Judge gives suspended Franklin fire chief a shot at redemption following arrest
HARDYSTON — The chief of Franklin Borough's fire department, suspended last month after he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend, will have 60 days to prove he can abstain from alcohol and any further incidents with the woman before a court moves forward with his case, a judge ruled.
Khyle Conklin, 28, who has served at the helm of the borough's volunteer division since 2020, will have what a prosecutor called a "cooling off period" to abide by the conditions recommended. Conklin, who was charged with simple assault on Jan. 19 following a midnight dispute with the woman, whose head he purportedly slammed against a wall, will also have to continue seeing a counselor, said Judge Paris Eliades, Hardyston's municipal court judge, during Conklin's first appearance Wednesday evening.
Eliades, who was a Sussex County assistant prosecutor before opening his own practice, said that while he is offering Conklin a chance to prove himself, he also is taking the case "very seriously," as he does with all cases involving domestic violence.
"I'm not prejudging this, but when someone strikes another person, especially in a relationship, it's a bad precursor, quite frankly, and while you can use the excuse of alcohol, it's just that: completely and ultimately an excuse," Eliades said. "It shows that you have that predisposition engaging in that violence."
NJ news'My heart is still pounding': Reactions to slaying of Sayreville councilwoman - updates
"Not every drunk hits people," Eliades said. "Please keep your hands to yourself, I don't want to see you back here."
Conklin attended the hearing with the woman, who told the judge the couple is still together. She did not file a temporary restraining order after the incident, but a mediator with Domestic Abuse & Sexual Assault Intervention Services spoke with her several times on Wednesday. The non-profit agency, a Sussex County program well-known as DASI, offers services to victims and survivors of domestic and sexual abuse and in 2018, launched a courtroom initiative in an effort to reduce the recidivism rate of domestic violence in the county.
Conklin did not have an attorney and is representing himself on a disorderly persons offense of simple assault, which the judge advised carries a maximum penalty of six months in county jail. Conklin did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Jonathan McMeen, a municipal prosecutor, said he had reviewed the case, spoke with the victim and a representative of DASI and wanted to carry the case for 60 days to offer Conklin a chance to fulfill his court-mandated conditions. He will then revisit the case in April, when it is possible the charge could be dismissed.
Conklin admitted that in the hours before the incident, he was at the fire department and drinking at Brick & Brew, a borough bar and grill, and the victim also indicated Conklin had ingested alcohol, Franklin Sgt. Robert VanderPloeg, the arresting officer, previously told the New Jersey Herald. VanderPloeg said he wrote in his arrest report Conklin appeared to be under the influence at the time of the offense and when he was arrested, but clarified to the Herald that Conklin was not charged with driving under the influence because he was outside his vehicle when police arrested him. Conklin also did not display signs of intoxication when he was placed into custody, VanderPloeg said.
The woman called 911 to report Conklin was assaulting her, later telling officers Conklin also struck her in the face and head, which had caused her pain, and he had destroyed the apartment, records show. Conklin had fled the home in the fire department's pickup truck, which is paid for by the borough, and drove to the department's parking lot, where he switched out the truck for his own vehicle, police said. He was taken into custody in Ogdensburg. He admitted he struck the woman, but said he did so in self-defense, records show.
Michael Raperto, the borough's deputy chief, was elevated to fire chief following Conklin's suspension. The department operates as its own entity with its own bylaws and procedures, such as disciplinary procedures. Fred Babcock Jr., the department's president, said Conklin will remain inactive pending the case's resolution.
Conklin has served as a firefighter for the borough since 2012.
Lori Comstock can be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.
This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Franklin fire chief arrest: Judge gives man 60 days to prove self


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Thread: Solara - ESPER LABS LLC
05-22-2013, 09:50 PM #1
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Solara - ESPER LABS LLC
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Release Date: May 21, 2013
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Lead your heroes to victory! Solara is an epic fantasy strategy game where you build a mighty castle, recruit brave heroes, slay ferocious monsters and dragons, and battle other players around the world!
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- Recruit Rusty the Footman, Luna the Ranger, Zora the Mage, and 15 more brave and lovable heroes.
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Ultimate Classic Rock Staff
How ’70s U.K. Music Icons Inspired Duran Duran: Book Excerpt
The band's 1982 breakthrough album is the subject of a new volume in the acclaimed 33 1/3 series.
Procol Harum Bassist Alan Cartwright Dies at 75
Musician played in progressive rock band from 1971 to 1976.
Louis Clark, ELO Arranger and Conductor, Reportedly Dies at 73
Musician, who had been "ill for many months," worked on classic LPs like 'Eldorado,' 'Face the Music' and 'Out of the Blue.'
Hall and Oates Confirm Rescheduled 2021 Tour Dates
Band was forced to postpone 2020 North American shows with Squeeze due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
House Built for Jimi Hendrix Listed for Sale at $3.8 Million
Guitarist was reportedly planning to purchase Spanish-style home at the time of his death in 1970.
Trump Supporters Storm Capitol: Rockers React
Paul Stanley, Tommy Lee and Sebastian Bach were among musicians who condemned the chaos on social media.
Eddie Van Halen’s Cause of Death Revealed
Guitarist suffered from multiple final issues while battling long-term cancer.
Freddy, Jason or Michael Myers: What’s the Best Horror Series?
Our writers debate the highs and lows of the 'Halloween,' 'Friday the 13th' and 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' franchises.
Bruce Springsteen Joined by E Street Band on ‘Letter to You’ LP
His 20th album was recorded in his home studio in New Jersey and includes three previously unreleased songs from the '70s.
‘70s Springsteen vs. ‘80s Springsteen: Which Is the Better Boss?
Our writers discuss two huge decades of one of rock's leading men.
‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Star Defends ‘Innocent’ ‘General Lee’ Car
Co-stars Tom Wopat and John Schneider have weighed in on vehicle's use of Confederate flag.
Top 30 American Classic Rock Bands of the ’70s
The list reflects how much music grew in the aftermath of the previous decade.

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The Chinese-made Wuling Hongguang Mini EV continues to dominate domestic electric vehicle sales, despite the diminutive vehicle being just two years into its release cycle.
Industry experts believe the little car’s remarkable staying power is likely because of its incredibly modest price tag. At just $5 000, the Wuling Mini EV costs about as much as a Bengal cat or the humidor glove box trim option in a Rolls Royce Phantom.
Classified as a micro EV, it is the product of a three-way partnership made up of industry heavyweights, SAIC (best known for its recent acquisition of MG) (50.1% stake), General Motors (44%) and Wuling (5.9%).
The EV has sold like a proverbial hotcake in China. In April 2022, not two years since it was launched, sales surpassed the 600 000 mark, according to EV blog, InsideEvs.
Its popularity isn’t likely to drop off anytime soon either. The same InsideEvs report indicated that Q1 sales in 2022 reached 94 778 units – a jump of more than 30% year-on-year, beating out BYD’s Qin range (75 000 units) and the Tesla Model Y(74 000 units).
To figure out how Chinese engineers managed to produce an EV at such an attractive price, Nagoya University professor, Masayoshi Yamamoto, purchased and shipped a model to Japan where he and his colleagues stripped the tiny EV down.
Yamamoto found that the majority of the EV’s constituent parts were made from consumer-grade materials. This may cause premature failures in the car, according to the professor. However, it also makes reparation and parts sourcing far easier for mechanics.
For the EV’s moderate pricing, prospective owners can look forward to several power options like a 9.3 kilowatt hour battery that will drive for 120 kilometres before needing a charge and a larger 13.9 kilowatt hour battery that’ll go for about 170 kilometres before needing to be plugged in.
The Wuling Mini EV’s modest range figures make it perfectly suited as an urban run-around but SAIC-GM has announced an extended range model is in the works. Although not even three metres long, the Mini EV features four seats and will reach a top speed of roughly 100 kilometres per hour.
Althought currently only available in China, the Mini EV has grabbed the global automotive industry’s attention. Several other micro EVs, with suspiciously similar styling and powertrains, have popped up internationally.
Notably, the South African Eleksa CityBug, launched in 2021. The CityBug still costs a relatively steep $14 000.
America’s cheapest EV is still the Nissan Leaf. At roughly $20 000, the popular Japanese EV still has some way to go to reach the uber-competitive price range of the little SAIC-GM microcar.


