text:
Activity (Class) Definition
|ISIC Rev. 4 description of #isic7500 - Veterinary activities (activity) (Ens Dictionary).
|#tagcoding hashtag: #isic7500
In other languages
Arabic: #isic7500 - الأنشطة البيطرية
Chinese: #isic7500 - 兽医活动
French: #isic7500 - Activités de services vétérinaires
Spanish: #isic7500 - Actividades veterinarias
Russian: #isic7500 - Ветеринарная деятельность
This economic activity and the #2030Agenda
UN Global Compact (@globalcompact) has produced a Blueprint for Business Leadership on the #SDGs. Use it to discover how your business can support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and Targets.
Use #tagcoding hashtag #isic7500 to share voluntary stakeholder reports and other content about the sector's contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
This sector, your livelihood?
- Pico:
- Micro:
- Meso:
- Macro:
Look for learning and skills training opportunities in your neighborhood or country.
Use hashtag #isic7500 to share your questions, answers, resources! Add your country's ISO code to start a debate about the work opportunities and conditions in your country (Country #tagcoding).
Depending on the sector, the basic skills literacy, numeracy, oral communication, digital skills and civic participation skills may play a bigger role.
What guidelines regarding #isic7500 - Veterinary activities can be formulated for the roles involved?
Try to pay attention to roles4 at all levels in the social architecture.
Below resources may support you in answering the questions stated before.
Use hashtag #isic7500 to share your questions, answers, resources!
We may include resources in the table below.
CPC Ver. 2 description of (product/service) Subclasses …
|Resource links
Questions, answers & comments
In the media
With a coding hashtag per economic activity, anyone can tag content about the activity, and share it via social media as explained at #tags in support of easy information retrieval (video on YouTube).
If you publish a website or blog, you can also include the coding hashtag in order for your page to show up in search for the coding hashtag.
Tagcoded content may be curated into further sections of the sector map, or in the sector map of a country social capital wiki. This is explained in the #tagcoding Handbook.


text:
Online dating now widely accepted, survey says
Posted: Oct 21, 2013 5:28 PM CDT | Updated: Nov 5, 2014 12:27 PM CDT
(CNN) -- If eHarmony or Match.com features more prominently in your \"how we met\" story than a smoky nightclub or the produce aisle, you're probably not so reluctant to admit it.
Six out of 10 Americans now believe dating sites are a good way to meet people, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project.
That's up from 44% who felt that way in 2005, the last time Pew conducted a similar survey.
And barely two out of every 10 people (21%) still feel that \"people who use online dating sites are desperate.\" Eight years ago, almost 30% thought so.
\"General public attitudes toward online dating have become much more positive in recent years, and social networking sites are now playing a prominent role when it comes to navigating and documenting romantic relationships,\" reads a summary of Pew's report.
According to the survey, conducted with 2,252 adults in April and May, 11% of Internet users, and 38% of those who said they're currently \"single and looking,\" have used online dating sites or apps. Among them, 66% said they went on a date as a result.
And nearly one in four (23%) said they actually met a spouse or other long-term partner through the sites.
In 2005, 43% who tried online sites actually went on a date. But 17% said they found long-term love, not terribly lower than the recent number.
But just because it's more common and accepted doesn't mean Internet mingling (Christian or otherwise) has worked for everyone.
More than half the respondents who have tried it (54%) said that someone they'd met had seriously misrepresented themselves in their profiles and more than one out of four (28%) said they'd been contacted through one of the sites \"in a way that made them feel harassed or uncomfortable.\"
That number shoots up to 42% of women who have used dating sites, compared with 17% of men.
And maybe it's not all that surprising, but a growing number of people have used the Internet for intimate contact of a less formal nature.
Nearly one out of four respondents said they've gone online to check up on former partners, and a similar number said they've flirted with someone on the Web.
Young people between 18 and 24 are the most Web-flirtatious. About half (47%) said they've flirted from behind a keyboard.
The survey was conducted through telephone interviews in English and Spanish. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points for all respondents and plus or minus 2.5 percentage points for Internet users.
Save with
0 Comments
Post a comment
Newest | Oldest | Top Comments

subset: commoncrawl


text:
1,600 pubs and bars to get free Wi-Fi
O2's shout
Yes, Mitchells & Butlers does sound like a comedy duo or a brand up up-market smokes, but it's actually the owner of a string of eateries that O2 will be equipping with gratis Wi-Fi.
M&B runs Irish theme-pubs O'Neill's, plus Nicholson's pubs; All Bar One; the posh version of All Bar One, Brown's; and 1970s throwbacks Harvester and Toby Carvery; and a variety of other brands.
It has some 1600 of these purveyors of grub'n'grog throughout the land, and they'll all get free Wi-Fi by the end of the year.
Diners will get free access to the WLANs no matter which mobile phone network they subscribe to, O2 said. ®
Sponsored: How to Process, Wrangle, Analyze and Visualize your Data with Three Complementary Tools


text:
Jays add The Big Hurt?
It's after midnight and I'm about to hit the sack, but I thought I should at leats post something short on here about the Frank Thomas signing. ESPN.com first reported that the Jays were close to inking the Big Hurt to a multi-deal worth upwards of $30 million. Later, Foxsports.com reported that it was a two-year deal worth $20-23 million with a club option for a third year.
I made a few calls and got in touch with a club source who said the report was more than a simple rumor, but they wouldn't confirm nor deny that a deal was close to being reached. The Fan590 cited a different source that did confirm the report. Basically, it appears as though Thomas will be Toronto's DH next summer.
This could signal the end of Frank Catalanotto's tenure with the Jays. If re-signed, he would've had a bulk of the playing time at DH. This also brings to question whether or not Toronto will bring rookie Adam Lind up at the start of next season. With Thomas as the DH, and Reed Johnson in left field, Lind would be on the bench. The Jays might want him to keep getting experience with regular playing time, which could mean he'd start at Triple-A.
I'm sure we'll all learn more tomorrow. Also, here's a story I filed after a lenghty conversation with Ted Lilly's agent, Larry O'Brien. Goodnight, all.
5 Comments
At first I wasnt a big fan of this signing, but sitting back and thinking about it, I can see what J.P. is up too.
This sets the tone for the rest of the offseason. Other free agents see this and take notice of the Blue Jays. This is a team that wants to win. It can influnece players such as Lilly, or other guys not sure where they want to go. If I was a pitcher and saw a lineup of Johnson, Rios, Wells, Thomas, Glaus, Overbay, Hill, C, SS <-fill in with whoever, Id be pretty excited to pitch for that team. One of the most potent offences in the majors just got a whole lot better. Sure its a risk, but anyone can get hurt at anytime doesn't matter if they are 28 or 38. I know Riccardi has a plan, and come spring training this team will be better than last year.
The signing of Thomas is a risk but it is one worth taking.If he stays healthy,he will produce good numbers that is a given.Going the freeagent way to get a veteran bat is alot smarter than the Tigers trading away prospects for a questionable veteran who may not want to be there.(ie Sheffield)
Frank Thomas has an impressive resume and has hit well at Skydome over the years,but $9 million a year for a gimp DH who adds nothing in the field , on the base path or in the clubhouse makes one wonder how long Riccardi wants to stay in Toronto – with budget constraints and huge holes at shortstop and on the hill, this is a gross misappropriation of funds – teams like the Rangers, over the years ,have had all the "POP" anyone could dream of,but never shows up at 'The Party'-Riccardi's vision seems to fall into this category – I do hope that Thomas fails the physical and that JP will get his 'Mulligan' early in the winter and get back to his senses and build a fundamental ball club up the middle
I just read an article by Keith Law, former Blue Jays employee, on ESPN.com about the signing of Thomas. http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=2666401&name=law_keith&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fentryID%3d2666401%26name%3dlaw_keith&skipPrestitial=true
He suggests that the signing was ridiculous because the AL East includes a lot of right-handed pitchers. This seems like one of the dumbest comments I have heard in a long time. Has Thomas not been able to hit right-handed pitching in his career? Are those 487 homers all off lefties? All the pieces I have read by this guy have said something stupid; my question: what the **** is this guy doing writing at ESPN?
He also says something about Lind starting in LF next year. A report ON THEIR WEBSITE said that he would start at Triple-A. Wow. What is this guy doing in journalism, much less baseball.
I don't think JP would have signed Frank Thomas if it was going to hurt his other objectives. One thought is that now you don't have to shop for a good bat at shortstop, and McDonald/Hill are as solid defensively, and cheaper than most pairs in the league. Now all we need is 13-15 wins each out of the 3, 4, 5 holes, and 95 wins looks pretty good.


