Category Archives: Golden Rule

Arsenal are set to embark recruiting new players for head coach Mikel Arteta. But given the makeup of the squad, there is a golden rule they must not break.

Mikel Arteta has made a very positive start to life as Arsenal head coach. He has proven his coaching skill, implemented a well-defined and concise system that has improved individual and collective performances, and displayed enough progress that suggests he can build a competitive team.

The next step along the Arteta rebuild is recruitment. While positive steps have been made to bed tactical processes and systems into the players, ultimately, there is only so much a coach can do. You need the players to execute your gameplans, and at present, Arteta is working with blunt tools.

The upcoming summer transfer window, then, will be critical for the future Arsenal football club. And for the Arteta project especially. If the former Manchester City assistant is to make true progress at the helm of the team, he must be given new and improved players over what he is currently hamstring with. Centre-back, central midfield, and attacking midfield are all positions that are in need of investment, and that is without considering the potential departures of players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

However, while there are plenty of positions in need of lavish spending, given the current make-up of the squad, there is one golden rule that the club must not break if they want to have a successful recruitment strategy: quality, not quantity.

Without any players bought or sold and assuming full fitness, this is the expected starting XI next season:

Bernd Leno; Hector Bellerin, David Luiz; William Saliba, Kieran Tierney; Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira, Mesut Ozil; Nicolas Pepe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette

And this leaves the following for the reserve XI:

Emiliano Martinez; Sokratis, Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers, Sead Kolasinac; Matteo Guendouzi, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Joe Willock; Reiss Nelson, Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah

And all this is to not include Rob Holding, Sokratis, Emile Smith Rowe, as well as Cedric, Dani Ceballos and Pablo Mari, all of which could be signed at the expiration of their respective deals at the end of the season.

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You can quibble about the names here and there, but the point is this: the Arsenal squad is deep, varied, plentiful and young. They do not need to add numbers at any position other than perhaps attacking midfield, and that is not the case if Arteta believes in Smith Rowe as some others do.

You will notice that the difference between the starting XI and second XI is not that great, especially in defence and midfield. And in the front three, Nelson, Martinelli and Nketiah are all taking giant leaps forward every time they take to the pitch. There are two simultaneous reasons for this: the starting XI is not very good and the second XI is pretty decent.

Where Arteta needs help is in finding truly elite players. He needs a world-class centre-half, a Premier League-leading defensive midfielder, and a replacement for Ozil. He only needs one of each and signing any old name is not helpful. He needs elite, elite quality. Anything less is not worth the investment.

So, when Arsenal come to the summer transfer window and look to provide Arteta with the squad he requires, they must not break the golden rule: quality, not quantity.

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Arsenal: The golden rule of transfer recruitment - Pain In The Arsenal

Networking works best when you emphasize the "give" part of the equation.

Quick question: Would you rather get a root canal than schmooze with a roomful of strangers?

If you hesitated for even a second in considering that choice, you must not enjoy networking.

Join the crowd.

Networking may be one of your least favorite activities. But getting past your apprehensions and doing it right can work wonders for your business and for your career.

And its not about collecting contacts. Its about planting relationships.

No one understands this better than Devora Zack. Shes author ofNetworking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected.

Devoras clients include Deloitte, Delta Airlines, the FDA and other high-profile organizations.

An avowed introvert herself, she says traditional networking rules dont apply to everyone. In fact, the very traits that make many people abhor networking can be harnessed as strengths.

Listen in on this conversation to glean some tips for your own networking.

Rodger Dean Duncan:Introversion and extroversion are both widely misunderstood. What are some common misconceptions that youve observed?

Devora Zack

Devora Zack:There are so many! Allow me to share some of the most popular. And please note thatnone of these are true!

Extroverts are more confident. Introverts are slower paced. Extroverts are self-engrossed. Introverts are insecure. Extroverts are better public speakers. Introverts are stand-offish. I could go on all day.

Introversion and Extroversion have no relationship to success, Type A or B personalities, or energy level.Stereotypes abound.

In reality, there are three foundational distinctions between these personality types

Remembermost of us have elements of both.

Duncan:Why do so many peoplewhether introverts or extrovertsseem to resist networking?

Zack:People misunderstand networking. The thought of working a room or shameless self-promotion is unappealing to most. True networking, however, requires neither. Real networking is the art of building mutually beneficial, meaningful connections one person at a time.

Duncan:You suggest that peoples views on networking are correlated with their inner monologues. How can reframing such monologues lead to different networking behaviors and results?

Zack:Going back to those Big Three, an introvert could say to herself, I energize along and think to talkI could never thrive at a networking event! She could reframe her self-talk to embrace and accept her natural predisposition. The new inner monologue could begin with, Okay, I think to talkThat means Ill do best by preparing in advance some interesting questions and plan responses to questions Im likely to be asked.

Generosity is the currency of effective networking.

Duncan:Generally speaking, what advantages might an introvert bring to a networking opportunity? And what about an extrovert?

Zack:Theres lots! Introverts tend to be natural listeners, and being a good listener makes a better impression on others than self-promotion. Extroverts are great connecters, so they bring together disparate people.

Duncan:You differentiate between the Golden Rule (Treat others as you want to be treated) and the Platinum Rule (Treat others astheywant to be treated). What role does that difference play in your advice on networking?

Zack:Its inaccurate to presume everyone wants to be treated identically. For example, introverts consider many more topics private than extroverts. Therefore, when meeting someone new, begin with broader, open-ended questions, allowing others to decide how specific and personal they wish to be in their responses.

Duncan:What are the most important things a person can do to derive maximum benefit from a networking event?