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Upcoming Legislative Events
Legislative Reception: Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at the Baton Rouge City Club
White Coat Wednesday: Physicians’ Day at the Capitol – Wednesday, May 17, 2023
For more information, go to the LSMS website HERE
CLICK HERE for an overview of LSMS from LOA Member, Dr. John Noble, presented at the LOA 2023 Annual Meeting.

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« AnteriorContinuar »
A REVIEW OF THE CENTURY.
CHANGES IN THE COLONIAL MAP OF THE WORLD AND THE CAUSES ASSIGNED.
Before presenting present conditions in the world's colonies it may not be improper to state in concise form the colonial conditions of the world at the beginning and close of the present century, the important changes which have occurred meantime, and to present therewith the views of distinguished writers of the world's principal nations as to the causes of those changes.
A study of the map of the world's colonies in 1800 and 1900, presented herewith, shows that Spain, which at the beginning of the century controlled all of South America except Brazil, all of Central America, a considerable share of the North American continent, and the most valuable of the West India islands, is scarcely represented upon the colonial map of the year 1900; that Portugal, which in the closing part of the eighteenth century controlled large areas in South America, Africa, and the Orient, and in 1800 was still in control of much of that territory, is now represented only by colonies upon the East and West coasts of Africa; that France, which at one time controlled large areas in the northern part of North America, the Mississippi Valley, and considerable areas in the Orient, had by 1800 already lost a considerable part of that territory, and by the close of the Napoleonic wars had almost disappeared from the colonial map of the world, but in 1834 began to acquire territory in the north of Africa, and in 1861 and 1862 gained a foothold in Indo-China, to which she added largely in 1884 and 1893, and since 1880 has also enormously increased her African possessions; that the Dutch, whose possessions at one time included territory in America, South Africa, India, Ceylon, Australia, and the East Indies, are now chiefly represented on the world's colonial map by their possessions in Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and adjacent islands; and that England, whose colonial possessions at the beginning of the century were chiefly in North America, the extreme south of Africa, a comparatively small area in India, and a mere foothold in Australia and certain of the West India islands, now has extended her control to all of India, all of Australia, a large share of East Africa, and considerable areas on the West Coast, and an increased number of islands in the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Indian oceans and the Mediterranean, until her colonial population is eight times as great and the colonial territory ninety times as great as that of the mother country. Meantime Germany has, in the closing quarter of the century, extended her possessions to Africa, the islands of the Pacific and the control of a certain area in China. Italy has recently attempted to enter the list of colonial powers, having a small area in northern Africa, and Belgium now successfully governs a large area in central Africa and the Kongo Free State.
As to the causes of these successes and failures, it may not be improper to here quote certain distinguished writers, including representatives of the various nations in question, in the hope of thus obtaining a consensus of opinion based upon long and careful study.
One of the most careful and successful students of colonial matters and methods throughout the world is Mr. Charles P. Lucas, C. B., formerly of Balliol College, Oxford, author of the Historical Geography of the British Colonies, issued in 1887, and of the highly prized introduction to the 1891 edition of Sir George Cornewall Lewis's Government of Dependencies, and who for many years has occupied an important position in the British Colonial Office, thus giving him exceptional facilities for studies of this character. In the introduction to his Historical Geography of the British Colonies Mr. Lucas says of the successes and failures of Spain:
“The history of Spain is the history of a power which rose quickly to a great height and then as quickly declined. The Spaniards were a fighting and conquering race, but they were not traders to any great extent, and they did not, in spite of redeeming points, succeed as governors. There was an absence among them of steady progress and development. There was no growth of liberty, no tendency to equality, no gradual expansion of view on the part of either the Government or the nation. They regarded the colonies as tributaries to the mother country; they did not train them to self-government. They lost them as suddenly as they gained them, and left them to be, as they are at the present day, a set of restless, unstable, and ill-organized communities. * The vast American dominions of Spain were the result of rapid conquest, not of gradually growing commercial settlement. In North America the English made slow way in a desolate land, among scattered savage tribes which could be exterminated, but not enslaved. The course of the Spaniards was widely different. In Mexico and Peru they conquered at a blow nations which were rich, powerful, and well organized, but which had long been broken in to despotism and when once subdued became the slaves of the conquerors. English colonization of North America was, from the first, colonization in its true sense. It consisted of settlements in which there was no native element to be found, and in spite of isolated instances of intermingling, the English and Indians lived entirely outside of each other. The Spanish-American colonies, on the other hand, were simply conquered dependencies, containing a large native population. The Spanish conquest was too rapid to produce sound and beneficial results. The conquerors lost their heads, plunged into cruelty and extravagance, glutted themselves with gold and silver, instead of quietly developing commerce and agriculture, and yielding to the temptations of their position and the enervating influence of the climate, in no long time degenerated in mind and body. The home Government might have checked the pace at which the work was carried on, but, if well-meaning, it was unwise. It instantly sanctioned fresh conquests and encouraged the colonization of the mainland before the colonies on the islands were well and healthily established. * * * When the first wave of Spanish conquest had spent itself, the interference of the home Government with the colonies became more and more pronounced. The Spanish rulers, like the Spanish adventurers, looked to America for direct returns of gold and silver more than for any revenue from indirect sources. They regarded their new possessions simply as producing so much tribute, and hence watched them very closely and kept them strictly under control. The elements of decay in the mother country were carefully imported into America--political depotism, the undue power of the Church, and social and commercial exclusiveness. The social distinctions between races and classes were carefully maintained, the official appointments were all held by natives of Spain, creoles being jealously excluded, the land was tied up by direct entails, and the system of commercial monopoly was carried to a greater extreme by Spain than by any other country of Europe, all foreigners being excluded from the Spanish Indies, and the trade with the colonies being, until the middle of the eighteenth century, confined to a certain number of ships each year and to the single Spanish port, first of Seville and subsequently Cadiz."
Mr. Henry C. Morris, of Chicago, in his History of Colonization, published in 1900, commenting upon the decline of Spanish colonization, says: “Two abiding characteristics of Spanish colonization, from the administrative point of view, are the attempt to reproduce European methods in the New World and the persistent suspicion and mistrust shown toward the colonists. A fully developed form of rule was introduced among a simple, untutored people. Favoritism was fostered and every man became a detective set over his neighbor. Multitudes of Spaniards invading these possessions regarded the masses as their legitimate prey. Their object was to accumulate wealth for their support in their retirement when they again returned home, for few if any of the officeholders established their permanent residence in America. Another evil factor was the priesthood, for little by little the primitive uprightness and honesty of the clergy were lost. Among the chief obstacles to the development of the country was the large extent of the landed estates which the Church gathered in its hands in perpetuity or main mort. In some provinces at the time of the insurrections it owned 80 per cent of the real property, and in several States the monasteries covered 75 per cent of the total area, while the number of monks was immense. * * * A detailed discussion of the reasons for the misfortunes suffered by the Spaniards in colonization is not necessary. In every epoch and region the subjects were soon to reap the whirlwind. To repeat the causes would be a long and monotonous undertaking—too centralized administration, utter lack of self-government, corrupt officials, avaricious greed for quick returns at the sacrifice of future prospects, a restrictive commercial system, trade monopoly, erroneous economic doctrines, the admission of the Church to an exaggerated share in public affairs, a general wastefulness of resources accompanied by enormous taxation are the elemental facts to which disaster was due. The Crown always clung to the maxim that it was the right of the parent State to draw all possible benefit and advantage to itself from the colonies, irrespective of the interests of the latter."
Prof. Frank W. Blackmar, in the August, 1900, issue of the publication of the American Economic Association, discussing Spanish colonial policy, points out that the trade of Spain with the colonies was made a monopoly in the hands of an organization known as the Casa de Contratación, which controlled absolutely the trade between Spain and the colonies; that commerce with the colonies was subjected to a duty of 33 per cent, which was afterwards advanced to 12 per cent; that the home Government forbade the colonists to raise any products that could be raised at home, and the universal principle adopted that whatever colonial occupation interfered with home industry was to be destroyed directly by law or taxed out of existence. “All the laws,” he says, “the control of trade, commerce, agriculture, finance, taxation, the foundation of municipalities, the management of the natives, and the regulation of religion were made in the mother country and sent to the colonies with the expectation that the latter would adapt themselves to the laws. Nor did the decrees of the Crown and its agencies stop here, but the home bureau organized the colonial government, local and central. The officers and rulers were natives of Spain sent out to rule these distant dependencies. During the Spanish domination in America nearly all the important offices of the state and church had been filled by Spaniards. The presidents and judges of the courts were from Spain. There were 18 Americans out of 672 viceroys, captains-general, and governors; and 105 native bishops out of 706 who ruled in the colonies. This system of officialism continued in all of the colonial possessions of Spain to the close of the present century. It was strongly marked in Cuba and Porto Rico at the time of the occupation of those islands by the United States. Thus the independent wealth of the colonies was destroyed and barriers against development were set up. It was really a strange attitude for a nation to assume—that of making the newly discovered territory a part of the royal domain, to extend over it the system of government practiced by the home Government, to supply its officers and courts, in fact, to make it a part and parcel of the nation and then turn against it to exploit and rob it as if it were an enemy of the nation. The establishment of central authority and the attempt to govern arbitrarily these Spanish colonies regardless of their interests proved a burden to the nation that improvised the system. The policy of promoting trade became a means of hindering and destroying it. It established commercial prices and controlled trade, but in doing so it prevented the development of wealth, and finally forced commerce into the hands of foreigners. * * The failure to develop vital and vigorous colonies with an independent life and wealth-creating power, and the repression of wholesome trade brought poverty instead of wealth to both parties. *