text:
Ryan Briscoe Wins in Surfers Paradise
October 26, 2008
SURFERS PARADISE, Australia (October 26, 2008) - Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe celebrated his first IndyCar Series race in his native Australia with a dominating performance in Sunday's Nikon Indy 300 on the streets of Surfers Paradise, Australia. Starting from the third spot, Briscoe, in his No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda, held off 2008 IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and the rest of the 24 car field after leader and fellow Aussie Will Power hit the tire barrier on lap 16, then led 39 of the remaining 44 laps of the race to bring home the win for Team Penske.
"What a way to come off the year, with a win in my home country," said Briscoe, who survived a successful fight on the challenging 2.795-mile temporary street course. "A lot of credit goes to my guys at Team Penske, and my new engineer Eric [Cowdin], who did a great job this weekend."
Although Briscoe had the fastest car on track, keeping Dixon at bay was not an easy task. "Dixon is very quick and consistent, and he was in my mirrors all day long, but I just had to focus on not making a mistake and bringing it all home," said Briscoe, who set the fastest lap of the race with only three remaining. "Dixon made me work for it, for sure - as his fuel load got lighter, he kept coming on stronger, but I knew I had the equipment to keep ahead of him."
Briscoe celebrated with his family and friends as he became the first Australian to win the Surfers Paradise event in its history. "It's so nice to win in my home country," said Briscoe. "This is certainly special and it's a big honor to win here."
Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda, started sixth and fell back through the field after an on-track incident with the No. 7 car, running as low as 21st. The Brazilian driver and his Team Penske crew fought back and were able to finish the non-championship points event in seventh place.
"I'm very happy for Ryan winning in his home country," said Castroneves after the event. "My run was an adventure – we tried a different strategy than Ryan. We had a little trouble with a flat tire when we got into it with Danica [Patrick], but in the end of the day finishing seventh was pretty good."
Sunday's race will be rebroadcast in the U.S. on ESPN2 on Sunday, October 26 at 11 p.m. EDT. The 2009 IndyCar Series season is scheduled to open April 5 with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Results Sunday of the Nikon Indy 300 IndyCar Series event October 26 at the 2.795-mile Streets of Surfers Paradise, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (3) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
2. (2) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
3. (5) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
4. (7) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
5. (15) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
6. (10) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
7. (6) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
8. (16) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
9. (13) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
10. (22) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
11. (18) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
12. (9) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
13. (14) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running
14. (11) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 59, Running
15. (17) Bruno Junqueira, Dallara-Honda, 59, Running
16. (4) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 59, Running
17. (24) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Honda, 58, Running
18. (23) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 58, Running
19. (20) Jaime Camara, Dallara-Honda, 58, Running
20. (19) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 57, Contact
21. (8) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 34, Mechanical
22. (1) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 16, Contact
23. (21) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Honda, 8, Contact
24. (12) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 7, Contact
Race Statistics
Winner's average speed: 95.068 mph
Time of race: 1:45:50.3868
Margin of victory: 0.5019 of a second
Cautions: 3 caution flags for 6 laps
Lead changes: 7 among 6 drivers
Lap leaders: Power 1-16, Briscoe 17-19, Dixon 20, Franchitti 21-22, Briscoe 23-39, Tagliani 40, Viso 41, Briscoe 42-60.


text:
Felber: Ski accident series raises valid questions
Re: Sheriff John Minor's guest column of March 21, "Sheriff shoots down Denver Post series"
Contrary to what Sheriff Minor implies, the Denver Post series did not offer any criticism of ski patrol personnel. In fact, Ms Crummy's three part series portrayed ski patrollers in the same positive light that Sheriff Minor does. The concerns raised in the series revolved around the poor handling of accident and fatality investigations by ski resort management here in Colorado, and the higher level of protection from liability lawsuits enjoyed by Colorado ski resorts than by ski resorts elsewhere in the U.S. Both concerns are valid. Would Sheriff Minor tolerate any tampering with a fatality scene in Summit County before his department had concluded the investigation? That's exactly what happened at Vail when a 13-year-old was killed by a Vail Resorts snowmobile, and the snowmobile was moved before police could arrive to investigate. Should IntraWest or Vail Resorts ski areas in Colorado enjoy greater protection from liability than IntraWest or Vail Resorts ski areas in California, Nevada or any other state?
A lot of the criticism of the Denver Post series revolved around the fact that skiing and snowboarding entail certain risks, which is true. But it is also true that the ski and snowboard industry has spent a lot of money promoting snow sports as a safe activity for families, and they sell that experience at a very high price. Anyone who wants to risk avalanches, unmarked obstacles or reckless snowmobilers can head for the backcountry and take his chances. People who have been sold a safe experience should get a reasonably safe experience from the seller, as far as is reasonably possible.
Mark Felber, Frisco
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.


text:
OAKLAND — Jack London Square in Oakland now has 90 percent of its office space leased following several rental deals in the complex along the downtown's waterfront, the project's developer said.
Separately, The Forge restaurant, in a retail deal in the complex, will open a dining establishment before the end of this month.
The Forge's opening bolsters efforts by developer Ellis Partners to transform Jack London Square into a dining destination.
Hard Candy Cases has leased 4,600 square feet of offices in a relocation from Danville. The company, a startup manufacturer, makes protective cases and other accessories for Apple (AAPL), along with other products. Hard Candy Cases wanted to move to Oakland's waterfront for both lifestyle and recruitment reasons.
Navis, a maker of software for the maritime industry, leased 35,000 square feet for its world headquarters.
"In 2012, Jack London Square continued to be a recognized growth area for the City of Oakland," said Oakland's mayor, Jean Quan.
Besides The Forge, Jack London Square also has attracted new restaurants such as Haven and Bocanova.
"As a reinvigorated waterfront gateway to the East Bay, Jack London Square continues to not only build momentum, but also reflect the values and diversity of the local Oakland community," Mayor Quan said.
Contact George Avalos at 408-373-3556 or 925-977-8477. Follow him at twitter.com/george_avalos.


text:
- 1/4 cup (scarce) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 bunches arugula (thicker stems removed)
- 1/2 pound radishes, thinly sliced (use a mandoline if possible)
- 1/2 pound green apple, peeled and sliced thin (or hearts of palm)
- (if liked, 6 ounces goat cheese)
Wash and dry the arugula, and toss it with the radishes and apple together.
While it's not very "Italian", I always crave hearts of palm (it all started with my second pregnancy), and like substituting them for the apple in this recipe.
Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, shallot, salt and pepper, and toss the salad with this dressing right before serving.
** If you are not serving this as a side, but having it as a very light summer meal , you could add some goat cheese and serve with warm multi-grain bread.


