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21 Views
22:30:00 02/15/11
Our guest in the studio: Hilmar Schneider, IZA Director of Labor Policy
[LESS INFO] 21 VIEWS | ADDED 22:30:00 02/15/11
Our studio guest talks to us about trend towards hand-manufactured products.DW-TV: Joining us now is the Director of Labor Policy at the German Institute for the Study of Labor, the I-Z-A. Hilmar Schneider, thanks for coming in. Mr. Schneider is this a definite trend, a move from mass production to specialized manufacturing? Hilmar Schneider: It is indeed indicating a very broad trend. Individualization of production and individualization of consumption is the answer to our technical facilities we have nowadays and it's also an expression of the wealth of our economies that we are able to afford this type of manufacturing. DW-TV: So would you say that companies are prepared for this? Hilmar Schneider: I think so but it seems that especially smaller companies that are more flexible are better prepared to react to these things while those big tankers, those big companies that are strictly hierarchically structures have more difficulties to react adequately to the trend. DW-TV: How can your average firm make sustainable profits from a trend like this, as it costs a lot to individualize products? Hilmar Schneider: Well it does, but people do no longer want standardized mass production, they want to express themselves by their consumption. So they want these products and firms can only survive if they are able to deliver. And it requires, of course, a certain type of worker. Workers need to be more entrepreneurial than they used to be, because the variety of possibilities, of opportunities that we have generated by this project is so huge that you need people that are able to guide customers through this jungle of opportunities. We need people who are able to give advice to customers and all that needs a new type of worker. Of course, you still need skills, technical skills, but there's something coming in addiction...entrepreneurial spirit. DW-TV: Do we those people though here in Germany at a time of skills shortages? Hilmar Schneider: We are not perfectly prepared for this, but at least we are aware of it and I think you can learn, although it's still difficult to think of it as something that you learn at school. DW-TV: So are more and more companies setting their sights on an elite group of customers with all the money? Hilmar Schneider: Well on the one hand of course you can have your individualized Bordeaux if you have the money to afford it. But it's much broader than that. Think of ring tones for your mobile phone or screen savers for your mobile phone, your muesli can be individualized via internet. This is for cheap money, it's something everybody can afford. So a very broad trend toward individualization. DW-TV: So are we moving back away from industrialization? Hilmar Schneider: No. Industrialization is still the tool that we need, but in a much more skillful manner than we are used to. It's not the same type of product for everybody, we use machines for producing individualized products for everybody. Interview: Ben Fajzulin
10 Views
22:30:00 02/15/11
Our guest in the studio: Hilmar Schneider, IZA Director of Labor Policy
[LESS INFO] 10 VIEWS | ADDED 22:30:00 02/15/11
Our studio guest talks to us about trend towards hand-manufactured products.DW-TV: Joining us now is the Director of Labor Policy at the German Institute for the Study of Labor, the I-Z-A. Hilmar Schneider, thanks for coming in. Mr. Schneider is this a definite trend, a move from mass production to specialized manufacturing? Hilmar Schneider: It is indeed indicating a very broad trend. Individualization of production and individualization of consumption is the answer to our technical facilities we have nowadays and it's also an expression of the wealth of our economies that we are able to afford this type of manufacturing. DW-TV: So would you say that companies are prepared for this? Hilmar Schneider: I think so but it seems that especially smaller companies that are more flexible are better prepared to react to these things while those big tankers, those big companies that are strictly hierarchically structures have more difficulties to react adequately to the trend. DW-TV: How can your average firm make sustainable profits from a trend like this, as it costs a lot to individualize products? Hilmar Schneider: Well it does, but people do no longer want standardized mass production, they want to express themselves by their consumption. So they want these products and firms can only survive if they are able to deliver. And it requires, of course, a certain type of worker. Workers need to be more entrepreneurial than they used to be, because the variety of possibilities, of opportunities that we have generated by this project is so huge that you need people that are able to guide customers through this jungle of opportunities. We need people who are able to give advice to customers and all that needs a new type of worker. Of course, you still need skills, technical skills, but there's something coming in addiction...entrepreneurial spirit. DW-TV: Do we those people though here in Germany at a time of skills shortages? Hilmar Schneider: We are not perfectly prepared for this, but at least we are aware of it and I think you can learn, although it's still difficult to think of it as something that you learn at school. DW-TV: So are more and more companies setting their sights on an elite group of customers with all the money? Hilmar Schneider: Well on the one hand of course you can have your individualized Bordeaux if you have the money to afford it. But it's much broader than that. Think of ring tones for your mobile phone or screen savers for your mobile phone, your muesli can be individualized via internet. This is for cheap money, it's something everybody can afford. So a very broad trend toward individualization. DW-TV: So are we moving back away from industrialization? Hilmar Schneider: No. Industrialization is still the tool that we need, but in a much more skillful manner than we are used to. It's not the same type of product for everybody, we use machines for producing individualized products for everybody. Interview: Ben Fajzulin
17 Views
01:38:35 11/19/10
Wintergrasp - Rated BGs - BestBuy DevChat
[LESS INFO] 17 VIEWS | ADDED 01:38:35 11/19/10
Wintergrasp queuing changed in 4.0.3
In patch 4.0.3, Wintergrasp queuing was changed so that each battle attempts to match the factions at a 1-to-1 ratio. This is the exact system being used for Tol Barad in Cataclysm. While we understand that this inflates queue times for factions which are vastly overpopulated on select realms, we prefer this system over using Tenacity. In addition, the new system at least encourages playing on a faction that's better balanced against the opposing faction. With the old Wintergrasp functionality, players were almost encouraged to be on an overpopulated faction, further contributing to realm balance issues.
That said, we'll review realms with significant faction imbalances on a case-by-case basis in the event we need to take further action.
Rated Battlegrounds FAQ
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is just around the corner -- and that means Rated Battlegrounds will soon be available. While Rated Battlegrounds will only be open to level-85 characters, we know many of you may still have some questions about this new system, so we’ve put together an FAQ to help address some of the more common inquiries we've seen.
Q. What are Rated Battlegrounds?
A. Like the Arena system, Rated Battlegrounds are an alternative way for players to battle against opponents of similar skill levels and accrue rating to purchase powerful PvP gear. Instead of competing in a 2v2, 3v3, or 5v5 bracket, though, you'll be testing your mettle in familiar environments like Arathi Basin and Eye of the Storm, as well as all-new Battlegrounds set to release in Cataclysm.
Q. How are Rated Battlegrounds structured?
A. Rated Battlegrounds are broken down into two brackets: 10v10 and 15v15. These brackets rotate weekly and can be viewed in-game via the calendar by activating the Battleground holiday filter.
Q. What Battlegrounds are eligible for Rated Battleground matches?
A. Warsong Gulch, Arathi Basin, Eye of the Storm, Strand of the Ancients, Battle for Gilneas, and Twin Peaks.
Q. What happened to the 25v25 bracket?
A. We decided to remove this bracket. We don't feel it's feasible to ask players to coordinate a group of 25 players for Rated Battlegrounds. If any player happens to drop group just before a match begins, the raid group would not be able to enter the battle. We anticipate most players or guilds will stick with fairly dedicated 10-player groups, and making the jump to 15-player groups shouldn't be too difficult.
Q. How can I queue for a Rated Battleground?
A. Before entering the queue, you must first create a raid with the full number of players required for the weekly bracket (10 or 15). Any level-85 player on your realm and of your faction may participate in the battle regardless of guild association.
Once you have a raid of the appropriate size, simply open up the PvP window, click on the Conquest tab, highlight "Rated Battleground," and then click "Join Battle."
Q. Can I queue up solo and just be matched with a Rated Battleground team?
A. No. You will need to first join a raid of the appropriate size and level before you can queue up for a Rated Battleground. Individual queuing will not be available for Rated Battlegrounds.
Q. Do all players in the raid group have to be from the same guild in order to queue for a Rated Battleground?
A. No. So long as the raid group size matches the weekly bracket and is comprised of level-85 players, you can queue up for a Rated Battleground no matter what guild you are in. Guild membership has no effect on the formation of Battleground teams.
Winning a Rated Battleground with a team composed of at least 80% guild members, however, will result in the additional benefit of guild experience gain for that guild.
Q. How can I tell if my Rated Battleground team meets the minimum guild requirement?
A. If you join a Rated Battleground with the minimum number of required guild members, a special guild banner will appear in the upper-left corner of the in-game mini-map. This will let you know if you are eligible for the bonus guild experience.
Q. What are the normal benefits of winning a Rated Battleground?
A. When you win a Rated Battleground, you will be rewarded Conquest points, up to your weekly cap. Weekly caps are individual for each player and are based on your highest single PvP rating from the previous week (the cap resets on Tuesdays). This rating can be derived from your 2v2, 3v3, or 5v5 Arena rating or your Rated Battleground rating.
Q. What Rated Battleground rating do players start out with?
A. Players start at zero Rated Battleground rating and progress upward from there. If you lose a battle, your Rated Battleground rating will only be reduced if that rating is currently higher than your Match Making Value (MMV). For the most part, a rating only goes up.
Q. What’s MMV?
A. Match Making Value (or MMV for short) is our best measure of an individual player's skill. MMV is the skill rating per format (2v2, 3v3, 5v5, Battleground) and per character that is used for matchmaking. It exists to help the matchmaking system create great matches as quickly as possible for all players. It's generally not a rating we show, with the exception of an average MMV for Arena teams.
Q. Will my MMV go down in the event of a Rated Battleground loss?
A. Yes; however, unlike Arenas, all players in a Rated Battleground team will win or lose the same amount of Rated Battleground rating per match depending on its outcome.
Q. Does MMV for Rated Battlegrounds function the same as it does in Arenas (i.e. does it go up more when you beat a higher-rated team, and go down more when you lose to a lower-rated team)?
A. Yes. Your MMV will go up faster if you defeat a Rated Battleground team with a higher average MMV.
Q. What’s the plan to prevent your Rated Battleground rating from skyrocketing at high win ratios? If your rating only goes down when it is above your MMV, it seems that ratings will just be high on average (compared to Arena).
A. If your Rated Battleground rating gets inflated much beyond your MMV, you’ll only receive a minimal amount of points when you win. Similarly, you’ll lose many more points after a defeat, until your Rated Battleground rating gets back in line with your MMV. This will prevent inflation.
Q. Can consumables and engineering items be used in Rated Battlegrounds?
A.Yes, but they will follow the same rules and restrictions as Arenas.
Q. Will Rated Battleground teams only be matched against other teams in their Battlegroup?
A. No. Rated Battlegrounds will be region-wide, meaning that when you queue for a Rated Battleground, you will have the opportunity to be matched against a team from any of our North American World of Warcraft realms.
Q. Are there any plans to reward players with the highest Rated Battleground rating, similar to Arenas?
A. Epic ground mounts will be rewarded at the end of each season to the top 0.5% of players according to Rated Battleground rating. Titles are also available as you gain rating in the system. The titles are rewarded directly from achievements earned from gaining the required rating.