Zack:Be authentic. Youll never thrive attempting to be someone youre not. The idea is not for introverts to try to be extroverts. Work with rather than fight against your true nature. Introverts do not need to be fixed!

Duncan:What is the most important determinate of successful networking?

Zack:Follow up. If youre not following up, youre not networking.

Extroverts are apt to tell me, Im a great networker. I can talk to anyone about anything.While thats a lovely ability, it does not correlate with lasting networking. Far more significant is what happens the next day. If you make a single meaningful connection that evolves into a lasting, positive relationship, that is quality networking.

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Hate Networking? Change Your Inner-Monologue And Get The Results You Really Want - Forbes

Daniil Medvedev is the No. 5 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings, and he has won seven ATP Tour titles, lifting each of those trophies since the beginning of 2018.

ATPTour.com looks at five things you should know about the 24-year-old.

1) 2019 Was The Best Season Of His CareerDaniil Medvedev won the first three ATP Tour titles of his career in 2018. But the Russian didnt slow his momentum, ascending into the Top 10 and the Top 5 in 2019.

Medvedev became the fifth active player joining Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to reach six consecutive tour-level finals, achieving the feat at Washington, Montreal, Cincinnati, the US Open, St. Petersburg and Shanghai. The 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals competitor reached more finals last season, with nine, than anyone on the ATP Tour.

Before 2019, Medvedev was only 8-14 at ATP Masters 1000 events. But he reached his first final at that level in Montreal and won his first two Masters 1000 titles in Cincinnati and Shanghai. Medvedev used those efforts to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time, just two years on from finishing year-end World No. 65 in 2018.

2) Medvedevs Switch: Fewer Croissants, More PorridgeMedvedev never shied away from admitting that before his rise, he did not do everything as professionally as possible. He competed hard and did his work on the practice court, but his diet and recovery routines were not as sharp as he knew they could be.

Sweets and even croissants were not off limits. If a long match went late, he would skip the ice bath.

I thought it was going to be the best rest, to just lay on the bed and watch some TV. And in fact, it's not, Medvedev said.

But Medvedev slowly began trading some of those croissants for porridge, and giving everything he had in all facets of his career. That paid dividends.

Medvedev's New Plan: Fewer Croissants, More Porridge

3) He Has A Golden RuleMedvedev remembers the coach he had from ages six to 10, who taught him to, "fight like crazy".

Her Golden Rule was, The one who wins the match is the one who made more balls over the net, which is easy to understand, Medvedev said last year.

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The 66 Russian moves well for his size, and he precisely manouevres his flat groundstrokes seemingly anywhere on the court he desires while making few errors, frustrating opponents.

4) Medvedev Speaks Fluent French, Resides In Monte-CarloMedvedev moved to Cannes, France as a teen, looking for high-quality coaching and facilities. He chose Cannes, since his sister lived there. Gilles Cervara, the Coach Of The Year in the 2019 ATP Awards, was not his full-time coach at first, but he accompanied Medvedev to Marseille in 2015 and a handful of events the following year, becoming the Russians permanent coach in late 2017.

Its normal to hear the duo conversing in French. Medvedev, who also speaks Russian and English, now resides in nearby Monte-Carlo.

5) He Loves Video Games, But Doesn't Bring Them To TournamentsMedvedev has long enjoyed video games, and he enjoys thinking back to the times he has beaten his coach, Cervara, at them.

"It was in Basel, they had PlayStations there. I'm quite good in FIFA, so when you have a different level in the game, it's not funny," Medvedev recalled in Cincinnati last year. "NHL we never played in our life. So we started playing. I beat him silly because I'm good at games. And then he was practising all the week, and after I lost to Roger, [I was] 2-0 down [against my coach], and I won in overtime."

As much as Medvedev has fun playing video games, he doesn't let them take away from his focus on court.

"I love video games, and I basically don't take them to the tournaments because I know otherwise I wouldn't be having all these results, because I go crazy and I play too much," Medvedev said. "But when I'm at home, don't take my PlayStation. It's not going to end well."

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Five Things To Know About Daniil Medvedev - ATP Tour

Social distancing amid the coronavirus outbreak has put many a routine appointment on hold including the likes of nails and haircuts.

In lieu of being able to visit the hairdressers, people are sharing their weird and wacky home haircuts with the nation.

The self-cut styles are offering up a moment of laughter in difficult times with more and more people sharing their haircuts-gone-wrong each day.

Josh went for a full-on bowl. (SWNS)

Perfecting a decent fade isnt easy, yet without their usual barber appointments, many people are attempting this difficult to master trick at home.

Read more: The best comfortable bras to wear while working from home

The trim usually sees the hairdresser use a razor to create a seamless line from the bottom of the hair (where its at its shortest) to the top - where its longer.

Despite the years of practice it takes to add the perfect fade to your arsenal, desperate DIY hairdressers are trying to recreate the look at home.

Perfecting the fade is no easy feat. (SWNS)

This fade didn't quite work out as planned. (SWNS)

Its one of those styles that might seem like a good idea until you start trying it - at which point its too late to turn back.

Luckily, many hairdressers who are unable to help due to social distancing are still on hand to talk you through some of the trickier styles.

Hairdresser Jordanne Barnard has offered her top tips on how to do a fade at home before you can get to a real hairdresser to perfect your attempt.

Start by picking the largest number you want to achieve on the clippers. Lets say youve chosen number three.

Choose where you want the fade to start from and clipper up to that point using the half guard (three and a half). The trick here is to reach that point and the flick your wrist on the way out of the hair.

Go over the same sections but a centimetre lower than the starting point on the hair. This time, though, use a number two.

