Dave of the Hill People

Pardon my n00bish question, but it seems like the Washington Wizards will be stuck with John Wall's supermax contract for the next few years. And given that Wall's game was predicated on speed, it is very likely he won't be as good after the injury. So, hypothetically, can he be cut?

In sports like football, a player can be cut to reduce salary cap implications and open roster spots. It seems like the Wizards (once again) are stuck under a contract that will keep them from being competitive (and the only team in this supermax-injury conundrum.) What are the rules that could help/hurt the Wizards in this regards?

(Put aside for the moment John Wall's talent or contributions to the team: it is a safe bet that Wall will not live up to that supermax contract even if he's fully healthy in a year. I don't hate the guy: I just want a reason to cheer for something besides ping pong balls.)

I need to arrange to have a few web pages translated into several languages. However, I have no clue if languages which are read vertically require different HTML code to display properly for customers that speak those languages. Any insights on the subject, or recommendations on relevant books, software or online resources, would be most appreciated. Thanks!

I'm looking for the best way to describe the following logical fallacy (and I'm sure there's already a name for it, possibly in Latin):

Way too often, I've seen debates and discussions side-tracked by someone unable to defend their position requiring others provide alternative solutions before a problem is even acknowledged. If someone cannot come up with a solution on the spot for, say, violence by/against the police, or peace in the Middle East, then there's no point addressing or acknowledging problems such as race relations or root causes of Middle Eastern conflicts. Is there a name for that fallacy that stifles discussion in this way?

I am curious what the industry standard is for software for writing children's books. Given that, in children's books, the words appear at a wide variety of places on the page (in order for best viewing of the illustrations), I assume there must be a standard format for submitting children's books to publishers, and likely a software that makes it easier to create them. Help!

Sincerely,

An Aspiring Writer of Children's Books :)

Given how certain teams cashed in at the last MLB draft because they lost Type A and/or Type B free agents, I'm curious which players project to be Type A or Type B free agents once this season is done. Is there any early prognostication?

(Of particular interest are the Orioles - since they currently stink on ice, I need something to look forward to & having extra early draft picks might lift my spirits. Might Vlad Guererro or Matt Reynolds help the O's get an extra draft pick if they sign elsewhere?)

The last two drafts have had clear #1 prospects (Steven Strasburg and Bryce Harper) that are projected to be players around which the Nationals can build a winning franchise. Since my favorite team (the Orioles) are stinking up tha joynt this year & are likely to get the top pick next year, is there a clear-cut, franchise-changing #1 prospect in next year's draft that O's fans can dream about? If not, who are the top five-or-so prospects? (links to scouting reports would be appreciated.)

We just got this cat from animal rescue. He's not even two, but he's a 12-pound orange tabby male who still has his claws. And he really likes to use those claws on my legs (along with his teeth,) particulary when I'm wearing shorts.

We haven't been abusive to him in the slightest. At nighttime, he's quite interested in snuggling. He's also really easy about being picked up and held. But when it's daytime, when he's not eating, he wants to play & play rough. He's destroyed most of the toys we bought for him. And he has attacked my legs (usually mine, but sometimes my wife's) on a regular basis.

Could it be cat nip in his toys? (We try to buyones wiithout nip.) Are the attacks just him wanting to play, or is it agression? How can I tell? Are there good books on the subject?

I've been a cat owner since I was a kid & I have never dealt with a cat this psycho before. I've never walked across my own house before fearing that the psycho cat is going to draw my blood again. It's like living in a low-budget horror movie! Help!

The Wizards have one more roster spot and a mid-level exception with which to work, if they so choose. Right now, they look like this:

C: Brendan Haywood, Javale MaGee (Andray Blatche)

PF: Antwan Jamison, Andray Blatche, Dominic McGuire

SF: Caron Butler, Mike Miller (Nick Young)

SG: Randy Foye, Dominic McGuire, Nick Young, DeShawn Stevenson (Mike Miller)

PG: Gilbert Arenas, Javaris Crittendon, Mike James

Right now, the team has too many guards and not enough bigs. If Haywood has another injury, the team would be in real trouble. Are there any teams out there that need an additional roster-quality guard & might have a big they could trade in return?

I'm already aware of most of the free agent options out there. But given the high payroll the Wizards now have, I would be interested to see them trade away someone like Mike James ($6.4 mill. expiring contract) or DeShawn Stevenson ($3.8 mill.) and get a roster-quality big in return. If they could get a starting center and another big, Haywood's $6 mill. contract is expiring as well. In short, I'm curious about trade options more than I am free agents.