text:
Mplus Home
Last Day
Last 3 Days
Last Week
Tree View
Edit Profile
Measurement invariance and multilevel...
Mplus Discussion
Multilevel Data/Complex Sample
posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 - 3:22 am
Dear All
I would be grateful for any suggestions regarding the role of measurement invariance (between groups, not levels) when using multilevel sem?
Assume you have 30 groups (samples) from cross-cultural research. For a given constructs (say one-factor with six indicators), it is common practice first to establish measurement invariance of this construct between these groups using the individual data, e.g. via multigroup comparisons.
However, is it correct to argue that
(1)in multilevel SEM, all differences between individuals which are due to group-differences are zeroed out (as one uses a pooled within-matrix) and
(2) such group-differences
are then treated on the group-level (by using the between-matrix)?
Hence, would there still be any need to establish meassurement invariance between groups?
Many thanks for any comments or literature hints!
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 - 7:43 am
Multilevel, multi group analysis needs more methodological investigation. There is a Muthen-Khoo-Gustafsson paper on 2-level factor analysis of Catholic and Public schools that might be useful. The key issue is if the grouping variable is a within- or a between-level variable. In that paper the group was school type and so a between-level variable. Measurement invariance is then needed for the between-level measurement parameters (such as between-level loadings) in order to compare school types on school factor mean and variance differences.
If group is an individual-level variable such as gender, the analysis is more complicated. Gender differences are not zeroed out as suggested in (1). This case needs further methodological study.
posted on Thursday, November 01, 2007 - 4:09 am
Dear Dr. Muthen,
many thanks for pointing me to this paper which I found on your hoempage. However, I now realized that I have problems with understanding a much more general issue:
why must Sigma-within be specified for both Spw AND S*b ?
Why does the between-groups covariance matrix S*b comprise of both (scaled) Sigma-between AND Sigma-within?
I can't figure out why the Sigma-within-component - which is already used for the pooled within-groups matrix Spw - reappears in S*B?
I would be really grateful for an answer to this basic question?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, November 01, 2007 - 9:19 am
See Technical Appendix 10 on the web site, eqn (199). This shows that the expected value of the SB sample cov matrix (given in 197) is a function of both SigmaW and SigmaB. The fact that SigmaW is also part of this is because SB ultimately is created from individual values on y via the means.
Jan Fax
posted on Wednesday, March 05, 2008 - 9:23 am
Hello all
I have a similar question with regard to the decomposition of the total variance in individual- and group-level variances in multilevel factor analysis. I tried to understand the technical appendix and Muthen 1989. but i really have problems in understanding. sorry, but what does it mean that "SigmaB is ultimately created from individual values on y via the means"? I thought that as soon as you take the group-means than you are then dealing with group-variance only? Ok, the group means are calculated from individual scores. but still -- why sigma-within and sigma-between are needed for the SB sample covariance matrix ?(sorry, I begin only ML factor analysis and really have problems with finding an answer to this basic question. Most other ML formulas are clear for me, but this not)
Many thanks to all of you
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, March 05, 2008 - 7:03 pm
Since you sound technically inclined, you might be interested in my paper #32 at my UCLA web site
which refers to Muirhead (1982) in eqn (44) for E(S_B) = Sigma_W + c*Sigma_B.
You see in (43) that S_B involves products of y-bar expressions which in turn involve products of sums of y_i observations. The expectation of producs of y_i observations correspond to covariances between individual observations, that is Sigma_W. So not only Sigma_B is involved.
Inga BEck
posted on Saturday, November 15, 2008 - 5:58 am
Hello All
I just realize that this is a more general question, but I came across the following problem when doing a twolevel-factor analyses:
In the multigroup literature, it is often argued that any meaningful comparisons of means and covariances between units (say, countries) require scalar invariance.
I now wonder if and to what extent this requirement applies to twolevel factor analyses as well?
Obviously, configural invariance is assumed anyway in twolevel FA(otherwise I have misunderstood Muthen's 1994 formulas).
Note that my request does not relate to the question of between-level invariance for a 2-level FA (which is surely another interesting, if not underresearched topic).
I would be very grateful for any hints from Mplus users on recent research discussing the relation of multigroup (fixed) vs. multilevel (random) approaches?
Best wishes !
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Sunday, November 16, 2008 - 10:21 am
Not quite sure what you are asking, but let me state a few things. Multiple-group, 2-level factor analysis involves group invariance of the between-level loadings as in the paper on our web site (Papers, Multilevel SEM):
Muth�n, B., Khoo, S.T., & Gustafsson, J.E. (1997). Multilevel latent variable modeling in multiple populations. Unpublished technical report.
Invariance of loadings across levels (for a given group) is typically not realistic.
Multiple groups vs multiple levels concerns the choice between treating group as fixed or random just like the choice in anova. If you don't want to generalize to a population of groups, you take the fixed approach (multi-group). This is also needed with few groups (say < 20).
Inga BEck
posted on Monday, November 17, 2008 - 1:41 am
Dearr Dr. Muthen,
thanks - but let me try to ask my question more precisely, as I am not concerned with multigroup ML SEM and not invariance between levels (though both topics are very interesting as well)
Please consider the following quote:
"In contrast to multiple group [..] models, ML SEM [...] assumes rather than tests for measurement invariance"
(Selig, Card & Todd Little in: van de Vijver et al (2008): Multilevel analyses of individuals and cultures, p. 115).
This was the starting point for my earlier question #1 - namely, if and to what extent the requirement of measurement invariance must be accomplished for ML SEM/ twolevel factor analyses or if invariance need not be established for ML SEM.
The few papers I know which apply ML SEM almost never discuss this issue - perhaps for good reasons I am not aware of.
In short my question is:
Would it be appropriate to apply ML SEM/factor analyses (treating groups as random )even when a multigroup analyses (treating groups as fixed) would show that factor loadings and intercepts of the indicators are NOT invariant between groups - even if the number of groups/between-level units is "large" > 30?
P.S.: I would also be interested what other users think about this issues?
Many thanks
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Monday, November 17, 2008 - 6:15 am
Perhaps those authors refer to the fact that in multilevel modeling in general there is the assumption that all members of a cluster come from a single population. Which implies that they also follow the same measurement model.
But note that multilevel modeling does allow for random effects in level 1 relationships where the random effects are quantities that vary across level 2 units (clusters). So if one cluster (one group) has a higher factor indicator intercept than another, this is captured by a higher random intercept value for that group. Mplus can also handle random slopes for group-varying loadings. As in regular multilevel modeling, the random effects are assumed to come from one and the same population (follow the same level 2 parameters). So for example, you estimate the mean and variance of the random intercept for the factor indicator.
Thoughts from others?
Inga BEck
posted on Monday, November 17, 2008 - 7:54 am
Dear Dr. Muthen
thanks again for your answer. you write
"Mplus can also handle random slopes for group-varying loadings".
Two follow up questions:
1. Which syntax would you try to examine whether a factor loading varies between groups ("clusters")?
2. If a factor loading carries random variance, then, in turn, this between-group variance might be modelled as well - is that right?
Example: Assume you consider the strength of a factor loading (= the size of the parameter) to indicate the "salience" of the content of a certain indicator of an underlying dimension for respondents (larger size = content of the indicator is more salient).
In turn, this salience might differ across groups - say, different countries.
Now assume social science theories would offer us a reasonable idea for which reason this salience differs across countries (they don't, I guess).
Then one might operationalize these country-level reason (= variables)and regress the random slope of the factor loading on this country-level variable.
3. Would this, in principle, make sense to you?
Best wishes + thanks
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Monday, November 17, 2008 - 5:35 pm
1. You use the random slope approach, where on level 1 (within) you say:
sj | yj on f;
recognizing that "yj on f" is the same as f by yj but with a bar statement, so that the slope is random.
2. Yes, the latent variable sj can then be used as any continuous variable on level 2 (between). For example, you can estimate its mean and variance and its regression relations with other variables.
3. Yes. - And, it would be good to see applications of this.
The only caveat is that each random slope will cost you a dimension of numerical integration, so that you want to let very few slopes go random. One useful case is where slopes can be thought of as equal across items, so that only one random slope is used.
Hermann Duelmer
posted on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 - 8:04 am
Dear All,
a) �ML SEM necessarily assumes weak measurement invariance given that only one set of loadings is estimated for the within group portion of the model� (Selig et al. 2008, 105 in: van de Vijver et al.: Multilevel Analysis; �weak invariance� means �metric invariance�).
I�m right in assuming that metric invariance is assumed/required in ML SEM for both, the within part of the CFA and the between part of the CFA? Scalar invariance is not required since it is modelled by the residual variances of the indicator�s intercept (by the e-terms of level 1 and the u-terms of level 2).
b) �the factor structure at the individual level of ML SEM is assumed to be equal across cultures, but is not assessed empirically � Therefore, it is possible that the pooled within structure in ML SEM fits well at the individual level but that structural equivalence does not hold for some cultural groups.� (Cheung et al. 2006, 526, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 37).
Assumed the SRMR within/between for a 2-Level CFA are both below 0.05 (CFI, TLI, RMSEA fit well). Can I infer then that metric invariance is reached for both levels across the vast majority of countries (level 2 units) even if there might be a few outlier countries (or how far gives it at least a hint on it)? Testing invariance via multi-group CFA in a first step before ML SEM is unwieldy for n>30 countries.
Many thanks!
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 - 11:21 am
These issues are discussed in the following paper which can be downloaded from the website under Papers:
Muth�n, B., Khoo, S.T., & Gustafsson, J.E. (1997). Multilevel latent variable modeling in multiple populations. Unpublished technical report.
Mike Stoolmiller
posted on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - 8:58 am
In a 2007 post, Bengt replied, "If group is an individual-level variable such as gender, the analysis is more complicated. Gender differences are not zeroed out as suggested in (1). This case needs further methodological study." in response to multi-level, multi-group models. I am interested in this kind of model and wonder if further methodological study has happened since 2007 and if there is a way to fit such a model in Mplus (e.g., a simple, 3 variable path model for male and female students nested within schools).
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - 11:28 am
Yes, it can now be done properly. We'll send you a writeup on this shortly, Mike.
Mike Stoolmiller
posted on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - 7:17 pm
Thanks Bengt.
Michael Schurig
posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2012 - 5:45 pm
Dear Dr. Muth�n,
Is the Paper already in press or available online?
I�m dealing with partial scalar invariance (2 factor, 3-4 ordinal indicators) on the individual level (for all indicators thresholds of one factor) in a clustered setting and looking for the best way to incorporate this (propably a group specific social desirabilty response bias) for further longitudinal analysis (LGM). Therefore i would hope that it could help me to illuminate the issue for me.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2012 - 5:56 pm
No, we've been busy with V7 and haven't gotten to it yet. But will soon be able to.
Back to top
Add Your Message Here
Posting Information:
This is a private posting area. Only registered users and moderators may post messages here.
Enable HTML code in message
Automatically activate URLs in message
Tree View
Program Credits


text:
Dennis Hopper
Super Mario Bros. movie gets 20th anniversary screening
Super Mario Bros. was turned into a live-action movie once. Gamers under a certain age are lucky enough to be spared the atrocities committed throughout the film's running time, but if anyone in the L.A. area really wants to see it again, your day has come.
Dennis Hopper headlines
Billy Bob Thornton and Dennis Hopper to voice Deadly Creatures
Hollywood A-listers Billy Bob Thornton and Dennis Hopper are to voice the scorpion and spider roles in THQ Wii exclusive, Deadly Creatures. "What surprised me about Deadly Creatures is how it looks… like watching a movie," said Billy Bob Thornton. "The scorpion and tarantula are like two actors meeting up for a gun fight." "Gamers […]
Dennis Hopper did Mario movie to buy his kid shoes
Dennis Hopper's explained away his involvement in the dreadful Super Mario Bros. movie by saying he needed the movie to buy his son shoes. Speaking on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien show, the actor said: "I made a picture called Super Mario Bros., and my six-year-old son at the time — he's now 18 […]


text:
IRONMAN Taiwan received" Will Attend Next Year "Top 3 in 2018 IRONMAN Athlete Choice Awards!!
"If you're still trying to qualify for Kona maybe Taiwan is the race for you." - Kevin Collington, 2017 IRONMAN Taiwan Champion
Penghu, also known as the Pescadores Islands, are located in the southwest of the Taiwan Strait. Islands are like pearls scattering in the East Sea. Penghu is famous for its gorgeous beaches, glorious temples and the traditional Taiwanese-style homes surrounded by coral walls.
The event will complement the IRONMAN 70.3 Taiwan, which was first established in 2010. With the growing popularity of IRONMAN 70.3 Taiwan and the inaugural IRONMAN Taiwan held in April, 2015, then move to the new venue, Penghu, since 2016.
Renny Ling, the CEO of Taiwan Triathlon Co., Ltd, said he was honored and delighted to bring the IRONMAN series to Penghu, Taiwan. "Taiwanese triathletes have yearned for an IRONMAN race for years. It's an historic moment for us to launch IRONMAN Taiwan last year. This year, Penghu will impress all the participants with its scenic and natural views. We would like to welcome triathlon-lovers from all around the world and will show you the beauty of this island."
There are 35 qualifying slots to the 2020 IRONMAN World Championship in Kaliua-Kona, Hawai`i
"If you're still trying to qualify for Kona maybe Taiwan is the race for you – you'll get a trial by fire and if you survive you have a pretty good shot of grabbing a Kona slot." >> Read More
- Kevin Collington, 2017 IRONMAN Taiwan Champion
"It's a well organised event with a wonderful welcome from the local people - they are so friendly and obliging. I loved the bike course this year. It was far more convenient having the EXPO, Athlete Check-In, briefings, entertainment all in the Four Points by Sheraton Penghu Hotel."
- 2017 IRONMAN Taiwan Athlete
"Penghu was a very interesting and hot location for a race. The people where very helpfull and location
was very clean."
- 2017 IRONMAN Taiwan Athlete
"Penghu! Beautiful island, delicious food and friendly people. All above average!"
- 2017 IRONMAN Taiwan Athlete