Developer Chat Hosted by Best Buy (transcript)
Will the heirloom items scale to 85?
The current plan is to have heirloom items stop at level 80 at the moment.
I was wondering what new and exciting mounts there will be and what your favorite so far is?
Not surprisingly there are all kinds of new mounts, we have spectral wolf/horse mounts, a dark phoenix, a camel, the new alchemy mount that turns you into a drake can ride, among others. Also a scorpion for the horde and a lion for the alliance. My favorite has to be the camel though... i mean really, who doesn't want to be a camel jockey?!
Has Blizzard considered adding a "Tabards Tab" to the UI, so that tabard collectors can switch out tabards more effectively without having to take up bank and bag space? --Thanks! Deathunholy of Galakrond
We have talked about adding a tabard tab. We've talked about doing a closet tab to handle it. It isn't something we are adding for Cataclysm though.
Will it be as long of a wait to fight Deathwing as it was for Lich King?
Hopefully not, we definitely have a goal to get our content patches out more quickly than we have in the past, without sacrificing quality of course, we plan for deathwing to be the most amazing encounter we've ever made! =]
Are there any plans to potentially add queueing to the rated battlegrounds instead of it having to be a pre-made raid team? I was really excited when I first heard about this feature, but after reading the FAQ i was a bit disappointed with that design.
We're currently looking into the possibility of having players in the honor battleground queue be able to be called to action by groups that aren't quite full, but we're going to see how the current queue'ing works out first so, that isn't something that would be available just yet
Will you allow players to fill their quest log with say, 25 dailies, and then turn them in right after Midnight on December 7th to get a quick boost towards 85? This is how it worked in the beta, but some players are confused on whether it will work on Live. Thanks!
Regarding 25 daily quests to turn in when the expansion goes live, this is something players have been able to do for the last 2 expansions and we aren't talking about changing it now.
I understand the decision from an economic perspective but I was wondering if the deveopers were disappointed in the decision to allow race changes immediately following the release of the expansion.
Regarding allowing race/faction change on day one. Actually this wasn't an economic decision at all. This was a decision that the leadership team made. Our priority as a dev team is to allow players to play the game with their friends, the way they want too. We also talked about the fact that this is a week one problem. So we made the decision not to restrict anything.
Will Darnasus be re built to be a real tree or will it always look like a dead stump with trees at the top?
...but now that Deathwing is doing his thing it makes much more sense than it used to! ;]
Deathwing hates trees.
A lot of players I know are trying to plan out what characters to roll for the new expansion, and the big question is: Will there be ANY new realms tagging along with the release of Cataclysm? Some point to low pop realms as a reason against, but surely with the redux'd 1-60 experience and the droves of returning players desiring clean slates, there has never been a better time for a fresh realm or two?
We haven't decided exactly what the new realm decisions are yet, but we open new realms when there is player demand for them. One thing we can't do is plan all realms for day one. The goal is for realms to have good concurrency so everyone has a great game/matchmaking experience.
Could you comment on the plan for raids in Cataclysm? If i remember it was said that there would be smaller raids in cata but more of them. Would that mean like two small raids per patch or more patches in total?
The idea is that we'll have more raid environments, but fewer bosses in each environment, but a similar total number of raid bosses overall... if that makes sense. =] so, for cataclysm launch we have the skywall environment, the twilight bastion environment, and blackwing descent, versus having almost all the bosses in one environment like we did with naxrammas.
With the changes to the game environment itself, what new computer requirements will be optimal to run the game smoothly?
One of the things that is really important to us is a great gaming experience regardless of your hardware. While the system requirements do go up over time, we do want the experience on slower machines to be great. We do this by trying to add a lot of graphical options to allow players to control the experience from "runs fast" all the way to "looks great".
Will there be more than one Legendary weapon in Cata? Will there be a Caster DPS legendary? Any info or plans would be awesome =) Thanks!
It's likely there will be more than one legendary weapon, although it's too early to say for sure. We do, however, have a plan to do a caster dps staff soon.
Where did Uldum come from?
Egypt ;]
The idea with Uldum is that it has always been there, cloaked from the eyes of the players. The emergence of Deathwing has damaged some of the technology that kept it hidden. There is a story in the zone that explains this and what has been happening in the player absence.
With resource systems now broadened to include focus, rage, energy, and runic power as well as mana, and there being conditionals like enrages, holy power, combo points and runes, will classes that just use mana be getting similar treatment or remaining as they are?
Really that decision is made on a class-by-class, talent tree-by-tree basis. If we feel like the talent spec in question needs a broader resource management then we do it, but we don't like to unnecessarily complicate a spec's resource management if it isn't absolutely necessary.
Why is it that we are not able to use Archaeology before the expansion? I thought it was really cool how you guys released Inscription last time and would love to have the opportunity to level it before the expansion drops.
Using archeology before the expansion was something we talked about, but ended up adding everything about the profession to the "post sundered" world. Thus, you won't be able to use archeology before the sundering happens.
The first tier of Cataclysm raiding has 3 separate instances to tackle. Are you guys planning on keeping with the Burning Crusade model (SSC/TK, BT/Hyjal) and having multiple instances per raid tier? Will Deathwing have to share the spotlight with some other instance?
We'll evaluate that on a tier by tier basis. When we have awesome ideas that we can successfully make happen we'll do multiple environments, but it won't necessarily always be the case. We do have a super cool idea for the deathwing tier though... ...or at least so we hope. =]
What happened with the Worgen district in Stormwind?
We decided it didn't really fit very well, it was looking kind of awkwardly forced into the city. Plus deathwing would have destroyed it anyways.
As the world of Azeroth is changing I was wondering if the Death Knight zone will stay the same or will it also be affected by the cataclysm?
The death knight zone doesn't have any changes for Cataclysm.
I have been confused from the different posts for tier gear. Will there be three levels within each tier still or just heroic and normal and in either case will u just be getting them with points or will u still have to get certain things off drops off certain bosses to get the higher more heroic version of the tier gear?
There is still just normal and heroic difficulty for the raid and dungeon content, and the heroic gear has a higher item level than the corresponding normal gear
Do you feel faction imbalance is a problem at the moment? My queue is around 10-15 min at prime time as a member of the Horde and I know this is the case on at least two of the battlegroups. If so, do you think Worgen will fix the problem? And if they do not, will free faction changes ever be a possibility in the future on battlegroups or servers with a major problem?
We are working on some technology to further combine the PVP queues at server sites. This has been going on behind the scenes for a few weeks now in preparation for Cataclysm. Queue time is one of those things that gets a lot of attention and time, but will change significantly post Cata. Really good question.
What would you say was the hardest and/or easiest parts of developing this expansion? After all, many are saying this is the best expansion to date... So, what was the biggest challenge/easiest feat in creating it?
There have been huge challanges with this expansion, unlike any we've seen in the other two expansions. The scale of Cataclyms is huge for us, and something we didn't really expect when we started development. But we certainly feel like the effort has been worth it, and feel it's our best expansion so far.
Why does it seem the scorpion guild mount doesn't have a guild flag where the lion does? I was hoping to see Hordes of scorpions from our guild walking around with our tabard hanging from the tail like a flag behind them.
When riding a scorpion mount, your character displays holding a large standard with your guild symbol on it.
Why did you decide to make 310% mount speed purchasable in 4.0? It's a huge price for such a tiny speed upgrade, and used to work well as a just-above-vanity perk for people who completed the toughest achievements.
The primary reason was to equalize the awesome vanity mounts players had, and change the mechanic to one where you used the mount you were most excited about using. We wanted players to be able to see the mount players want, without considering the speed differential as a factor.
Will you allow players to change their login screen? I'd love to be able to use the Classic login screen, the unreleased one that was shown at Blizzcon, or perhaps a login screen of a previous expansion.
Players are not able to change their login screen.
How would a person get a Guild Mount? Would it be guild rep? If so how would that be calculated or obtained?
Once your guild gets to a high enough level and unlocks the guild mount, any player in the guild with a high enough guild reputation is able to buy the mount.
Will heirloom items work for goblins and worgens leveling from 1-80 at release?
Heirloom items will work perfectly for Worgen and Goblin characters! Enjoy!
Has there been any discussion of changing the heirloom items to true "Bind on Account" instead of the bind on server limitation that it has currently?
That is something we would like to do. Currently the servers mail carriers refuse to work together, and haven't worked out the economic terms from transferring mail from one server to another. One day we hope to resolve the union issues.
Will the option ever be available to change ones class, contingent upon what's currently available to the race restrictions at the time?
Never say never, but we don't currently have plans to do that.
There's any through about making account wise achievement, like Starcraft ones? It a reason for many players to not reroll/change mains since its look like a lot of work wasted when you switch your main char. Even changing to another char to help with one fight look a bit wrong now, if you are after achievements.
We do have plans to solve this problem, as it is limiting people from re-rolling for sure. This is something we want to solve, but don't have a good solution on how to do it at the moment.
Was there anything you guys regret not being able to include at launch? Possibly something that didn't have enough polish to it that me way see in the future? (You don't need to mention the Dance Studio at this point, really, it's okay)
Well... there is the dance studio. ;] There are of course always things we'd hoped to get into any patch/expansion that get pushed out until later. One example would be the idea to have a built-in atlas that details every encounter in each dungeon/raid. We're not super happy about the fact that the first time anyone encounters a new boss, the only way to learn about it (other than looking up strategies on the web) is to charge in and die a lot.
We'd love to give players some idea of what they're about to fight before they engage the boss. =]
Do honor points and Badges roll over into CATA, or do they reset to zero?
Yes, honor points and justice points carry over into cataclysm. Stock up now!
Is there any talks of maybe some faction cooperative campaigns? Since the cataclysm is threatening to destroy all life of azeroth, to me a logical response from the heroes of azeroth would be to set aside their differences and be able to work together in a raid. An Idea to maybe lessen the frequency of such groups is make the raid difficulty increase by choosing to work with the other faction, a sort of Heroic mode. Possibly even dual faction specific raids. Has there been any talks of such poss...
This is a common request, but not something we are looking to do. While there is a singular main bad guy in this expansion, the Horde and Alliance have their own unique challenges and agendas, and typically don't look to team up. After all it's the World of Warcraft, not the World of Peacecraft.
When designing expansions and content patches, do you have a list of new features to choose from that are planned out in advance or is there more of a brain storm session?
The feature set for each patch is determined by a combination of doing things (or finishing things) that we've been wanting to do for a while, along with completely new ideas that emerge as a result of the immediate needs of the game
The primary things you won't be able to do if you don't have Cataclysm are create a new Goblin/Worgen, level to 85, and fly in the orld world.