I've seen plenty of pundits suggest that the Wizards need to get a true point guard that can mesh with Gilbert Arenas (although every PG that's brought up usually is described as "not a good fit") and a legit big that can rebound on both ends and replace either Antwan Jamison or Brendan Haywood.

What players in this draft would be a "good fit" with Arenas and the rest of the team? If the Wizards trade the #5 pick, what player(s) should they trade for that, again, would be a good fit & meet the team's needs for defense, rebounding and mid-range shooting?

I've been enjoying Spore up until this point: I'm in the interstellar phase & some other species has declared war on me. Now every time I go to leave my home planet's orbit, my home planet is instantly under attack again! (I din't know where these aliens are coming from!) How do I make peace with, or defeat, this other species so I can get back to playing the rest of the game? Any advice would be appreciated.

My five-year-old got a metal Slinky as a gift. We've had a lot of fun playing with it, but now part of it is bent out of shape. I can't think of what tool I should use to try to return it to its original form. (And it's not tangled: portions of it are just bent out of shape.)

I was rolling along in Civ IV: Beyond the Sword when I must have over-expanded. My old strategy of establishing footholds in new regions & creating dominance in the "new world" has apparently caused massive inflation and I don't know how to salvage the situation. My peoples are on strike most of the time & I can't get any research done. Will changing civics do the trick? More merchant specialists? Give away money-sucking cities to other civs? Help!

I've been at the same job for five years (with my salary capped) & am looking for other jobs in the same organization. I may have found a good opportunity, but I need to inform my grumpy, old-school boss (think the newspaper editor from "Spider Man") that I'm looking for other jobs before he finds out from someone else. In addition, it's likely that a transfer to this other job will involve the organization making some other move (i.e., a replacement for me) to make him happy, so I can't burn this bridge if I want to make the move happen.

I need to get my career moving again, need to start earning more money & learning new skills, and need a more family-friendly boss who understands that sometimes I might need to stay home if my toddler is sick. But my current grumpy boss has the power to stop a transfer & may not feel like I deserve anything even after five years of service to him.

Any suggestions?

The lovely Mrs. & I downloaded all the episodes of Heroes Season Two. Subsequently, we got my in-laws hooked. But just last week, they went to watch the next episode off of the official Heroes website (link below) & only the first five episodes were there! Has NBC provided an explanation? Are Episodes 206-211 available elsewhere? Help an addict out! ;)

http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/

My wife's granparents got married in 1942 & we're planning a wedding anniversary party for them. I thought it would be nice to have some music from 1942 presented/performed at this event. Can anyone help me find songs (or lists thereof) from 1942?

When omitting a portion of a quote, do I use "..." or brackets?

Links to relevant passages in on-line style guides would be most welcome. :)

I know that former members of Congress are still referred to as "The Honorable ____ ____" after they leave office (whether they deserve that title or not. ;) ) But when writing a letter to a former member of Congress, does one write "Dear Congressperson ____", or are they no longer referred to as "Congressperson/Congressman/Congresswoman/Whatever ____"?

If you have a link to an online style guide that has an explanation, or a relevant citation from a style guide, that would be very helpful. :)

Assuming it snows, of course. ;)

I grew up in Ohio & all the snow and sledding are fond winter memories for me. I'd like to share those memories with my son (when he's big enough), but have no idea where the good sledding hills are near Washington D.C. or Baltimore.

Key factors:

- Must not have road or body of water right at the base (I don't want to introduce my son face-first to moving vehicles or breaking ice);

- Must have parking reasonably nearby (I don't have an ATV).

Here is the Text of Bush's speech:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artic...

Last night, when Bush had the opportunity to give a speech that would bring Americans closer together as we all mourn the anniversary of the attack, when he had a chance to be a "uniter, not a divider", did he instead use that opportunity to try to shore up support for the ongoing war in Iraq & the political benefits that his party might reap from it?

Just for illustration purposes, here is a count of the amount of times Bush used certain words in his speech:

Al Qaeda: 3

Osama Bin Laden: 3

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: 1

-----

Iraq: 9

Saddam Hussein: 5

Iraqi (adj.): 4

-----

Afghanistan: 2

Taliban: 1

Why couldn't he focus on the 9/11 attack and the nation's mourning, instead of spending so much time on a tangentially-related war? Couldn't he show enough restraint to not be a politician for one night & instead be a president for all Americans?