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Fall Foliage Report
Thanks to our friends at www.arkansas.com for this week's fall foliage report!
Northwest/North Central
Along HWY 170 and HWY 74 close to Devil's Den State Park the Dogwood and Service Berry are turning red, Walnuts are a sunny yellow, and ivys like Virginia creepers are bright red. Hardwoods are starting to turn. The Ozark Mountains and ridges are still predominately green. Predicting color peak in 7-14 days.
Maplewood Cemetery in Harrison, AR is still mostly green, but the trees are starting to turn rapidly. Harrison is still mostly green, but the understory trees like Dogwoods are full color. Maples are starting to turn downtown, and the younger ones are almost fully changed but the older Maples are only starting to show color. The Sumac and Dogwoods are still showing vivid red. Hickories are showing bright yellows. Predicting peak color in 14 days.
Withrow Springs State Park and HWY 23 are seeing great color this week! Black Gums, Sumacs, and Dogwoods are red, and Hickories and Black Walnuts are going from green to gold. The Oaks aren't too far behind. Predicting peak color in approximately 7 – 10 days.
Hobbs State Park and HWY 12 has a beautiful deep red display from the Sumac and Dogwoods in the area, which according to the park, is made "more brilliant by the soft golden yellows of the Hickories and Sycamores." The Black Gums and Sassafras are in full display of yellows, oranges and reds. You can see gorgeous foliage all along HWY 12 and throughout the trails!
Fayetteville is starting to show peeks of yellows and reds in the downtown area and up and down I-540.
Central/Ouachita Mountain Arkansas
The State Capitol has had no change in the past week. The Clinton Presidential Library's trees on the grounds are a lovely dark burgundy
Fort Smith is still mostly green around the I-40 corridor. Sweet gums are beginning to show yellow and sumac is turning red in the area.
The Cossatot River State Park is mostly green with splashes of red and orange.
DeGray Lake Resort State Park doesn't have much change yet, but the Sweet Gums and Winged Sumacs are starting to turn.
The Plantation Agriculture Museum State Park reports along HWY 165 oranges id the prominent color visible.
Petit Jean State Park is mostly green, but the Sweet Gums and elms are turning yellow. The Black Gum and Sumac are starting to turn red. The overlooks around the park are starting to show several colors through the green landscape.
HWY 67/167 south of Cabot, AR is still primarily green but with bright splashes of yellow trees.
Southern/Eastern Arkansas
HWY 71 and around Texarkana is still mainly green but with small splashes of yellow, and the Dogwoods, Elder Berry, and a few trees are showing peaks of color.
HWY 49 and Helena are still very green, but there is a slight color change on the tops of Red Bud trees.
Around the Delta Heritage Trail State Park, the Hickory trees are turning yellow, and the gumball trees and Virginia creepers are turning red, but the park is still predominately green.
Blytheville's Dogwoods have turned a peachy color.
Mississippi River State Park reports that the chlorophyll levels have dropped in the trees, and the Hickory and tulip poplars are speckled with yellow leaves. The Smooth Sumac, Sweet Gum, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy are starting to show just a hint of red, so it won't be long.
Corning Welcome Center reports that the main color in the area is brown, but there is some spotty yellows on Hwy 67 and HWY 165.
Hampson Archeological Museum State Park off HWY 61 reports mostly green, but the Cottonwood is turning golden yellow and the Cypress are changing.
Most other Leaf Spotters in the Southern and Eastern areas of Arkansas report all green still. Foliage doesn't really start in the South and east until later in the season.
North and Northwest Arkansas are predicting peak colors within 7- 14 days. Be sure to make your travel plans in advance with the state parks.
Central Arkansas and the Ouachita Mountains are slowly changing, but with the recent weather we expect a dramatic change in the next few weeks.
Southern and Eastern Arkansas aren't expected to peak before November.
Foliage Forecast
Weather patterns during September and October (in Arkansas) are very important for fall foliage. Leaves produce sugars for food during the day but cooler temperatures at night keep these sugars from moving out of the leaves and into the tree, meaning warm days and cool nights at the beginning of fall are very good for production of red, yellow and orange colors.
Next Report: October 24, 2013


