced, however, that could resolve the problem: transferring the PRGF from the Fund to the Bank rather than shutting it down.3 The IMF would still provide advice on macroeconomic policy in the recipient countries and the World Bank would have to insist that the countries took the Fund's advice seriously even though the Fund was no longer making the loans itself. The Bank would also have to exercise effective conditionality on the use of both the PRGF funds and the resources transferred for debt relief. If these considerations could be satisfactorily resolved, transfer of the PRGF to the Bank could resolve one of the thorniest issues in the current reform debate.
Such a compromise, if accepted by the Chairman of the full Committee and other key members of the Congress interested in IMF and MDB reform, and subsequently by the Administration and other countries, could resolve the problems cited above that threaten to block completion of the HIPC debt relief program. I believe it would meet the objective of IMF reformers, including all of us on the IFIAC, "to get the IMF out of longer-term lending." I also believe it would be acceptable to most of the developing countries that receive funds from the PRGF and through debt relief. I commend it to the Committee and hope it could help pave the way toward constructive reform of both the IMF and the World Bank, in a manner that would be politically feasible would help resolve at least part of the current reform issue.
1. For effective rebuttals of most of the majority's analytical arguments see Joanne Salop, "Lies and Exaggerations," The International Economy, May/June 2000 and "Development Effectiveness at the World Bank: What is the Score?" in OED Research, World Bank Operations Evaluation Department, Spring 2000.
2. Details are provided in Marcus Noland, "The Meltzer Commission and World Bank Activities in East Asia," Institute for International Economics, undated May 2000.
3. To my knowledge, the idea originated in a report on reform to the G-24 of developing countries by Montek Ahluwalia, former Finance Secretary and Commerce Secretary of India; see "The IMF and the World Bank in the New Financial Architecture" in International Monetary and Financial Issues for the 1990s, vol. XI (New York and Geneva, United Nations, 1999). The idea was endorsed in the recent report of the Overseas Development Council, The Future Role of the IMF in Development (Washington, 2000).


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Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is an opportunity to honor the legacy of Dr. King, and continue his mission to empower and strengthen local communities. While many Americans will choose to make an immediate impact by volunteering at school and park clean-up projects, food banks and homeless shelters, many others will join United Way and our partners in longer term work to address racial inequality and social justice.
In Seattle, Washington, United Way of King County is partnering with Restaurant Opportunity Centers United on a MLK Day of service project to raise awareness of racial segregation in Seattle's restaurant industry. As part of an Annual MLK Day Celebration at Garfield High School in Seattle, volunteers will hand out information about the issue, gather support for the initiative, and survey restaurant employees to better understand their experiences.
In Ohio, United Way of Greater Toledo's African American Leadership Society has organized the Real Men Read-Y program, an initiative that pairs young African-American boys with African-American "MENtors". On MLK Day, the program will focus in-depth on the civil rights movement and explore what Dr. King meant in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
Other United Ways will provide a space for residents to discuss racial inequality in their neighborhoods. In Macon, Georgia, United Way of Central Georgia will facilitate a community conversation that focuses on the meaning of community and the work of Dr. John Hope Franklin, a champion of the civil rights movement.
What are you doing to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on MLK Day of Service? Contact your local United Way or visit NationalService.gov to learn more about projects and programs taking place in your community and nationwide.