text:
Production: Kodak Extends Stream Inkjet Technology and Prosper Press Platform to Newspaper Printing
By: Mark Vruno
Emerging from its financial struggles, Kodak thinks this may be the year inkjet web technology makes a larger leap to newspapers. Here's why …
Ringing in 2013 could be a prosperous proposition for newspaper print production personnel. At the WAN-IFRA World Publishing Expo in Frankfurt this past fall, Kodak said it is extending its Stream Inkjet Technology and Prosper press platform to newspaper printing in 2013 to enable fully digital, color page production. Customers used Stream technology to inkjet print some 10 billion pages last year alone, an uptick of nearly 50 percent over 2011, marketing director Will Mansfield recently told online magazine My Print Resource. But not many of those were newspaper pages — not yet, anyway.
This tech migration makes sense for Kodak, which for more than 100 years has provided newspaper customers with flexible solutions that streamline production and increase efficiency. As the market has changed and demands on newspaper publishers have increased, Kodak has kept pace, offering a portfolio of solutions that address the need for faster production with high quality at lower costs. This portfolio includes workflow and automation solutions, computer-to-plate devices, plates, proofing, screening, digital printing, and services.
"Kodak is the world leader in printing production workflow," wrote industry consultant Henry Freedman in his quarterly newsletter, "Technology Watch," for myprintresource.com. "With over 18,000 licenses of its Prinergy software and 24 of the 25 world's largest book producers as customers, Kodak rules workflow," he added. "Having its own software along with the purchase of 3M/Imation and Creo/Scitex makes Kodak the world leader in production color management for printing."
In the inkjet space, the Prosper press platform is already embraced by direct mail printers and book publishers. In 2013, Kodak anticipates more newspaper printing applications. Based on innovative, proprietary Stream Inkjet Technology, the existing platform delivers digital without compromise, enabling print service providers to produce offset class output in terms of quality, productivity, and cost for their clients. For example, the Prosper 5000XL Press brings offset class output approaching 175 lines per inch with roll-fed speeds of up to 650 feet per minute (fpm) and features a monthly duty cycle of up to 90 million A4 letter-size pages.
Karen Mitchell, worldwide director of Kodak's publishing segment, said, "The beauty of the Prosper technology is that it is scalable, meaning that we can use (it) to develop targeted solutions for almost any application. The benefits for newspaper professionals will be many. For example … newspaper printers can enjoy higher speed, greater width, and better image quality compared to many of the drop-on-demand technologies in the market today."
Fast, 'hybrid' imprinting
The Prosper S-Series Imprinting Systems currently available for newspaper printers and publishers enable inline digital printing on an offset press for variable data at full press speeds. With a print width of up to 4.16 inches, the S-Series can be used for monochrome or CMYK production and run at speeds up to 3,000 fpm with a maximum resolution for newspaper applications of 600 x 300 dpi. These solutions give newspapers the ability to seamlessly combine digital content with offset content to drive higher value for readers and advertisers alike.
There has been some activity in the news space since the U.K.'s CN Newsprint group became Kodak's first customer to use the 600 dpi Prosper S20 Imprinting System in a newspaper production environment. The manufacturer says to expect even more inkjet news going forward. Digital imprinting, after all, provides a way to "version" or personalize advertising campaigns by enriching static content with variable information and pictures. In addition to simple options for local advertising with no plate changes, it makes it easier to integrate print in cross-media marketing campaigns, helping brands to create tighter online and offline communications. Sequential winning numbers, variable QR codes, and different URLs or graphics, for example, mean no two newspaper copies contain exactly the same ad.
According to a release from CN Newsprint, the company can print a 4.1-inch area that can include a serial number, barcode, graphic, or even a bingo card that is totally unique to each copy. This capacity is available on everything from four-page promotional flyers to a 64-page tabloid, with print runs ranging from small to millions of copies weekly. Advertisers are using the high-impact, cost-effective technology to enhance marketing campaigns, increase website traffic, and drive foot traffic to stores/ locations.
For instance, Furness Newspapers recently employed hybrid imprinting on a ticket promotion. "The overall campaign has been a huge success. We had 119 entries via text and online to win tickets over the two days we were promoting it," said Furness deputy advertising director Craig Kirkpatrick. "The client loved the creative aspect we were able to deliver them and loved the fact we were using the digital head." CN prints more than 25 million newspapers annually at a clip of about 60,000 per hour. Guy Forrester, CN print division general manager, said, "If we can maintain these speeds and print variable data inline, it will be a huge boost to our business."
The company is testing specialty applications such as retail marketing, vouchers, interactive games, and lotteries, and discussing them with its broad customer base. "We print a lot of inserts and supplements for leading supermarkets, such as Tesco, Asda, and Sainsburys," Forrester said. "We're looking at how we can use the Kodak Prosper S10 Imprinting System to customize the inserts by geography, with unique vouchers and interactive games. Another option is barcoding for inclusion in retail promotions," he said. "With the S10's variable data capabilities, we can print unique barcodes that can be redeemed at a supermarket checkout. These are huge commercial opportunities for CN Newsprint."
In the fall of 2011, the Axel Springer offset plant in Hamburg-Ahrensburg, Germany, began using the S30 system for variable publishing and advertising campaigns in printed newspapers. One of its six manroland Colorman newspaper presses has been equipped with this Kodak imprinting system, which can deliver consistently high quality with 600 x 200 dpi resolution at web speeds approaching 3,000 fpm (almost 50 ft./ sec.). Much like CN is doing, the combination of conventional coldset weboffset and high-speed inkjet printing means variable data can be imprinted into static content without compromising web-offset productivity.
How it's configured
The Prosper S30 Imprinting System is installed in the superstructure of the Colorman press. This configuration affords flexibility, as one web can be printed by two different towers, depending on the web lead. With this imprinting arrangement, variable elements can be printed on the newspaper's outer pages as well as on selected inner pages. For integration purposes, manroland web systems had to alter the web feed routes. Various web guide rollers and crossbars were fitted so that the printhead and other mechanical components could be mounted. The inkjet printing zone is located exactly over a guide roller, guaranteeing a constant gap of only a few millimeters between the printhead and the web.
"We keep in close contact with our manufacturers, and it was through Kodak that we learned about digital imprinting," said Thomas Drensek, head of offset printing at the Springer plant. "We originally considered it five or six years ago, when manroland web systems began carrying out in-house tests. We installed our first Kodak Imprinting System — a Versamark DH6240 printhead — as part of an experimental setup in the web press in 2010."
The Prosper S30 Imprinting System supports variable monochrome printing within a 4-5/32-inch zone across the complete product cut-off length. Axel Springer uses the system with water-based Kodak pigment ink, which it pulls from 20-liter cubitainers directly alongside. The black density achieved with this ink on newsprint is similar to offset.
Holger Benthack, Axel Springer production manager, outlines the basic specification for the imprinting solution: "For us, speed is hugely important, because we can't afford for production to slow down. Obviously, we needed high imprinting quality — on par with offset, if possible. Space was a consideration too — our staff needed plenty of room to operate the press. And from the customer's point of view, availability is crucial.
"The Prosper S30 System delivers on all fronts. In the old days, digital imprints were only possible using the DH6240 System with 240 x 120 dpi, at no more than 35,000 cylinder revolutions an hour," Benthack said. "With the S30 System, we're achieving 42,500 revolutions — the equivalent of 13.2 meters a second. Plus the higher resolution and the more vivid black are crucial advances."
More real-world examples
After extensive testing with Kodak's support, the first real production run with versioned advertising got off the ground in October 2011, with an advertisement in an industry supplement of Hamburger Abendblatt. Each of the 220,000 copies of a Kodak ad motif was printed with a unique prize code via inkjet imprint using the Prosper S30. The code was the password to a lottery with a printer as the top prize.
Another example is the large-scale campaign run by German newspaper Bild for its Hamburg readers over a period of several weeks in April to May 2012. In the Cash Million lottery, tickets bearing a one-off, inkjet-imprinted number combination were included with the newspaper at the start of the week. Readers were urged to compare their numbers with the daily lucky numbers, with a chance to win cash and other prizes at the end of the campaign. The program was designed to strengthen reader loyalty.
A similar prize draw was organized last May when approximately 35,000 copies of Welt Kompakt were imprinted every day with the Prosper S30 system. An exclusive prize code on the tabloid's title page held the key to desirable consumer electronics. The promotion was originally supposed to last only two weeks, but the publisher extended it two more weeks due to the campaign's success.
Hybrid production on the web press will almost certainly be stepped up following such a positive experience, according to Springer managers. An extra 20 minutes of makeready time are normally scheduled when the Prosper S30 system is involved, because the position of the printhead must be manually adjusted perpendicular to the web travel direction. The position of the inkjet image is optimized in the printing direction with the help of manroland web systems software. "We start by operating the press at proof-printing speed, then set all of the offset parameters and simultaneously pre-adjust the inkjet head," Benthack said. "In the past, we've also had to include another stop for recalibration and the fine adjustment, but this won't be necessary in the future."
In the medium term, the printer, manroland web systems, and Kodak will optimize the installation to reduce makeready time to just a few minutes, make the setup easier to use, and improve registration. A powered drive and remote control of the printhead position on the crossbar of the web press desk will play a particularly important role here, along with technical measures to reduce the registration tolerance to 0.1 mm throughout the speed range.
"Our initial campaigns with Welt Kompakt and Bild here in the Hamburg region were an unqualified success," Drensek said. "Thanks to the vast personalization options, this technology has enormous potential and has a major role to play in our future."
Improved financing approved
In late November, Kodak announced that it received and accepted an offer from the Steering Committee of the Second Lien Noteholders Committee for interim and exit financing totaling $830 million in loans. The commitment strengthens Kodak's position to successfully execute its remaining reorganization objectives and emerge from Chapter 11 in the first half of 2013.
"As we continue to progress toward successful emergence, we remain focused on doing what is best for the company's creditors and other stakeholders, including our customers, suppliers, and employees," said CEO Antonio Perez. "We are pleased that these existing creditors have come forward with a new proposal that offers better terms … The improved financing commitment provides a longer maturity, lower fees and pricing, and greater liquidity than our previously announced (Nov. 12) commitment. This is a vote of confidence in the future of our company."
The financing is subject to completion of definitive financing documentation and Bankruptcy Court approval at a hearing to be scheduled soon.
Print and Finish Newspapers, Then Books
In late November, the new Océ JetStream 5500 fullcolor inkjet printing system and the manroland web systems' variable pin folder FoldLine VPF 211 were announced. The JetStream 5500 full-color inkjet printing system prints 5,140 A4 images per minute or 30,000 B2 format sheets per hour on a 30-inch-wide web. The multipurpose manroland web systems' variable pin folder creates professional tabloid and broadsheet newspapers. This heavy-duty solution producing more than 8,000 24-page tabloid newspapers per hour stems from the partnership of Océ and manroland.
"What makes this solution so unique is the ability to produce professionally finished newspapers during the night, and then during the day shift professional books, booklets and magazines, all on one system," said Sebastian Landesberger, executive vice president of Océ Commercial Printing. "We are giving customers the best of both worlds. Not only can they produce finished products with the highest quality, this solution maximizes the customer's return on investment like no other solution in the market."
Using the industry-proven Océ DigiDot inkjet drop-on-demand and multilevel technology, an excellent image quality of 600 x 480 dpi is achieved at 833 fpm, and a 656 fpm result in premium 1200 dpi perceived image quality. The FoldLine can keep up speed-wise, producing broadsheet newspapers with up to 96 pages and up to 12 newspaper sections at 833 fpm. The solution permits variability in formats, number of newspaper sections, cut lengths, etc. Book signatures and cylinder-stitched booklets in a number of different formats can be delivered with extremely short makeready times.
Is Inkjet Fast Enough?
Digital print technology has made tremendous strides in the past five years, especially in the transactional print, direct mail, and book-publishing segments. Further penetration of inkjet into truly commercial printing was expedited last year, as 2012 saw more coated, treated papers come on line suitable for inkjet printing. The wider, web-fed inkjet presses now can run up to 1,000 fpm, or 5,000 8.3 x 11.7-inch A4 pages per minute, at 133-lines-perinch resolution. Some imprint head modules can image nearly a mile of paper every 60 seconds, up to 5,000 fpm. (See above.)
"'Technology Watch' research shows that Kodak systems attain speeds of 1,000 fpm — and greater — daily on production plant floors," said editor/ consultant Henry Freedman, who spent more than 835 hours last year scrutinizing Stream and Prosper technologies. "Because we have found that Kodak presses not only print at a higher speed but also can print at a higher quality at a higher speed than other presses, we are confident in declaring that Kodak is class-leading," Freedman concluded. The newsletter's eight-page, spring 2012 edition details his findings, looking "under the hood" of the 1000 model and examining the Prosper design, including ink, print heads, and media.
Still, Jim Hamilton, group director at market research/consulting firm InfoTrends, and other industry analysts question whether color inkjet web printing speeds ever will be fast enough for true, mainstream newspaper applications — even with light ink coverage on uncoated bond paper. That is why we are seeing hybrid configurations in this segment, too, such as Kodak's aforementioned Prosper imprinting systems and KBA's 30.7-inch RotaJET 76.
The latter, a high-volume, 500 fpm digital web press, was developed in collaboration with mega print firm RR Donnelley. The RotaJET can output up to 3,000 four-color A4 pages per minute (that's 85 million per month) at 600 dpi resolution. According to Oliver Baar, project manager for KBA digital printing systems, it unites innovative precision engineering, high-powered hardware and software, and cuttingedge piezo inkjet technology to create an industrial-scale production tool for short runs and personalized prints.
The RotaJET initially is targeting the book, brochure, commercial, direct mail, and magazine sectors, with packaging and newspapers to follow, according to KBA. The two arrays of 56 printing heads that arch over the two large central impression cylinders can be moved aside for cleaning and maintenance purposes. The printheads are automatically aligned (or "stitched" because the configuration resembles back-stitching) and cleaned. Internal systems communications and the integration of third-party systems are JDF-enabled.
Visitors to drupa last spring saw demonstrations of variable production based on the popular APPE (Adobe PDF Print Engine) workflow. With its powerful front-end kit, the RotaJET can handle large volumes of data at maximum speed in full-color production. The digital press also pumped out gang-stitched magazines and promotional brochures via a SigmaLine inline finishing system from Müller Martini.