We like to stay as flexible as possible, so it's important to us to make sure that we aren't "over planned" into the future even though the real needs players have are changing
With the previous two expansions, the new content was actually on other continents, so if you didn't have the expansion, you just couldn't visit the continent. Since Cata is largely reworking of old-world content, however, how do you differentiate between someone with or without the xpac? What kinds of things will and won't be available to players don't have the upgrade?
See my answer above!
Will the 80 to 85 experience be closer to the 18hr mark or the 5 day mark that was 70-80?
That totally depends on the player to be honest, you'd be amazed by the differences in play patterns. That being said, somebody usually finds a way to level up very quickly.
What new feature(s) in WoW: Cataclysm are you guys most proud of?
I would have to say the 1-60 revamp, it's a ton of fun to play through the zones and an incredible amount of new content.
I'm most happy with the new Worgen and Goblin starting experiences. I think they are the best starting experience we've ever done, and that includes the death knight.
I have is why not have this latest expansion as a new territory like a Southrend similar to Northrend or a Moon body like Outlands instead of destroying Azeroth and Kalimdor? Were there limitations to expanding outwards or was this just to facelift the original game?
We make decisions like this on a case by case basis.. again depending on the needs of the game. In the case of Cataclysm, the world was due in for an overhaul, and we wanted to make everything fly-able, so it was important to flesh out any areas that were originally unfinished.
Can you clarify and confirm what will be available to players when 4.0.3a hits and what will be unavailable until 7th Dec?
4.0.3a will be the patch that actually causes the world to shatter and change forever. At that point you will be able to experience the new 1-60 leveling experience, as well as the new race/class combinations.
Is there an alternative mount for worgens that other races can ride
Worgen can ride the other mounts in the game, if that's what you're asking. They're not limited to their feral run.
With the level 1-80 Heirloom items, when Cataclysm is released will the xp gain work while leveling until you hit level 81? Or will XP gain be disabled for those on release?
They will not. Heirlooms stop granting their XP bonus at level 80. Not level 80.999999.
Will achievement points ever be able to be used to purchase any perks?
We have no plans to allow this. Achievements are a badge of honor only.
Druid
Is the Moonkin form for troll and worgen on the beta and ptr the final form or is it just a placeholder?
Final!
Mage
Right now, up to 50% of Ignite damage disappears due to the technical limitations of spells critting within certain timeframes. This has implications for Mage dps and the value of Mastery as a stat. Is overall damage being balanced to compensate and can we expect a solution in the near future?
We're resolving that by rolling up any "lost" ignite damage into the next ignite that overwrote it
Warlock
Are there any plans for a new Lock mount? I would love to see a possible flying mount for Locks..
One of the things we look at with mounts is broad appeal. While we do specific class mounts from time to time, most of the time we look to have mounts that all classes can use.
Warrior
Is Hit rating intended to tramp all other stats but Str for Fury till the 27% hardcap? Seems excessive
Generally speaking, we do balance hit rating to be the "best" stat until you're at the hit rating cap
34 Views
22:30:00 08/10/10
Studio Guest: Andreas Baader, Logistics Expert and Consultant
[LESS INFO] 34 VIEWS | ADDED 22:30:00 08/10/10
The German logistics market turned over 218 billion euros in the boom year 2008. After a slump in 2009, the outlook for the sector is positive again. Is the crisis over? We ask logistics expert Andreas Baader.DW-TV: This year, we're seeing a definite pickup in the logistics industry - they're out of the water, but there are still some problems: what are they? Andreas Baader: Well, you're right, there's a noticeable pickup and there's a good level of optimism in the industry. So given the difficulties of 2009 we've seen a major pickup. People are of course a bit concerned: what will happen next month, will the pickup continue, will we have the same level and will we then reach the pre-crisis levels very soon. DW-TV: Back in 2008, Germany was the leader in Europe. 218 billion Euros in turnover that year. Better than anyone else on the continent. That's a more than 23 percent market share. France and Britain rounded off the top three. Spain and Italy in the midfield and then Poland down at the bottom with 33 billion euros. Any chance we'll be seeing number like that again soon? Andreas Baader: If we can continue in the way we are in the moment, yes, I think so. Logistics is a real job machine in Europe. It's now the second largest industry and there's a great level of optimism in the industry so I think high chances that we can see those numbers reasonably soon. DW-TV: There's been a big push for more environmentally friendly methods of transportation - more focus on trains and other alternatives to trucks. How is the industry adapting? Andreas Baader: Well, of course, politics and the legal situation is enforcing it, driving that change. Definitely the biggest opportunity today is in using the existing capacities more smartly, more efficiently, having the switch between road and rail more intelligent. That can help a lot in the near future as well. DW-TV: The logistics industry is incredibly dependent on exports. This year, we're expecting exports to increase by 11 percent. But what happens when the next crisis hits? Andreas Baader: Difficult of course. People have to keep that in mind. What the lessons learned during the difficult times in the last years were you have to be more flexible, you have to expect that a crisis can hit very very soon. For services companies like logistics this is another opportunity because they might be more involved because of their given flexibility by nature. Interview: Heather de Lisle
35 Views
22:30:00 08/10/10
Studio Guest: Andreas Baader, Logistics Expert and Consultant
[LESS INFO] 35 VIEWS | ADDED 22:30:00 08/10/10
The German logistics market turned over 218 billion euros in the boom year 2008. After a slump in 2009, the outlook for the sector is positive again. Is the crisis over? We ask logistics expert Andreas Baader.DW-TV: This year, we're seeing a definite pickup in the logistics industry - they're out of the water, but there are still some problems: what are they? Andreas Baader: Well, you're right, there's a noticeable pickup and there's a good level of optimism in the industry. So given the difficulties of 2009 we've seen a major pickup. People are of course a bit concerned: what will happen next month, will the pickup continue, will we have the same level and will we then reach the pre-crisis levels very soon. DW-TV: Back in 2008, Germany was the leader in Europe. 218 billion Euros in turnover that year. Better than anyone else on the continent. That's a more than 23 percent market share. France and Britain rounded off the top three. Spain and Italy in the midfield and then Poland down at the bottom with 33 billion euros. Any chance we'll be seeing number like that again soon? Andreas Baader: If we can continue in the way we are in the moment, yes, I think so. Logistics is a real job machine in Europe. It's now the second largest industry and there's a great level of optimism in the industry so I think high chances that we can see those numbers reasonably soon. DW-TV: There's been a big push for more environmentally friendly methods of transportation - more focus on trains and other alternatives to trucks. How is the industry adapting? Andreas Baader: Well, of course, politics and the legal situation is enforcing it, driving that change. Definitely the biggest opportunity today is in using the existing capacities more smartly, more efficiently, having the switch between road and rail more intelligent. That can help a lot in the near future as well. DW-TV: The logistics industry is incredibly dependent on exports. This year, we're expecting exports to increase by 11 percent. But what happens when the next crisis hits? Andreas Baader: Difficult of course. People have to keep that in mind. What the lessons learned during the difficult times in the last years were you have to be more flexible, you have to expect that a crisis can hit very very soon. For services companies like logistics this is another opportunity because they might be more involved because of their given flexibility by nature. Interview: Heather de Lisle
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10:55:24 06/02/10
Duties Of Young Muslims
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 10:55:24 06/02/10
2. Duties of Young Muslims The first duty of the Muslim youth is to rectify their views and thoughts with a view to knowing their din on the basis of clear evidence and Understanding and according to a proper methodology. The right start is acquiring the proper methodology of comprehending Islam, and of dealing with themselves, people and life. Historically, Muslim scholars have established certain principles and methods which have enhanced the proper comprehension, and deduction of matters and issues whether supported by texts or not. This led to the establishment of the science of usul al fiqh: a discipline which studies the methodology of deriving laws from the sources of Islam and of establishing their juristic or constitutional validity. Thus, they established the principles of the controlling and controlled evidence, the subject and object of controlling aspects of evidence: the main and the subsidiary, the imperative and the negative, the general and the particular, the absolute and the restricted, the pronounced and the comprehend. They also established the total aims of the Shariah, such as safeguarding people's welfare, counteracting evil and harm; they divided needs into: essential, necessary and comforts. This is indeed a unique science of which there is no equal, and of which Muslims have the right to be proud. In addition, there are other principles and rules of fiqh which may not be available in the books of usul but are found in various books on usul al tafsir and Qur'anic sciences, as well as usul al hadith, and Hadith sciences. In addition to these, there are various rules and principles scattered in books of beliefs, hadith interpretation, and jurisprudence which can be observed by those who have acquired an insight into the purpose of Shariah and its innermost recesses. What is required, therefore, is not a shallow understanding of the texts but rather a deep knowledge and a genuine comprehension of the purposes of Qur'anic verses and the ahad'ith. The fiqh, the awareness, and the knowledge required must take the following into consideration First: Knowledge of and insight into Shariah cannot be complete without considering all the particular aspects in relation to the general context of the entire truth of Islam. To issue a judgment a Quranic verse or a hadith must be interpreted in the light of other ahadith, the Sunnah of the Prophet (.SA'AS) as well as the practice of the companions (RA'A), and must be understood in the light of the Qur'an and the general context and purposes of Shariah. Otherwise there will be a defect in this understanding, and a confusion in deduction and derivation which could create contradictions in Shariah and subject it to ridicule and to calumniations. For this reason, Imam al Shatibi set two conditions for ijtihad: (1) understanding the purposes of Shariah in its totality, and (2) the ability to derive and to draw conclusions on the basis of this understanding.' This can only be fulfilled when there is a deep and wide knowledge of the texts, especially the ahaith and the traditions, in addition to an insight into the reasons, the events, the circumstances, and the purposes of each text, as well as an ability to distinguish between the eternal and unalterable and those formulated to meet a temporary need, an existing custom or tradition, or certain transient circumstances which can be changed when the latter change. One day I was lecturing on proper Islamic dress for women, according to the Qur'an and Sunnah, when a person in the audience said that the hijab mentioned in the Qur'an must include an additional outer covering. I replied that the hijab is not an end in itself, but rather a means for decently covering those parts of the body which the Shariah prohibits to be exposed. In this sense, it can differ from one place and time to another. But the man shouted furiously that