* * The whole system of pretended self-government was a farce, an imperialism extended to the remotest bounds of the colonial province. Viewed from one standpoint the colony was a part of the central Government controlled by hordes of royal officeholders. Viewed from another, it was a territory to be used, robbed, a matter of convenience, the rights and privileges of whose inhabitants the central Government was in no way bound to respect.”
Arthur A. Brandt, of Java, in a discussion of the “Evolution of colonial policy,” published in “Bertrage zur Kolonial Politik und Wirtschaft,” Berlin, 1900–1901, says: “Spanish and Portuguese seafarers crossed and conquered the world; Dutch and English followed suit. All these conquests, however, had as their purpose in the acquisition of territory only the gathering of riches. Europe of those days was so thinly populated that there was no necessity for emigration. Wherever there was a chance to abstract metallic treasure found in the hands of the natives, the latter were simply called for; in those cases where neither gold, silver, nor precious stones were procurable, but instead products of native growth, such as coffee, sugar, tea, spices, or other tropical products, the native population was tolerated to exist as a necessary evil. Their lives were spared, though extreme exploitation by the conquerors was resorted to.”
Prof. Herman Merivale, A. M., professor of political economy at Oxford University, in his lectures on colonization and colonies, in 1839, 1840, and 1841, says of the causes of failure of the Spanish colonial system: “The state of society in the American colonies early assumed the character of an oligarchy. The pure Spanish families were few in number. They were often possessed of considerable wealth, either from their agricultural possessions or from successful mining operations. * * It was this oligarchical character of society, together with the system of restrictions under which they lived which produced the habit of the Spanish Creoles to congregate in cities, contrary to what has already been observed of the general spirit of modern colonists. The bulk of the population of these cities was made up of the mixed classes—those which grew up from the intermixture of Spaniards with Indians, and of both with the negroes, who, in the course of time were imported into the continent. The Indians, where sufficiently numerous, tilled the soil or wrought the mines. Each capital city stood in a rich and well-cultivated district, separated from the rest of the world by deserts of ice and snow.
Thus each community dwelt apart, divided at once by natural and artificial barriers. The commercial policy of the Spanish Government toward its continental colonies exhibits the most perfect monument of systematic tyranny of which any age has furnished an example. The traffic with the mother country was confined, at first, to the single port of Seville; afterwards to that of Cadiz, and was under the control of a board termed the 'Casa de Contratación,' which was subjected to the direct government of the Crown. Two squadrons were annually dispatched. * It was the great amount of business, relatively speaking, carried on by those few vessels, and the sudden activity communicated to commerce during the brief transactions which supplied the wants of a whole continent—all the trade of the Empire collected as it were on one focus—which dazzled the eyes of European observers, and occasioned the most fallacious ideas respecting the amount of annual exchanges actually made. * * * Thus, while the Americans had to buy the goods of the mother country, or those which the importers had purchased from abroad, at a price far exceeding their values, the benefit of this monopoly was reserved to a small and privileged class alone. * * * The political treatment of the Spanish colonies was quite in keeping with their commercial administration. The system of government by viceroys, captains-general, audiencias, and councils, with their various relations to each other, has been truly described as a complicated contrivance to render every part of the government a check on every other. The best governors found it impossible to carry into effect any scheme for the amelioration of society; the worst found it easy enough to enrich themselves and aggrandize their favorites. The state of the church was perhaps the worst feature of all in the condition of these colonies.
* * *
The clergy, both religious and secular, were notoriously lazy and corrupt to a degree unknown in the mother country. The Inquisition, with all its appurtenances, was transferred across the Atlantic; education was for the most part sedulously discouraged, and Viceroy Gil de Lemos said to a deputation from the collegians of Lima, who sought some extension of their privileges, ‘Learn to read, write, and say your prayers, for this is as much as any American ought to know.""
Commenting upon the decline of the Portuguese colonies, Lucas says: “The Portuguese, like the Spaniards, were a conquering and crusading race, but there was more of the trader in the Portuguese than in the Spanish character. * * * Being traders, they did not attempt to do so much as the Spaniards in so short a time, and were content for the most part to plant stations on the coast without extending their dominion far inland. They emigrated in large numbers and colonized the outskirts of the East to a greater extent than the European nations which came in after them. Their rise and decline, however, like those of the Spanish power, were very rapid. They rose on the tide of chivalry, religious fanaticism, and adventurous search for riches, and, like the Spaniards, treated the natives with cruelty and carried into their dependencies religious and commercial oppression. The monopoly of trade in the Portuguese, as well as in the Spanish Empire, was reserved to the Crown, and no charter companies helped to build up the dominion and extend the trade of Portugal in the East. Nor was the policy of the home Government in the administration of their dependencies such as to hold together and consolidate an empire. The viceroy's were elected at intervals of three years, changes which were accompanied by a corresponding mutation in the subordinate offices. Their power was restricted by making them dependent upon councils of advice and control, and the single viceroyalty of the East Indies was broken up into independent governments. The King and his ministers regarded the officers whom they sent out with jealousy and suspicion, and were served in turn by a set of men who kept the authorities at home in the dark as to the true condition of their dependencies, who did not administer justice to the people, but only inquired what profit their predecessors derived from their administration, that they might obtain more. Lastly, in addition to the mistake which the Portuguese, in common with the older European nations, made of crippling their trade by a system of close monopolies, they further erred in not laying themselves out directly to supply the markets of Europe; they brought back the riches to Lisbon only, and left it to the Dutch to distribute them throughout European ports.'
Morris, commenting upon the decline of Portuguese colonization and its causes, says: “In their desire to seize and retain the whole traffic of the regions within their empire, the Portuguese fell into the error which had misled their predecessors. They believed that force of arms was necessary to effect the ends of trade. Never was there a more fallacious proposition. * * * The Portuguese also proclaimed Lisbon the sole European port to which their ships might resort and at which they might discharge their cargoes. The transportation of the wealth of the Indies to other than the capital city was the only labor required of their mariners.
The administration of the Indies was intrusted to a viceroy, stationed at Goa, invested with supreme authority, both military and civil, but appointed for three years only, lest by a longer term he might become too powerful, and, consequently, insubordinate to the Crown. The result was that, almost universally, these governors, regardless of means and methods, improved their limited opportunity to amass wealth, and petty functionaries, no less than chief executives, devoted their period of service to their personal aggrandizement. Portuguese ships and traders paid as taxes, port dues, and customs collected in the Indies immense sums, which went directly into the coffers of the viceroys and their subalterns, the metropolis receiving a bare dribble of its revenues. The participation of officials in trade was the capstone of demoralization. From the highest to the lowest the representatives of the Government were unscrupulous, and the eastern colonial edifice of Portugal, when touched from within, collapsed, therefore, as if built on sand.”
Italy's colonial experiences cover a comparatively short period and are not characterized by such success as to justify a detailed study, though they may warrant a brief examination of the history of her colonial work, if only with the purpose of avoiding errors.
Mr. Albert G. Kellar, in the August, 1900, number of the Yale Review, says: “Italy is a nation which by taking thought hoped to add unto her stature. Granted that England's greatness is emphasized and augmented by her colonial possessions, it is but a logical non sequitur to conclude that Italy, by. acquiring colonies and possessions, will thereby take her place among the powers. And yet the Italians seem to have believed it possible to substitute for the long and toilsome road from cause to effect a convenient short-cut from effect to cause. Colonies were not only to increase Italy's political importance; they were also to build up her trade, develop her merchant marine, and make her rich. Italy was not prepared to take her place among colonizing nations; she lacked the internal cohesion and organization necessary to the political unity that turns its arms to the outside world. She lacked capital and, in a certain sense, superfluous population for external colonization; what forces she had could better have been used for internal development, which in turn would have aided national organiza son and prosperity. She lacked the objective knowledge of lands and peoples which the great colonizing nations attained from the actual experience of their traders and navigators long before their colonial empires were even begun. She was unfit for colonization because she lacked those things which she hoped the possession of colonies would bring her. One more disqualification must be noted: The Italians, together with the other Latin nations, suffered from a race temperament unfortunate in colonizers. They are dominated too much by feeling and too little by judgment. They are attracted too much by abstract theory, military glory, and all that. They can not accept defeat with dignity, renounce a high-sounding ideal, and bide their time with patience. * * * With an eye ever upon England and Holland, the endeavor was made to construct a greater Italy. To these high ambitions, however, were joined the most absurd fears, an unsettled policy, a general weakness and indecision-qualities seldom exhibited in any degree by a people ripe for colonization. During the early days of the colonial agitation the Italian consul at Nice, one of those whose opinion concerning the new policy was officially asked, opposed such a movement, saying that for colonization capital, hands, and heads were needful, but that Italy possessed only the last of these requirements. * Considering the ground she has had to work on, Italy has certainly made a creditable showing, but it must not be imagined that her liberal administration cost nothing; deficits appear annually in the colonial budget. There have been repeated struggles to reduce the yearly expenses of the colonies to 9,000,000 or 8,000,000 lire, but no such scheme seems to have succeeded. The deficit has averaged considerably more than this figure, and during the latter period of colonial expansion up to 1896 the losses are estimated by Brunialti as 10,000 men and 500,000 lire. For a country whose debt was in the thousand millions, who, out of every 100 lire, pays 33 for interest on debt and 33 for maintenance of army and navy, this colonial policy was certainly what one of its opponents called it, a 'politique de luxe.' For a rich nation to expend great sums in the work of civilization or extermination may be wastefulness; for a poverty-stricken, debt-burdened nation full of internal strife and uproar it is almost suicide."