text:
EDITORIAL | Zais, education department not smart in handling of eval hearings
The following editorial appeared in the Florence Morning News on Saturday
Thumbs down to the S.C. Department of Education and State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais for their stumbling, bumbling response to teacher unrest over a proposed new teacher evaluation system.
A crowd of some 300 teachers turned out Thursday night in Florence to hear Zais and company discuss the changes, which are part of the state's proposed waiver from federal regulations under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and, presumably, to answer questions on same. Like their compatriots in Greenville and Charleston, who turned out for similar meetings last month, those assembled weren't happy when they left. Questions weren't really answered, and the meeting was run in a heavy-handed manner that stifled debate the free flow of information.
This is a blunder at a number of levels. First of all, it should have come as no surprise that any proposed change, addition or discussion to the ever-contentious teacher evaluation process would come as fingernails across a chalkboard to South Carolina's teaching population. Like their counterparts nationwide, teachers view evaluation with extreme skepticism.
Generally speaking, they don't think it can be done well — how can anyone possibly understand what I have to go through in my classroom every day? — and certainly don't think someone from outside the public education world could have a clue as to how do it. So the fact that the SCDE was caught by surprise by the teacher onslaught at the hearings on the department's plans for moving forward with new guidelines for evaluations (and more) is, well, surprising.
OK, that happens, but the department's response was clunky and heavy handed. Instead of an open forum, where some steam might have been blown off, teachers and others were required to submit questions in writing. This can be a useful way to conduct a big group Q-and-A, but for angry crowds it smells like censorship. That's exactly how it was perceived here and elsewhere.
Zais' decision to let his subordinates do most of the talking at Thursday's meeting in Florence also seems like a mistake. He was elected to direct education policy and to be the face of public education in the state. A proponent of charter schools, choice plans and other controversial measures, he needs to stand in and take the heat. That he chose not to do so is disappointing. So, a special thumbs down for that.
Having said all that, we should point out that this is not the same as a thumbs up for teachers who may be stonewalling a potentially more rigorous evaluation process. Most teachers concede some sort of evaluation is proper, but teacher organizations have long argued against almost every form of it. That's not useful for the goal of better education, and Zais' missteps don't make it right. There should have been open debate on the critical question of evaluation and there was not.
Smart guys like Zais ought to have been able to figure that out.


text:
New JEEP Gladiator for Sale in Alliance, OH
9 Matching Vehicles Found
MPG Disclaimer:
Based on model year EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.
* MSRP is the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of the vehicle. It does not include any taxes, fees or other charges. Pricing and availability may vary based on a variety of factors, including options, dealer, specials, fees, and financing qualifications. Consult your dealer for actual price and complete details. Vehicles shown may have optional equipment at additional cost.While great effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, errors do occur so please verify information with a customer service rep. This is easily done by calling us at (877) 328-0325 or by visiting us at the dealership.
* Disclosure: Offer available to all consumers for the dealers assigned market area in Ohio. This offer reflects dealer discount and all manufacturer applicable rebates, incentives, and/or bonus cash. No other contingencies required to get this advertised price. Offer applies to in-stock new vehicles only, does not apply to prior transactions. Advertised offer excludes tax, title, registration fees, and a $250 documentary service charge. Offer listed reflects sale prices for purchases, not leases. Lease rebates and or incentives may be different. All rebates to dealer. Dealer contribution may affect consumer cost. Offer cannot be combined with any other advertised offers. See Dealer for complete details.
* Images, prices, and options shown, including vehicle color, trim, options, pricing and other specifications are subject to availability, incentive offerings, current pricing and credit worthiness.
* In transit means that vehicles have been built, but have not yet arrived at your dealer. Images shown may not necessarily represent identical vehicles in transit to your dealership. See your dealer for actual price, payments and complete details.**With approved credit. Terms may vary. Monthly payments are only estimates derived from the vehicle price with a 72 month term, 4.9% interest and 20% downpayment.


text:
With the onset of holiday and festive season, parents, grandparents, and others are busy looking for exciting gifts for the children in their families. What better gift can one find than toys for kids that can light up their face the moment they unwrap their gifts! However, when shopping for toys, one has to make sure to avoid some of the common but grave mistakes so that the gift doesn't disappoint your lovable little one. Here's a quick look into some of the common mistakes.
Not Considering the Child's Interests
Ignoring to take the interests of the child into consideration is one of the severe blunders. If you don't take this into account, you could end up buying a toy that's not suitable for the kid or something not of his interest and this in turn can make you investment go for a toss. For instance, if the little one loves to play with miniature toy settings, you can consider gifting something like dollhouse or garage. So, remember to play with their interests and strengths. Also, keep the other relatives informed about what you bought so that they don't end up buying the same or find out from the others what they purchased before making your decision.
Gifting a Similar-Themed Toy for Every Occasion
Buying a toy of the same theme for every occasion may seem boring for your little one. For instance, if you had bought a 'Frozen' themed toy last time, avoid it the next time. So, consider different varieties and also something that are durable for rough play rather than buying delicate toys. Some good examples of diverse toys are construction blocks, sporting equipment, art supplies, props for pretend, and mechanic sets.
Buying Playthings to Grow Into
Play is a great way for children to develop their self-esteem and learn more about themselves. So, purchasing something that's ahead of their years will annoy them. You might be tempted to purchase the biggest puzzle or construction set, but it's better to buy a manageable set for their age as this can help them do it more successfully.
Keep these in mind and avoid committing these blunders when shopping for your little ones the next time so that you can be assured of seeing that satisfied smile on the faces of the kids when they open their gifts.