Finally, repeat again a centimetre lower, but this time with a number one paying extra attention to around the ears. Be careful.

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If you notice any areas where it hasnt blended properly, go back over it using the half guard and the number that corresponds with that part of the hair.

To finish, take the guard off entirely and neatly follow the hairline and square off the nape of the neck using bare clippers.

If you dont happen to have a half guard on your clippers, you can always use a comb at a 45 degree angle where the two sections meet to create the same effect.

Story continues

If you need a little trim on top, Barnard recommends: Use the back fade as a guideline and pull the hair 90 degrees from the head and trim with the scissors in a point like angle. This will texturise it, hide any lines and take away the weight.

Read more: The unexpected benefits of social distancing

Its not the only haircut causing issues, though in fact, they all are.

Weve all noticed hairdressers wet our hair ahead of cutting it, so when Lara decided to start by wetting her fringe, she had the best intentions.

Somehow, though, the 22-year-old cut off a little too much than she meant to and ended up taking a huge triangle chunk out of her fringe.

Lara had the best intentions. (SWNS)

She started by wetting her hair. (SWNS)

The problem she faced is that by pulling the hair down too much, she inadvertently cut off way more than she needed to.

If you dont know what youre doing the golden rule has to be less is more. Its better to do a little regular trim than cutting it all off. If that does happen, though, there are plenty of hair growth shampoos and conditioners to help it grow back quickly.

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People are sharing their bad DIY haircuts as coronavirus self-isolation prevents visits to the hairdressers - Yahoo Style

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

The ethics of reciprocity, known as the golden rule, is any moral dictum that encourages people to treat others the way they would like to be treated. Although the term was originally coined by Anglican ministers such as George Boraston, the principle can be found in the sacred texts of the worlds great religions, as well as the writings of secular philosophers. Due to its ubiquity in many contexts, it has become an important focal point for interfaith dialogue and the development of international human rights norms.

The rule often appears as a summarizing principle of good conduct, the supreme moral principle of right action between human beings. Though not always understood literally, as it is often qualified by competing moral imperatives, it generally functions as an intuitive method of moral reasoning. Despite the different formulations, wordings, and contexts in which the rule appears across religions and traditions, Jeffery Wattles argues that there is enough continuity in meaning and application to justify describing the ethics of reciprocity as the golden rule.

Some philosophers have scoffed at the rule, noting that a crude, literal adherence to the outward phrasing can lead to moral absurdities. Harry J. Gensler reponds to this criticism by formulating the rule in these terms: Treat others only as you consent to being treated in the same situation. Context matters in the process of moral reasoning; what the rule demands is not rudimentary application as much as it is ethical consistency vis--vis human beings, as the first principle from which the morality of an action is analyzed. It is the locus of ones conscience, a guide for everyday behavior.

Moreover, application of the rule ought to be informed by a balanced collection of principles and values that manifest the rule in action. For this reason, writers throughout history have used the rule as a hub around which to gather great themes. Notions of justice, love, compassion, and other virtues have all been related to the rule by various religious traditions. Accounting for all of these considerations and responding to common objections, both Wattles and Gensler have convincingly defended the golden rule from its detractors and have presented it as a viable principle for a modern moral philosophy.

Islam, as a world religion with over one billion followers, has an important role to play in facilitating dialogue and cooperation with other groups in the modern world. The golden rule in Islamic traditions has been explicitly invoked by numerous Muslim leaders and organizations towards this end. Recently, hundreds of Muslim scholars and leaders have signed the A Common Word interfaith letter, asserting that the Abrahamic faiths share the twin golden commandments of the paramount importance of loving God and loving ones neighbor. The initiative grew into several publications and conferences, including the important and high-profile Marrakesh Declaration in early 2016, which cited A Common Word in its text as evidence of the compatibility between Islamic tradition and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Quran ascribes a number of beautiful names (asma al-husna) to God conveying virtues that Muslims, by implication, should practice, The most excellent names belong to Him. Among the relevant names of God are Al-Rahman (the Merciful), Al-Wadud (the Loving), Al-Ghafur (the Forgiving), Al-Rauf (the Kind), Al-Adl (the Just), Al-Karim (the Generous), and so on. Embedded in this description of God are many of the moral themes traditionally associated with the golden rule.

The distinguished Muslim scholar and mystic, Ab mid al-Ghazzl (d.1111), locates the golden rule within Gods loving nature as expressed in the verses, My Lord is merciful and most loving, and again, He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Loving. He authored a treatise on the names of God in Islamic tradition, discussing their theological meanings and his understanding of the proper way in which Muslims should enact those names. God, in his view, benefits all creatures without desiring any advantage or benefit in return:

Al-Wadud The Loving-kind is one who wishes all creatures well and accordingly favors them and praises them. In fact, love and mercy are only intended for the benefit and advantage of those who receive mercy or are loved; they do not find their cause in the sensitivities or natural inclination of the Loving-kind One. For anothers benefit is the heart and soul of mercy and love and that is how the case of God may He be praised and exalted is to be conceived: absent those features which human experience associates with mercy and love, yet which do not contribute to the benefit they bring.

In other words, God should be understood as entirely and selflessly benevolent towards His creatures, without any need or desire for repayment. God does not benefit from the worship of His servants, nor does He take pleasure in punishing the wicked. Rather, God only prescribes worship and righteous deeds for the benefit of believers. By reflecting this divine nature in action, believers should unconditionally want for others the same as they want for themselves:

One is loving-kind among Gods servants who desires for Gods creatures whatever he desires for himself; and whoever prefers them to himself is even higher than that. Like one of them who said, I would like to be a bridge over the fire [of hell] so that creatures might pass over me and not be harmed by it. The perfection of that virtue occurs when not even anger, hatred, and the harm he might receive can keep him from altruism and goodness.