the garment required is very clearly specified in a Qur'anic text, and we therefore have no right to change it. He cited the following verse: O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad). That is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. I replied that the Qur'an sometimes specifies certain means and methods that were suitable and common at the time of the revelation, but were never meant to become permanently binding if better or similar ones are found. The following example is sufficient enough to demonstrate my point. Allah (SWT) said: Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies of Allah and your enemies. The steed is specifically mentioned above because it was?at the time of revelation-one of the most powerful means known at the time. But there is indeed no reason why Muslims in our times and in earlier days should not use tanks and armored vehicles to achieve the end referred to in the above verse, i.e., to strike fear into the hearts of the enemies of Allah (SWT) and of the enemies of Muslims. Similarly, the woman's outer garment could be any dress which satisfies the objective expressed in verse that Muslim women should be recognized and not molested. If such is the case of the Qurian, which has an eternal and comprehensive nature, it is only logical that the Sunnah is even more open to such an examination. The Sunnah comprise a multitude of teachings, the legislative and the nonlegislative, the general and the specific, the eternal and the changeable: a change necessitated by a change in the reasons and the exigencies. In issues and matterrelated to eating, drinking, and dressing, for example, there are legislative as well as nonlegislative Sunnah. Eating with the fingers rather than with silverware is not compulsory. The former method was more natural and suitable to the simple life and nature of the Arabs at the time of the Prophet (SA'AS). However this does not mean that using a spoon is haram (unlawful) or makruh (condemned or discouraged), since it is now so widely available that it in no way indicates any extravagance or excess. But this does not apply to silver or gold tableware, the use of which has clearly been forbidden. Similarly we have to abide by the injunction to eat with the right hand as the purpose of this teaching is fundamental and unalterable, and because it seeks to establish a uniform custom among Muslims, directing them to follow a right?hand approach in everything. The Prophet (SA'AS) ordered us: "Say bism Allah [before you begin] and eat with your right hand." In another hadith he said: "None of you should eat or drink with his left hand, because Satan eats and drinks with his left hand." Furthermore, during the Prophet's time, Muslims had no idea whatsoever of sieves, which were later known and used to advantage. Could this be regarded as a prohibited innovation or a hateful practice? of course not. Another example is the issue of wearing a short thawb (garment), which pious young Muslims adhere to and insist on wearing despite the problems which it creates for them, as if it was one of the fundamentals of Islam. These young people put forth two arguments: (1) The dress has to be a short thawb because this is the type of dress the Prophet (SA'AS) and his companions (RAA) used. They further believe that other costumes lead us to imitate the kufar, a practice prohibited in Islam; and (2) It has to be short because there are ahadith which prohibit wearing below?the?ankle izar or thawb such as: "The part of an izar which hangs below the ankles is in the Fire. With regard to the first argument, the Prophet's Sunnah knawn to us is that he wore whatever was available to him. For this reason, he wore shirts, robes, and izars. The Prophet (SA'AS) also wore garments and garbs made in the Yemen and Persia, which were embroidered on the sides with silk. He also wore Tmarnah (cap) with or without a turban. Al Imam Ibn al Qayyim says in Al Hady al Nabaw': The best guidance is the Sunnah of the Prophet (SA'AS), the things he regularly practised, ordered, and encouraged people to do. His sunnah in dressing is that he used to wear whatever was available for him whether made of cotton, wool, or linen. He is known to have worn cloaks from the Yemen, green cloaks, jubbah, garments with full?length sleeves, shirts, pants and robes, shoes and slippers. . . He used, sometimes, to grow a plait in the back. The textile industry was unknown then, so people used to wear clothes imported from the Yemen, Egypt, and Syria. In our time, we wear- without any inhibition-underwear, head coverings, shoes, etc., which were unknown during the Prophet's time. Why then this excessive fuss about the thawb in particular? As for the argument of imitating the kuffar, we are actually prohibited from imitating their distinguishing characteristics ? as followers of other religions-such as sporting the cross, wearing ecclesiastical costumes, celebrating non?Muslim festivals, all of which indicate adherence to a different religion. Ibn Taimiyah explained all this in detail in his book: Iqti'al Sirat al Mustaqim fi Mukhalafat Ahl al Jahim. With the exception of such conspicuous matters, judgment is made on the basis of intention and purpose. If a Muslim deliberately imitates the kuffar, he would be held blameworthy on the basis of his intention. But if a person unintentionally does things which the kuffar do, or chooses something which is easier for him, or for his job such as wearing the "overalls" by a factory worker or an engineer, he is not to be held blameworthy. Nonetheless, it is more becoming of a Muslim to distinguish himself from non?Muslims in all material and spiritual matters to the best of his ability. The gist of the matter is that wearing a short thawb is more desirable' but wearing a long one is not prohibited if it is just a habit and is not meant to show arrogance, as has already been pointed out. All the examples given above pertain to purely personal behavior. In that capacity they are less serious than the issues related to the community as a whole, the affairs of the state, and international relations which are more complex and constitute a danger to the community, the state, and humanity at large in the absence of an insightful jurisprudence which takes into consideration the proper dimensions of human needs and social interests. When we ca]l for the resumption of a true Islamic lifestyle and the establishment of a truly Islamic society led by an Islamic state, we must recognize the fact that we live in a world in which human relations are interrelated and complex, ideologies are numerous, distances are shrinking, and barriers are beginning to collapse. It is a world that has become smaller than ever before due to unprecedented technological progress We must also take into consideration the fact that the community includes the powerful and the weak, men and women, adults and children, the righteous and the transgressor. This diversity must be taken into consideration when we seek to guide, legislate, or give fatiawa. A Muslim who seeks Allah's pleasure may choose to place restrictions on himself and stick to the most extreme and cautious opinions in his endeavor. He can deprive himself of all the means of entertainment such as singing, music, photography, television, etc. But can any modern state afford to do without these? Can any effective journalism do without photography? Can any ministry of Interior?or passport office, immigration or traffic department-or an educational institution do without photography which has become the most important means of discovering and preventing crimes and forgery? Can any contemporary state ignore the times it exists in and deprive its subjects of the invaluable services of television and rely only on the radio, on the grounds that television depends upon photography which is haram as some students of "religious education" argue these days? In short, what I wish to emphasize here is that a person's restrictions on himself may be tolerated and accepted, but it would be intolerable and indeed unacceptable to force these restrictions upon the various groups in the community as a whole. The Prophet said: Whoever leads people in salah should shorten it because among them are the weak, the old, and those who have business to attend to. This guidance on leading people in salah is also applicable to leading people in any aspect of life. One of the most serious problems is the failure of some religious people to take account the fact that the ahkam of Shaniah are not equally important or permanent, and therefore different interpretations can be permitted. There are hypothetical judgments which mainly deal with transactions, customs' and manners. These are open to ijtihad. Disagreement-based on authentic ijtihad-on these issues represents no harm or threat. On the contrary, it is a blessing on the Ummah, and demonstrates flexibility in Shariah and a spaciousness in fiqh. There were indeed differences of opinion and disagreement among the Prophet's companions (RA'A)-as well as their successors ? on various issues. But such disagreement never caused or created ill?feelings or disunity among them. On the other hand, there are a.hkam dealing with matters of faith, belief, and 'ibadah which are firmly established in the Qurian and Sunnah and ijma'(consesus), and which have become definitive and categorical. Although they are not requirements of din, they represent the intellectual and behavioral unity of the Ummah. Deviation from these ahkam is a deviation from Sunnah: it is sinfulness, prohibited bida (innovation), and could lead to kufr. In addition, there are those a,hkam which must be necessarily known and obvious toall people, learned or otherwise. Rejection of these ahkam is a clear denial of Allah (SWT) and of His Prophet (.SA'AS). There should be differention between ahkam based on fundamental or subsidiary issues, whether proven textually or by ijtihad; there should also be differentiation between the categorial and the hypothetical ahkam in texts, and between the necessary and the unecessary ahkam in din. Each has its status. Our great fuqaha have differed widely in their interpretation of some issues, and one can indeed ftnd various opinions on a single issue. There is disagreement, for example, on the heinous sin of murdering a Muslim under duress. Should the punishment fall upon the murderer or upon one who compelled him to do it? or should it fall upon both or neither, since the crime was not completely premeditated and committed by a single person? All these possibilities were voiced and supported by some fuqaha' Even within each madhhab we find different opinions, narrations, ways, and approaches among the 'ulama' Suffice it to say that the subject of that disagreement within Imam Ahmad's madhhab-which is established on and follows tradition-has included enough opinions and narration to fill a twelve?volume book, al In.saf fi al Rajih min al Khilaf. In view of this, young Muslims should be fully aware of the issues which are open to disagreement and those which are not. But more importantly' they should know the standard norms of behavior practised in settling differences and disagreements. They must learn adab al khilaf (ethics of disagreement),'! which we have inherited from our a'immah and 'ulama' We must learn from them how to be open?minded and tolerant toward those with whom we disagree about subsidiary religious matters. How can we differ and disagree yet remain united brothers who love and respect each other and who refrain from exchanging accusations? First of all, we must realize that disagreements on marginal and subsidiary matters and issues are natural. There is indeed a Divine wisdom in making a few a,hkam in Shari'ah categorical in both their definitiveness and meaning, and in making hypothetical ones which constitute the bulk of a,hkam and on which there is broad scope for fruitful disagreement. It is a blessing that Allah (SWT) has bestowed on some Muslim ulama' the ability to ascertain, to examine closely, and to decide on matters of disagreement without prejudice against any madhhab or opinion. These include the following a'immah: Ibn Daqiq al 'Id, Ibn Taymiyah, Ibn Qayyim, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Hajar al 'Asqalai, al Dahlawi, al Shawkani, al San'ani, and others. But differences are bound to arise and continue because they are deeply rooted in the nature of man, life, language and -Divine commandment. Attempts to eradicate these differences will fail, because they will actually be battling against human nature, against life, against all sunan. As we have already mentioned, disagreement based on authentic ijtihad which does not create discord or disunity is a blessing for the Ummah and an enrichment of fiqh. Objective disagreement in itself poses no threat if it is coupled with tolerance and openmindedness, and if it is free from fanaticism, accusations, and narrowmindedness. The Prophet's Companions differed among themselves on many issues and practical a,hkam, but they still never condemned one another and had very cordial and strong relations. 