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How many times have we ignored that inner voice telling us to do something that seems pointless, odd, or impossible? It's time for us to listen to that inner voice. Wouldn't we rather be embarassed that we were mistaken about it than to find out in eternity that we ignored and prevented a wonderous miracle of God? Watch this brief video of a doctor who listened to the inner voice.
Watch More Christian Videos on GodVine.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Illinois budget 12.28.09
GateHouse News Service
Here are the top Illinois stories coming today from GateHouse News Service. Stories are available at www.gatehousenewsservice.com. Please check www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/news in the evening for changes to story lineup, including breaking news.
If your paper has a story, digest item, opinion piece or standalone photo to share, please e-mail it to email@example.com.
- Casey Laughman is on vacation.
- Jean Hodges, 630-956-8834, firstname.lastname@example.com
- Michael Toeset is on vacation.
The daily Illinois budget can be found online at http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/budget. Budget updates will be posted there.
GateHouse Media's 12 Days of Successes
This week with N&I: Year-end packages and New Years Eve callouts
Countdown the biggest stories of the decade with stories, photos and breakouts
BEST OF 2009: The news service is looking for end-of-year content that works on a national scale. For example, Best Movies of 2009 or Top 10 Songs of 2009. If your paper is planning lists, columns or the like, please let us know by e-mailing firstname.lastname@example.com. Here's what we have so far:
STATE BRIEFS: News from around the state.
To be posted by 5 p.m.
This week at the statehouse:
UPDATED WATER LEAK -- A water fountain in the Capitol sprung a leak over the weekend
sending water into a governor's office reception area a floor below. Gov. Pat
Quinn's office is still assessing the damages, but said a couple of computers and
desks sustained some damage. At this time, workers do not know how long it will take repair the damage. DOUG FINKE, STATEHOUSE
State Capitol Q&A: On upcoming deadlines for registering to vote. FINKE
This will be posted Tuesday for Wednesday editions.
NEW LAWS - More than 270 new laws go into effect Jan. 1, ranging from education mandates and changes affecting motorists to a slew of new calendar designations. We'll review some of them. FINKE, STATEHOUSE
This will be posted Wednesday for use Thursday.
For the weekend:
Top stories of the decade: This retrospective on top Illinois government stories of the decade will be available Wednesday on the news service. It's been a tumultuous decade, to say the least. Check out this year in review story.
Statehouse Insider. By Doug Finke. Will be posted Thursday evening for use Sunday.
SCHOCK AFGHANISTAN. (w/mug) U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock is in Afghanistan
meeting the top American commander there, the Afghan president and
American military - a trip that comes on the heels of President Barack
Obama's decision to deploy 30,000 additional troops. He is calling us at
11:30 a.m. with an update on his meetings with Gen. McChrystal and
President Karzai and better understand the troop increase and additional
appropriation request the president will be bringing before Congress.
(15 inches; by 5 p.m.) KAREN MCDONALD, PEORIA
PUBLIC ACCESS OFFICER Q&A: Lisa Madigan has appointed Cara Smith to the position of public access counselor charged with deciding whether government records are subject to release under the revised Freedom of Information Act. As of Jan. 1, Smith will have the power to issue binding decisions when government officials resist releasing records, and those who don't like those decisions will have to go to court to get them overturned. Here's a look at how Smith sees her new job and how she'll get things done. RUSHTON, Springfield
ART: with mug (only black and white)
ILLINOIS A&E 2009: The year in review - The down economy didn't keep people from packing area theaters in 2009. But beyond the bottom line, there were also plenty of artistic and entertainment successes. By Brian Mackey.
SHOESTRING LIVING: Here's to a frugal fresh start in 2010. MOLLY LOGAN ANDERSON
WHAT ARE YOU PRAYING FOR? Great to localize by talking to people of faith in your community. New years are times for resolutions, a commitment to change individually or become more responsible in our actions. Religious leaders, students and personalities from around the area weigh in with their hopes, prayers and wishes — their resolve — for the coming new year. SPRINGFIELD STATE-JOURNAL REGISTER
BRITT: Britt is on vacation.
JULIE KAISER: With help, here's to better days ahead. So long, 2009. This has been quite a year, and it's easy to become addicted to reliving the moments that stressed, challenged and made us cry.
EDITORIAL: Help that can pay dividends for the mentally ill. PEORIA
VIKINGS VS. BEARS MONDAY NIGHT GAME: Game story to be posted late tonight. Game story, notes and report card and NFL Quick Shots. TROWBRIDGE
ILLINI: BACK TO WORK: After a short holiday, Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber and the Illini returned to the practice court and the problem-solving. By John Supinie.


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TRX Bikini Workout
Shape Up For Bikini Season With This TRX Workout
Shape Up For Bikini Season With This TRX Workout
With bikini season fast approaching, time is of the essence. That's why multitasking moves that work your entire body are great for toning and burning calories without a lot of time. By combining strength and flexibility training with cardio, TRX suspension training may be just what you need to slim down fast.
TRX founder Randy Hetrick shared his five favorite shape-up moves (and even demonstrated them for us!). These moves will work your entire body, but Randy also recommends adding upper-body work with TRX rows or chest presses to create more shoulder and arm definition (watch our video on how to do TRX rows, bicep curls, and chest presses here). "If you do 30 minutes, four times a week, you're looking good and burning tons of calories," Randy says. Many gyms have TRX straps that you can use; learn our TRX beginner tips here, then get the body-sculpting moves below.
Source: Thinkstock


text: I was always an happy user of Pocomail. I found the support, the interface and spamfilter is one of the best on the market. However Gmail asked me to join them. I really like the online interface of Gmail. But sometimes I miss Pocomail. I would like to know other users thought and ideas on how to use both. In the past I used both an online and offline mailprogram, but I found it complicated to keep track of (un)answered messages.