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I'm back on the attack! Maybe I'll post a little more now that music has just re-energized me completely! I've been listening to a ton of albums the last couple of weeks, old and new, and it just feels great. I'm not going to list every album I've played, just a few notable highlights and a couple podcasts so here's what I've been listening to recently…..
Van Halen – A Different Kind Of Truth (2012): Say what you want about this reunion album being 16 years late (should have happened in 1996!) and say what you want about the material being old (they went through the VH archives like other bands do in theirs!) but this is one smokin' record! Like everyone else, I was skeptical and I didn't get into 'Tattoo' right away but I didn't hate the tune. After hearing 'She's The Woman' and the rest of the record, it's one of the best of the year and I haven't stopped playing it.
UFO – Seven Deadly (2012): UFO just keeps putting out solid records every couple of years and it's always great to hear one of your favorite bands stay creative and vital, I marvel at singer Phil Mogg's songwriting. Here's another CD that I just can't get enough of, I play it at least once everyday since it's release earlier in the year.
Accept – Stalingrad (2012): After hearing Accept's 2010 comeback record, BLOOD OF THE NATIONS, I knew that it would be a tough album to follow but, after a couple of spins, STALINGRAD could actually overtake it! Founding guitarist Wolf Hoffman hadn't really been doing Metal until the Accept reunion shows with Udo Dirkschneider in the late 2000s so the fact that he's churning out awesome Metal riffs is legend. Add Mark Tornillo again at the mic doing his best Udo and you've got another top record this year!
Iron Maiden – En Vivo! (2012): Iron Maiden live albums are always great and I always buy them. Granted, LIVE AFTER DEATH is the benchmark by which all others will be compared but the energy and sound of the band 27 years after is still there and they are, dare I say, better! Maiden is THE Heavy Metal band of all-time, forget Metallica. Maiden has never sold out and their fans are rabid all over the globe. Listen to this crowd from Chile…..amazing! I'll be seeing this summer's tour.
Saxon – Call To Arms (2011): Just like UFO, Saxon is one of my favorite bands and they have been releasing consistently excellent albums for the last 19 years. There was a little lull in the late '80s & early '90s but since 1997 Saxon has released a prolific string of studio and live albums that have made the second half of their career. I got CALL TO ARMS when it came out in 2011 but I didn't give it a lot of time on the stereo or iPod so I've been really enjoying a fresh listen the last couple of weeks.
Ghost – Opus Eponymous (2011): I just can't get enough of Ghost! A mix of NWOBHM, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Black Sabbath and old church music. What a haunting sound and the gimmick is awesome. http://ghost-official.com/
I've also been listening to a couple of sampler CDs I received with Metal Hammer and Classic Rock presents AOR #6. The Metal Hammer CD came with the latest issue with James Hetfield on the cover and it's titled BONESNAPPERS. New tracks from Soulfly, Dragonforce, Meshuggah, Moonspell and Overkill are on there but the jewel of the CD is a track by Huntress called 'Spell Eater'. On the AOR CD (titled SILK & STEEL) there's a new UFO track off SEVEN DEADLY, the new Beggars & Thieves, Sunstorm (featuring Joe Lynn Turner), and Donnie Vie from Enuff Z'nuff but the tune I wanted to hear the most was from De La Cruz – 'Lust Fame Money'.
Check out Huntress — http://huntresskills.com/
Check out De La Cruz — http://www.facebook.com/DeLaCruzAustralia
I've been listening to a lot of podcasts recently…..well, trying to catch up on all the podcasts I subscribe to. I'm going to list a few of the ones I subscribe to and you should check them out either by the website of getting them for free through iTunes. The following podcasts are part of a website that links them all together called The Cast Iron Ring and there are 8 podcasts there but I've only been through three so far. I'm listing the podcasts' websites but you want to go to The Cast Iron Ring because it's just easier…..one stop shopping!
Iron City Rocks — http://www.ironcityrocks.com/
Focus On Metal — http://www.focusonmetal.net/
Radioactive Metal — http://www.facebook.com/radmetal


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Fatal Benjamins - Back 2 Da Basics [User Submitted]
" Studio Performance From The Mixtape Back 2 Da Basics Directed By Papo Loco"
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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hey guys ive almost got the PKM tutorial completed...
its lacking about 5 pictures and the test fire video, but that will be a little bit from now..
ive already fired it and ran a bunch thru, its more about getting the finish on it & so on.
its a fairly involved tutorial & ive got it hosted on WG & the pix are all on that set up.
if we get a lot of response here then i'll post up the entire build over here.
its just a lot of work to repost/host it all here.... if only 1 or 2 people can use it.
link: http://www.weaponsguild.com/forum/in...?topic=44153.0


text: Main Content Constitution-VII friendly link Printer Friendly index and updates Search within this Statute for STATE CONSTITUTION (EXCERPT)CONSTITUTION OF MICHIGAN OF 1963 Article VII LOCAL GOVERNMENT DocumentTypeDescription Article VII § 1SectionCounties; corporate character, powers and immunities. Article VII § 2SectionCounty charters. Article VII § 3SectionReduction of size of county. Article VII § 4SectionCounty officers; terms, combination. Article VII § 5SectionOffices at county seat. Article VII § 6SectionSheriffs; security, responsibility for acts, ineligibility for other office. Article VII § 7SectionBoards of supervisors; members. Article VII § 8SectionLegislative, administrative, and other powers and duties of boards. Article VII § 9SectionCompensation of county officers. Article VII § 10SectionRemoval of county seat. Article VII § 11SectionIndebtedness, limitation. Article VII § 12SectionNavigable streams, permission to bridge or dam. Article VII § 13SectionConsolidation of counties, approval by electors. Article VII § 14SectionOrganization and consolidation of townships. Article VII § 15SectionCounty intervention in public utility service and rate proceedings. Article VII § 16SectionHighways, bridges, culverts, airports; road tax limitation. Article VII § 17SectionTownships; corporate character, powers and immunities. Article VII § 18SectionTownship officers; term, powers and duties. Article VII § 19SectionTownship public utility franchises. Article VII § 20SectionTownships, dissolution; villages as cities. Article VII § 21SectionCities and villages; incorporation, taxes, indebtedness. Article VII § 22SectionCharters, resolutions, ordinances; enumeration of powers. Article VII § 23SectionParks, boulevards, cemeteries, hospitals. Article VII § 24SectionPublic service facilities. Article VII § 25SectionPublic utilities; acquisition, franchises, sale. Article VII § 26SectionCities and villages, loan of credit. Article VII § 27SectionMetropolitan governments and authorities. Article VII § 28SectionGovernmental functions and powers; joint administration, costs and credits, transfers. Article VII § 29SectionHighways, streets, alleys, public places; control, use by public utilities. Article VII § 30SectionFranchises and licenses, duration. Article VII § 31SectionVacation or alteration of roads, streets, alleys, public places. Article VII § 32SectionBudgets, public hearing. Article VII § 33SectionRemoval of elected officers. Article VII § 34SectionConstruction of constitution and law concerning counties, townships, cities, villages.