Commentators of the Quran often found the rule implied in several verses. When righteousness (taqw) is first mentioned in Quran (when reading cover-to-cover), classical exegetes typically define it by appealing to traditional wisdom-sayings. Abu Ishaq al-Thalabi (d. 1035) narrates several exegetical traditions to define and explicate the meaning of righteousness. The early authorities Sufyan al-Thawri (d. 778) and Al-Fudayl ibn Iyad (d. 803) say that the righteous man (al-muttaqi) is he who loves for people what he loves for himself. Al-Junayd ibn Muhammad (d. 910), on the other hand, disagreed with them and took it a step further, The righteous man is not he who loves for people what he loves for himself. Rather, the righteous man is only he who loves for people greater than he loves for himself. In Al-Junayds telling, true righteousness is not simply the equality implied in the golden rule, but rather a definite preference to benefit others that amounts to altruism (al-ithar).

In contrast, the Quran severely rebukes cheaters in weights and measurements, Woe to those who give short measure, who demand of other people full measure for themselves, but give less than they should when it is they who weigh or measure for others! That is, they demand full payment for themselves while they give short-change to others. The golden rule was understood by Fakhr al-Dn al-Razi (d. 1209) to be the clear implication of this passage, as he reports the saying of the early authority Qatadah, Fulfil the measure, O son of Adam, as you would love it fulfilled for yourself, and be just as you would love justice for yourself.

Most of the explicit golden rule statements in Islamic tradition are found in the Hadith corpus, the sayings and deeds of Prophet Muammad . According to Anas ibn Mlik (d. 712), the Prophet said:

This is the most prominent golden rule statement in the Hadith corpus. The two leading Sunni Hadith scholars, Muhammad ibn Isml al-Bukhari (d. 870) and Muslim ibn al-ajjj (d. 875), both placed this tradition in their book of faith, near the introductions of their respective collections. The implication is that the lesson in the tradition is essential to true faith itself, not simply a recommended or value-added practice.

Commentators sometimes mention that all good manners are derived from this tradition and three others, Whoever believes in God and the Last Day, let him speak goodness or be silent, and, It is from a mans excellence in Islam that he leaves what does not concern him, and, Do not be angry. Like many religious writers and philosophers, Muslim scholars took note of the summarizing function of the golden rule as a broad principle for good conduct.

A key question for the commentators was the meaning of brother in the tradition of Anas . It is generally agreed upon that brother refers to Muslims, but several commentators expanded the meaning to include non-Muslims or unbelievers. Prolific author and Shafii jurist, Muy al-Dn al-Nawaw (d. 1277), explained the tradition this way:

Firstly, that [tradition] is interpreted as general brotherhood, such that it includes the unbeliever and the Muslim. Thus, he loves for his brother the unbeliever what he loves for himself of embracing Islam, as he would love for his brother Muslim to always remain upon Islam. For this reason, to pray for guidance for the unbeliever is recommended The meaning of love is to intend good and benefit, hence, the meaning is religious love and not human love.

Al-Nawaws concept of religious love (al-mahabbat al-diniyah) parallels the distinction Christian writers made between agape () and eros (). The highest form of love, according to him, is that which is purely benevolent for Gods sake, in opposition to sinful passions, caprice, or ordinary types of love.

Although inclusion of non-Muslims in a broader brotherhood of humanity was not universally accepted, proponents of this interpretation found a strong case for their position in all of the permutations of the golden rule in the Hadith corpus. Even from the traditions of Anas alone, inclusive language was used by the Prophet often enough to justify a universal golden rule:

None of you has faith until he loves for the people what he loves for himself, and only until he loves a person for the sake of God, the Great and Almighty.

The servant does not reach the reality of faith until he loves for the people what he loves for himself of the good.

In particular, a variant in Sahih Muslim reads, until he loves for his brother or he said his neighbour what he loves for himself. In this version, Anas is unsure if the Prophet said brother or neighbor. If neighbors are included, the term would certainly apply to non-Muslims as well.

Muammad ibn Isml al-ann (d. 1768), a Yemeni reformer in the Salafi tradition, includes in his legal commentary a chapter on the rights of the neighbor, in which he employs some of the broadest language of the late classical to early modern period. Based upon the word neighbor in the version of Sahih Muslim, he concludes:

The narration of the neighbor is general for the Muslim, the unbeliever, and the sinner, the friend and the enemy, the relative and the foreigner, the near neighbour and the far neighbour. Whoever acquires in this regard the obligatory attributes of loving good for him, he is at the highest of levels.

Perhaps most significant is Al-anns inclusion of enemies (al-aduw) in the list of people covered by the golden rule. In this case, the rule has at least some kind of application to every single human being.

Abd Allh ibn Amr (d. 685), who is said to have been one of the first to write down the statements of the Prophet , narrates his version of the golden rule, Whoever would love to be delivered from Hell and admitted into Paradise, let him meet his end believing in God and the Last Day, and let him treat people as he would love to be treated. The rule here is a means of salvation and is expressed in terms of good behavior, rather than religious love.

Ab Hurayrah (d. 679), the most prolific narrator of Hadith, also shares what he heard from the Prophet , Love for people what you love for yourself, you will be a believer. Be good to your neighbour, you will be a Muslim. Like the tradition of Anas, the rule is associated with both true faith and good treatment of neighbors.