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It is either denial or the ability to live in the moment, but my Parkinson's doesn't bother me too much psychologically.
Every now and then, though, the universe kicks me in the butt and says, "You ain't who you used to be, oh, formerly graceful one; runner and yoga master; judo, aikido and karate master (if pink belts count); great ballroom dancer; master of stage and podium."
A few summers ago, my wife and I took a trip to Salt Lake City, where my daughter, son-in-law and their dog, Joey, lived part of the year. She had asked us to bring wine because of the exorbitant costs in Utah. So, at the last stop before Utah, in Page, Ariz., I went into a supermarket to get her wine. I chose big jugs, about five of them, and proceeded with my post-Parkinson's gait (slow with a limp) to pay. A sympathetic young woman signaled me to her newly opening checkout stand. She looked at me sweetly, sympathetically, and then saw my purchase. Her smile froze, eye contact ceased and she got me outta there.
Same trip, later that night, I realized I had forgotten the pack with the dog food and can opener, plus the eating utensils for us. Back at the store, I felt pretty clever finding two full-sized cans of Alpo with a pull top; no opener needed. I did buy some plastic forks, however. Once again, a sweet young thing opened her register just for me and asked me to be first in line. I was in the parking lot before I figured out what could have changed her face from smiley to sad: I had just purchased two cans of dog food and forks.
The real topper happened a few months later around Christmas time in Utah. I was waiting for my wife and daughter, perfectly content sitting in the car snoozing and listening to good radio. But I had to go the restroom, so I ventured into a nearby soup-and-salad buffet restaurant. A young employee stood at the buffet starting gate.
"Can I just get a cup of coffee?" I asked. "And drink it here?" After all, all I needed was the restroom, not to go through the buffet line.
The young man looked as if he was about to panic. "I don't know . . . I'll see." And he disappeared. When he returned, he told me there was a cup left in the back. He showed me where to sit and told me someone would bring the cup shortly. They did. I sneaked off to the restroom, and when I returned there was another cup on the table. I drank them both just before the young man approached my table and said softly, so only I could hear, "I just talked to the manager, and he says you can have a meal free."
I suppressed a laugh, left a $5 tip and shuffled out into the night.
Hale is associate professor emeritus from the Oregon Health and Science University. He lives in Altadena.


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Bus carrying University of Maine athletes crashes in Georgetown
Police investigate crash of bus carrying college students
A bus carrying the University of Maine women's basketball team ran off a highway north of Boston, leaving a player with a broken hand, the head coach with minor facial cuts and the driver seriously injured.
The driver of the bus was identified as Jeffrey Hamlin, 55, of Charleston, Maine. He remained at Boston Medical Center with serious injuries Wednesday.
"A commercial passenger bus was heading southbound when it crossed the median and went into woods adjacent to the northbound side," said Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio.
The bus, which belongs to Cyr and Sons of Old Town, Maine, was taking 22 college athletes from the University of Maine women's basketball team to Boston, according to State Police.
Police were investigating whether Hamlin may have suffered a "medical incident."
Police said there were serious injuries to the driver of the bus, but the injuries to the students and coach Richard Barron were minor.
Former WNBA recruiter, now Maine assistant coach Jhasmine Player said Wednesday the team and coaches are blessed to be alive. "Our head coaches were able to tell us to get down and brace ourselves," Player said.
Georgetown Fire Chief Albert Beardsley said it was a miracle no other cars were involved.
"This is a very heavily traveled road, day and night, and for a bus that size to basically catapult across the road, I couldn't imagine being northbound and seeing that thing coming at me," Beardsley said.
"We hit the strip, and that is how we knew something was going on," Player said. "From there, all I saw was lights. The only screams we heard were from our coaches who told us to get down and stay down."
Player said she was amazed at how fast people were at the scene to help them out. "I just remember people helping us out of the woods. A very nice lady was letting some of us in her car to get out of the cold."
Watch RAW Video from the scene
The university said "three team members were transported to an area hospital for observation -- players Ashleigh Roberts and Corinne Wellington and Samantha Wheeler, the team's director of basketball operations."
State police said other students were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries. The players have since been released.
Hamlin was taken by medical helicopter to Boston Medical Center and remains in serious condition.
The team was scheduled to play at Boston University Wednesday night. That game has been cancelled.
"We're very thankful that this accident was not any worse than it was," said Robert Dana, vice president for student affairs and dean of students.
Two lanes of I-95 northbound were shut down for a time near the Route 133 exit.
Federal records reviewed by Team 5 Investigates show Cyr buses were involved in three crashes in the past 24 months. There were no deaths or injuries, but in each case, the bus had to be towed.
Those same records show it operates a fleet of 22 motor coaches and more than 200 school buses. Its most recent safety rating, which was current as of January 2013, was satisfactory.