'Umar ibn 'Abd al 'Aziz said: "I never wished that the Prophet's companions had rot had disagreements. Their disagreement was a mercy." Different interpretations even emerged during the life of the Prophet (SA'AS). These were sanctioned by him, and he did not single out one party or group for blame. Immediately after the battle of the Akzab, the Prophet (.SAAS) said to his Companions: 'whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day must not perform ,salat al asr until he has reached [the dwellings of] Banu Qurayzah. Some of the Companions found. This practically impossible, and therefore performed salat al Asr before reaching their destination. Others?who were literalists-only performed salah when they reached the dwellings of Banu Qurayzah as the Prophet (SA'AS) had asked them. When the Prophet (SA'AS) was told, he approved of the action of both parties although one of them must have been wrong. This clearly indicates that there is no sin in acting upon an interpretation which is based on solid evidence, sincere genuine intention and ijtihad. Ibn al Qayyim described those who applied the essence of ahadith as Ahl al Qiyas (analogy applicants) and those who applied the letter of a,hadith as Zahiriyah (literalists). Unfortunately, there are people these days who not only assume that they know the whole truth and all the answers, but who also try to coerce other people to follow them, believing that they can eradicate all madhahib and disagreements and unite all people in one single stroke. They tend to forget that their own understanding and interpretation of the texts are no more than hypotheses which may be right or wrong. Moreover, no human (i.e., no 'alim) is infallible, even though he may satisfy all the conditions and requisities of ijtihad. All that is certain is the reward he will obtain for his ijtihad, whether it was right or wrong, should the intention be sincere. Therefore, such people would achieve nothing except the creation of an additional madhhab! It is strange and absurd that while they disapprove of people's adherence to different madhahib, they themselves try to persuade people to imitate them and follow their new madhhab. No one should jump to the conclusion that I reject their call for adherence to the texts or their own interpretations and understanding. This is absolutely the right granted to everyone who can fulfill the conditions of ijtihad and its means. No one has the right to close the gates of ijtihad which were opened by the Prophet (SA'AS) for the whole Ummah What I do reject is their self?presumption, arrogance, vanity, and disregard for the findings of their learned predecessors, their disrespect for the fifh we have inherited from our great forebears. I reject their false claim that they alone are right, as well as their erroneous impression that they can eliminate disparity and disagreement and unite people on one opinion-their own. One of the followers of this "one?opinion" school asked me once why all Muslims should not agree on the juristic opinion supported by the text I replied that the text first has to be authentic and accepted by all, its meaning has to be plain, and it should not be contradicted by another text, whether stonger or similar in evidence. There should be full agreement as regards the three preceding points. A text may be regarded as authentic by an imam, but another imam may see it as weak or as authentic but without proven evidence justifying its given meaning; a text may be regarded as general by an imam but as particular by another, or it may be seen as absolute or restricted; it may also be regarded as categorrical or abrogated. Such variance leads to producing different ahkam i.e. something may be wajib or haram, mustahabb or makruh. In short all these difference fall within the considerations pointed out by Ibn Taymiyah in his book, Raf al Malam an al A'immat al A'lam, and mentioned by Waliy Allah al Dahlaw' in his book, .Hujjat Allah al Balighah, and in his, al Insaf fi Asbab al Ikhtilaf, and detailed by al Shaykn 'Al. al Khafif in his book, Asbab Ikhtilaf al Fuqaha' Let us consider the following ahadah: 1. "Any woman who wears a gold necklace will be made to wear a similar one [made] of fire on the Day of Judgment. And any woman who wears gold earrings will have a similar one [made of fire] on the Day of Judgment. 2. "Whoever desires his beloved to wear a ring [made] of fire [on the Day of Judgment], let him give him [her] [to wear] a gold ring. And whoever desires his beloved to wear a necklace [made] of fire [on the Day of Judgment], let him give him [her] [to wear] a gold necklace. And whoever desires his beloved to wear a bracelet [made] of fire [on the Day of Judgment], let him give him [her][to wear] a gold bracelet. But you can do whatever you please with silver. 3. It is also related by Thawban (RA'A) that the Prophet (SA'AS) warned his daughter Fatimah (RA'A) against wearing a gold chain. In response, she sold it, bought a slave with the money, and set him free. When the Prophet (SA'AS) was told of this, he said: "Thanks to Allah (SWT) who rescued Fatimah from the Fire. Justists have different attitudes toward these ahadith: 1. Some have examined their isnad and, finding them weak, rejected them and considered them insufficiant for prohibition, which requires clear cut evidence and careful investigation, especially with respect to matters of general concern and which Muslims have generally accepted. 2. Others have agreed that the isnad is correct but that the ahadith have been revoked because other evidence in other sources have permitted women to adorn themselves with gold. Al Bayhaqi and others have reported the consensus on this matter which has been accepted in fiqh and become a standard practice. 3. Some considered the ahadith applicable to those who have not given zakah on the gold they have, basing their opinion on other ahadith which have not, themselves, escaped criticism. Furthermore. zakah on women's jewellery is a subject of disagreement among the different madhahib. 4. Some jusrists argue that these ahaith seek to warn women who vainly adorn themselves with gold, deliberately intending to draw attention to their wealth. Al Nasal also reported some ahadith which are relevant to this issue under the title: Bab al Karahiyah li al Nisa'.fi Ihar Hilal Dhahab (Disapproval of Women's Display of Golden Jewelry). Other jurists say that they are related only to excessive adornment out of vanity or pride. 5. In our own times, Shaykh Nasir al Din al Albani has come out with an opinion different from the consensus on permitting women to adorn themselves with gold, which has been accepted by all madhahib for the last fourteen centuries. He not only believes that the isnad of these ahadith is authentic, but that these texts are categorical in this matter; i.e. prohibiting gold rings and earrings. In this he disagreed with the consensus of the fiqh of all madhahib and the practice of the Ummah throughout the past fourteen hundred years. Has the existence of these ahadith prevented disagreement on their authenticity or guidance? Can the modern "traditionalist school" eradicate disagreement and unite all people on one opinion on the basis of ahadith or a tradition which they use as evidence? The answer is clear enough: people will continue to disagree and differ amongst themselves, and this will, in shaa Allah, pose no danger or problem. Allah ta 'ala says: "To each is a goal to which Allah turns him". In this respect, I feel inclined to admit that the religious leader who, in this age, has understood the essence and ethics of disagreements was hasan al Banna (d. 1949). He brought up his followers to believe in and adhere to these ethics. Despite his unflinching commitment to the cause of Muslim solidarity and his sincere efforts to unite the various Muslim groups and make them agree at least on minimum Islamic concepts and principals, as is clear from his own known work al Usul al 'Ishrun, he was convinced of the inevitability of disagreement on the subsidiary issues and the practical ahkam of Islam. This he has eloquently discussed in many of his messages which have proved to be useful In Dawatuna (Our Da'wah), al Banna spoke of the characteristics of his da'wah as being general ones which neither patronize a particular sect nor advocate a particular line of thought. Interest is in the core of din and its essence; it hopes that all endeavors are united so that a more fruitful work can be done to produce greater results; it supports truth everywhere; it likes consensus and dislikes eccentricity; it attributes a great deal of the mishaps which have befallen Muslims to misguided disagreement and to disunity; it believes that love and unity are the major factor of their victories, and that the only hope for invigorating and revitalizing the present?day Ummah lies in reviving and adopting the practice of the early generations of Muslims. But, in spite of his strong belief in the necessity of unity and dislike of disunity, al Banna wrote: We believe that disagreements on subsidiary religious issues are inevitable for various reasons, the most important of which are: Intellectual differences resulting from the level of intelligence and depth of knowledge, the multiplicity and interrelatedness of the facts, and the inherent ambiguities of the Arabic language which are bound to affect the interpretation of the texts. In all these people are different, and therefore disagreement is inevitable. The abundance of the sources of knowledge in some parts of the Islamic world and their scarcity in other places is also an important factor. Malik said to Abu Ja'far: "The Prophet's companions scattered into remote regions, each group possessing specific knowledge. If you were to force them to follow one opinion you would create fitnah. There are also cultural differences. Al Shafi'i (RA'A) used to give different fatawa in accordance with the different conditions prevailing in Iraq and in Egypt. In both cases he used to base his verdict upon what he believed to be truth. The opinion of the imam toward the narrator is another factor. One imam may consider a narrator fully reliable, but another may have doubts about the same narrator and consequently refrain from taking what he has transmitted in full confidence. Also, a cause of difference lies in assessing the evidence of ahkam; some give precedence to people's practices over ahadith narrated through by one single narrator, etc. For these reasons we believe that a consensus on subsidiary religious matters is not only impossible but incompatible with the nature of din, because such a demand is bound to generate rigidity and excessiveness, which are contrary to the Islamic imperatives of flexibility, facilitation, and simplicity. Doubtless, these virtues will enable Islam to meet the requirements of all times. Furthermore, we understand the reasons of those who disagree with us on subsidiary and marginal issues. Such disagreement does not affect our mutual love or cooperation, as we are all contained within the comprehensiveness of Islam. Aren't we all Muslim, required to like for our Muslim brothers what we like for ourselves? Why disagreement then, and why cannot each of us have our different opinions, and also try to reach an agreement, if possible, in an atmosphere of candor and love? The companions of the Prophet (SA'AS) had disagreed in fatwa, but that did not create any disunity or rupture. The incident of the salah and Banu Qurayzah is a case in point. If these who have known the ahkam better than us have had their disagreements, isn't it absurd that we maliciously disagree with each other on frivolous matters? If our a'immah, who more than any one else know the Qur'an and Sunnah, have had their disagreements and their debates, why cannot we do the same? If there was disagreement on even clear and well?known subsidiary issues, such as the five?times?a?day adhan, which were supported by texts and by tradition, what about the more delicate issues which are subject to opinion and deduction? We also need to remember that during the time of the Caliphate, disagreements were referred to, and settled by, the Caliph. Since there are no caliphs these days, Muslims must find a judge to which they can refer their case. Otherwise, their disagreement will lead to another disagreement. Finally, our brothers are fully aware of all this and have consequently more patience and open?mindedness. They believe that each group of people has specific knowledge and that in each da'wah there are