Sometimes Hadith traditions do not explicitly state the golden rule, but it is drawn out by the commentators. Tamim al-Dari (d. 661) reports that the Prophet said three times, Religion is sincerity. The companions said, To whom? The Prophet replied, To God, to His book, to His messenger, and to the leader of the Muslims and their commoners. Ibn Daqq al-d (d. 1302) explains at length the meaning of sincerity or good will (naah) in each context. As it relates to common people, he writes that sincerity is to take care of them with beautiful preaching, to abandon ill will and envy for them, and to love for them what he loves for himself of good and to hate for them what he hates for himself of evil.

Al-Numn ibn Bashr (d. 684) relates the Prophets parable of the faith community as a single body, You see the believers in their mercy, affection, and compassion for one another as if they were a body. When a limb aches, the rest of the body responds with sleeplessness and fever. A variant of this tradition reads, The Muslims are like a single man. If the eye is afflicted, the whole body is afflicted. If the head is afflicted, the whole body is afflicted. The idea is that Muslims should have empathy for one another by sharing the burden of each others pain, as stated in another tradition, The believer feels pain for the people of faith, just as the body feels pain in its head. Abu Abd Allh al-Halm (d. 1012) inferred the golden rule from this parable:

They should be like that, as one hand would not love but what the other loves, and one eye or one leg or one ear would not love but what the other loves. Likewise, he should not love for his Muslim brother but what he loves for himself.

Later commentators would develop this idea further. Ibn Daqq draws upon the parable of the faith community in his commentary on the tradition of Anas, writing, Some scholars said in this tradition is the understanding that the believer is with another believer like a single soul. Thus, he should love for him what he loves for himself, as if they were a single soul. Ibn ajar al-Haytham (d. 1567) makes the same connection, saying that to love one another means that he will be with him as one soul (al-nafs al-wahidah).

Yazid ibn Asad, another one of the Prophets companions, recalls that he said to him, O Yazid ibn Asad! Love for people what you love for yourself! In a variant of this tradition, the Prophet (s) asks him, Do you love Paradise? Yazid says yes, so the Prophet replies, Then love for your brother what you love for yourself. In yet another variant, Yazids grandson quotes the sermon of Prophet upon the pulpit, Do not treat people but in the way you would love to be treated by them.

Failure to live up to the golden rule could result in dreadful consequences in the Hereafter, especially for Imams and authorities. Maqil ibn Yasr, while on his deathbed, recounted what he learned from the Prophet , No one is appointed over the affairs of the Muslims and then he does not strive for them or show them good will but that he will never enter Paradise with them. In another wording, the Prophet said, He does not protect them as he would protect himself and his family but that Allah will cast him into the fire of Hell. In this regard, a Muslim leader must necessarily treat their followers as they would treat themselves and their own families, if such a terrible fate is to be avoided.

Ab Ummah al-Bhil (d. 705) tells the story of a young man who came to the Prophet (s) to ask for permission to indulge in adulterous intercourse. The Prophet engages him in an imaginative role-reversal, asking a series of Socratic questions and appealing to the young mans conscience to convince him against it, Would you like that for your mother? Would you like that for your sister? The young man, naturally, expresses his disapproval had someone else committed adultery with the women of his household. The logical conclusion, as stated by the Prophet, is to consider the golden rule, Then hate what God has hated, and love for your brother what you love for yourself.

Hatred for the sake of God is a fine line to walk, between righteous indignation and unjustified malice. At least some of the earliest Muslims adopted the familiar refrain: love the sinner, hate the sin. According to Mudh ibn Anas, this is how the Prophet defined hatred for the sake of God, The best faith is to love for the sake of God, to hate for the sake of God, and to work your tongue in the remembrance of God. Mudh said, How is it done, O Messenger of God? The Prophet said, That you love for people what you love for yourself, hate for them what you hate for yourself, and to speak goodness or be silent. The noble form of hatred is simply the inverse of the golden rule; if one sees another sinning, hatred should be for the evil deed because it harms its doer. At the same time, one loves good for the sinner by hoping for their repentance and divine forgiveness.

Ibrahim Adham (d. 782) remembers during his travels that he overheard a pair of Muslim ascetics discussing the love of God amongst themselves. Intrigued, he interjects himself into the conversation to ask, How can anyone have compassion for people who contradict their Beloved [God]?

The unnamed ascetic turns to him, saying:

They abhor their sinful deeds and have compassion for them, [pray] that by preaching to them they might leave their deeds. They feel pity that their bodies might be burned in hellfire. The believer is not truly a believer until he is pleased for people to have what is pleasing to himself.

The commentator Abd al-Ramn ibn Rajab (d. 1393) corroborates this interpretation, which he ascribes to the righteous predecessors (al-salaf al-li). Hence, it not correct for a Muslim to carry malicious hatred in the sense of desiring to harm others. A believer ought to love for sinners to repent, to be guided, and to be forgiven. In this regard, the Prophet admonished us, Do not hate each other, do not envy each other, do not turn away from each other, but rather be servants of God as brothers.

The irreversible march of globalization is producing an urgent need for people of different backgrounds and beliefs to find common ground. As the world grows closer together, with it grows the imperative to recognize each other as members of one human family. The ethics of reciprocity the golden rule is the best conceptual vehicle to advance this necessary intercultural dialogue and cooperation.

Islam is one of the worlds great religions, with over one billion followers living on every continent and speaking hundreds of languages. If peace on earth is to be actualized, Islam and Muslims must be a partner in it. Muslims need an entry point for understanding non-Muslims, just as non-Muslims need a way to begin understanding Muslims. Islams golden rule can provide a bridge between these worlds.