The French colonial system of the present day, which is largely the product of the last thirty years, can not be said to have as yet attained unquestioned success, at least as regarded from a financial standpoint. A large proportion of the colonial territory now held by France has been secured since the loss of a part of her own territory in the Franco-Prussian war, and necessarily the cost of creating and maintaining government in and developing this new territory draws heavily upon its revenues. In the older colonies, however, especially Algeria, which France has controlled since 1830, and which is treated as a province of France and not as a colony in the ordinary acceptance of that term, conditions are prosperous and the control of the territory is looked upon as advantageous to France in many ways. The receipts are sufficient for the ordinary expenses, its fields supply many of the wants of France, and of its imports in 1899, which amounted to 310,000,000 francs, 260,000,000 francs were drawn from France; while of the exports in 1899, valued at 325,000,000 francs, 271,000,000 francs were sent to France. French Indo-China, which includes Cochin China, Tonking, Anam, and Cambodia, with an area of 263,000 square miles, or considerably more than that of France, and a population of over 22,000,000, has also recently become self-supporting so far as the ordinary current expenses are concerned. The Annuaire Colonial, issued by the French Government in 1901, states that the budget general of 1899 showed an excess of receipts over expenditures of 8,000,000 francs, and that of 1900 an excess of receipts over expenditures of more than 7,000,000 francs, and adds: “The prosperity of the commerce is measured by the following facts. Before 1897 the commerce general of Indo-China was from 200,000,000 to 215,000,000 francs; in 1896, it was 215,000,000; in 1897, 257,000,000; in 1898, it was 298,000,000; in 1899, 357,000,000, and in 1900, 471,000,000. This is in four years an increase of 118 per cent.” Aside from these two colonies of Algeria and Cochin China, the French colonies have not as a rule reached the self-supporting condition, and the French budget for 1900 called for 106,000,000 francs for colonies and that of 1901 for 103,000,000 francs. No nation or people gives more careful study to the theory of colonization or to the methods of advancing colonial prosperity than the French. The public officials, the educational institutions, the economists, and the press follow with great care and discuss in much detail the condition of their colonies and the lessons to be drawn from present conditions and the experiences of the past.
M. DE LANESSAN.
One of the most careful and experienced students of colonial affairs is M. J. L. de Lanessan, the present Minister of Marine of the French Government, who spent many years in the English and French colonies, especially the latter, serving subsequently in the French Chamber of Deputies, where he gave special attention to colonial matters during the period of greatest colonial expansion of that Government in the nineteenth century, and subsequently serving as governor-general of French Indo-China during the most important period of its history. His views, therefore, upon colonial matters and methods are extremely valuable, and his discussion of the methods of his own Government in extending and developing its colonies especially important. “Generally speaking,” says M. de Lanessan in his work, Principes de Colonisation, “it may be said that in the French colonial possessions very little regard has been shown for the interests of the native people. Imbued with the spirit of the Roman jurisprudence, which lies at the basis of all institutions of the mother country, we (the French) have shown no greater regard than that of transferring to our colonial possessions the whole administrative and judiciary machinery of the mother country, without asking ourselves whether the natives for whose benefit we profess to work would not find in this machinery simply tools of oppression and exploitation. Not to mention the old colonies, where a new race formed by a mixture of black and white required political, administrative, and judicial institutions better adapted than ours to their special character, we have introduced in colonies such as Cochin China and Senégal, where the native population is altogether distinct from the European race by custom, religion, etc., an organization which seems to have been constructed in such a way as to crush and triturate the native so as to reduce him to a pasty mass fitting the taste of the Europeans. What else are the colonial councils of Senegal and Cochin China with the preponderance in them of European members and their considerable power as regards the assessment of fiscal charges and expenditures but an organization for the exploitation of the natives? What else are the introduction of our codes, our administration, our lawyers and our men of affairs but another means of turning over the natives to the exploitation of Europeans? I believe that to make these colonies prosperous and to acquire the sympathy and confidence of the people we ought to strive to protect them against the proclivities on the part of Europeans of exploiting them. Our laws and codes ought to be introduced as little as possible and each colony ought to have the right to adopt for itself a system of legislation adapted to the particular necessities of the country and the habits of the natives. If the people of the colonies are yet in a state of more or less distinct barbarism, the colonizing nation is obliged to take in its hands the direction of its administrative affairs, but in doing so should make as much use as possible of the chiefs and the heads of the more important families, in order to show its intention of not breaking with the local customs. But it should treat the customs, habits, religion, and even prejudices of the natives in such manner as to earn sympathies which might be utilized in order to introduce gradually progress and civilization. * * * The direction of affairs in the colony should never be intrusted to the military authorities, as by its education, personal interests, and surroundings the army is irresistibly led to the abusive use of force.
Commenting upon French colonial history and policy, Mr. Lucas says, in his introduction to the Historical Geography of Colonies: “The French have in many respects always been eminently suited for colonizing. They have never been found wanting in enterprise, in fighting qualities, or power of adapting themselves to new peoples and new countries. Their leaders showed a definite policy in dealing with the native races; they treated them with humanity and consideration; they organized them and gave them cohesion; they formed alliances and counter alliances, and carried the spirit of European politics into Asia and America. Their first connection with the New World was that of traders pure and simple. They went out not to conquer or to look for gold, but to follow up the fisheries of Newfoundland and the fur trade of Canada. Starting with commercial objects they steadily settled in Canada, took their way up the St. Lawrence and down the Ohio to join the settlement which La Salle placed at the mouth of the Mississippi. And, when finally conquered, they left the present Province of Quebec to be at all times an evidence of solid French civilization. Again, in the West Indian Islands the colonies were the result of individual enterprise, of the efforts of adventurers and buccaneers who played for their own hand, attacked the monopoly of the Spanish Main, and succeeded to such an extent that Santo Domingo, one of the points at which they established themselves, was prior to the French Revolution the most thriving of all the islands. What, then, were the failings of the government which in the end more than counterbalanced the aptitude of the people for colonization?
The errors which proved fatal were not commercial, but partly political and partly religious. Politically they made two mistakes—in the first place, they tried to do too much; in the second place, they wanted a settled and continuous and a reliable policy. Professor Seeley thought France had too many irons in the fire; that ‘she lost the New World because she was always divided between a policy of colonial extension and a policy of European conquest.' Professor Freeman shows also that while France conquered her neighbors on the Continent, she lost her dependencies abroad. It need hardly be added that the same fault of taking up too much at once has been conspicuous in French foreign policy in late years. The French Government also perpetually interfered with its chartered companies, instead of giving them a steady, consistent support. There were no fewer than six distinct East India companies, the first incorporated in 1604, the sixth in 1719. * * * Court favorites were appointed to high commands, corruption and peculation were rife among the subordinate officers, and even where there were capable men at the head of affairs, ruinous dissensions and jealousies sprang up and were fostered. The attitude in the matter of religion was even more fatal to the strength and permanence of the French colonial empire. * * The judgment of history is that France lost Canada through the policy of religious exclusiveness which her rulers pursued.
In spite, however, of the loss of her dependencies in the last century, the French at the present day fill a very different position among colonizing nations from that of the Spaniards or Portuguese. France is still a power, and a forward power in all parts of the globe, conquering rather than settling, and still, as of old, interfering in too many places at once."
Commenting upon the earlier failures and more recent successes of France as a colonizing power, Morris, in his History of Colonization, published in 1900, says: “The reasons why France was not able to retain her colonial power are so self-evident as not to require exemplification. The love of territorial conquest is everywhere the destruction of French rule. The aims of the representatives of French sovereignty were the exclusive control of the best regions of North America and the expulsion of England and Holland utterly and entirely from India and the Indian Ocean. The hope to consummate the Herculean task was as preposterous as it was unessential. Had the nation been willing to hold a few places, seriously to colonize and strongly to fortify them, the nucleus would have been formed for future healthy and vigorous development; but such a modest policy did not satisfy the visions of glorious achievement dreamed by France and her governors. The attenuated distribution of navy and army in distant parts of the world, thus imposed, in connection with the necessity of constant vigilance at home, swiftly enfeebled national resources. * * The one practical lesson to be drawn from the experience of France in this early period is that a colonial system can not be artificially created by the State. It must be a spontaneous manifestation of a popular desire. Mere territorial aggrandizement does not imply strength. In peopling and cultivating remote lands the prime element is the participation of the masses; adventurous lives, glorious deeds, large capital, nominal control, and titular sovereignty over millions of savages or untutored aborigines are not the essential mainstays. Rapid conquests do not imply enduring power. Slower, more plodding, but more prudent and more assiduous methods are required to insure success.”