elements of truth as well as falsity. They carefully investigate the truth and accept it, and they try with amicability to convince those who are wrong. If the latter are convinced it is indeed very good, but if they are not they remain our Muslim brothers. We ask Allah to guide us and to guide them. The above is a brief summary of Imam al Bannas views on juristic disagreements and his attitude toward them. It clearly shows his deep knowledge of Islam, of history, and of reality. I would also like to relate an ancident in al Bannas life-which could have been the experience of other 'ulama'as well-to illustrate these concepts and views. One day during Ramadan, al Banna was invited to deliver a lecture in a small village in Egypt. The people in that village were divided into two groups which held different opinions regarding the number of raka 'at in salat al tarawih. One group argued that according to the tradition of' Umar ibn al Khattab (RA'A), they should be twenty. The other group insisted that they must be eight, maintaining that it was known that the Prophet (SA'AS) never exceeded this number at any time. Accordingly, each group accused the other of bidah, and their disagreement reached a dangerous level, almost leading to open physical conflict. When al Banna arrived they agreed to refer the matter to him. The way he handled this event is instructive to all of us. He first asked: "What is the juristic status of salat al tarawih?" The answer was: "A sunnah, and those who perform it are rewarded, those who do not are not punished." He then asked: "And what is the juristic status of brotherhood among Muslims?" The people replied: "fard [Obligatory], and it is one of the fundamentals of Iman." He then concluded: "Is it therefore logical or permissible according to Shariah to abandon afard for a sunnah?. He then told them that if they preserved their brotherhood and unity and each went home and performed salat al tarawIh according to his own genuine conviction, it would indeed be far better then arguing and quarreling. When I mentioned this to some people, they said that al Bannas action was evasive?an escape from the truth, i.e., from pointing out the difference between a sunnah and a bidah. This, they insisted, is the duty of a Muslim. I replied that this is a matter where there is room for different opinions, and that although I perform eight raka 'at, I do not accuse those performing twenty of bidah. They persisted that making a decision on such matters is a duty which a Muslim must not evade. I insisted that this is true when the choice is between halal and haram, but in matters on which the juristic schools of thought have had their disagreements and, consequently, each one of us his own view, there is no need for bigotry or zealotry. Many fair Muslim ulama have clearly sanctioned this. The following quotation is from one of the .Hanabilah books entitled Sharh Ghayat al Muntaha: Whoever rejects an opinion reached by ijtihad does so because of his ignorance of the status of the mujtahidun who will be rewarded, be they right or wrong, for their laborious, timeconsuming findings in this respect. Those who follow them commit no sin, because Allah has ordained for each of them that to which his ijtihad had led him, and which becomes part of the Shariiah in that respect. There is an example in the permission to eat, out of dire necessity only, the meat of a dead animal. However, this is prohibited for a person who deliberately chooses to do so. Both of these are wellestablished juristic verdicts. Ibn Taymiyah says in al Fatawa al Misriyah: Consideration of unity [among Muslims] is the right course. The basmalah can be uttered loudly to fulfill a commendable interest. It is also advisable to abandon the preferable in order to create harmony and intimacy, just as the Prophet (SA'AS) gave up the re?building of the Ka'bah [on the foundations laid down by Ibrahim] so as not to alienate 1the people of Makkah]. The a immah, like Imam Ahmad, are of this opinion with regard to the basmalah, to replace the preferable with the acceptable in order to preserve unity. Ibn Taymiyah referred to the following hadith with regard to the building of the Ka'bah. The Prophet (SA'AS) said to 'Aishah (RA'A): "Had your ople not been in jahilyah (the attitudes and mentality of pre?Islamic time) until recently, I would have rebuilt the Ka'bah on the foundations [laid] by Ibrahim." Ibn al Qayyim also discussed the issue of qunut in Salat alfujr. Some people have considered qunut as bidah, others as supererogatory to be practised in times of hardships as well as other times. In his book Zad a1 Ma'ad, he argues that the Prophet's Sunnah sanctions qunut during the times of hardship, and that this has been accepted by hadith scholars who follow what the Prophet (SA'AS) did. They therefore did qanut at the times the Prophet (SA'AS) is known to have done qunut and abstained from it at the times he is known to have abstained from qunut They see qunut as a sunnah and abstaining from it as also a sunnah Therefore they neither object to those who continually do qanut or to those who abstain from it, and they do not consider it bidah. Ibn al Qayyim writes: A proper posture to ask Allah's blessings and to offer thanks to Him is when a person stands up after kneeling in Salah. The Prophet (SA'AS) did both in this posture. It is acceptable for the imam to utter qunut prayers these loudly so that the people behind him can hear. 'Umar ibn al Khatt.ab raised his voice when reciting the Fatihah, and so did Ibn 'Abbas during the salah for the dead in order to let people know that it is sunnah to do so. Such practices are subject to acceptable disagreement; neither those who do them nor those who refrain are blameworthy: the same applies to raising the hands during Salah, the various ways of tashahhud, adhan, iqamah, as well as the types of hajj as ifrad, qiran and tamattu' Our purpose is only to mention the Prophet's Sunnah, which is our guiding principle in this book and which we seek to investigate. Having said that, I wish to point out that I have not tried to deal with what is permissible and what is not. Our concern is with the permissible practice which the Prophet (SA'AS) used to choose for himself, and which is the best and most perfect. If we say that there is no indication in his Sunnah that he consistently performed qunut during Salat ul Fajr or uttered the basmalah loudly, this does not mean or indicate that we should consider consistency in performing them as makruh? or bidah. It only means that his guidance is the best and most perfect. Moreover, an individual is permitted to continue his salah behind an imam of a different madhhab even if he believes that the latter has done something which nullifies his ablution, or makes his salah nugatory, if the imam's madhhab permits that. Ibn Taymiyah says in al Fawakih al Adidah: Muslims are unanimous on the admissibility of performing Salah behind each other as was the practice of the Companions and the Tabi'un, as well as that of the four great jurists of Islam. Whoever rejects this practice is a straying mabtadi' who deviates from the teaching of the Quran, Sunnah, and the consensus of the Muslims. Although some of the companions and the Tabiun uttered the basmalah loudly and other did not, they nevertheless continued to perform Salah behind each other. So did Abu Hanifah and his followers, as well as al Shafi'i and others who used to perform salah behind the Malikiyah in Madinah, although the latter did not utter the basmalah, neither loudly nor in their hearts. It is said that Abu Yusuf performed Salah behind al Rashid who had been cupped.'9 Because al Imam Malik has given afatwa that there is no need to renew ablutions in thicase, Abu Yusuf continued his salah behind al Rashid. However, Ahmad ibn Hanbal was of the opinion that ablution must be done after cupping and nosebleeding. Confronted with a hypothetical situation whether a member of the congregation who notices a discharge of blood from the imam, who does not renew his ablution, should continue his Salah behind him, Ibn Hanbal said: "It is inconceivable not to perform Salah behind Said ibn al Musayyab and Malik." He then added that there are two considerations in this issue: (1) If the man is not aware of anything that invalidates the imam's Salah he should continue behind him. This is agreed upon by the forebears and the four great jurists; and (2) If he was sure that the imam has done something which renders him impure, such as touching his genitals or women out of sexual desire, cupping or vomiting, and did not renew his ablution, he then must act according to his best judgment, because this is an issue about which there is a great deal of disagreement. The majority of our forebears are of the opinion that the salah of those behind such an imam is valid. This is the opinion of Malik's madhhab, but a second opinion in al Shafi is and Abu Hanifah's. Most of Ahmad's texts support this opinion, which is the correct one.
0 Views
22:58:11 01/20/10
Week 2 Social Bookmarking (T4 T Spring 2010)
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 22:58:11 01/20/10
Have you ever found a great website online, but later because you didn't save it or you didn't have access to the computer where you viewed the website you couldn't locate the website address again? If so, you need social bookmarking. By using social bookmarks to save good websites we find online, we save our "finds" in the cloud of servers which are on 24/7. Social bookmarking not only lets us save our websites in a location where we can find them readily on any computer, it also lets us categorize them in a flexible way using tags and collaborate with others. This week we will explore social bookmarking by using the free service Diigo, and also review our work from last week on blogging. (This video was recorded 20 January 2010 at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. This course is taught by Wesley Fryer. Learn more about T4T on wiki.powerfulingredients.com.)
34 Views
18:32:10 08/04/09
Learn Your Perfect Back Swing Golf Video
[LESS INFO] 34 VIEWS | ADDED 18:32:10 08/04/09
See Top 100 Teacher, Mike Adams, as he describes how to get your perfect back swing. The perfect back swing doesn't always mean parallel so understanding your body's limits and flexibility will ensure a successful hit everytime. Distributed by Tubemogul.>> I'M MIKE ADAMS, GOLF MAGAZINE TOP 100 TEACHER. THERE’S A LOT OF CONFUSION AS TO WHAT THE PERFECT LENGTH OF BACKSWING IS. THE ANSWER IS, IT DEPENDS. EACH OF US HAS DIFFERENT FLEXIBILITY SO, EACH OF US IS GOING TO SWING THE CLUB TO DIFFERENT LENGTHS. WE ALL THINK THAT PARALLEL IS PERFECT AND DOWN THE LINE. TELL ME, WITH TODAY’S TIP, JUSTIN, WHY DON’T YOU SWING THE CLUB TO THE TOP OF YOUR BACKSWING AND, GET THE CLUB ALL THE WAY TO PARALLEL AND DOWN THE LINE. IN ORDER FOR JUSTIN TO DO THAT, HE’S HAD TO COLLAPSE HIS LEFT LEG, HIS WEIGHT HAS MOVED FORWARD AND HE’S HAD TO COLLAPSE HIS LEFT ARM. NONE OF THESE ARE BENEFICIAL FOR A GOOD GOLF SWING. SO WHAT I NEED TO DO IS FIND WHAT IS PERFECT FOR JUSTIN. JUSTIN, I'M GOING TO HAVE YOU KNEEL FOR ME. WHEN HE’S KNEELING, WHAT HE’S ABLE TO DO IS MAKE A FULL ARM SWING, FULL SHOULDER TURN AND FULL HIP TURN. SWING THE CLUB TO THE TOP OF YOUR BACKSWING. THIS WOULD BE A MAXIMUM LENGTH TO SWING FOR JUSTIN. HE’S GOT THE FULL HIP TURN, FULL SHOULDER TURN AND FULL ARM SWING. A LOT OF PEOPLE LOOK AT THAT AND SAY, THAT’S LAID OFF. IN REALITY, IT’S NOT. THE SHAFT AND THE SHOULDERS WILL ALWAYS CROSS THE TEE AT THE TOP. SO IF I MAKE A LESS THAN FULL TURN, IT WILL APPEAR TO BE LAID OFF BUT THEY WILL STILL BE CROSSING THE TEE. I RETURN, we'll PUT IT DOWN THE LINE AND THE BIGGER THE LINE OF RETURN WILL APPEAR TO BE ACROSS THE LINE. THE SHAFT OF THE GOLF CLUB AND THE SHOULDERS WILL ALWAYS BE AT RIGHT ANGLES. THERE’S A LOT OF CONFUSION. PEOPLE THINK THIS IS LAID OFF. THIS IS AN IDEAL POSITION. THIS IS WHERE JUSTIN NEEDS TO BE. JUSTIN, STAND UP, NOW. WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO IS SWING THE CLUB BACK TO THE TOP OF YOUR BACKSWING AND GET THE SAME FEEL THAT YOU HAD WHILE YOU WERE KNEELING. I WANT YOU TO STABILIZE YOUR LOWER BODY AND MAKE SURE THE LEFT ARM SWINGS ACROSS THE CHEST. SWING IT BACK. PERFECT. AS YOU CAN SEE, JUSTIN IS IN AN IDEAL PERFECT POSITION. THE SHAFT AND HIS SHOULDERS ARE AT 90 DEGREES TO EACH OTHER. THEY’RE CROSSING THE TEE AT THE TOP, WHICH IS WHAT WE WANT EVERY SINGLE TIME. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE PARALLEL, TO BE SWINGING PERFECT. FIND YOUR IDEAL POSITION, GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES, SWING YOUR CLUB BACK. ONCE YOU FIND YOUR RANGE OF MOTION, YOUR IDEAL BACKSWING POSITION, THAT IS WHERE YOU NEED TO HAVE IT WHEN YOU HIT GOLF SHOTS. IF YOU DO THAT, I GUARANTEE YOU’LL HIT THE BEST GOLF SHOTS OF YOUR LIFE.