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Pomp & Circumstance:
PCHS seniors march off into their futures.
Big check:
Commissioners reluctantly pay attorney's fees for Callaway-Ingram.
Strong survivor:
Tory Merritt survived 1993 tornado; hopes to visit those in Moore, Oklahoma.
Bygone era:
Multiple activities on tap to take you back in time at Vintage Day.
Good sports:
PCHS teams earn Region 2AAA all sports and sportsmanship awards.
A preview of the 5.29.2013 edition of The Journal-Reporter
No Trackbacks


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It's almost been two years since Georges of Lamixtape invited me to compile a playlist for the website. As the name maybe suggests Detroit Not Detroit the focus lies on techno music from the motorcity, but also music drawing inspiration from it, anything that (in my humble opionion) carries a certain Detroit vibe. A second volume followed a year later, and since everything needs to be a trilogy for some reason, the final volume went online this week.
02. St. Vitus Dance – Tunnel Vision (Peacefrog)
03. Seven Davis Jr – Summers (Apron Records)
04. Deadbeat – I.D. 6 (BLKRTZ)
05. Los Hermanos – Quetzal (Los Hermanos)
06. Clark – Riff Through The Fog (Warp)
07. Huerco S. – Elma (Opal Tapes)
08. Ron Trent & Chez Damier – Morning Factory (Peacefrog)
09. Recloose – Cardiology (Isolée Remix) (Playhouse)
10. Patrick Pulsinger – City Lights (City Of Starsigns) (R&S)


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AZUSA — Two young men walking to a liquor store were attacked by a group and stabbed several times Thursday night.
Sgt. Dave Buckner of the sheriff's San Dimas station said the men are in stable condition.
The stabbing in the unincorporated county area was reported to the station at 8:34 p.m.
Buckner said the two young men were walking northbound on Lark Ellen Avenue, approaching Gladstone Street when they were confronted by four to five men.
He didn't know what led to the stabbing.
One of the victims, a 22-year-old, was stabbed in his ribs and back while the other victim, who is either 18 to 17, was stabbed in the arm, hand and back, according to Buckner.
Their assailants fled after the stabbing. He said the victims ran on Lark Ellen Avenue then Gladstone Street.
"After they were stabbed, they called a family member who picked them up and took them to a hospital," Buckner said.
He said hospital officials notified a local police department which then called the San Dimas station.
The suspects were only described as four to five Latinos.
– Ruby Gonzales