domain: politics


text:
By: R.A. O’Neill
There is freedom in Punk. It is the freedom of being able to say, do, and fuck, as you please. Although, Punk is a lot more than just catch phrase or a quick summery, and by distilling it down to its base components, you lose what is unique about the genre.
Beginning in England in the mid-1970’s, Punk was at first a rejection of the pompousness of the prog-rock era. With Johnny Rotten screeching about the Queen leading a fascist regime, and revealing in the fact that England had no future since she had lost her empire in the aftermath of the Second World War, the likes of The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, and The Clash; opened the gateway to the freedom that is Punk.
In its subsequent sub-genres, Punk took on different aims based upon what community was embodying it. From the commercialization of Post-Punk, the self loathing of the Grunge era, to the feminist based Riot Grrrl movement; Punk became something different depending upon who was expressing its ethos. The latest incarnation of (coming out of Kansas City) Punk, and its freedom, is Seapunk.
Coral Records Internazionale, a Seapunk label (the only label), has taken the aesthetic of freedom which Punk allows and has moved it to an electronic-dance based aquatic level.
For those unfamiliar with Seapunk, the sound of this relatively new genre is, according to the Chicago Reader, “electronic music that incorporates bits of 90s house and techno, the past 15 years or so of pop and R&B, and the latest in southern trap rap—all overlaid with a twinkly, narcotic energy that recalls new-age music and chopped-and-screwed hip-hop mix tapes in roughly equal measure.” This summery, however, does not fully capture what Seapunk is about, as in a larger sense, the genre is a blending of musical philosophies constructed around aquatic imagery and the rave ideals of love, unity, and interconnectedness.
Already gaining the interests of those hunters of the cool in the mainstream media…
(Lady Gaga has recently dyed her hair turquoise, lifting the fashion concept from Seapunk’s “it” girl Molly Soda)
So buy the ticket, take the ride, and grab your scuba gear; as a night of Seapunk is coming to VFW Post 7975 on Thursday, February 9th starting at 10:00 pm. PARTYPARTYPATY!
I hope you all enjoy swimming with the fishes.
The man who started it himself FIRE FOR EFFECT is said to be moving to Chicago. We’ll see how this goes, considering that witchhouse and footwork is already staples in the blue collar city. Shits gonna get weird. Thank God.


When overridden in a derived class, deletes Web Parts personalization data from the underlying data store based on the specified parameters.
Assembly: System.Web (in System.Web.dll)
- Type: System.String
The path of the personalization data to be deleted. This value can be null but cannot be an empty string ("").
- Type: System.DateTime
The date indicating the last time a Web site user changed personalization data.
Return ValueType: System.Int32
The number of rows deleted from the underlying data store.
This method is the abstract definition of an administrative method for deleting personalization data. Note that this method affects only user personalization data, and not shared data.
Derived implementations should follow the logic described below:
The path parameter cannot contain wildcard characters.
If the provider exposes data from a transaction-aware data store, this method should perform its operations in a single atomic transaction.
If the path parameter is non-null, then only per-user personalization records associated with path will be deleted.
Only per-user personalization records associated with users that are considered inactive since the date indicated in the userInactiveSinceDate parameter will be deleted. Specifically, records where LastActivityDate is less than or equal to UserInactiveSinceDate are deleted.
If both parameters are provided, then records that match both constraints are deleted.
The path parameter can be null.
The path parameter cannot be an empty string. It should be trimmed prior to performing this check.
The UserInactiveSinceDate property cannot be null.
Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows 7, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 (Server Core Role not supported), Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core Role supported with SP1 or later; Itanium not supported)
The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.


text:
[See NewsBusters for more.] On his Monday show on MSNBC, Jose Diaz-Balart welcomed Prof. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto to discuss the Supreme Court's upcoming term. DeFrancesco warned the Court that 80% of Americans support abortion, so if they want to avoid a public trust crisis, they better not overturn Roe v. Wade. Not only is playing to public opinion not the Court's job, the 80% figure is wildly misleading.
Diaz-Balart asked about "the significance of this moment. We're talking about the two states now that have just instituted these much more restrictive abortion guidelines. What is the impact of this?"