It is not reasonable to expect that the golden rule by itself can solve all the conflicts of the modern world, but what it can do is activate the innate conscience of human beings in a process of collective, intercultural moral reasoning. By accepting at the outset the premise of human equality and the obligation of moral consistency, we can work together to develop the mutual understanding and respect needed for people of different beliefs to live together in harmony. The golden rule itself is not the answer per se, rather it is the right question at the start; it is the first step in a journey we must take together, the first conversation in a dialogue we must have.

Success comes from Allah, and Allah knows best.

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Benefiting From The Majesty Of Divine Will | Thirteen Points In Making The Best Of The Situation - MuslimMatters

With the acquisition of North Texas Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. and Big Bear Air Conditioning and Heating, Trudela Partners has completed coverage of Collin, Denton, Dallas and Tarrant counties representing 75 percent of the DFW Metroplex.

DALLAS-FORT WORTH, Texas, March 19, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Coltala Holdings' HVAC acquisition platform Trudela Partners, a leading provider of residential heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and indoor environmental filtration technology, is pleased to announce the third and fourth additions to their portfolio in just the first quarter of 2020.

With the acquisition of North Texas Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. in Denton and Frisco-based Big Bear Air Conditioning and Heating, Trudela now serves four counties in the Metroplex with coverage of over 75 percent of the DFW geographic footprint.

Both companies provide quality residential service, installation and replacement, and are strong legacy brands with excellent reputations in the DFW market. With the expansion of territory and technicians, Trudela can provide rapid, world-class service anywhere in Dallas - Fort Worth.

"North Texas and Big Bear afford Trudela strategic access to the growing population in the northern corridor of the Metroplex," remarked Trudela CEO Paul Adams.

ABOUT NORTH TEXAS HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING

North Texas Heating and Air Conditioning was founded by Rodney Preston in 1996. He attributes his company's success to his "Golden Rule" philosophy of business. "When you treat customers as you would be treated, you inspire loyalty, generate repeat business, and get lots of referrals," he declared. As to why Preston chose Trudela he said, "Because they share our core commitment to treating people right."

Coltala CEO Ralph Manning commented, "It's gratifying to see the growth in Trudela and the high-quality DFW brands choosing to partner with us. These are truly businesses of significance."

ABOUT BIG BEAR AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATING

Diel Rojas started Big Bear Air Conditioning and Heating in 2006 after having worked for other HVAC companies. Recognizing that "there was something missing" when dealing with customers, he set about to provide service that was "a cut above the rest." On why Rojas chose Trudela he said, "Because I believe the Trudela team cares about the customer as much as I do."

Former naval intelligence officer and current Coltala Holdings president Edward Crawford added, "We are privileged and honored to serve in the homes of our local community especially during this coronavirus crisis. As more Americans are working from home and sheltering in place, healthful indoor air quality has never been more important."

ABOUT CORONAVIRUS-MITIGATING HVAC TECHNOLOGY

The Trudela HVAC companies employ a variety of whole-house filtering technologies, some of which capture pathogens as small as 0.1 microns (700 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair). While Trudela can make no claims of medical efficacy, validated tests have shown the technology to result in a greater than 99 percent reduction in airborne viruses similar to that causing Covid-19.

ABOUT TRUDELA . Trudela Partners is a DFW-based company specializing in home service repairs and maintenance. We focus on providing our customers with an exemplary customer experience through preventive maintenance and a first-time fix approach on service appointments. With over 70+ years in combined home services experience, the Trdela Partners team is committed to operating with honesty and integrity in everything we do and treating our customers like family.

The Trudela Executive Team includes Paul S. Adams, Chief Executive Officer overseeing all areas of the company's business including operations, sales, and marketing; Eric Shaw, COO with over 20 years of HR and operations experience in the manufacturing, retail, financial services and contracting industries; Mark Carlson, VP People and Culture with nearly 20 years of operational HR experience in building and leveraging Culture, Organizational Development, Talent Acquisition & Management, Succession Planning, Performance Management and Employee Relations.

Trudela Partners 8900 John Carpenter Freeway Dallas TX 75247

HVAC businesses interested in joining the Trudela team should contact Paul Adams at paul@trudela.com.

Story continues

LEARN-MORE LINKS

Coltala Holdings Building Businesses of Significance http://coltala.com/ Trudela Partners The Proven Home Service Professionals http://www.trudela.com/ North Texas Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. Your Local HVAC Experts https://www.nthac.com/ Big Bear Air Conditioning and Heating - Customer-centered, Up Front and Honest - https://www.bigbearair.com/

ABOUT COLTALA HOLDINGS::

Trudela is proud to be a member of the Coltala family of businesses. Coltala is committed to being conscientious stewards of company legacies and to working with you and your team to take your company to the next level. Coltala is actively seeking potential acquisition targets that share our passion for operational excellence, continuous improvement and authentic and principled business stewardship.

Businesses interested in joining the Coltala Family should contact Co-founders Ralph Manning and Edward Crawford at info@coltala.com

For more information, please follow Coltala Holdings on: LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/coltalagroup (Coltala Holdings) Twitter at https://twitter.com/coltalagroup (Coltala Holdings) ###

SOURCE Coltala Holdings

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Coltala Holdings' Trudela Partners Completes Third and Fourth HVAC Acquisitions in the First Quarter of 2020 - Yahoo Finance

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) A local business is paying it forward to others in the community during the coronavirus pandemic.

Golden Rule Remodeling in Topeka bought $500 worth of gift cards from several local businesses like Dialogue Coffee House.

The owners, Matt and Sara Vincent, say they understand how difficult it is to be a business owner and especially right now with sales down due to the coronavirus.