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Results 1 to 1 of 1
- 09-05-2013, 05:57 PM #1Recruiter Romi
- Join Date
- Sep 2013
- Location
- Washington, DC
- Posts
- 8
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Opportunity: Senior java devepoper (washington, dc; citizen; contract to hire)
Senior Java Developer
Location: Washington, DC (Chinatown)
Duration: 6 months contract to hire
Job Description:
The Senior Java Developer will be responsible for translating application requirements, use cases, and concept designs into functional and dynamic applications/portlets using Rapid Application Development methods. The application will be rolled out to 25-100 users, and then ultimately be available to up to 3,000 users.
Develop and unit test complex application modules
Architect complex application business logic using Java
Develop reusable application components and library Work in all aspects of Rapid Application delivery including requirements, architecture, design, coding, testing, deployment, and documentation
Communicate within team members and serve as a mentor/leader to technical and non-technical staff.
Basic Requirements:
7-10 years of industry experience: web development, application development, gathering requirements, etc.
Core understanding in Java / J2EE technologies - Spring framework, Java Server Faces JSF, Web Services, REST, XSD/XML
Experience designing, building, and maintaining functionality for enterprise-professional web sites & applications
Solid understanding of portal technology concepts, i.e. JSR 168 and JSR 286
Highly proficient with AJAX/JavaScript libraries - ExtJS or at least 1 major JavaScript web UI Experience with building application prototypes and presentation layers
Experience with Java as well as any Legacy tool that proves expertise and understanding of system integrations
Proven understanding of OOP and Design Patterns
To apply, send resume to email@example.com
Note: I do offer referral bonuses! $500-$1000 if referred candidate gets placed in the role!
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LONDON — He didn't lose it until he saw Jennie, Jennie and Pippa and Evelyn, together under the grandstand. Simon Whitfield had already had his left toe stitched back together, and his shredded knees and shins patched up, and his aching collarbone examined, and the bump on his head checked out. He knew his time as an Olympian was over, and he was gutted. But he didn't fall apart until he saw his wife.
"I've never seen Simon upset," Jennie said, after shepherding the kids back to the hotel. "We've been together 10 years, and I've never seen him that shattered. He just put everything into preparing for this."
This wasn't how it was supposed to end for Simon Whitfield, in his fourth and final Olympics. He had come out of the water 15th, right where he wanted to be, swimming with guys he couldn't usually swim with. He ran to his bike, which he had modified with time trial tires and time trial handlebars, plus an aerodynamic helmet, because he knew he would have to make up time on the bike to catch the group led by the Brownlee brothers. He was 37 years old, and he did everything he could.
He got out onto the course, and reached to put his bare feet into his bike shoes just as he hit a speed bump. He wobbled. He was clipped from behind. He fell. He apologized to the man he took down. It was over, just like that.
"That was not how I pictured the script ending," Whitfield said. His coach, Jon Brown, said, "Something stupid, really. Just a bad accident."
And he got taken to medical, and he got stitched up, and he watched the race and cheered for his old friend Javier Gomez, the man he out-kicked on the way to silver in Beijing, the man who would win the silver medal this time. The lead group turned into a group of 20, and Whitfield would have been a part of it. He would have found out how the barrels of suffering he had endured this year would hold up, on the run. He might not have won, against Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, and Gomez. But he would have found out what was left.
Instead he limped out, and he saw Jennie and the kids. Evelyn, two, wasn't quite sure what was happening, but five-year-old Pippa had got up at 5:30, and kept asking her mom "When's the race?", and after her mom explained that sad days happen, she picked her dad a bunch of maple leaves, to make him feel better. And under the grandstand she saw mom and dad in tears, and she burst into tears, too.
"Yeah, it was hard," Whitfield said, looking down, trying not to come undone again. "It was hard to see my daughter upset, my wife upset, and I was pretty upset. Ah, that's life. That means it means something, doesn't it?
"The hard part's the sacrifices, and to be away so much. My breakdown moment was seeing my wife because I know what Jennie puts into this, and we're a team, and she puts in so much sacrifice, being at home a lot, alone. That was the hardest part."
He's been doing this at the highest level for well over a decade, because Jennie agreed they would be a team. So Simon spent half the year on the road, training in New Zealand or Hamilton or wherever, trying everything for one last race. He was right where he wanted to be. And then he wasn't.
"I guess it's the law of averages," he said. "I guess you're eventually going to hit that one. You race enough, and I've been in enough big races — I've had two incredible races at Olympics, I've had one pretty good race, and I've had now that race."
"When he was younger he didn't carry the load of everybody else," said Jennie. "I think he felt like he was carrying all of us. All you really want is Simon to go out and have a day that reflects all the hard work. He didn't have to have a medal. There wasn't anything he could have done today to make me more proud of him. I don't regret anything of what we've done.
"This isn't how I wanted it to end, obviously," added Jennie. "But in a way, I'm relieved the race is over."
Whitfield tried to keep perspective, too. "I said all along," he said, "if I had a shiny object or not I was going to be at the park tomorrow, after I cheer on Adam van Koeverden as he chases down medal number four."
He wants to go mountain-biking with Jennie and not worry about crashing, and jeopardizing a competition. He wants to get a babysitter and go out with Jennie to see his friend Hawksley Workman in concert, and goof around on the drums afterwards without worrying about having to go to bed early. He wants to see his girls pick flowers. When Jennie hugged him he told her his left collarbone hurt, and she said, "you can still drink beer with your right hand, right?" And they laughed. They have the rest of their life to get back to, now.
But first, we should settle the accounts. Simon Whitfield has been one of our greatest Olympians, all the way along. His gold in Sydney was a delight; his silver in Beijing, chasing down the best triathletes in the world in hellish heat, was one of the greatest things this nation has ever seen. He has lived the Olympic spirit, as his friend Clara Hughes always puts it. He has done us proud.
"I'll tell you what it means," said Whitfield. "I see my friend Ted Jennings from Kingston, Ont.... he's been to every Olympics and come to see me, and we grew up across the street from each other, and we always laugh — who knew I'd go on to ..."
He trailed off, for a second.
"I could play the longest, but when we played street hockey, I was the last kid to be picked. I played the longest, but I wasn't very good. I don't know if I ever dreamed of four Olympics, two medals, flagbearer; I'm absolutely blown away by the whole thing."
A grand enterprise, all of it. Time to go home.


text:
Shoes are a major product in Antakya. As in other systems the system seems to be that one firm makes the soles, another the upper parts, yet another assembles them, another et cetera.In 2018 I scanned many slides anew, and edited them again. I put this one in the place of a poorer earlier one.
For any use: see my Profile. NOTE: Many of my pictures are in sub-galleries (some within another, their name is in bold print)!