text:
Friday, June 24, 2011
Dear Jack Layton: In the meantime Women and children are going hungry!
Unions over women and children. Brilliant strategy that.
43 comments:
- Greg said...
Ah the Liberals, always hiding behind women and children, while helping the bosses screw the working man. Good to see being a third party hasn't changed you at all.
- Jun 24, 2011, 9:38:00 AM
- James Curran said...
Yes the posties are so screwed by their bosses as they work until 11 a.m and get paid til 3. As they take millions of dollars worth of taxi rides around their cities whilst everyone else takes transit. Yes. Those poor posties. Fuck off Greg. Women are being evicted as we speak.
- Jun 24, 2011, 9:41:00 AM
- Greg said...
Btw, a lot of the people you are helping to strip pensions from are single parents and a lot of them are women. Nice.
- Jun 24, 2011, 9:42:00 AM
- James Curran said...
BTW, the women and children you will be seeing at the foodbanks will never have a fucking pension. Sorry about their luck I guess.
- Jun 24, 2011, 9:44:00 AM
if the women are being evicted now, it's because they did not pay their rent last month and possibly the previous month. Who is responsible for that?
canada Post has regulations concerning the use of private cars for letter carriers. could it be that letter carriers have no choice in taking a taxi? It is forced by their employer.
Postal employees are not on strike, but locked out by Canada Post.
- Jun 24, 2011, 9:53:00 AM
- Greg said...
The Liberals are running Ontario James, why aren't they hiring couriers to delivery these checks if they are so concerned about starving women and children?
- Jun 24, 2011, 10:09:00 AM
- Robert McClelland said...
You must not have noticed that your second link leads to a plan to deliver the cheques--to those not using direct deposit--via courier.
- Jun 24, 2011, 11:08:00 AM
- Greg said...
Thanks Robert. All good then. Crisis, what crisis?
- Jun 24, 2011, 11:12:00 AM
- Cliff said...
Ignoring of course, that the posties were continuing to work, only running rotating strikes city by city and even volunteering to continue delivering things like pension cheques when Canada Post locked them out.
Ignoring the incredibally dangerous precedent the government is setting, that management can safely refuse to bargain in good faith because they can count on Harper's government to impose a worse deal on workers then even management was offering.
Thanks for the demonstration of the traditional Liberal disdain for working Canadians reminiscent of the lies told to justify shaftng labour on anti-scab legislation, James.
Of course the utter irrelevance of the fringe party Liberals renders it much akin to an historical re-enactment at this point...
- Jun 24, 2011, 11:29:00 AM
- James Curran said...
Anon: Who's reponsible? Deadbeat ex spouses (men and women) more than likely. One person taking a taxi at $20 per day to their route. You do the math. The families living on the edge don't give a flying shit if it's a strike or they're locked out. They care they don't have two nickles to rub together.
Greg: And who's running Alberta, Sask, Manitoba, Newfounland etc.etc.? If mcGuinty was running Canada Post you can bet your ass there wouldn't have been a strike in the first place. And that's why almost every Ontario Union is behind him.
Robert: And what deadbeat spouse that sends cheques in monthly to FRO do you think is going out of their way to hire a courier? Answer? The cheque's in the mail.
Cliff: Fuck off. I don't support any of the shit you're spouting off about.
All of you: Must be nice to not have to live in reality of the everyday lives of our most vulnerable of our society. Mostly, it must be nice that you don't know any of these families that are going through this time of dispair.
Filibuster on.
- Jun 24, 2011, 11:46:00 AM
- Cliff said...
To misquote something some obnoxious blowhard once said to me - oh wait it was you - enjoy your 34 seats.
- Jun 24, 2011, 11:56:00 AM
- James Curran said...
Please see comment above and the part that says Cliff:.
- Jun 24, 2011, 11:59:00 AM
- Greg said...
The people you should be going after is the landlords, James. If this is as widespread as you say, it should be easy to find out who the heartless bastards are and name and shame them. Those are the villains here, not the posties who are fighting to protect their pension rights.
- Jun 24, 2011, 12:17:00 PM
- Greg said...
Especially since they are evicting these poor people before the end of the month.
- Jun 24, 2011, 12:19:00 PM
What a crock of doo doo. You think people waiting a week for their cheque (most people use direct deposit anyway) is more important that trying to fend off the Harper Governments first big attack on labour? Shall we just make sure that the downward pressure on wages just continues? I think you should recall that the posties had rotating strikes exactly so no one city would be without mail for any length of time, and it was Canada Post that locked them out. And no, Canada Post management is being rewarded for cutting off ALL mail, and you think that's just jim-dandy. Thats absurd.
- Jun 24, 2011, 12:30:00 PM
- sharonapple88 said...
The real question is whether this filibuster will accomplish anything.It will delay passage possible for a few days. Maybe longer. This made sense when they were arguing that they were trying to give negotiations a chance... but they've broken off in the last few days.
Right now, the union is requesting amendments to the bill, one of which is to ask for outstanding issues be determined via mediation rather than offer selection (seems fair to me). Will the Conservatives bend because the NDP is willing to drag out the process? I have a feeling that the answer to this is no. They'll blame the NDP for any problems that may develop, so they have no problem making this last as long as the NDP wants. Is this political jockey and posturing by both sides doing any good? Probably not.
Civility gone out the window in the last few days.... And I'm not sure engaging in a filibuster can be classified as "making Parliament work".... But hey, what do I know. ;)
- Jun 24, 2011, 12:36:00 PM
- Robert McClelland said...
And what deadbeat spouse that sends cheques in monthly to FRO do you think is going out of their way to hire a courier?
Again, I refer you to your own link.
If you are a support payor, you must continue to send your support payments to FRO during the postal disruption. Here are some things you should know in the event of a postal disruption:
You should continue to send your support payments to FRO during the postal disruption, however, do not send them via Canada Post. If you send support payments by cheque or money order please drop your payment off at any Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) branch across Canada. RBC will forward these payments to FRO for processing.
Your second link debunks your entire argument. Did you even read it?
- Jun 24, 2011, 1:14:00 PM
- James Curran said...
Cheque's in the mail Robert. It's in the mail. Cheque's in the mail. Cheque's in the mail. THE Cheque is IN THE MAIL. It's in the mail. CHEQUE? MAIL!
Fucking losers filibustering a majority government. Yes, if the Liberals stand up and filibuster, they are fucking losers too.
Debunk this!
- Jun 24, 2011, 1:19:00 PM
- Cliff said...
Why don't you just make it official and change your name to the 'what do I know Tory' and get it over with James?
- Jun 24, 2011, 1:26:00 PM
- James Curran said...
Let's just change yours to Supreme Asshole Cliff.
- Jun 24, 2011, 1:27:00 PM
- Cliff said...
Not enjoying that third party status I see. : )
- Jun 24, 2011, 1:31:00 PM
- James Curran said...
As usual, the point of the whole matter is lost on you Cliff. go check your local foodbanks.
- Jun 24, 2011, 1:33:00 PM
- Cliff said...
The ones a lot more workers will need to use if this precedent of government picking sides in labour disputes goes through you mean?
- Jun 24, 2011, 1:45:00 PM
- James Curran said...
Too damn bad Cliff. It's a MAJORITY. They can do whatever the hell they want. Get over yourselves.
- Jun 24, 2011, 1:46:00 PM
- Cliff said...
A philosophy that succintly explains why and how the Liberals were such an utterly useless fauz opposition lo all these years. thank you for that
- Jun 24, 2011, 1:57:00 PM
- James Curran said...
Bye Cliff. Don't forget your hat.
- Jun 24, 2011, 2:02:00 PM
- sharonapple88 said...
A philosophy that succintly explains why and how the Liberals were such an utterly useless fauz opposition lo all these years. thank you for that
How much better is the new opposition? If the NDP gets their amendments in, I'll applaud them. As it is, I worry the filibuster will turn out to accmplish nothing. It wouldn't be the first time they made a mistake while in opposition. (Read Kady O'Malley's tweets from 11:49 onwards.)
- Jun 24, 2011, 3:29:00 PM
So as long as Harper has a majority, he can put a gun to the head of women and children and get anything he wants? Then why not just crown him Supreme Overlord already and be done with it?
The opposition's duty is to critique and oppose, especially when the government is doing something they see as colossally stupid. As previous posters have stated, the Canada Post employees are willing to continue delivery of mail like pension cheques. Harper didn't want them to. Canada Post management hardened their bargaining position since they knew Harper would back them no matter what.
When Harper comes for your pension, your weekends, or any of the other ways unions have improved your life, as long as Harper has put a gun to the head of women and children, you're willing to just give those up? Where does it end?
- Jun 24, 2011, 4:04:00 PM
- Greg said...
Sharon, whether or not the NDP gets its amendments passed, is irrelevant. Resistance is not futile. Throwing up your hands and not doing anything is just what Harper wants.
- Jun 24, 2011, 4:49:00 PM
- Robert McClelland said...
So your entire case now rests on a few people who may have mailed their support payments just before the lockout took effect and for some reason can't cancel the cheque and write another one.
- Jun 24, 2011, 7:24:00 PM
- sharonapple88 said...
Sharon, whether or not the NDP gets its amendments passed, is irrelevant. Resistance is not futile. Throwing up your hands and not doing anything is just what Harper wants.
Not advocating throwing up one's hands. Getting amendments to the bill is a big deal. A filibuster is great theatre, but amendements would actually thwart Harper's nefarious plans (cue Phantom of the Opera music. ;) ). A filibuster without the amendments is useless. All it does is delay the inevitable.
There have been past filibusters which have come to nothing -- the Clarity Act was filibustered by the Bloc -- as far as I know nothing changed.
In Ontario, to stop Bill 103 (amalgamation of Toronto), the New Democrats tried adding 11,500 amendments (they named streets for hearings to be held) -- they eventually moved to an abbreviated system where they named the street and voted on it. All this did was delay passing of the bill by a couple of days. Toronto amalgamated.
What I'm worried is that both sides will dig their heels (especially the Conservatives) and decide that they'd rather drag this thing through than lose face.
As it is, the workers actually want to get back to work. (This is a lockout, not a strike.) Will management try to talk to them during the filibuster, or will they simply wait for the bill to pass some time next week? Who knows. Hopefully, this will mean something.
- Jun 24, 2011, 10:11:00 PM
Jim - good strategic comms here. Why the Liberals aren't using this line instead of rambling "please everybody" speeches in the House astounds me.
- Jun 24, 2011, 10:36:00 PM
- sharonapple88 said...
So your entire case now rests on a few people who may have mailed their support payments just before the lockout took effect and for some reason can't cancel the cheque and write another one.
There are a few government services disrupted by the strike.
- Jun 24, 2011, 11:02:00 PM
- Craig Chamberlain said...
I am grateful that my circumstances are such that I'm not waiting for a cheque in the mail, but we all are impacted at some point if this drags out. This issue also impacts on small businesses and non-profits who may not have sufficient lines of credit to accomodate issues like postal disruptions and yet have staff to pay. And if they do, there is of course interest incurred on that money. I suppose some of those staff could be considered "working Canadians".
Yes, we need to be concerned about protecting workers' rights.
But let's be honest: is that what this filibuster is really about?
The bottom line is, this is really about the New NDP trying to score an early first-period goal on the Harperites. In other words, it's about the NDP's political ambitions, not what is best for working people, or communities.
- Jun 25, 2011, 2:59:00 PM
- Greg said...
First of all, the posties have offered to keep delivering pension and other cheques, but Canad Post would not let them.
Second, what other option does the NDP have. They could be like the Liberals and say, "Dear, oh dear, whatever we do will be used against us. It is just safer to do nothing." That does absolutely nothing and has the added benefit of creating an atmosphere of apathy into the mix. At least the NDP is actually standing up and trying to do something. You may dismiss it as theatre, but it is better than rolling over and accepting whatever Harper tries to ram down your throat.
- Jun 25, 2011, 4:38:00 PM
- ck said...
I've noticed a lot of talk of late support payments. From ex-spouses?? Aren't they automatically garnished from wages? They are here in La Belle province; no exception that I've heard of.
- Jun 25, 2011, 8:49:00 PM
- ck said...
Sorry, forgot to add, that I work for a social services agency that services foster homes, group homes and closed and open residential treatment facilities for troubled youth. Parents make contributions, as such support payments are often diverted to us instead of ex-spouse. We've been receiving those checques since lock out. Apparently, pension and welfare checques were being delivered despite lockout, as well.
- Jun 25, 2011, 9:02:00 PM
- ck said...
And the filibuster is now over. Bill c-6 headed off to senate tomorrow. Should become law by Monday.
None of the NDP, Liberal or Bloc proposed amendments passed.
- Jun 25, 2011, 9:04:00 PM
GM was one of the biggest culprits. They refused to courier checks when the mcGuinty gov't told them they had to. They still refused to as recently as yesterday.
- Jun 25, 2011, 9:12:00 PM
- Derrida (sous rature) said...
Jim, you used to be one of the credible Liberals. You might want to seek help for that anger management and intellectual dishonesty problem. I mean, you're making Cherniak look levelheaded and Kinsella appear hospitable.
- Jun 25, 2011, 11:26:00 PM
Sure. Whatever. Now how does one think I should respond to that exactly? GFY maybe? Nah, that would be mean wouldn't it.
- Jun 26, 2011, 1:21:00 AM
- sharonapple88 said...
Aren't they automatically garnished from wages? They are here in La Belle province; no exception that I've heard of.
As far as I know, they're not in Ontario. They should be.
As for direct deposits on government cheques -- not everyone has a bank accounts. It's one of the depressing things that allows cheque cashing places like Money Mart to thrive.
- Jun 26, 2011, 9:45:00 PM
- Craig Chamberlain said...
"Jim, you used to be one of the credible Liberals. You might want to seek help for that anger management and intellectual dishonesty problem. I mean, you're making Cherniak look levelheaded and Kinsella appear hospitable." - Derrida
And yet... you continue to visit his blog. Curious contradiction, that.
- Jun 27, 2011, 6:50:00 AM