They hope this small act of kindness will encourage others in the community to find a way to continue to support local businesses.

So thats all were doing is trying to encourage other people in the community to do the same thing and bring Topeka business, business when they need it, Matt Vincent said.

The company plans to give the gift cards to families who need them right now and other businesses they see doing good for others.

Continued here:

Local business paying it forward to others during COVID-19 - KSNT News

So, when Mr. Isaacian couldnt set up a new router for his grandmother, he booked a technician through TaskRabbit who didnt need a how-to video or any additional language support. It was a fairly simple process, he said, though he did take this time to vet the TaskRabbit Tasker, such as checking how many tasks the person had completed and how reliable they were. He also had to make sure his grandmother knew to check in on the Tasker to ensure they werent taking advantage of her or deliberately wasting time to earn more money. But Mr. Isaacian said hed use TaskRabbit or a similar service again.

Its something that would take me a lot of time, but he handled it, Mr. Isaacian said.

However, there are some products Mr. Isaacian simply refuses to buy for his family, like a laptop or smart TV even if it comes with additional tech support. It might sound mean or heartless, but its a strategy that Mr. Santo Domingo also recommends.

Its like any relationship you have and its really a two-way street, Mr. Santo Domingo said. If you have a relative that just pesters you to no end, then like any other person youre going to end up maybe not picking up the phone quite as quickly. As long as your relative asks you nicely, its really like the golden rule. As an IT person or as your family IT person, if youre treated well, youll reciprocate.

If you really want to get someone a gadget, Mr. Santo Domingo recommends a product like a mesh Wi-Fi router like the Wirecutters pick, the Eero Pro + 2 Eero Beacons. Unlike other routers or even gadgets, you can reboot the system from anywhere even if youre not in the household where the product is, making it an easy product to serve as the go-to IT person for your loved one, if necessary. Or, if your recipient insists on some smart home gadgets, get a smart switch or smart plug to go with it, Mr. Santo Domingo said. Similar to a wireless mesh router, you can remotely turn it on and off again, which fixes more common problems than you may think.

A smart switch or plug can save you hours, Mr. Santo Domingo said. Instead of telling a relative to unplug or plug something back in, you can do that remotely with a smart plug. Sometimes, even though you tell a relative over the phone to do that, they may or may not do it.

And if you absolutely have to play the role of tech support, use whatever gadget your friends or family own to your advantage, Mr. Santo Domingo said. If theyre having trouble with a router, ask them to FaceTime or use Skype, WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger to video chat and see for yourself what the issue might be and help guide them in the right direction.

At the end of the day however, Mr. Isaacian wishes tech companies and manufacturers made it easier to conduct a remote demo for his family or more important, made more video tutorials that arent in one language.

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So You Bought Someone a Gadget. Heres How Not to Become Their Tech Support. - The New York Times

It is one of lifes great injustices that America claims to be the birthplace of crosswords. Yes, the first Word-Cross puzzle ran in 1913 in the New York Worlds Fun supplement, instructing readers to fill in the small squares with words which agree with the following definitions, but the man responsible, Arthur Wynn, was born in Liverpool. Whats more, his idea wasnt original but based on similar word puzzles hed enjoyed in childrens newspapers before emigrating.

More grievous is that Americans dont even do proper crosswords, making do with the type this newspaper deems Quick. By proper I mean cryptic, the kind that separates true cruciverbalists from mere dabblers, invented in the UK in 1925. To me, the true crossword is the cryptic, its concise cousin an aberration. I have my own family to thank for my stringent criteria: my great-grandfather, Prebendary AF Ritchie, set them weekly for the Listener magazine. I still remember his own puzzle collection, published under the pseudonym Afrit, being brandished by my grandpa, who seemed to think I would be a natural successor to Afrits talents. Alas no.

But then I read Thinking Inside the Box and realised the richness of the American relationship to crosswords. Adrienne Raphel, an aficionado, mixes history with reportage from the crossword frontlines. She journeys to Stamford, Connecticut, for the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, and takes a crossword-themed cruise to mark 75 years of New York Timess puzzles. Her writing is packed with the sort of beautifully observed details youd expect from a New Yorker contributor. At the ACPT, the reigning aesthetic was orthotics meets checkerboard. A snippet about competitive puzzlers preferring a lower case e because its quicker to scrawl than an E conveys the competitors dedication.

She has a stab at submitting her own puzzle to the NYTs crossword editor, Will Shortz. The chapter on her own compilation doubles as a useful social history. In the middle of the 20th century, the New York Times crossword became Americas version of BBC English. Being able to complete the crossword signalled that youd arrived in a certain echelon of education, and no matter your background, you could manoeuvre in a specific aspirational cultural milieu.

Raphel describes how the composer Stephen Sondheim tried and failed to convince Americans to up their crossword game. There are crossword puzzles and crossword puzzles, she quotes him saying in a 1968 New York magazine article. To call the composer of [an American] crossword an author may seem to be dignifying a gnat, he quipped, but cryptics were different, Raphel writes. Sondheim wrote several cryptics but the genre remained niche.

Although the book comes billed as equally suitable for crossword virgins as superfans, Raphel waits until chapter nine to confess she is average at best. Im a hunt-and-peck solver I admire cryptic crosswords from afar, like bonsai. She broadens her focus from American puzzle fans, dipping into the crosswords literary roots. Vladimir Nabokov thought in crosswords, publishing the first Russian puzzle in 1924 from Berlin while in France, Georges Perec created complex mots croiss. In Kirchstetten, Austria, WH Auden filled in conversational lulls by filling in puzzles. Back in the UK, Arthur Conan Doyle, Dorothy Sayers and PG Wodehouse all liberally deployed crosswords as plot devices.