text:
When last we left them, troubled couple Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore were reportedly working on keeping their marriage intact amid rumors that Kutcher had been unfaithful. Sara Leal is not helping that process.
The 22-year-old San Diego native was rumored to be have been Kutcher's partner in infidelity when the "Two and a Half Men" star was partying - solo - in the Southern California city on his sixth wedding anniversary. Now, she has given an interview with Us Weekly with all the juicy details.
The administrative assistant said Kutcher "just came up and kissed" her before the pair, along with an unidentified third woman, ended up nude in a hot tub.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
"I didn't think it was out of the ordinary," says Leal. "I wasn't self-conscious about getting naked."
Leal claims that Kutcher told her he was "separated" from Moore at the time of their meeting. "He lost his towel and I took my robe off," continues Leal. "Then we had sex. He was good."
Although still a case of "he said, she said," there has so far been no word on how Leal's comments will affect the seemingly fragile state of Kutcher and Moore's marriage.
Selected Reading: Us Weekly, MSNBC, Huffington Post


text:
Skyframe's Team has 35 Years of experience in providing quality picture frames and design consultations. We offer thousands of picture frame mouldings, finishes, and colors. Wood, Metal, Acrylic frames, and super custom frames that are as artistic as the art inside them!
Don't know how to frame your artwork? Speak with one of Skyframe's Sales Representatives today!
Print + Frame = Big SavingsLearn More


text:
A Vintage Shopping Adventure
When William Faulkner remarked that the past is not dead, that, in fact, it's not even past, he didn't go far enough. I am walking down Portobello Road and the evidence of the past is glowing, vibrating, bouncing all around me: frames and fountain pens, toys and tortoiseshell, watches and walking sticks, pewter and perfume bottles—something for every collector's taste including my own, which runs to, among other things, Victorian jewelry, girly tabletop bibelots, and, I am ashamed to admit, 100-year-old working-class dolls that, in most cases, have seen better days.
I've been coming to Portobello since I was a teenager searching for Victorian velvet dresses that cost $1.50, and as my tastes have grown more refined I have only found more and more to enchant me. The sheer range of collectibles in this small corner of London is astonishing enough, and then there are the vendors—from thrillingly erudite to downright nutty—who expand your knowledge even as they shrink your budget.
To see the rest of London's Best Vintage Shopping, visit TravelandLeisure.com.


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Our head technical designer Jeffery Diduch is a truly impressive tailor. On his blog Made By Hand, Mr. Diduch discusses what he calls "the great sartorial debate," inspecting bespoke and made to measure suits, sometimes dissecting them and sometimes going into detailed instructions on how to complete certain stitches.
Mr. Diduch was "discovered" for his tailoring skills while making a suit for himself to wear for a meeting, as we learned on a feature interview with him on the Gentleman's Gazette.
GG: What are the most important aspects in a suit for you? Shoulders, pattern, handwork…?
JD: Fit. Above everything else, fit. An inexpensive suit that fits well will always look better than a very expensive one that doesn't fit; if the suit doesn't fit, no amount of handwork will make it look right. Continue reading


text:
The Teen Mom finale special with Dr. Drew moved into part two tonight with an evening of explosive fireworks with Maci, Ryan, and Dr. Drew. It's hard to believe it has been four years since we started watching these women, and it's also hard to believe how much everyone has grown.
They have grown in every way, too. If someone had said four years ago that Maci and Ryan could sit on a stage with Ryan's significant other and be civil, almost to the point of being unrealistic, most of us would have never believed it.
They talked about their relationship like grown-ups! Although it wasn't all wine and roses. There was some drama, too.
Ryan's girlfriend Dalis seems to plan to be in it for the long haul with Ryan, but she and Maci still had some things to work out. Like was national TV REALLY the best place to out Ryan's flirtation with Maci. I can appreciate that they are all still young and single, but come on? How does this help Bentley?
I also took issue with Maci's claim that she is the "most important person in Bentley's life." Sure, it's true that she is one of them. And it's also true that she is a great mom and is always there for her son. But so is his dad. His dad may have been not so hot in the early days, but he has changed. He is just as important to Bentley. It's a fact.
Kids need their daddies.
Now that national TV won't be constantly peering into their lives, maybe things will improve for these moms. My guess is they will improve for Maci. From the special, there was some implication that Maci and Ryan might get along better than it seems on camera. Good for them if that is true.
They hide their "secret" well. One of the funniest/most awkward exchanges of the night was when Dr. Drew told Ryan he is "pulling" for them and Ryan scoffed.
"What are you pulling for?" he asked. It was uncomfortable. It was Ryan. He comes across as a jerk, but underneath that, he is a good dad. I think we are ALL pulling for them.
The end of the show is bittersweet, but I am sure we will get updates. We better!
Will you miss Teen Mom?
Image via MTV