text:
Video: SwimSmart I—Prepare Early
The key to a successful race is practicing open-water swimming well in advance of your race. In the video above, IRONMAN world champion Greg Welch enlightens us all on why training in a lake, river, or ocean as often as possible is such an important of racing.
Follow the links below for more resources on how to prepare for racing in the open water—useful reminders no matter what level a triathlete you are.
Stroke Mechanics for the Open Water
The IRONMAN Beginner's Swim Checklist
SwimSmart I: Prepare Early | SwimSmart II: Work Your Way Up | SwimSmart III: Be in the Know | SwimSmart IV: Safety First | SwimSmart V: Tried and True Gear | SwimSmart VI: Warm up Right | SwimSmart VII: Assess the Situation | SwimSmart VIII: Start Easy, Relax and Breathe | SwimSmart IX: Be Alert and Ask for Help


text:
This page is designed to assist current and incoming Belmont Students looking for off campus housing. To be exempt from on campus housing, an undergraduate student must meet the eligibility requirements. Please note, Belmont does not offer on campus housing for graduate students, however, below are some resources that will be helpful in your search.
Helpful Links
Office of Residence Life Postings
Renters Guide
- https://collegestudentapartments.com
- http://www.apartmentfinder.com/
- www.apartment.com/
- http://www.mynewplace.com/city/nashville-apartments-for-rent-tennessee
- https://hotpads.com/nashville-tn/apartments-for-rent
- http://www.zillow.com/nashville-tn/apartments/
- https://www.trulia.com/for_rent/Nashville,TN/
- https://www.point2homes.com/US/Rental-Properties-Listings/TN/Nashville.html
Nashville Bus System - Free to students, faculty, & staff w/ Belmont ID
- Area Hotels - ask about the Belmont rate


