On the surface it was a simple event, promising a modicum of recovery in a region in ruins.
Somalia's prime minister, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, is considered one of Somalia's most capable politicians and had achieved a modicum of success in simple things like making sure that government soldiers were paid and that their salaries were not stolen by corrupt commanders, as had been the case for years.
It was a less simple explanation that at least made a modicum of sense.
It must of course be understood that even the simplest sports, such as weightlifting, require a modicum of intellectual effort, while others, such as baseball, involve a considerable amount of mental alertness.
If any of us inflicted our stream of consciousness on the world at large, with no further reflection, no simple common sense in the form of a modicum of diplomacy and reticence, we would cut ridiculous or tricky or outrageous figures.
Even the simplest fireworks, however, need to be used with a modicum of common sense and official permission, Mr. Butler said, and he and fireworks experts who spent the day watching the sparks turn into flames on the cable news channels yesterday said that none seemed to be employed on Thursday night.
After a string of seven matches without scoring a single goal, they went to Greece with one simple objective: to put the ball in the net and end the campaign with a modicum of self-respect.
Warhol's means centered on a simple silk-screen enlargement of the photograph, a flat, thin black-and-white image animated by a modicum of color.
Had Saha retained a modicum of composure a minute later after Malbranque and Steve Finnan had combined to fashion a simple opportunity, the damage to West Brom could have been irreparable.
Establishing that modicum of trust took years.