text:
The last few months have been a massive change emotionally for me. After deciding to step out on this path of travelling and working abroad I've really had to take stock and it's had a big effect on my thoughts and feelings surrounding what I want for myself and my daughter. I think in a way, entering into the final year of my degree or even just coming back to university after giving birth, has been the biggest catalyst to all this emotional change.
If you've had kids then you may have had a similar experience to me, where during the pregnancy and straight after the birth it's not really possible to really know what you want. I was pretty scared and a lot of things were going on that were outside of my control. I just didn't know what I wanted pure and simple. I knew what I had wanted in the past intellectually speaking, but it was put on hold in a strange way that I've never experienced before. There was an unknown entity on the way and I was really conscious that the minute they came into being and ventured into the outside world things would change – I don't mean in the obvious ways, I mean more in the sense that there would be a person who would eventually have thoughts and opinions that would change the decisions I was going to make. This mentally put me in some sort of freeze hold and I just couldn't conceive of much beyond the birth. Even after she was born I spent the usual few weeks recovering and acting like a hormonal wreck and then I started to focus on getting back to university.
It was at this point that I really started to ask myself what I wanted, I found myself caving in to those invisible societal pressures that surround us as parents and even just as people. Those pressures that tell us to conform, take a normal path, provide for our family and not take risks. Despite having never wanted to follow a 'normal' path in my life I suddenly found myself looking into 'normal' graduate schemes and 'normal' jobs. I was convincing myself that having my daughter meant I needed to make the 'responsible' decisions and not do the outlandish things I'd always wanted to do. Whilst in the early stages of my pregnancy, Monkey's Dad and me discussed things that we wanted and we both expressed a wish to travel. I said I wanted to finish my degree and give myself the option of further study, but I said that travel was definitely a part of my future. He seemed to need something more than this and I just couldn't give it to him. Now, the reasons he decided to leave are way more complex than I can do justice to in a blog post. And I don't think it would be fair to him to claim that this is all there is to it. But I think a small part of it was that I was too busy trying to control everything, whilst he was too busy trying to force me to commit to things I just wasn't ready to commit to. We were both panicking and we didn't know each other well enough and he didn't give me or himself the chance to find out what we wanted, together as a family. Within weeks of finding out I was pregnant he'd gone. I often wondered what would have happened if we'd just given ourselves the time to get used to the new situation we were in; instead of trying to force each other to be the people we thought we needed the other person to be….
Since that point I have changed and developed so much as a person I'm partly unrecognisable. I've gone through such a lot having my daughter on my own and coming to terms with the effect that will have on both out lives. As I said, I really ended up convincing myself that I needed to do the 'normal' thing for the sake of my daughter. It was only as I got further down those paths, and truly started looking at things like the NHS graduate scheme or civil service as a realistic option that I knew it was never going to make me happy – and that would make Monkey unhappy. It was this realisation that made me really start thinking about what I actually wanted – and that's to travel. I know without a doubt that if I get to the end of my life without travelling, without living in another country and possibly without learning another language then it will be my biggest regret. So to allow that to happen whilst knowing that would be a big crime against myself.
A while ago I did a post about how big my safety net should be: http://www.backpacksandbabygrows.com/2014/07/03/how-big-should-a-safety-net-be/ . In this post I discussed giving myself a back up plan that involved completing a Masters at the same time as saving to do a RTW trip, so that if travel didn't happen I would have other options to fall back on. Options that I actually wanted to take, such as postgrad study. Since writing that post though, I've realised that actually, I just want to go. I don't want any other distraction; I just want to save up as much as I can and head off into the unknown with my wee Monkey. This trip and travelling has somehow evolved into so much more than 'just' a trip. I know that thought is probably echoed in the minds of countless other travellers or wannabe travellers. So much so, it's become clichéd – but it's clichéd because it rings so true for so many people. For me this trip is about finally starting my life. That probably sounds strange, but I'm a late starter in life – my own potential and personal development has been delayed and diverted time and time again. Mostly due to circumstances out of my control, particularly as a child and teenager. My 20s were spent coming to terms with this, and it's only been since starting college and going back to university that I've become the person I always knew I could be. Having my daughter has finalised that in a way nothing else could. Making these steps to travel and jump out into the deep end, as a single parent is really the first step in what I feel is my 'true' life, the life I'm meant to have. So there's a lot riding on it. It's not that I don't want the postgrad stuff anymore, it's that I'm acutely aware they will be there when I get back, I can do those at any time, anywhere in the world. But it's travelling that will help me to be who I need to be emotionally; it's travelling that will let my daughter be the person she can be….
Another thing I've slowly admitted to myself is that I don't want to put monkey into the daily grind that is the school system. I know there are some amazing teachers out there; my sister is one of them. But there's also some terrible teachers out there and the school system is there to cater for the middle ground; it's there to create an obedient workforce who behave themselves, turn up on time, don't question authority and basically live life with a set of blinkers on. The world does not need any more of those people, that I do know – if it's to survive, if we're to survive as a species we need the mad, creative, wild and inappropriate types. I know too many people who had every last bit of creativity and individualism drained or pummelled out of them at school, to be OK with signing my child up for that. I really want to do something that probably lies in between home schooling and unschooling – (although as with most of the other unschoolers I'm not that keen on the name, as it implies no learning whatsoever which couldn't be further from the truth). Admitting this to myself has made me realise that those are my 2 core beliefs and aspirations in my life: travel and home schooling, so the rest just needs to somehow fit around them. Or I need to make it fit around them because in the end it's me that's in charge of my life. No one else can do these for me. I would love to start working for myself, writing and making a living by piecing together all my skills in a way that makes me happy. Whether that's teaching English, writing, doing photography, or a bit of all these things and maybe some other things too, I don't know. But I'm definitely not a Monday to Friday kind of a woman. I would also love to meet someone who shares my dreams, I'd like to let go enough to fall in love again and maybe (just maybe) expand my little family, as having monkey has been the best decision I ever made. Finally realising that these are the things I truly know has given me emotional freedom that I've never felt before. It's given me a purpose and something to aim at. I don't need riches (not that I ever wanted them), I do want to have the finances to travel (obviously) and to provide my daughter and myself with a half decent standard of living but beyond that I really don't care. I don't want her to grow up in the consumerist mess we have in the UK, where how we view our own worth and the worth of others is somehow inextricably linked to what we own and how much money we have in the bank. I want her to know that there is so much more to life than money and possessions. Poverty is horrific but so is having all the materialistic things you ever wanted, only to realise that you're still looking for something that can't be bought and now you've not got the time to find it.
So this is where I am today, embarking on this adventure is a strange thing for me at this point in time. I've still got a year of my degree to complete. This will undoubtedly be one of the most intense years I ever experience but it'll be worth every drop of blood, sweat and tears that I shed and have shed over the last 7 years. The RTW trip still feels completely imaginary – because it is. It probably won't feel in the slightest bit real until I actually book us those tickets, and maybe it won't feel real until we step off the plane and head into our first country on the list (hopefully China). To keep myself focused on the long-term future I keep looking at this big map online and planning where we'll go and when, I'm reading all these travel blogs and talking to my closest friends about my plans. But on the flip side, I also have to keep my feet firmly on the ground and focus on the here and now. I HAVE to get this degree; I've worked too hard to fall at the last hurdle. Not only that, I know I'm capable of getting a 1st. It's where my grade point average is lying at the moment and I'd be fibbing if I didn't say a 1st is what I want. Although saying that, I do now know that it's not the be all and end all, any degree will be a massive achievement for anyone let alone someone in my position.
So this is my bit of emotional landscaping – making that decision to travel has just brought on an avalanche of life choices and realisations that I could never have expected. I'd love to hear if any of you have had a similar experience in the comments section! I suspect that travel and making those massive decisions takes on this huge role in nearly everyone's life – especially if it's something you end up turning into a lifestyle choice rather than just a holiday. I'm so excited already at the thought of the adventures to come and the experiences me and my daughter will have together – I'll have to increase my vocabulary and powers of articulation just to put into words how I feel when we actually go!!