1 Views
18:32:10 08/04/09
Learn Your Perfect Back Swing Golf Video
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 18:32:10 08/04/09
See Top 100 Teacher, Mike Adams, as he describes how to get your perfect back swing. The perfect back swing doesn't always mean parallel so understanding your body's limits and flexibility will ensure a successful hit everytime. Distributed by Tubemogul.>> I'M MIKE ADAMS, GOLF MAGAZINE TOP 100 TEACHER. THERE’S A LOT OF CONFUSION AS TO WHAT THE PERFECT LENGTH OF BACKSWING IS. THE ANSWER IS, IT DEPENDS. EACH OF US HAS DIFFERENT FLEXIBILITY SO, EACH OF US IS GOING TO SWING THE CLUB TO DIFFERENT LENGTHS. WE ALL THINK THAT PARALLEL IS PERFECT AND DOWN THE LINE. TELL ME, WITH TODAY’S TIP, JUSTIN, WHY DON’T YOU SWING THE CLUB TO THE TOP OF YOUR BACKSWING AND, GET THE CLUB ALL THE WAY TO PARALLEL AND DOWN THE LINE. IN ORDER FOR JUSTIN TO DO THAT, HE’S HAD TO COLLAPSE HIS LEFT LEG, HIS WEIGHT HAS MOVED FORWARD AND HE’S HAD TO COLLAPSE HIS LEFT ARM. NONE OF THESE ARE BENEFICIAL FOR A GOOD GOLF SWING. SO WHAT I NEED TO DO IS FIND WHAT IS PERFECT FOR JUSTIN. JUSTIN, I'M GOING TO HAVE YOU KNEEL FOR ME. WHEN HE’S KNEELING, WHAT HE’S ABLE TO DO IS MAKE A FULL ARM SWING, FULL SHOULDER TURN AND FULL HIP TURN. SWING THE CLUB TO THE TOP OF YOUR BACKSWING. THIS WOULD BE A MAXIMUM LENGTH TO SWING FOR JUSTIN. HE’S GOT THE FULL HIP TURN, FULL SHOULDER TURN AND FULL ARM SWING. A LOT OF PEOPLE LOOK AT THAT AND SAY, THAT’S LAID OFF. IN REALITY, IT’S NOT. THE SHAFT AND THE SHOULDERS WILL ALWAYS CROSS THE TEE AT THE TOP. SO IF I MAKE A LESS THAN FULL TURN, IT WILL APPEAR TO BE LAID OFF BUT THEY WILL STILL BE CROSSING THE TEE. I RETURN, we'll PUT IT DOWN THE LINE AND THE BIGGER THE LINE OF RETURN WILL APPEAR TO BE ACROSS THE LINE. THE SHAFT OF THE GOLF CLUB AND THE SHOULDERS WILL ALWAYS BE AT RIGHT ANGLES. THERE’S A LOT OF CONFUSION. PEOPLE THINK THIS IS LAID OFF. THIS IS AN IDEAL POSITION. THIS IS WHERE JUSTIN NEEDS TO BE. JUSTIN, STAND UP, NOW. WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO IS SWING THE CLUB BACK TO THE TOP OF YOUR BACKSWING AND GET THE SAME FEEL THAT YOU HAD WHILE YOU WERE KNEELING. I WANT YOU TO STABILIZE YOUR LOWER BODY AND MAKE SURE THE LEFT ARM SWINGS ACROSS THE CHEST. SWING IT BACK. PERFECT. AS YOU CAN SEE, JUSTIN IS IN AN IDEAL PERFECT POSITION. THE SHAFT AND HIS SHOULDERS ARE AT 90 DEGREES TO EACH OTHER. THEY’RE CROSSING THE TEE AT THE TOP, WHICH IS WHAT WE WANT EVERY SINGLE TIME. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE PARALLEL, TO BE SWINGING PERFECT. FIND YOUR IDEAL POSITION, GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES, SWING YOUR CLUB BACK. ONCE YOU FIND YOUR RANGE OF MOTION, YOUR IDEAL BACKSWING POSITION, THAT IS WHERE YOU NEED TO HAVE IT WHEN YOU HIT GOLF SHOTS. IF YOU DO THAT, I GUARANTEE YOU’LL HIT THE BEST GOLF SHOTS OF YOUR LIFE.
1 Views
18:30:05 07/21/09
Champion Tour Fitness Golf Video
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 18:30:05 07/21/09
Staying fit as you get older to stay on the Senior Championship Tour takes discipline and hard work. Here from professionals about staying flexible, in shape and on top of your game with these tips on diet, exercise and practice techniques.>> LET'S CATCH UP WITH SOME OF THE SENIOR PLAYERS ON THE CHAMPIONS TOUR TO LEARN HOW THEY KEEP THEIR GAMES AT A TOP LEVEL THROUGH THE YEARS. >> THE WHOLE KEY AS YOU GET OLDER IS STRETCHING MORE THAN WEIGHTS AND STUFF. IF YOU CAN STRETCH AND KEEP YOUR BODY IN THAT TYPE OF SHAPE, RATHER THAN WEIGHTS, THAT’S WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO IN ORDER TO KEEP SUCCESSFUL ON THE SENIOR TOUR. >> EXERCISE AND DIET. SIMPLE AS THAT. JUST LIKE ANYBODY IN THIS WORLD. KEEP YOUR WEIGHT DOWN. EXERCISE AND DIET. EXERCISE MEANS A LOT OF STRETCHING, SOME WEIGHTS. KEEP YOUR LUNGS IN SHAPE AEROBICALLY. THERE’S NO SECRET TO IT. I’LL FINISH ON THE PRACTICE TEE, TODAY, AND GO TO THE GYM, GO TO THE FINISH TRAILER. I DO IT FOR MY GOLF GAME AND FOR ME, AS WELL. >> THE BIGGEST THING IS EXERCISE. YOU MAY BE STRETCHING MORE THAN EXERCISING BUT, A LITTLE BIT OF CARDIO. STRETCHING WOULD BE PHYSICALLY THE BEST THING FOR YOU. YOU TEND TO BE A LITTLE MORE INJURY PRONE OF YOU DON’T DO THAT. SO ACHES AND PAINS. JUST STIFFNESS SHORTENS YOUR SWING UP AND THAT KIND OF THING. THAT, AS MUCH AS ANYTHING, WILL KEEP YOUR FLEXIBILITY AND KEEP YOUR BODY IN BETTER SHAPE SO THAT YOU CAN PLAY FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME. >> THE BIGGEST THING I SEE IS GUYS DON’T TURN THEIR BODY. IT’S MORE OF AN ARM SWING. YOU LOSE A LOT OF POWER AND YOU LOSE A LOT OF ACCURACY. YOUR TIMING HAS TO BE JUST RIGHT TO DO THAT. I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS JUST TO TRY AND GET THE CLUB TO COME BACK MORE INSIDE AND, MAKE SURE THAT YOU’RE TURNING YOUR CHEST BACK RATHER THAN SWINGING YOUR ARMS UP. THAT’S THE BIGGEST THING I SEE WHEN I PLAY WITH GUYS MY AGE. >> YOU NEED TO STAY UP WITH TECHNOLOGY, FOR ONE, AND THEN AFTER THAT, THEN WORK ON SOME PHYSICAL CONDITIONING. BECAUSE A LOT OF GUYS GET CARRIED AWAY, THEY GET WHERE THEY DON’T PLAY AS MUCH, SITTING AROUND A LOT WITH A CHANCE OF WEIGHT GAIN. SO YOU NEED TO WATCH YOUR DIET, YOU NEED TO EXERCISE. I TRY TO DO SOME STRENGTHENING EXERCISES, ESPECIALLY, IN THE OFF SEASON AND GET READY FOR THE NEXT YEAR. ALL OF THOSE THINGS KEEP YOU A LITTLE YOUNGER. IT GIVES YOU AN EDGE, MAYBE. >> I LIKE TO KEEP FAIRLY STRONG. I’LL DO SOME AB LONGES FOR THE STOMACH, WHICH IS GOING TO SUPPORT THE BACK. IF YOUR BACK FEELS GOOD THEN, YOU’VE GOT FLEXIBILITY. THAT’S HALF THE BATTLE OF THE GAME. FREQUENTLY, GET LESSONS ABOUT THE GAME, RATHER THAN TRYING TO DO IT YOURSELF. HAVE A PLAN. ASK THE LOCAL PRO AT YOUR GOLF CLUB DOES OR SHOULD BE DOING. THAT’S WHAT HE’S TRAINED TO DO IS TO COACH AND SEE VIDEOS OF YOUR OWN SWING. YOU HAVE SOME IDEA OR A PLAN OF WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH THE SWING. I BELIEVE YOU CAN MAKE MAJOR CHANGES AND YOU CAN SEE YOURSELF ON VIDEO. YOU CAN GET A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT’S GOING ON. I'M NOT A RUNNER. >> BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT MORE MOMENT ON THE JUNIOR TOUR, THESE GUYS ARE WORKING A LOT HARDER. THEY’RE DOING A LOT MORE PHYSICAL EXERCISE. YOU SEE A LOT OF THE SENIORS, THEY’RE GETTING IN THAT TRAILER AND TALKING TO THEIR GURUS. ME, I’D RATHER GO HAVE A DRINK AND HAVE A GOOD TIME. I COME UP TO ASPEN AND I SPENT FOUR DAYS IN ASPEN TRYING TO GET ACCLIMATED TO THE WEATHER. I PLAYED A COUPLE ROUNDS WITH A FRIEND, UP THERE, AND HIT A FEW BALLS, ONE DAY. THAT WAS ABOUT MY TRAINING. I HAD A FEW WINES AT NIGHT AND A FEW SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS. THAT WAS MY TRAINING.