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How to install:
Early Results Achieved with AMD FX Processor Using Windows® 7 Scheduler Update
Some of you may remember that AMD FX processors use a unique dual-core module
architecture codenamed "Bulldozer", which current versions of Windows® 7 were not
specifically architected to utilize. In essence, for those with an AMD FX-8150 Processor, for
example, Windows 7 sees the eight available cores and randomly assigns threads to them.
In initial testing of the upcoming Windows 8 operating system, we've seen performance
improvements of up to 10% in some applications, when compared to Windows 7. This is
because the system correctly recognizes the AMD FX processor architecture and cores. Thanks
to close collaboration between Microsoft and AMD, Microsoft recently completed back-porting
some of the Windows 8 scheduler code for AMD FX processors into a hotfix for Windows 7.
So if you have an AMD FX processor, here's what you can do to update your version of
Windows 7:
1) Download the scheduler update (KB2645594) and install. This will tell the scheduler
that your AMD FX processor contains dual-core modules (in fact this is similar to the
SMT path that the other guys use). In essence, threads 1-4 now get assigned to their
own module first.
2) Download the core parking scheduler update (KB2646060) and install. This will prevent
Windows 7 shutting down unused cores prematurely when there are threads to be
assigned (there's a performance penalty parking and then un-parking a core).
The best possible cases for improvement are applications that use ½ cores in your AMD FX
processor. In our testing using the AMD FX-8150 processor, we found the best improvement in
wPrime, Left 4 Dead 2, and Lost Planet.
Our testing shows that not every application realizes a performance boost. In fact, heavily
threaded apps (those designed to use all 8 cores), get little or no uplift from this hotfix – they are
already maxing out the processor. In other cases, the uplift averages out to a 1-2 percent uplift.
But heck, it is free performance, and this is the scheduler model that will be used in Windows 8
(along with some further enhancements), so why not add it to your list of downloads?
If you have an AMD FX processor, head over to Microsoft and grab the free updates.
An Update for your 2012 Schedule(r)
January 11, 2012
Tis the season of resolutions! And a top resolution for 2012 is to get organized. For people, a central part of getting organized is learning how to improve scheduling your time to fit all the tasks at hand. Improving scheduling is not just a human thing – from an operating system (OS) viewpoint, better scheduling means that threads, processes or data flows are given more efficient access to system-level resources.
Our new AMD Opteron 6200 and 4200 Series processors are on the road to achieving optimal efficiency in 2012 with the recent release by our OS partners of improved scheduling techniques for their popular operating systems.
Let's take a first look at Windows. Currently, the CPU scheduling techniques used by Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 are not optimized for the module architecture of the AMD Opteron 6200 and 4200 Series processors. This means that certain multi-threaded workloads will not be optimally distributed between cores, which can result in decreased system performance.
Microsoft has just posted a hotfix for Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 documented in KB2645595 that enlightens the OS kernel to the AMD Opteron 6200 and 4200 Series topology so that the kernel can do a better job of scheduling threads to the processor cores. This patch leverages work that AMD and Microsoft have done cooperatively for future versions of the Windows kernel, and can be applied as desired by users running Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. Below you'll find links to the patches:
What are the performance gains that can be expected from this patch? It depends. Workloads that are moderately threaded have the potential for uplift. This could include virtualization, database, or transactional environments that are "bursty" – a mixture of light and heavy transactions, or legacy applications that are by nature not very threaded. The more heavily threaded the application, the less the likely the uplift. We recommend that interested users apply the patch to a test system and see how their workload responds.
If we switch over to the Linux world, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6.2 was released on Dec 6, 2011. RHEL 6.2 is another OS that is "enlightened" for the AMD Opteron 6200 and 4200 Series processors. It delivers higher levels of efficiency realized through resource management and performance optimization and enables enhanced business agility through more flexibility for virtualized and clustered environments.
AMD works closely with Microsoft, Red Hat and the Linux Open Source Community to drive enhancements for our processors at the operating system level. Our resolution is to get users to evaluate our AMD Opteron 6200 and 4200 Series processors with these new "enlightened" OSs.


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LAS VEGAS (Gray TV) – Is your grandmother, abuela or grand-mere the life of the party? Can she talk your ear off while cooking your favorite treat and checking her Facebook posts?
Well, if she is all of the above, GE Appliances is looking for her.
GE is seeking a grandmother who is "big-hearted, age defying, lives life to the fullest and brings out the best in everyone."
The ideal candidate will be endearing, funny and able to cook without needing a cookbook. She'll also have to do plenty of smiling, videos and social media.
Grandma will be hired part-time for 10 to 15 hours per month and will work from March 15, 2019 to the same date the following year.
Feeling the need to dust off her resume? You won't have to. Interested applicants are encouraged to send video submissions. Friends and family can also apply on behalf of the special lady.
Grandma will make $50,000 plus receive new cutting-edge GE kitchen appliances.
Does this sound like the woman you know? Well, apply at www.greatamericangrandma.com.
Copyright 2019 Gray Television Group. All rights reserved.