Raphels preoccupation with the American form and US crossword personalities means that she misses the opportunity to delve deeper into how Edward Powys Mathers invented the worlds toughest puzzle challenge for the Saturday Westminster Gazette. (He also established the tradition that cryptic setters use a pseudonym: his was Torquemada, the first Spanish grand inquisitor.) And she omits Afrit, my great-grandfather, and his golden rule of cryptic clueing - I need not mean what I say, but I must say what I mean from his 1949 book, Armchair Crosswords. (This newspapers own crossword editor, Hugh Stephenson, has said Afrit was one of the forces centrally involved in codifying the rules of the modern cryptic clue.) Raphel mentions only Ximenes Derrick Somerset Macnutt Torquemadas successor at the Observer. Yet Ximenes himself said he learned more from Afrit than Torquemada. But perhaps the ultimate rule is that summed up by Raphel: The resilient little puzzle can be whatever you need it to be. Combatant, interlocutor, punching bag, security blanket: the crossword is there for you.

Thinking Inside the Box is published by Robinson (RRP 18.99). To buy a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Free UK p&p over 15.

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Thinking Inside the Box by Adrienne Raphel review adventures with crosswords - The Guardian

LaFleur Stephens-Dougan, a political scientist at Princeton and the author of Race to the Bottom: How Racial Appeals Work in American Politics, wrote me in an email:

Most Americans have a distorted definition of racism. We think of racism as person-to-person acts of prejudice like using a slur. Such behavior is racist, but racism is far more than that. We have baked racism into our political institutions and economic systems.

It is important, Stephens-Dougan argues, to ask people why they think black and Latino neighborhoods struggle with poor school and higher levels of crime. If ones answer, she continued, is that those neighborhoods are under-resourced because blacks and Latinos are less smart, less hardworking or less disciplined, etc., then that answer is racist.

Ryan Enos, a political scientist at Harvard, applies what he calls the Golden Rule of Intergroup Relations which means that if you would be upset if somebody did something to or said something about your own group, then it is bigotry if you say it about or do it to another group.

Ashley Jardina, a political scientist at Duke and the author of White Identity Politics, put it this way:

The use of these terms is complicated, messy, and without consensus. There are a number of important distinctions we can make. We think of racial prejudice as an individual-level sense of hostility, animus, set of negative stereotypes, or other negative attitudes that one person has toward members of a group by way of their race. We refer to a person as racist when they have some degree of racial prejudice. For most Americans, this is generally what they think of when they hear the term racism or racist. A racist is a person who uses racial slurs directed at racial out-groups and thinks their own racial group is superior.

Lets turn back to Darren Davis of Notre Dame. I asked Davis and other scholars whether Asian-American protests in New York City against the potential elimination of entrance exams as the sole determinant of entry into selective high schools like Stuyvesant or Bronx Science were racist. Likewise, is the opposition of well off suburbanites to affordable housing in their neighborhoods racist? Is the number of African-Americans in prison evidence of racism? And is white opposition to the decarceration movement, or to the prison abolition movement, racist?

Davis stresses that, in his view, not all racialized behavior and expressions stem from racial hatred or hating African Americans. He is cautious in his wording:

Ordinary citizens, without being racists themselves, may do and say things that are consistent with a racist ideology. It does not make the outcomes any less egregious or harmful. For instance, Asian-Americans protesting NYC school proposals is not necessarily racist in my opinion because I can see other motivations driving the support for higher standards not just beliefs about the inferiority of others.

Davis argues that the debate has become clouded, that even though individual and group motives may not be racist, the outcomes achieved can be identical to the ones that racists would seek:

My overall point is that we have forgotten what racism means. In doing so, we have focused attention on bigots and white nationalists and not held ordinary citizens accountable for beliefs that achieve the same ends.

Chloe Thurston, in turn, cited as specific examples

President Trumps or Steve Kings comments about certain types of immigrants being unassimilable or not sufficiently American and suggesting that other (e.g. white) immigrants do not have those characteristics.

While both Trump and King, an anti-immigrant congressman from Iowa, balk at the label racist, she continued, it is descriptively accurate and necessary from the standpoint of keeping track of the role and uses of racism in American society and politics.

Like Davis, Thurston sought to address the more difficult question of when it is legitimate to use that label for everyday behaviors.

Her answer:

People can participate in and perpetuate racist systems without necessarily subscribing to those beliefs. People can recognize something they participate in or contribute to as racist but decide its not disqualifying. And people can design racist policies and systems. These are distinctive manifestations of racism but not all of them require us to know whether a person is expressly motivated by racism.

Cindy Kam a political scientist at Vanderbilt, and a co-author with Camille Burge, a political scientist at Villanova, of Uncovering Reactions to the Racial Resentment Scale Across the Racial Divide added another element to the discussion: wariness about how the word is used in political and policy debates:

As a social scientist, I would entertain the possibility that peoples actions are guided by a variety of motivations, potentially including racial considerations but also values (i.e., a commitment to a free market; egalitarianism; moral conservatism); economic considerations; self-interest (concerns about my childs ability to get into a high school or my childs commute to a faraway school), or even factual beliefs.

Because of the wide variety of possible motivations, Kam wrote in her email, she would hesitate to label an action as racist unless racial considerations seem to be the only or the massively determinative consideration at play, based upon statistical modeling or carefully calibrated experiments.

Kam notes that she worries about excessive use of these labels because describing someone or some action as racist can easily escalate conflict beyond the point of return.

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How Racist Is Trumps Republican Party? - The New York Times