0 Views
18:30:05 07/21/09
Champion Tour Fitness Golf Video
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 18:30:05 07/21/09
Staying fit as you get older to stay on the Senior Championship Tour takes discipline and hard work. Here from professionals about staying flexible, in shape and on top of your game with these tips on diet, exercise and practice techniques.>> LET'S CATCH UP WITH SOME OF THE SENIOR PLAYERS ON THE CHAMPIONS TOUR TO LEARN HOW THEY KEEP THEIR GAMES AT A TOP LEVEL THROUGH THE YEARS. >> THE WHOLE KEY AS YOU GET OLDER IS STRETCHING MORE THAN WEIGHTS AND STUFF. IF YOU CAN STRETCH AND KEEP YOUR BODY IN THAT TYPE OF SHAPE, RATHER THAN WEIGHTS, THAT’S WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO IN ORDER TO KEEP SUCCESSFUL ON THE SENIOR TOUR. >> EXERCISE AND DIET. SIMPLE AS THAT. JUST LIKE ANYBODY IN THIS WORLD. KEEP YOUR WEIGHT DOWN. EXERCISE AND DIET. EXERCISE MEANS A LOT OF STRETCHING, SOME WEIGHTS. KEEP YOUR LUNGS IN SHAPE AEROBICALLY. THERE’S NO SECRET TO IT. I’LL FINISH ON THE PRACTICE TEE, TODAY, AND GO TO THE GYM, GO TO THE FINISH TRAILER. I DO IT FOR MY GOLF GAME AND FOR ME, AS WELL. >> THE BIGGEST THING IS EXERCISE. YOU MAY BE STRETCHING MORE THAN EXERCISING BUT, A LITTLE BIT OF CARDIO. STRETCHING WOULD BE PHYSICALLY THE BEST THING FOR YOU. YOU TEND TO BE A LITTLE MORE INJURY PRONE OF YOU DON’T DO THAT. SO ACHES AND PAINS. JUST STIFFNESS SHORTENS YOUR SWING UP AND THAT KIND OF THING. THAT, AS MUCH AS ANYTHING, WILL KEEP YOUR FLEXIBILITY AND KEEP YOUR BODY IN BETTER SHAPE SO THAT YOU CAN PLAY FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME. >> THE BIGGEST THING I SEE IS GUYS DON’T TURN THEIR BODY. IT’S MORE OF AN ARM SWING. YOU LOSE A LOT OF POWER AND YOU LOSE A LOT OF ACCURACY. YOUR TIMING HAS TO BE JUST RIGHT TO DO THAT. I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS JUST TO TRY AND GET THE CLUB TO COME BACK MORE INSIDE AND, MAKE SURE THAT YOU’RE TURNING YOUR CHEST BACK RATHER THAN SWINGING YOUR ARMS UP. THAT’S THE BIGGEST THING I SEE WHEN I PLAY WITH GUYS MY AGE. >> YOU NEED TO STAY UP WITH TECHNOLOGY, FOR ONE, AND THEN AFTER THAT, THEN WORK ON SOME PHYSICAL CONDITIONING. BECAUSE A LOT OF GUYS GET CARRIED AWAY, THEY GET WHERE THEY DON’T PLAY AS MUCH, SITTING AROUND A LOT WITH A CHANCE OF WEIGHT GAIN. SO YOU NEED TO WATCH YOUR DIET, YOU NEED TO EXERCISE. I TRY TO DO SOME STRENGTHENING EXERCISES, ESPECIALLY, IN THE OFF SEASON AND GET READY FOR THE NEXT YEAR. ALL OF THOSE THINGS KEEP YOU A LITTLE YOUNGER. IT GIVES YOU AN EDGE, MAYBE. >> I LIKE TO KEEP FAIRLY STRONG. I’LL DO SOME AB LONGES FOR THE STOMACH, WHICH IS GOING TO SUPPORT THE BACK. IF YOUR BACK FEELS GOOD THEN, YOU’VE GOT FLEXIBILITY. THAT’S HALF THE BATTLE OF THE GAME. FREQUENTLY, GET LESSONS ABOUT THE GAME, RATHER THAN TRYING TO DO IT YOURSELF. HAVE A PLAN. ASK THE LOCAL PRO AT YOUR GOLF CLUB DOES OR SHOULD BE DOING. THAT’S WHAT HE’S TRAINED TO DO IS TO COACH AND SEE VIDEOS OF YOUR OWN SWING. YOU HAVE SOME IDEA OR A PLAN OF WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH THE SWING. I BELIEVE YOU CAN MAKE MAJOR CHANGES AND YOU CAN SEE YOURSELF ON VIDEO. YOU CAN GET A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT’S GOING ON. I'M NOT A RUNNER. >> BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT MORE MOMENT ON THE JUNIOR TOUR, THESE GUYS ARE WORKING A LOT HARDER. THEY’RE DOING A LOT MORE PHYSICAL EXERCISE. YOU SEE A LOT OF THE SENIORS, THEY’RE GETTING IN THAT TRAILER AND TALKING TO THEIR GURUS. ME, I’D RATHER GO HAVE A DRINK AND HAVE A GOOD TIME. I COME UP TO ASPEN AND I SPENT FOUR DAYS IN ASPEN TRYING TO GET ACCLIMATED TO THE WEATHER. I PLAYED A COUPLE ROUNDS WITH A FRIEND, UP THERE, AND HIT A FEW BALLS, ONE DAY. THAT WAS ABOUT MY TRAINING. I HAD A FEW WINES AT NIGHT AND A FEW SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS. THAT WAS MY TRAINING.
17 Views
16:00:00 04/06/09
Episode #47 | Garudasana
[LESS INFO] 17 VIEWS | ADDED 16:00:00 04/06/09
The "Standing Eagle" promotes balance and flexibility for the hips, shoulders, and hands. It is one of the only poses that you should start with bended knees, but as you accelerate upwards, of course the legs should be straightened. Keep the eyes and breath steady. Do not let the position steal your breath.
1 Views
19:33:21 07/13/08
How social media and word of mouth create sales
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 19:33:21 07/13/08
I'm just returning from Victoria, B. C. where I've been working with Royal Roads Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management developing an Internet Marketing strategy for Hatley Park - Castle and Gardens and online and on campus Education training programs. (If you are thinking of moving up the ranks in your tourism workplace, consider a degree from Royal Roads: online learning, flexible admissions, advanced learning, and a to-die-for campus.)Yesterday, we were talking about the impact of social media to enhance sales. I'd like to share the story I used to illustrate my point that Word of Mouth, or the online version - Word of Mouse, might be the way your tourism business makes it's next sale.July 10: a user of Twitter from Aussie, fabierabbiosi from Untanglemyweb.com asks her Twitterverse for an SEO learning resource recommendation. I answer the question by proposing a visit to the Tourism Keys online lesson on SEO. Fabienne replies that she hopes to create some Screencasts and asks my opinion about a tool she's used. I suggest a fantastic screencast product called Screenflow and she replies that she'll download it and give it a try based on my recommendation.At the same time I see a message from my brother in Ontario, where it's 2 am, but Tom is online, so I invite him to join me for a Skype call where three important exchanges take place. First, Tom tells me about his recent foray into making T-shirts and I read a blog post on the Clever Sheep Blog that features a photo of the shirts. I spend a few minutes thinking about it and arrange to have some T-shirts designed for our guests. I write a quick blog post about how the t-shirts could be a business card for conference planners and when the folks at Royal Roads hear about it, enthusiastic, animated conversation takes place in our meeting about how they can use the t-shirt as part of their student orientation gatherings.Second, Tom mentions a short Hotel Nightmare video he has recorded after a nasty hotel stay. Of course, I request a copy of the video and share it with meeting attendees to reinforce the importance of Web sites like TripAdvisor to influence the travel buying decisions of other travellers.Third, Tom asks if I've seen the video posts he's been making on his blog with a cool new tool called Flip Video. He shows me the small, simple looking device on Skype Video and explains how simple it is to get video online. He excitedly explains how he posts videos promoting upcoming live music shows at Phog Lounge in downtown Windsor Ontario and how he gets over a hundred views within two hours of posting the video! He also tells me that the device has not been available in Canada until now and it is only available at one retail outlet (listen to the podcast to see where to buy Flip Video. The next morning, I take Nancy Arsenault, the dean of the faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management to see the device and we promptly purchase one, shoot a video and get it on Youtube within 30 minutes! Nancy is excited about using the simple simple video camera to capture video for marketing her offerings. Her staff are enthused too. And although I already have digital still and video cameras I am too excited to resist. I now want one too. This morning, Nancy purchased a second camera and I purchased one too. The use of Social media has made information exchanges about best tools and resources almost instantaneous and right before my own eyes I had examples of five valuable recommendations made possible by social marketing.It is interesting to note that in each case, the end user of the technology had never even heard of the tool, thought about using it, or even gone looking for it. But the personal conversations were powerful influencers on the decision-making process. in 30 minutes of conversation, perhaps $1000 of business was immediately transacted over five different products and services.Are you interested in fostering social marketing and word of mouth about your tourism enterprise? Find time to use the tools of social marketing and you might be surprised at what happens.
0 Views
19:33:21 07/13/08
How social media and word of mouth create sales
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 19:33:21 07/13/08
I'm just returning from Victoria, B. C. where I've been working with Royal Roads Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management developing an Internet Marketing strategy for Hatley Park - Castle and Gardens and online and on campus Education training programs. (If you are thinking of moving up the ranks in your tourism workplace, consider a degree from Royal Roads: online learning, flexible admissions, advanced learning, and a to-die-for campus.)Yesterday, we were talking about the impact of social media to enhance sales. I'd like to share the story I used to illustrate my point that Word of Mouth, or the online version - Word of Mouse, might be the way your tourism business makes it's next sale.July 10: a user of Twitter from Aussie, fabierabbiosi from Untanglemyweb.com asks her Twitterverse for an SEO learning resource recommendation. I answer the question by proposing a visit to the Tourism Keys online lesson on SEO. Fabienne replies that she hopes to create some Screencasts and asks my opinion about a tool she's used. I suggest a fantastic screencast product called Screenflow and she replies that she'll download it and give it a try based on my recommendation.At the same time I see a message from my brother in Ontario, where it's 2 am, but Tom is online, so I invite him to join me for a Skype call where three important exchanges take place. First, Tom tells me about his recent foray into making T-shirts and I read a blog post on the Clever Sheep Blog that features a photo of the shirts. I spend a few minutes thinking about it and arrange to have some T-shirts designed for our guests. I write a quick blog post about how the t-shirts could be a business card for conference planners and when the folks at Royal Roads hear about it, enthusiastic, animated conversation takes place in our meeting about how they can use the t-shirt as part of their student orientation gatherings.Second, Tom mentions a short Hotel Nightmare video he has recorded after a nasty hotel stay. Of course, I request a copy of the video and share it with meeting attendees to reinforce the importance of Web sites like TripAdvisor to influence the travel buying decisions of other travellers.Third, Tom asks if I've seen the video posts he's been making on his blog with a cool new tool called Flip Video. He shows me the small, simple looking device on Skype Video and explains how simple it is to get video online. He excitedly explains how he posts videos promoting upcoming live music shows at Phog Lounge in downtown Windsor Ontario and how he gets over a hundred views within two hours of posting the video! He also tells me that the device has not been available in Canada until now and it is only available at one retail outlet (listen to the podcast to see where to buy Flip Video. The next morning, I take Nancy Arsenault, the dean of the faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management to see the device and we promptly purchase one, shoot a video and get it on Youtube within 30 minutes! Nancy is excited about using the simple simple video camera to capture video for marketing her offerings. Her staff are enthused too. And although I already have digital still and video cameras I am too excited to resist. I now want one too. This morning, Nancy purchased a second camera and I purchased one too. The use of Social media has made information exchanges about best tools and resources almost instantaneous and right before my own eyes I had examples of five valuable recommendations made possible by social marketing.It is interesting to note that in each case, the end user of the technology had never even heard of the tool, thought about using it, or even gone looking for it. But the personal conversations were powerful influencers on the decision-making process. in 30 minutes of conversation, perhaps $1000 of business was immediately transacted over five different products and services.Are you interested in fostering social marketing and word of mouth about your tourism enterprise? Find time to use the tools of social marketing and you might be surprised at what happens.