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We finally made it on our ten year anniversary trip - it happened to be three years late, but it was well worth the wait!
Instead of capturing images and then doing a big "picture dump" when we return, we opted to post via Instagram throughout the trip. Please follow adam_brodd at Instagram to view them!
Mexico Trip!
Friday, January 13, 2017 | Posted by Brodd Family at 4:53 PM
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When I was a kid going to my first prom, my buddies and I rented a "Stretch" limo for the evening. Especially back then, to make a Stretch you just cut a Cadillac in two and inserted a section in the middle and then welded them together. We were of course really impressed and told the driver what a really cool car it was and what a great job he had. His response was, "Well kid, that's because you don't have to drive it." Hold that thought.
For years now those contemplating a cruising boat have been inundated with a variety of naval architecture terms such as displacement-to-length ratio, prismatic coefficient, pounds per inch immersion and longitudinal center of buoyancy. Each plays a specific and very important role in determining the handling characteristics of a yacht. When a naval architect designs a boat, the hull is designed to accomplish a set of goals, and the resulting hull can be measured by these terms. The builder of a cruising boat will want the naval architect to create a hull that flows optimally through the water, dissipates rather than absorbs and reacts to the effects of sea conditions, and provides a comfortable and safe ride in the conditions for which she is designed.
Designing a new boat is not done piece-meal and many decisions and measurements affect multiple characteristics. The entry of the bow dictates the shape and beam of the forward sections and therefore the usability of the space inside. It also dictates fuel economy. The shape of the stern dictates drag, sea keeping ability, and fuel economy as well. The boat, especially a trawler, must flow through the water with mathematical precision, parting, displacing and most importantly, replacing the passing water at the same volume and at similar angles as it was displaced. All of the boat is designed to act in unison. Therefore, part of this design process must also consider where you will be placing tankage, battery banks, engines, stringer supports, etc. The engines must be placed such that the shaft and propeller position are optimal for the flow of water on that particular hull so that the displaced water is returning to its original placement as the boat passes and the propellers have a concentrated flow in which to "bite." Too far back and they will be too close to the water surface and suffer cavitation, and if too far forward the wash will affect the stern and increase the drag on the hull plus increase shaft angle, thus decreasing the efficiency of the propeller. The same is true with the rudder, which also must be appropriately sized and placed optimally within the flow of the propeller, and yet not too far forward or aft in order to steer the boat properly. Too far one way and she will steer like a sleepy drunk; too far the other and she is a hyperactive puppy pulling on her leash.
Back to the naval architecture terms and what I believe to be one of the most important and often ignored today: architectural integrity. In the last decade we have seen notable manufacturers stretch a 41-footer to be a 49-footer, a 47-footer to a 52-footer, and a 55-footer to a 60-footer. This disturbing trend violates the architectural integrity of the original hull design. Perhaps the best-known example of violating architectural integrity occurred back when SUVs first became all the rage. Manufacturers simply took the chassis of another vehicle and put a large boxy structure on top, thereby raising the center of gravity. Remember all those early stories about SUVs rolling over?
So why do manufacturers violate the architectural integrity of one hull design and stretch it to make another model? Simple. It's a relatively low cost way to introduce another model, and with more models there is a greater chance a builder will have a vessel that appeals to a particular customer. Keeping costs down and building and selling more boats equates to greater profits.
Why not stretch a boat? To design a boat with optimal performance involves a mathematical formula in which everything is a variable and the goal of the formula is optimal efficiency and stability. Like any mathematical formula, if you change some of the variables without changing the others you will get a different answer. This is inescapable.
If you take a boat that was designed at 55 feet and "stretch" it to 60 feet, all of the engineering is changed. You simply can't design the proper curvature and shape of a hull, then stretch the middle by 10% or more, or stick a larger cockpit on it, and have the physics stay the same. You can't, using sound naval architecture principles, place the propellers, rudders, etc. on a boat and then change its length by 10-15% and add a larger engine and prop, and expect the same handling result. Like most bad ideas, this one tends to magnify itself. It's hard enough to get a big heavy boat to turn, and with my 60-foot stretch example for the first few moments when the rudder is turned, the boat is going to try to push sideways until the reduced torque available finally starts the turn. This may result in just an unpleasant ride, but at some sea state it will approach the line between difficult steering and being unsafe. Just like that Stretch limo-it's got a lot more space, but the chauffeur really didn't want to drive it!
Don't just trust me. Take a sea trial, preferably on a really rough day. Insist on turning off the stabilizers and hand steering the boat in all conditions. You wouldn't buy an SUV without road testing it, would you?
David Glasco, Naval Architect