domain: sociology


text:
Author's Favorite Stories | Author's Stories | Author's Favorite Authors
||Member Since: ||2008.02.21
|Track This Author: |
|Stories Posted: ||1|
|Reviews Posted: ||12|
|Favorite Author of: ||1|
*Edited by staff*my largest accomplishment to date is reading the last Harry Potter book in less than 5 hours(I had to take a break for dinner). I'm bit of a book worm. Wait scratch that rewind I'M A HUGE BOOKWORM!!!
(1 found— page 1 of 1)
: The Snake's Descendent by Magic_Tricks
Rating: 15+ Chapters: 1 Reviews: 1
Hi I'm Izzy Knight I'm fifteen and i've been Home schooled by my father for the past 5 years on account of the fact I didn't have enough magic to get into Hogwarts...at least thats what he told me! Now Professor Dumbledore is standing on my living room basically telling me that the last five years of my life have been a lie and I'm off to hogwarts never mind the fact that my father lied to me! This is the story of me myself and I as i discover the Ins and outs of Hogwarts school of witch craft and Wizardry. And if you ever tell any one what you read in this diary I will hunt you down.
Genres: Mystery, Action/Adventure, Young Adult Era: Marauders Characters: James, Lily, Lupin, OC, Sirius Pairings: James/Lily
Advisory: Mild Violence, Contains Spoilers
Published: 2008.02.21 Latest Chapter: 2008.03.16 Updated: 2008.03.16 Status: WIP
All stories remain the property of their authors and must not be copied in any form without their consent. This is an unofficial, not for profit site, and is in no way connected with J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Books or Bloomsbury Publishing or Warner Bros. It is not endorsed by any of the aforementioned parties. Rights to characters and their images is neither claimed nor implied. The use of photographs and/or the likeness of any person contained herein does not imply endorsement of any kind. Any depictions were obtained through publically available sources and therefore fall under fair use. Although we may provide links to other websites, we are not responsible for any material at these sites. You acknowledge that you link to these other websites at your own risk. All original administrative content is copyright of the site owner and must not be copied in any form (electronic or otherwise) without prior consent. ©2000-2016 Fanfictionworld.net
[terms of service]

domain: literature


text:
Big Impact at Home. part 1!
So far I've been covering photography exclusively. Because photography is what I do and have lots of experience with. However, there are other forms of art and decor! I do not have a house full of only photography, and all the other elements are just as exciting! I can be pretty bold with my choices, but I honestly think it's all so FUN!! Like I've said, I love to be inspired by my surroundings and I really go for it. Some of these choices might strike a chord with you so this month I will share what I've done to make personal art and big impacts at home! Wallpaper. I dig wallpaper. I just drool over it. There are so so many amazing papers out there and I do not have enough rooms to use them all. When Jeff, Celine, and I moved into this house it was white walls for miles. It really did seem like walking around a gigantic white canvas at all times. The possibilities were endless. For our main living space which includes our living/dining/kitchen I knew we needed something major. The large space could definitely handle it.
I mean, just look at that sad little print. It's actually quite large! But that wall needs something major. So we did this!
I was a little worried such a bold design would be overwhelming, but it definitely is not. The space easily handles it. This wallpaper is from Cole & Son. It's called Circus and they have it in color and black and white. This made me think how cool would it be to put b&w in the entry and have it burst into color in the living room? It's like the Wizard of Oz!!
We also have a photo I took in Hawaii going up our stairwell. Our stairwell is so large it felt like miles of white walls, just like the rest of the place. So we decided to put up the ocean and a palm tree and enjoy the faux tropics as we move through the space.
I printed this photo at Photowall.com. It was so easy and affordable! They even send it with the paste. I highly recommend taking your own expansive photo and trying something like this. It's so fun when it's your own personal memory! See my post on Turning your Photos into Art for more on this!
This is the dining room of my old house. The wallpaper is from Graham & Brown, which is a rad site for wallpaper. This wallpaper is thick and feels amazing. I have seen similar wall covers other places where you can tell they went for the cheap stuff. Seriously, don't go for the cheap stuff. It is so so obvious! Yes there are places in decor where you can scrimp but wallpaper is not one of them. Remember this is your home where you spend a lot of time and want to feel proud and inspired when you are there!
I encourage anyone to have fun with wallpaper. It is one of the most impactful and transformative things you can do in your house! Do any of you have wallpaper in your house that you love? Snap a photo and post it here! You will inspire us! See you next week for more Big Impact!


text:
Of all the armed groups in the Middle East, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is probably the deadliest and the most successful.
It has redrawn the map in the Middle East, erasing the Iraq and Syrian border, and is able to move freely between the two countries.
Keep readinglist of 4 items
ISIL started via al-Qaeda in Iraq, the child of the United States occupation of the country since 2003.
In fact, many ISIL heads, including its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, were US prisoners in Iraq.
But the US couldn’t keep a lid on the sectarian divide in Iraq or manage the security vacuum.
Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr tells you all you need to know about the armed group.

domain: geography


text:
Brand: Affordable Agility
The Affordable Agility Dog 6 Weave Poles Bar Jumping Training Set is made in the USA, suitable for indoor or outdoor training, it a multi-purpose dog training set.
- WEAVE POLES- This training set has 6 pole set 30” tall which are placed 24” apart. For safety consideration, the base feet will be placed opposite of the path your dog runs. Additionally, these weaves poles can be separated and used during the 2×2 training session.
- ADJUSTABLE BAR JUMP – Displays a 36” wide jump, that comes with 30” tall poles, to include a displaceable jump bar, for safety fully adjustable up to 29”. You can also adjust the adjustable bar set as low as ground level for training puppies and high for larger dogs.
- TIRE PUMP- The adjustable tire jump is 22” inner diameter hoop, that can adjust easily up or down on the 30” side bars.
- UN PROTECTION – Our products are made of UV resistant furniture grade 1” OD pvc pipe and fittings that are designed to weather the elements and withstand to the fastest of dogs. The training pieces of this obstacles are undecorated and half assembled. Included in the packet is vinyl tape for you to personalize your training equipment as you which. Hence, basic assembly is required.
Product description Affordable Agility Dog 6 Weave Poles Bar Jumping Training Set
Our Dog Agility training kit comes with the essential and most popular dog agility obstacles. Included in the Affordable Agility Dog 6 Weave Poles Bar Jumping Training Set is one adjustable jump, one adjustable tire jump, 6 Weave Poles set. This dog training equipment is perfect for most size dogs, except for large breeds. Our Dog Agility Essentials Kit is the perfect, economical solution for Agility beginners or seasoned competitors looking for practice dog agility equipment.
Here is a different type of Dog training Jump set that you might find suitable, Check it ou!

domain: pet


text:
August 23, 2022
June 26, 2022
June 29, 2022
During times of local and national quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, universities had to close campuses and expediently convert operations and services from face-to-face to virtual learning environments, including virtual classrooms, learning communities, offices, and meeting/advising rooms. Many engineering faculty and students experienced personal, technical, and psychosocial challenges associated with this dramatically altered reality, which may have significant and unprecedented effects on their personal and academic lives. The current study presents results from a needs assessment survey examining the perceptions of 157 engineering students majoring in mechanical and aerospace engineering about the strengths and challenges exhibited by their professors/instructors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we describe the instructional efforts and approaches taken by faculty to resolve the practical challenges because of the pandemic. Student perceptions of faculty effectiveness and support were examined by analyzing means and frequencies of survey items. Results revealed that on average, engineering students were positive in their perceptions of the effectiveness and resources/support provided by their professors/instructors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative data from an open-ended question where coded and quantified. The theme that emerged most frequently reflected engineering students’ need for professors/instructors to demonstrate flexibility/leniency with assignments, quizzes, exams, and deadlines. This short paper provides critical assessment of the gaps in institutional services and resources and provide the required feedback, while informing the institution and the research community about the ways to develop a resilient support network for engineering students in the times of crisis. Future work will consider how student responses change under the altering societal and work/academic conditions with or without COVID-19 pandemic being present at that time. Results from the current study also provide recommendations for effective online instruction in the future.
Kravchenko, O., & Cigularov, K., & Dillulio, P. (2022, August), Enabling Resilient Educational Support Network during COVID-19 Pandemic for Undergraduate and Second Career Seeking Students Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. https://peer.asee.org/41947
ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2022 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015

domain: library


text:
Vicki Gunvalson has been very vocal about her plastic surgery in the past, but does one of those operations include getting her butt enhanced? Her BFF Tamra Judge accused her of this during Monday night's episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County. Read on for the "OG of the OC's" before and after shots.
The ladies were all in Jamaica on the latest episode, where Vicki provided one of the few comedic moments during the episode amid Shannon Beador's epic breakdown.
She twerked against the turnstile at an amusement park while there, which caught the eye of Tamra and Kelly Dodd, both of whom noticed how much rounder her butt actually looked.
Tamra even posted a separate video of Vicki twerking in a black and white dress during their time in the beautiful island, where her derrière was on full display.
Fans didn't necessarily take notice of Vicki's booty size but more about her twerking skills which many of them weren't a fan of. "You guys need to have twerking lessons from the girls of Atlanta," one wrote.
Do you think Vicki got her butt done? Sound off in the comments!