text:
These days, telling a coworker or friend that you're off to your acupuncture appointment is unlikely to generate a suspicious look. In 1998, a survey published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 42 percent of the population was using some sort of alternative and complementary medicine, and it's probable that these therapies are even more popular today.
Despite the widespread use of non-traditional therapies such as acupuncture, herbal remedies, prayer, guided imagery and magnet therapy, few people are sharing their use of these therapies with their conventional healthcare providers. Patients tend not to volunteer the information, and doctors don't ask. This lapse in communication may not only prevent patients from getting the best care possible though the integration of different approaches, it can sometimes threaten a patient's health.
Adam Perlman, MD, MPH, is the medical director for the Siegler Center for Integrative Medicine at the St. Barnabas Ambulatory Care Center in Livingston, New Jersey and executive director for the Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Below, Dr. Perlman discusses why doctors and patients need to have an open dialogue about complementary medicinešand offers ways to bridge the communication gap.
How would you define the terms "alternative medicine," "complementary medicine" and "integrative medicine"?
Different people define these words somewhat differently, but the way that I think about it is that "alternative medicine" implies you're either going to use conventional medicine or you're going to abandon conventional medicine and use some sort of alternative. That's not what I, nor what most of us involved in this field would advocate.
"Complementary medicine" gets a little closer to describing the way that the sorts of modalities are used most commonly in this country. For example, if you happen to have cancer and you had nausea from the chemotherapy, you would hopefully get medication for the nausea, but it often doesn't work 100 percent, or you might not want to take another medication. So you might use acupuncture to complement the conventional care you're receiving because acupuncture is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as being indicated for chemotherapy-induced nausea. So really the non-conventional, if you will, is complementing the conventional.
"Integrative" describes an approach to the care of the patient. It's trying to care for a patient by combining the best of conventional and select non-conventional modalities. It's looking beyond just the particular symptom or complaint or even disease process that someone may have and trying to look at the whole person. It's certainly a lot more than trying to replace Prozac with St. John's wort.
Are there particular diagnoses that tend to lead people to try complementary medicine?
In general, you see a higher utilization in people who have chronic diseases such as cancer and chronic pain-related conditions. The use among people with rheumatologic conditions is also quite high.
Why do you think people gravitate toward alternative therapies?
What I think is driving this whole interest in complementary medicine is actually quality of life. Most people who have cancer or rheumatoid arthritis are not coming into my office saying, "Can you tell me what herbs are going to cure me?" But they are coming in saying, "Look, I'm going to take these medications, but how can I maintain or improve my quality of life and how can I have more control?"
I also see a fair amount of use for general wellness among people without chronic conditions. I think that that's people who realize that, in order to have true wellness and true quality of life, you need to do more than take your medications if you have high blood pressure. You need to be exercising, eating right, managing stress, all these things that a more integrative approach can address.
What are some of the more popular types of complementary medicine?
It depends what you mean. There are things that get defined as complementary medicine like prayer for which rates may be high, but you're not seeing that discussed, obviously, within a doctor's office or a complementary medicine center. Specific medical conditions therapies that tend to be popular at this point are chiropractic care, acupuncture, herbs and massage therapy.
Do most patients discuss their use of complementary medicine with their doctors?
At least from what we know from the literature, the majority of patients don't talk to their physicians or healthcare providers about complementary medicine. Many times people don't view the complementary medicine that they're doing as medicine. And it's probably also a reflection of the breakdown of the doctor-patient relationship, unfortunately. Patients don't have the same relationships with their doctors, and there's a perception that doctors really won't be able to provide any meaningful feedback or advice.
A few years back, there was data that suggested that people didn't talk to their doctors because they were concerned about doctors looking down on them or not accepting what they are taking. More recent work has suggested that patients don't tell their physician about their use of complementary therapies because they don't think it's important for their physician to know about it.
But that may be changing. My sense is that patients are beginning to be more comfortable discussing the subject matter and physicians are more receptive to it.
Why aren't doctors raising the issue?
Many physicians have talked to me about time issues. I've had cardiologists say to me, "Look, I know how important nutrition and exercise are, but if I bring up nutrition and exercise, that's another 20-minute conversation, and I just don't have the time."
Another factor is that there is so much new research coming out that it's very challenging just to keep up with all that's happening within conventional medicine.
Why is it important for patients and doctors to have these conversations?
I would think you would want everyone involved in your care to be, if not literally, at least figuratively, sitting at the same table, with you at the head, discussing the most appropriate plan of care.
Also, oftentimes patients don't necessarily recognize that there is a potential downside to the herb that they're taking. But if patients aren't talking about components of what they're doing, there's a risk that what the physician recommends could conflict or interact with their complementary therapy.
There's something like 250,000 estimated potential drug-herb interactions per year. For example, ginkgo, often taken to improve memory, can thin the blood, and if you're on Coumadin to prevent blood clots, you need to be concerned. If you have a pacemaker, it's recommended you avoid electro-acupuncture. Certainly you need to be aware and not use magnets if you have any implantable device like a pacemaker.
How can doctor/patient communication be improved?
One of the best ways to remedy this is, first of all, to incorporate education about complementary medicine into medical education. And that would hopefully lead to continuing education for physicians who have already graduated.
That, in turn, would hopefully lead to a greater level of comfort on the part of healthcare providers in bringing up the subject matter. What I suggest is that when a physician is taking a medication history, for example, they need to always ask, "What else are you on?" Not only should they ask about over-the-counter medications in addition to prescribed medications, but they should say, "What about herbs, vitamins or homeopathic remedies?"
What happens when patients and their doctors disagree about the use of therapy?
Basically patients have a right to decide what they feel is best for them in terms of their healthcare. That's an accepted ethical principle of medicine. I see my role as facilitating their freedom of choice.
But if people are acting with incomplete information or misinformation, that isn't truly freedom of choice. I try to educate my patients as best I can about what I know about the efficacy of what they want to do, what literature is out there, if there's a lack of literature, the safety of what they want to pursue.
Patients' interest in complementary medicine certainly sparked the interest of medical institutions, individual practitioners and insurance companies. But it also got the interest of entrepreneurs and one of the things that you've seen, particularly with the explosion of the Internet, is a flood onto the market of products to treat all kinds of ailments. Often, these products or services are marketed to a very vulnerable population: people with chronic diseases, heart disease, cancer or chronic pain. And many of these products have not been tested: some may be very effective, some are clearly ineffective, some are clearly fraudulent and some are also probably unsafe. So that's where I get concerned.
My response to that is that the conventional healthcare providers need to develop a level of understanding of what works and what doesn't work. They also need to begin to have a conversation with their patients to help steer them away from things that may be harmful or fraudulent and help to steer them towards the things that may be beneficial.
Complementary medicine, in fact, offers doctors an opportunity to build a real bridge with their patients.
What advice would you give to someone who's looking to incorporate complementary medicine into their treatment?
If you have access to a credible place that offers complementary medicine, such as a hospital-based center or a provider who you feel very comfortable with, I think it's advisable to go there for information.
I would also try to cross-reference things. How does what you read in a book compare to what you're seeing on the Internet, compare to what your healthcare provider may be saying to you? And where there's discrepancies or potential issues, you need to explore that more.
There are a number of reliable resources out there such as the NIH, the Office of Dietary Supplements and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. You just have to look at everything very carefully and be sure that the source you're getting the information from is a reliable one.


text:
Copyright ® 2002-2015
BoardRoom Software, Inc. and
Whole Organic, Inc.
Your use of this site constitutes
your acceptance of our
LegalRestrictions and Terms of Use
Also see our Privacy Statement.
Trouble with the website?
Contact the Webmaster:
Fri, Nov 15, 2019 8:40 AM
Powered By:
Your Email Address:
Login Password:
Get ImmediateDelivery By
Since Jan. 2009, when the program started,we've used 100% Renewable Powerto run our lights, freezers
and refrigerators through the Dominion Green Power Program
Our Report Card Through Winter 2011/2012 is
We supported 543,331 KWHr of Renewable Energy
Which is the same as NOT DRIVING a typical car860,860 miles
Or the same as PLANTING 9825 Trees
More Than 5,000+
CurrentMonthly Specials
Many Sale Items Available In TheStores. Some Available Online Only!
Independent ChoiceStore Flyer
Last Order At Online Sale Price 11/26/2019
NOTE: Member Online PreOrder Prices May Be Less Than Flyer. Log In. Check Actual Sale Prices!
Easy Search For:
Vegetarian - Kosher - Organic
Special Diets:
Wheat Free Gluten Free
Dairy Free - Yeast Free


text:
Diverless Connections
We provide customized connection solutions for any subsea application, driven by our Retlock® clamp technology. With their inherent design flexibility, our diverless connections allow for a single system to be used across the entire field, from surface to the seabed, installed with the same tooling and work-class ROVs for a more cost-effective solution. Able to connect mono- and multi-bore, they are engineered for both conventional and high-pressure/high-temperature developments in both shallow water or deepwater.
Retlock® Clamp Connector
The Retlock clamp connector is the central building block for each of our diverless connections. A two-bolt clamp able to connect mono- and multi-bore, it is suitable not just for vertical and horizontal applications – but also any angle off the vertical that is required. A compact, lightweight design with continual leak-monitoring system, it has been proven effective in more than 1,600 offshore applications.
Riser Type Connector (RTC)
RTC is a robust, fatigue-resistant tie-in solution for the top and base of riser towers. Because the RTC can be oriented to the ideal departure angle of the riser, fatigue on the tower and the flexible riser is minimized, increasing operational life. High-strength capacity and low weight allows the RTC to also be applied for submerged turret loading systems and single anchor-leg mooring systems.
View RTC Riser Base Connections Video
Diverless Maintained Clusters (DMaC)
DMaC is a compact and light-weight drag-to-place system suitable for horizontal connection of flexible pipe and jumpers, as well as umbilicals. Designed to operate in extreme environmental conditions, the DMaC enables wet-parking of jumpers for later installation. The system provides flexible, interruptible installation with jumper, tree and manifold separately deployed in any sequence.
Flowline Type Connector (FTC)
FTC is designed to provide a reliable, cost effective, adaptable means of installing and connecting both rigid and flexible flowline jumpers, where both the tree and manifold are already on location. This run-to-place system is available for fast track delivery.
Deep Vertical Connector (DVC)
Suitable for vertical connection of either rigid or flexible jumpers, the DVC can be designed so all operational connections are made with a single system. The DVC is the first vertical connector that allows parking of the jumper without final connection, saving costs as a crane vessel is not required for full installation. This feature allows for flexible scheduling and weather windows, and makes batch deployment of vertical connections feasible for significant cost savings. No lifting line is required for full installation.
Fly-to-Place Connector (FTP)
FTP is a fly-to-place connection system for flying-leads instruments. It is fully adaptable to all hydraulic, electrical or chemical couplers, from any vendor. The FTP is a low-cost solution that can be configured easily as chemical-injection crossover plates or to carry retrievable instrumentation packs or flow-meter DP cells. The Retlock clamp allows for emergency override.
Helping clients get connected quickly, we can provide universal subsea tooling for either purchase or rental, providing flexibility for capital expenditures. Whether you need a simple modular system for one-off connector supplies, or a full-tooling system for large-connector orders, we can help. We also provide offshore technicians to accompany the installation contractor, providing the size of team required to support operations. Offshore site supervision during installation ensures all equipment is operating properly and is quickly attended to, minimizing installation time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much time is required to install a diverless connector?
Approximately 6-12 hours is normal when connecting for the first time. A further 6 hours may be required for a cleaning operation.
How do your diverless connectors reduce the size of host subsea structures?
Our diverless connectors can be juxtaposed at a 3ft 3in (1m) pitch which significantly reduces the size and weight and installation cost of subsea structures.
What is the typical lead time for a diverless connection?
Our experience in delivering standard diverless connectors results in a 6-7 month delivery time. Diver-assist connectors can offer much shorter lead times, depending on the requirement for engineering.
What is the range of pipe bore sizes of AFG connectors?
The range is 2in to 42in.
Is multi-bore possible?
Yes, within the same pullhead, multiple pipe sizes can be incorporated, as well as hydraulic and control connections.
Related Products and Services
Diver Connections
Diver Connections
Onshore Connections
Onshore Connections
Project Management
Project Management
Topside and Riser Connections
Topside and Riser Connections


text: Therapeutic Yoga is for those seeking personalized guidance to overcome their physical challenges, no matter what illnesses, injuries or structural anomalies may be present. Debra's approach is based on the Classical Yoga of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and Krishnamacharya's principle of adapting to the individual. She works extensively with yoga props and The Great Yoga Wall™, to help access the asanas (postures) correctly and bring the body back into alignment physically and energetically. Through the precision of alignment and modifications, student practice and personalized guidance, the student's body has the ability to heal and find its balance again. You can expect to improve joint stability and flexibility, muscle strength and range of motion, reduce pain and promote healing. All Levels.