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The story:
I was in a roadside collision (moped on wet pavement slipped out from under me) which resulted in an Unsupported Open fracture. As in arm hanging down were it not for the sleeve of my suit and coat. A cyclists stopped to help. I limped off the road while he picked up the moped and took it to nearest convenient place which happened to be a Kensington and Chelsea Parking bay (I think its their's as the letterhead has their Logo and is a Penalty Charge Notice rather than a Parking Charge Notice) on Cheyne Walk. Ambulance came within minutes as this is right by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Police came as I was being examined in the back of the ambulance. They examined the scene, took a quick statement from me and said nothing about the placement of the moped. They gave the CAD number for the incident.
In the afternoon while still in care after surgery, a friend came to visit and I asked him to collect the moped as I wasn't sure exactly where it was left.
The problem:
Surprise surprise I get a PCN (Penalty Charge Notice) letter through my door. I refused it saying I was in an accident blah blah blah.
Then they reply saying since you said you were in an accident, you need to obtain so and so report from police. Well it turns out the report cost £144 something to obtain. To dispute an £80 fine...Aha right away mate.
I reply via email saying No Way Jose and basically saying I aint paying for the report but here's other proof to support what I'm saying. I photocopied them a letter from hospital showing the diagnosis, time and date of admission etc. As well as letter from police confirming they attending the scene and so on, and the CAD number. I concluded the email saying:
"I trust this information contains more than enough evidence to support my case and will be sufficient to dismiss the PCN and avoid any time and resources being wasted on hearings and tribunals. "
Feeling o so powerful.
So now they replied 3 days ago saying:
"Unfortunately your evidence was not attached to the email. Further consideration has been given to the case, however, we are unable to cancel the PCN. We replied to the points raised in the initial correspond dated **/**/**. I have enclosed a copy of our response"
Utter mugs.And here's the thing, they do not clarify what evidence. no idea what they mean by "we replied to the points raise in the initial correspondence" - when and how? They ** out the date...and they didn't enclose a copy of their response.
I'm so livid at this point so I decide to write back:
To whom it may concern,
I am asking from the outset that this matter be escalated to the appropriate individual with the authority to review matters with exceptional circumstances, since it clearly has not been with my previous email.
I am writing in reply to your latest letter dated 11/10/2016.
I am now going to address the following lines of your letter (quoted).
"We replied to the points raised in the initial correspondence dates **/**/**. I have enclosed a copy of our response."
When and in what form have you replied? As I have not received such a reply.
What date is **/**/**?
Where have you enclosed a copy of your response? Only a singe page was included in the envelope with the letter.
"Unfortunately your evidence was not attached to the email."
What evidence are you referring to? My last email included plenty: photocopies of letters from the Hospital into which I was admitted with the diagnosis of an Unsupported Open Fracture. To help you out, this is what that looks like:
(included image of my X-ray with both forearm bones clearly broken out of place and a picture of my arm bent arm )
As well as letters from the Metropolitan Police confirming that I indeed was in a collision on the stated date and time. This included a memo from a Met Police Office with the CAD number of the incident.
As I said in that email, I was in NO condition to move my moped. in fact, the only reason it was not left lying on the road, was because a passing cyclist stopped to help and picked it up and moved to where it was left in the parking bay. So to clarify: I did not park it there. The ambulance crew arrived within minutes and examined me in the back of the ambulance which is when the police arrived to assess the situation. Nothing was said to me about the placement of my moped, but I'm sure they were happy with it being OFF THE ROAD and left in the nearest convenient location by the helpful cyclist, which just so happened to be one of your parking bays.
I'm sure this caused you great financial loss as you're so clearly set on squeezing every penny you can from this horrific disregard of your parking rules. But I hope you are capable of seeing how illogical it would be for me to pay £144 for a police report to dispute an £80 and let alone a £40 fine, which is doggedly being pursued with complete disregard of the circumstances. If you need this report so badly, I suggest you attain it yourself. You have all the details you need from my emails.
To sum up:
I did not park my moped there. Someone else did, without my consent as I was not in control of due the broken arm. Obviously.
I was in a lot of pain, with the only thing stopping my arm from dangling down towards the floor was the suit sleeve in which it was in.
It was a roadside accident that lead to the moped being removed off the road and parked on your bay. So exceptional circumstance as apposed to a blatant disregard of the rules.
Please advise:
I have not yet sent the email as only at this point did I decide to google PCN law and find that people are successfully disputing their fines following some of the methods on this forum. I'm completely new to this but from a browse around I get the impression that I have already admitted my guilt by engaging in correspondence with them via email.
What do you think is my best course of action now? Should I continue with my email? Or should I now begin R4Cing them? I am completely convinced I am not at fault and have no intention whatsoever on paying a single £ to these rams. Do I stand a chance?
Thank you for making it through this much text...Any input is much appreciated!


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ZEISS Accessories
Exploiting your full metrological potential
The ZEISS accessories are perfectly matched to your metrological requirements. Whether rotary connection elements, clamping devices or cabinets for the safe storage of your styli - with our accessories, you can fully exploit your metrological potential.
From right temperature to correct calibration of styli - if you want to achieve highest quality and maximum productivity, you shall always consider the measuring environment and the suitable accessories. But what exactly is needed for that? Check out our video and learn more about the ideal measuring room.