domain: celebrity


text:
The original EyeToy: Kinetic combined the motion-sensing technology of EyeToy with a holistic fitness regime that really worked - and now it has a follow-up in the (perfectly toned) shape of EyeToy: Kinetic Combat. Expanding on its predecessor's aims, Kinetic Combat provides a fresh workout, this time inspired by martial arts - and the results are certainly striking.
The art of Shaolin
It's worth noting that nobody should be put off by use of the term 'combat'. While Kinetic Combat does indeed allow you to take part in simulated sparring sessions, this title focuses on much more than just that, allowing for the expansion of your health and fitness regime while teaching some of the fundamentals of martial arts. The roots of the game rest within the ancient art of Hun Gar Kung Fu, a 17th century discipline used by Shaolin monks and offered in many modern exercise classes. Hun Gar is primarily used for increasing fitness, but also includes a range of kicking, punching and movement techniques that gives a total body work out.
As with the original Kinetic, instructors Matt and Anna can be selected to help you through a one-on-one fitness programme, along with a new martial arts specific trainer, Leon. The idea is that you follow your chosen trainer's on-screen moves, matching them via a traced body outline. Your mimicry is tracked by the EyeToy Camera, allowing the game to notice if you are performing a move correctly, and provide personal feedback on your performance.
With over 200 separate Hung Gar Kung Fu moves, the routine is separated into four animal styles; dragon (a gentle introduction), tiger (strength through cardiovascular fitness), mantis (agility and balance), and phoenix (a combination of all prior lessons). Once a specific set of moves is learned, Kinetic Combat tests you via a series of mini-games like hitting on-screen sensors using your newly acquired techniques, and sparring sessions against the relevant animal opponent. Each one comprehensively gauges your skills, forcing you to duck, weave and strike your way to a better grade.
An inexhaustible trainer
Kinetic Combat is wonderfully professional, and despite its relatively serious fitness slant, plenty of fun. There's plenty of scope to enjoy it in the way that suits you best, too: Personal Trainer Mode takes you through a 16-week fitness programme, Freestyle allows for a more custom-built workout, the Quick Play mode contains a number of one-off games that can be played competitively against friends and family, offering a less goal-oriented way of getting exercise.
It works perfectly towards providing something for those looking to increase their exercise routine, or just get fit without hassle. Kinetic Combat's interactivity and feedback options provide a more personalised work out than a fitness DVD, and there's none of the irritating predictability that comes with the typical exercise video.
EyeToy: Kinetic Combat ticks all the right boxes; it's deep, fresh, involving and teaches something that's not only fun but beneficial. Who says videogames are unhealthy? This should certainly change a fair few minds - and bodies - for the better.

domain: hobby


text:
Andrea Jiapei Li is a New York-based womenswear designer and a graduate of the MFA in Fashion Design and Society program at Parsons the New School of Design, New York.
Andrea’s work focuses on unique silhouettes and creative fabric techniques. Her designs are modern and sporty without sacrificing elegance and femininity. Andrea believes that the role of a fashion designer is not just to design clothes, but also to tell the stories behind the design and convey emotions.
Andrea was nominated for the 2015 LVMH Prize and was a finalist of the H&M Design Award. She was a winner of the 2016 VFILES MADE Fashion. In 2017, she was named to the Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list and a U.S. finalist of the International Woolmark Prize. Her work has been featured on publications including Vogue US, Vogue China, i-D, Dazed, Elle Magazine, Business of Fashion, among others.


text:
With less than two weeks until the Massachusetts Senate special election, President Obama traveled to the Bay State on Wednesday, exhorting the state’s Democratic voters to get to the polls for the June 25 vote in an effort to prevent a repeat of the last special election that sent Republican Scott Brown to Washington in 2010.
“I need Ed Markey in the United States Senate,” President Obama told a packed crowd in Roxbury, warning that complacency could be politically fatal, as Democratic Rep. Ed Markey clings to a high single digit lead over Republican newcomer Gabriel Gomez ahead of the election to succeed now-Secretary of State John Kerry.
Calling on Democratic voters to “work with the same focus and passion” that helped Obama cruise to a 23 point win in the Bay State and sent Democrat Elizabeth Warren to a victory over Brown in 2012, Obama said the work wasn’t over just yet.
“You can’t just turnout in a presidential election -- you’ve got to turn out in this election,” said Obama. “You’ve got some work to do right now in 2013.”
Praising Markey’s nearly four-decade long tenure in Congress, his humble beginnings as the son of a milk man in nearby Malden, and his “strong and steady” record, the president said he needed another Democratic vote in the Senate, particularly as debate moves forward on immigration and other matters this summer – and slammed Republicans for their unwillingness to compromise and work across the aisle.
“We’ve got to have some Democrats like Ed Markey who will stand up and do the right things,” said Obama. “Ed has a track record and that’s why you know what he’s going to do when he’s a Senator.”
“We’ve got to keep going forward, not backward, and that’s what Ed Markey is going to help us do,” said the president.
Low turnout is the biggest worry among Democrats in this solid blue state, as they are constantly haunted with the unthinkable that shouldn’t have happened two and a half years ago. In January 2010, the late Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat slipped through their fingers, thanks to the perfect storm: a lackluster nominee in Democrat Martha Coakley, an energizing GOP candidate in Brown, and a national mood fueled by health care backlash that was beginning to swing against them.
To avoid a repeat, Democrats are taking every precaution to avoid repeating recent history, including spending as much as necessary to boost Markey in the final days, and deploying whatever cavalry necessary, including Vice President Joe Biden hosting a fundraiser for Markey on Tuesday evening, and the Boston Herald reports that former President Bill Clinton will campaign with Markey this weekend.
“I think most people view this as Markey’s race to lose, and everybody want to make sure that absolutely positively doesn’t happen, no matter what,” said veteran state Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh. “People believe Markey will win, but nobody wants to chance it.”
At Tuesday’s fundraiser, Biden warned against the same lethargy, noting that low turnout in special contests has produced unexpected results in the past, and Obama’s 23-point victory there last fall shouldn’t breed complacency.
“There’s a big difference in this race,” Biden said. “Barack Obama’s not at the head of the ticket. And that means those legions of African-Americans and Latinos are not automatically going to come out. No one has energized them like Barack Obama. But he’s not on the ticket, so don’t take this one for granted.”
Republicans have championed Gomez as able to pull off the unlikely upset, and on the surface he has all the appeal party leaders need, and want, as they try to expand a struggling GOP. A young, Hispanic moderate former Navy SEAL who had never run for public office before, he’s worked to play up the differences between himself and his party.
In a contentious Tuesday night debate, just the second of three times the two will meet, Gomez aggressively worked again to separate himself from his party and paint himself as a moderate, centrist voice, pledging to support a $10 minimum wage, pay equity for women and gay marriage. But Markey pointed out Gomez is still more in line with his party on base issues, such as opposing an assault weapons ban and supporting the Keystone XL pipeline.


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THL Credit (TCRD) Rating Lowered to Sell at Zacks Investment Research
Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of THL Credit (NASDAQ:TCRD) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Thursday morning.
According to Zacks, “THL Credit Inc. is a newly-organized, externally-managed, non-diversified closed-end management investment company that has filed an election to be treated as a business development company. The Company’s investment objective is to generate both current income and capital appreciation, primarily through investments in privately negotiated debt and equity securities of middle market companies. The Company invests primarily in private subordinated debt, or mezzanine debt, in middle market companies that require capital for growth and acquisitions. Such investments in many cases include an associated equity component such as warrants, preferred stock or other similar securities. The Company’s investment activities are managed by its investment adviser, THL Credit Advisors LLC, which is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. “
Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. BidaskClub upgraded THL Credit from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, September 15th. ValuEngine lowered THL Credit from a sell rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Thursday, November 1st. Raymond James reiterated an underperform rating on shares of THL Credit in a research note on Friday, November 9th. Finally, National Securities cut their target price on THL Credit from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. THL Credit has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $9.19.
THL Credit (NASDAQ:TCRD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 7th. The investment management company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $16.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.63 million. THL Credit had a negative net margin of 8.62% and a positive return on equity of 10.73%. Analysts forecast that THL Credit will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 14th were paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 13th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 16.51%. THL Credit’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.26%.
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its stake in THL Credit by 73.1% in the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 96,843 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $782,000 after purchasing an additional 40,904 shares during the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new position in THL Credit in the second quarter valued at about $108,000. Shikiar Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in THL Credit by 11.4% in the third quarter. Shikiar Asset Management Inc. now owns 179,175 shares of the investment management company’s stock valued at $1,446,000 after purchasing an additional 18,300 shares during the last quarter. Cliffwater LLC grew its stake in shares of THL Credit by 94.0% during the third quarter. Cliffwater LLC now owns 282,074 shares of the investment management company’s stock worth $2,276,000 after acquiring an additional 136,650 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Capital Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of THL Credit during the third quarter worth about $2,420,000. Institutional investors own 41.03% of the company’s stock.
About THL Credit
THL Credit, Inc is a business development company specializing in direct and fund of fund investments. The fund seeks to invest in debt and equity securities of middle market companies. It seeks to invest in PIPES, growth, acquisition, market or product expansion, recapitalization, mature, and change of control transactions in both sponsored and unsponsored issuers.
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domain: finance