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When I first read this article, I thought to myself "I have no clue on this one. What could I write that would be unique or interesting?"
My Disasters
Have you heard that old axiom that bad things come in sets of three? For me, I have three such tales and two of them have a correlation to SQL Server (at least in some degree).
Disaster the First – You Can see it Coming
This one is a slow, ongoing process. We are in a state of watch and wait. But it at least gives us a chance to prepare and thus be prepared. We live in an area where a flood plain exists but once every 20-25 years. It just so happens that this is one of those years. Our neighborhood is preparing by digging ditches, building dykes and sandbagging the most likely flow areas. We see it coming and we are making plans.
Disaster the Second – Efforts Didn't Go According to Plan
Last Friday I was applying a software patch. As you would have guessed, the patch did not go according to plan. The patch actually corrupted windows files and caused windows to fail reboots. I tried to repair the corrupted files (default action with Win7). I also tried to restore to a previous checkpoint. Last effort was to re-install Windows. You know that means I had to re-install all of my apps as well. Any settings in the apps (such as SSMS) would be lost.
In this case, I should have imaged my machine immediately prior to installing the patch. In this case, I wanted to retrieve all of my SSMS registered servers. In order to do that (even though I did not export the registered servers) I needed to locate the prior RegSvr.XML from the backup that the Windows Installation makes of an existing windows install. In some cases this prior install will be relocated to windows.Old. Search in that directory for the RegSvr.XML file and copy it to %username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Shell. This will RECOVER the registered servers in SSMS that you had there prior to the reinstall. Of course you would first need to reinstall SQL Server Tools prior to attempting this.
Disaster the Third – UnPlanned
After successfully recovering from that minor disaster, I encountered a new disaster only after two days of laptop use. Upon arriving on-site yesterday morning (and mind you the laptop worked at the hotel) in Chicago (which is out of state for me), my laptop froze, rebooted and came back to "No Boot Disk." Well, I was completely unprepared for this midlevel disaster. I didn't have my reinstall discs with me. I did not have my laptop backed up from the Friday disaster – I was still trying to get everything back to normal. I had but one option – buy a new laptop and try to recover the hard drive later.
In trying to make sure it was not going to boot, I booted the system to a Boot CD (UBCD and a couple others) to be certain. I was getting Int13h errors trying to find the drive. I checked CMOS and CMOS did not see the drive. I bought the new laptop and first tried to boot the new laptop from that HDD. It too did not recognize it. The drive was not even spinning up at that time.
Today, I have attached that drive to an external cage and connected via USB. It's alive!! The data is still there but some clusters are corrupt. That is fine so long as I get the data. In this case, I don't normally take daily backups of my laptop drives. In the future, I will be taking more frequent backups of the laptop drives. And now I have a backup laptop for cases just like this.
And once this last disaster is recovered, I will be copying settings from apps on that laptop to the new laptop – might save a little time.


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Faculty Resources
In support of student academic excellence and success, the Student Health Center (SHC) also serves as a resource for SJSU faculty. Currently enrolled students can schedule appointments at SHC for immunizations and physical exams needed to fulfill academic program requirements.
Do the students in your class need a TB screening, immunizations or program physical exams in order to meet academic/internship/program requirements? The SHC is ready to help.
What can faculty do to facilitate the fulfillment of these requirements for their students? Faculty can:
- Provide students with the detailed information about the immunization and/or physical exam requirements that they need to fulfill their academic program;
- Inform students in advance (at least one month) of the due date for completing the requirements;
- Encourage students to schedule their appointments as soon as possible as the immunization and physical exam appointments are in high demand throughout the semester;
- Understand that due to privacy and confidentiality laws, we cannot release information about any patient visits.
What do the students in your class need to know to schedule appointments at the SHC to meet their academic/internship/program requirements? Students need to:
- Visit the Student Health Center website
- Login to SHC Online Services to complete the required health forms – this needs to happen prior to scheduling an appointment;
- Call the SHC at (408) 924-6122 or stop by in person (Student Wellness Center (SWC), 1st Floor) to schedule an appointment.
- Bring all required forms to your appointments so that your health care provider can complete them for you in a timely manner.
- TB screening (Quantiferon Gold only), immunizations and program physical exams are augmented health care services for which students pay a fee. Students should inquire about fees at the time they schedule an appointment.
- For travel consults, visit Clinical Services
What can students do if the available appointments at SHC do not meet their scheduling and requirement needs?
For TB Screening:
- Santa Clara County Adult Immunization Clinic, 976 Lenzen Avenue, Suite 1500, San Jose
- Monday - Friday: 8:15 - 11:30 am, 1:00 - 4:00 pm
- Thursday: 8:15 - 11:30 am
For Immunizations:
- Santa Clara County Adult Immunization Clinic, 976 Lenzen Avenue, Suite 1500, San Jose
- Monday - Friday: 8:00 - 11:30 am, 1:00 - 4:30 pm
- Closed: Every 3rd Thursday of each month 1:00 - 4:30 pm
For Physical Exams:
- Primary care physician through their supplemental health insurance coverage
For International Travel:


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Wikitravel talk:One-liner listings
Please also see relevant discussion at Wikitravel talk:Spelling
One-liner listings[edit]
this section/discussion moved to here from Wikitravel talk:Manual of style#One-liner listings
For example most ==Cities== sections, etc. (as opposed to See/Do/Eat/Drink/Sleep etc)
Is there already a guideline somewhere for how simple all-one-liner listings should usually be formatted? If so, where is it? - and if not, how about adopting the Wikitravel:Manual of style page format, which I think is by far the most common (and which until I just tidied it up was a good example of some of the variations that can creep in [1])?
(Obvious exception to alphabetic being ==Cities== sections, where capital cities/towns go at the top)
Any objections? ~ 184.108.40.206 17:01, 24 September 2006 (EDT)
Still not a fan of the simple dash as a policy... the longer ndash or mdash looks far nicer. I don't think they're that difficult to use... certainly no more of a problem than some other things, notably trying find the ~ key on a Nicaraguan keyboard – cacahuate talk 02:44, 7 January 2008 (EST)
Ordering of items[edit]
(Probably trivial but it bugs me!) Is there a policy on ordering of items in a list? For example, should cities be listed alphabetically, by size, by perceived importance? Should eat/sleep listings be ordered alphabetically? What about things to see and do?--Wandering 16:51, 23 July 2007 (EDT)
Description - short and sweet[edit]
This is a main problem with one-liners everywhere they're used, imho:
I don't think just 'short and sweet' reflects this idea--I think it clearly needs more thought. --DenisYurkin 02:26, 8 January 2008 (EST)
As the "Dash - just one simple one, not -- or — or — or –" line has just been removed [3], can the {{disclaimerbox|This is a draft policy and consensus has not yet been established behind it. Discussion is underway on the talk page}} tag be removed now? ~ 220.127.116.11 04:12, 17 January 2008 (EST)
Full stop[edit]
Can someone explain why one liner listings don't have a full stop at the end of the sentence? I understand the notion behind one liner listings but without a full stop at the end of the sentence, it looks unfinished. I think it can be short and sweet with a full stop. --MarinaK 13:29, 3 September 2008 (EDT)MarinaK.
Capital cities[edit]
OK, so capital cities come first in listings. Does this apply only at the level corresponding to the capital's domain, or does it apply to lower levels as well. Examples: Should Ottawa or Toronto appear first on the list of cities for Ontario? Should Washington, D.C. be listed first in the Mid-Atlantic article? LtPowers 13:41, 21 July 2009 (EDT)
Relaxing the rules a bit[edit]
I'd like to consider relaxing the "preferably one phrase" rule for regions, and maybe even districts. One could even argue for relaxing it for cities at the lowest levels of the hierarchy only.
Why? Well, let's look at something like New York (state). Would single-phrase descriptions really give a traveler any sort of way to make a choice among the regions? Sure, at the continent level, these things are just navigation tools, but at lower levels of the hierarchy, the traveler might have some idea what area he wants to visit (say, New York State) but not know what the various travel sub-regions of the area have to offer. Yes, he can (and should) click through to find out all the details, but it seems to me that the descriptive text on the super-region page can help him narrow down his choices. I think the regionlist template also looks far better with complete sentences than with simple phrases uncapitalized and unpunctuated:
I can see the logic behind keeping descriptions short for our lists of "Cites" and "Other Destinations", which are used for navigation only, but I think a sentence or two is much more useful to the traveler when we're talking about complete lists that the traveler must choose from to descend in the hierarchy.
-- LtPowers 12:00, 28 October 2009 (EDT)
Back to dashes[edit]
The last question still unresolved for this policy is that of the hyphen v. mdash. I've probably already made this point, but the hyphen is grammatically incorrect, as its sole purpose in the English language is to hyphenate. Whereas one of the several functions of an mdash is precisely what we are using it for in these one-liner lists—a parenthetical serving to define or clarify the preceding phrase or term. Per WP, mdashes can be used where a full stop (or "period") is too strong and a comma too weak. Em dashes are sometimes used in lists or definitions.
This may seem like hairsplitting, but this policy is really all about splitting hairs—defining our standard, preferred formatting. --Peter Talk 22:12, 20 January 2010 (EST)
This is less of a concern, but I'd like to know to be sure. Should we leave spaces before and/or after mdashes, i.e. which of the following is the (most) correct:
I think the third form is the most esthetically superior, though I am almost always inclined to use (and really get used to) the second form after, if I'm not mistaken, User:MarinaK, who said to be experienced at publishing commercial guidebooks, made a number of proofreading edits that use the second form.—Vidimian 10:53, 26 January 2010 (EST)
Given that it is somewhat rare to get this form of agreement on something grammatical, should we now move the essense of this consensus (that is, the actual formatting preferred) to the main article? --inas 02:41, 2 June 2010 (EDT)


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Back in 2007, The Simpsons Movie was one of the biggest breakout hits of the summer, far exceeding any expectations at the box office. Many fans of the show knew that the movie was a long time coming, having been in development for many years before finally coming to fruition. Considering how fast hit movies have sequels greenlit, it's somewhat surprising that there hasn't been any official word on the sequel.
Earlier today, ComingSoon.net had a chance to talk with the show's executive producer James L. Brooks about his new movie as a filmmaker, How Do You Know, and we asked him whether that success has convinced them to do it all again for another movie sometime down the road.
"We're open to it," he told us, adding the disclaimer, "It was much harder than we anticipated. It took us a year to try and get to the point because we're all so scared of 'What are we going to do to the Simpsons' and 'What if the movie is no good?' We were all so scared about that and I thought it took us a solid year of looking at each other to get to the point where we can get to the point where we don't give a sh*t."
He continued with the exciting news that they do have an idea for a second movie, "It was a huge success and we're very open to it and we have a beginning notion if we want to do it, but the series always comes first with us. The series is always primary to us."
Look for our full interview with Brooks before How Do You Know, starring Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson, opens on December 17.