Whether you’re hauling a large load or just towing your camper, it is important to make sure your trailer lights are connected properly. If not, then you may be in for a nasty surprise the next time you hit the road. A trailer wiring diagram for your Ford F250 truck can help make the connection between your trailer wiring and your truck easier to understand.
A trailer wiring diagram is essentially a roadmap that helps you connect the necessary wires between your truck and trailer. It can help you save time and money as you don’t have to guess which wire goes where. With a quick glance, you can quickly identify which wire needs to go where and then get right to work. The diagrams also provide information on the type of connectors and their proper installation.
Having a reliable trailer wiring diagram is essential when you’re towing a trailer with your Ford F250. Not only will it save you time and money, but it can also help ensure that your lights and other safety features are functioning properly. Without a wiring diagram, you’ll be left relying on guesswork or having to replace components unnecessarily. So if you haven’t already, make sure you get a wiring diagram for your Ford F250 today.
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Sav & Økse Ditte Table Oak
The Ditte is a sturdy dining table. The metal frame is made of black steel, which gives this table an industrial look. The table top is made of solid wood and makes the table very suitable as a dining table or conference table.
Ditte Dimensions (PDF)
Ditte Manual (PDF)
A tough-looking industrial table
The Ditte is a tough-looking dining table. The metal frame is made of black steel, which gives this table an industrial look. The tabletop is made of solid wood and makes the table very suitable as a dining table or conference table.
A table made by craftsmen
The Ditte combines metal and wood beautifully. The table has been put together beautifully by craftsmen. The metal frame is made of black steel and the connections in the frame are made of cast iron fittings. The seat has been rejuvenated with sloping edges. The table does not have supporting beams at the bottom of the seat. With a tabletop thickness of 3 cm, the table looks light. To give the top strength, metal sleepers are milled into the bottom sheet. An energy regulator has also been placed in the longitudinal direction to prevent bending.
An industrial dining table with wooden top
The Ditte is an eye-catcher in your home. A tough but friendly table. The Ditte can ealily be combined with various types of chairs. Choose the type of wood that matches your interior.
Choose the table that suits you
The Ditte table is available in various sizes, finishes and materials.
Ditte dining table bench
The Ditte model is also available as a matching dining table bench. The solid wooden bench has the same design as the table. The Ditte dining table bench is, just like the table, available in various types of wood: oak, beech and walnut. The Ditte dining table bench is available in many sizes.
To maintain your well-oiled wooden table, we recommend that you refresh the table twice a year. The maintenance set can be purchased online.
The Ditte table is available in various sizes. Some sizes are available from stock. Other dimensions are made when ordered. The Ditte is also available as a round table. For the neat seating of chairs at the table, the intermediate dimensions of the legs must be taken into account. Is the size you are looking for not listed? Then contact us about the customized options for the Sav & Økse table collection.
Other features Ditte
- Solid wood top
- Steel frame
- Legs screwed onto sheet via metal holder.
- Reinforcement by milled sleepers
- Energy regulator in length direction
(exact construction may differ per size)
The table is delivered unassembled in two cardboard boxes. The table is easy to assemble. The manual is included and can be read online

domain: design


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Tom Leins reviews The Railway Man and Hustlers.
Based on Eric Lomax’s bestselling autobiography of the same name, The Railway Man (Lionsgate) chronicles the author’s experiences as a captured British Army Officer in a Japanese labour camp during World War II.
Lomax (Jeremy Irvine, War Horse) is captured when the Japanese conquer Singapore and forced, along with his fellow captives, to build the Thai-Burma Railway. As a result of the torture he endured, Eric is left traumatised and uncommunicative for years to come, despite the best efforts of his wife Patti (Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy) and old friend Finlay (Stellan Skarsgard, Good Will Hunting). Many years later, an older Lomax (Colin Firth, The King’s Speech) resolves to track down one of his torturers, Takashi Nagase (Hiroyuki Sanada, The Wolverine, Lost), in a bid to come to terms with his horrific ordeal.
Well-acted and evocatively rendered, The Railway Man sees Colin Firth deliver a pitch-perfect blend of grief and fury as the tormented Lomax. The resemblance between Irvine and Firth gives the dual narrative extra impetus, even if Firth doesn’t quite seem old enough for the role. It may be a curiously old-fashioned movie in many ways, but The Railway Man refuses to pull its punches in its depiction of torture, adding a queasy realism to proceedings. Admittedly, the use of two timelines is occasionally too neat for its own good, and ultimately undermines the film’s emotional charge. All in all: a handsomely made film about a dark episode in history.
Written by jobbing actor Adam Minarovich and directed by Wayne Kramer (Crossing Over), Hustlers (Lionsgate) focuses on a day’s trading at a small-town Pawn Shop in the American Deep South. In the first storyline ‘The Shotgun’, Raw Dog (Paul Walker, The Fast & The Furious) and his equally strung-out accomplice Randy go in search of a suitable weapon so they can rob their Crystal Meth dealer, while the second segment ‘The Ring’ sees Richard (Matt Dillon, Factotum) embark on a violent quest to find his estranged wife after discovering her ring in the Pawn Shop. The final instalment ‘The Medallion’, meanwhile, is a laboured, unfunny extended skit involving an Elvis impersonator (Brendan Fraser, The Mummy) on his way to a gig at the county fair
Originally known as Pawn Shop Chronicles -a far better title if truth be told -Hustlers is a real mess. Writer Minarovich and director Kramer are allowed to indulge their Pulp Fiction fantasies to the hilt, and the overlapping storylines are a clumsy reminder of an era when ill-conceived Tarantino knock-offs were firmly in vogue. Kramer -not to be confused with the MC5 guitarist of the same name -has a seriously uneven track record, and his previous features have veered from the sublime (The Cooler) and the ridiculous (Running Scared). Hustlers is far closer in tone to Running Scared, but manages to fall well short of that admittedly low benchmark.
In light of his untimely death, Hustlers seems likely to attract the attention of Paul Walker fans, although his role is fairly modest in the grand scheme of things. The ensemble cast -also including Vincent D’Onofrio, Thomas Jane and Elijah Wood -is one of the few plus-points, but they are given little of substance to work with, and the film feels like a waste of everybody’s time.


There is still some uncertainty as to when we can get our hands on the Nokia Lumia 900, but if you want to make sure you are amongst the first to get their hands on it, you can pre-order the handset.
Microsoft has confirmed that it is taking pre-orders for the new mango device at its retail stores. While there has been no confirmation regarding the release date or the pricing, $ 25 will certainly confirm the Nokia handset for you. It still remains to be seen whether the March 18th launch date and $99 price tag are true.
Source : The Verge


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Photo Gallery: Tour de France, Stage 16
The team riders of BMC doing some pacework through a tunnel.
Marcel Kittel just before the start and waiting for the mountain stages to be over.
Romain Bardet lost a substantial amount of time and his podium spot after getting dropped early on.
Another favorite, Alejandro Valverde got dropped from the main group, losing time to other contenders.
By the time the peloton got to the Port de B les climb, many riders were strung out from top to bottom.
The rider of the day, Michael Rogers, broke away for a solo victory. His first win at the Tour de France.

domain: sports