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The Pollution in Newborns
Body Burden: The Pollution in Newborns: About this Report
Principal authors:
Jane Houlihan
Contributing author:
Alan Greene, M.D., FAAP
Report design:
T.C. Greenleaf
Contributing researchers:
Hema Subramanian
This study was made possible by grants from the The Beldon Fund, Henry Luce Foundation, The John Merck Fund, Lucy R. Waletzky, M.D., The Mitchell Kapor Foundation, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, The Popplestone Foundation, The Streisand Foundation, Turner Foundation, and The Winslow Foundation. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the supporters listed above. EWG is responsible for any errors of fact or interpretation contained in this report.
We would like to thank Commonweal, our partner in the study. Commonweal is a nonprofit health and environmental research institute that supports local, national and international initiatives that contribute to human health and a healthy environment.
EWG is a nonprofit research organization with offices in Washington, DC and Oakland, CA. EWG uses the power of information to educate the public and decision-makers about a wide range of environmental issues, especially those affecting public health.


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Gaarelu/Vada/Ulundu Vada is a very famous South Indian breakfast which is accompanied with Coconut Chutney and Sambhar.
Everyone in our family likes these... hope even you will enjoy them :)
Whole urad dal: 2 cups
Ginger: 2 inch, finely chopped
Green chillies: 4, finely chopped
Onion: 2, finely chopped
Salt: to taste
Oil: for deep frying
- Soak Urad Dal in enough water overnight.
- Grind into a soft paste, using very little water. The batter should be very thick, not like dosa batter.
- Add ginger, onions, chilies and salt to this and mix well.
- Take a deep pan or kadai and heat oil for frying.
- Wet your hands and take a lemon sized ball and flatten it and make a hole in the center. (You can use a plastic sheet or a banana leaf, to make things easier).
- Slowly put it in oil and deep fry on both sides till golden brown.
- Serve hot with coconut chutney or sambhar or even chicken curry!!
- If excess water is added while grinding, it is difficult to shape and drop it in oil.
- Every time before taking batter into your hands, remember to wet your hands with water. This prevents the batter from sticking to your hand.
- Since you wet your hands each time and put them in the bowl containing the batter, after some time, the batter is likely to become thin. So it is better to work on the batter batch wise.
And the Verdict:
"Thinte Gaarelu thinaali, vinte Bhaaratam vinaali" is a very famous telugu proverb. And this says it all!!!


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Low blood sugar or neonatal hypoglycaemia is a common problem that affects up to 15 per cent of otherwise healthy babies and is a preventable cause of brain damage, said Professor Jane Harding from the University of Auckland.
In a study, researchers at the University's Liggins Institute and at Waikato Women's Hospital in Hamilton, New Zealand, assessed whether treatment with dextrose gel, an oral glucose gel, is more effective than feeding alone at reversing neonatal hypoglycaemia in at-risk babies (eg, from pregnancies complicated by maternal diabetes, preterm birth, and low birthweight).
"Our study is the first report in babies showing that dextrose gel massaged into the inside of the cheek is more effective than feeding alone for treating hypoglycaemia, and is safe and simple to use," said Harding.
Dextrose gel is already used to reverse hypoglycaemia in people with diabetes, but little evidence exists for its use in babies.
Currently, treatment for late preterm and term babies involves extra feeding and repeated blood tests to measure blood sugar levels. But many babies are admitted to intensive care and given intravenous glucose because their blood sugar remains low.
In the study, between 2008 and 2010, 514 at-risk babies aged 35 weeks gestation or older from Waikato Women's Hospital in Hamilton were enrolled in the first 48 hours after birth.
Around 242 (47 per cent) became hypoglycaemic and were randomly assigned to 40 per cent dextrose gel or placebo gel for up to six doses over 48 hours.
Treatment with dextrose almost halved the likelihood of treatment failure compared with placebo, with no adverse effects.
Babies given dextrose gel were also less likely to be admitted to intensive care for hypoglycaemia, to receive additional formula feeds, and to be formula fed at two weeks.
"Because this treatment is inexpensive and simple to administer, it should be considered for first-line management of late preterm and term hypoglycaemic babies in the first 48 hours after birth," Harding said.
"Dextrose gel can easily be made in the hospital pharmacy, and is stable at room temperature. Therefore, the gel could also be useful in resource-poor settings where hypoglycaemia is common and underdiagnosed," she said.
The study was published in the The Lancet journal.


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Pro Wrestling: From Carnivals to Cable TV
Paperback Edition: 128 Pages
Author: Keith Elliot Greenberg
Gr. 6-12. Young fans continually seek more information about pro wrestling, and Greenberg delivers delectable details as he discusses its history. He introduces an array of colorful "babyfaces" (good guys) and "heels" (bad guys) and devotes separate chapters to the impact women, Japanese, and Puerto Rican grapplers have had on the sport. Most of the text is presented with high-flying enthusiasm as it looks back through the last century at celebrities such as Gorgeous George, Hulk Hogan, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. But Greenberg also includes some tragedies--among them, the murder of Bruiser Brody. The index omits some important figures mentioned in the text, but the numerous posed and action photos are great for browsing, and the book is one of the few on the topic that can be used for research. Roger Leslie
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