text:
Bill Kauffman
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: 719-228-6800
E-Mail: [email protected]
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Feb. 11, 2008) – USA Volleyball has submitted its U.S. Women's National Team staff list to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
The staff, pending final approval from the USOC, will have "Jenny" Lang Ping (Beijing, China) as the head coach, Sue Woodstra (Freshwater, Calif.) as the first assistant coach, Li Yong (Shenzhen, China) as the second assistant coach, Tom Hogan (Cincinnati, Ohio) as the consultant coach, Diane French (Colorado Springs, Colo.) as the videotape and statistical scout and Joan Powell (Colorado Springs, Colo.) as the team leader.
The U.S. Women's National Team qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing by placing third at the 2007 FIVB World Cup. The top three finishers at the event earned a spot in the Olympics.
Lang Ping, who returns to her hometown of Beijing leading Team USA, has served as the U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach for the first three years of the current Olympic quadrennial. She holds a 68-38 record in her three years with Team USA. Lang Ping helped the Americans qualify for the Olympic Games last year as Team USA placed third at the FIVB World Cup in November 2007.
Lang Ping is no stranger to the Olympic Games. As a player, she helped China to win the 1984 Olympic Games gold medal with a victory over the U.S. in the title match. She also led China to a silver medal as the head coach in the 1996 Olympic Games. As a female, Lang Ping is among rare company as she has led two different country's women's volleyball programs into the Olympic Games.
Woodstra has also been to the Olympics and was on the opposite side of the net when the U.S. met China in the 1984 Olympic Games gold medal match. She was also on the 1980 Team USA squad that did not get to participate in the Moscow Olympic Games due to the U.S. boycott.
Woodstra, who is on hiatus from her head coaching job at Humboldt State University, immediately provided dividends for the U.S. women's program. After a disappointing 16-12 record in 2006, she played a key role in the Americans improving by 10 victories in 2007. Woodstra also served as head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team at the Pan American Games, which led to a bronze medal despite having a roster of only two full-time starters from the previous season.
Li and Hogan have served as assistant coaches with the U.S. Women's National Team for the past three years. Li served as an assistant coach on China's national women's volleyball team from Oct. 1991 to Dec. 1998. He assisted the Chinese to a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games held in Atlanta. Hogan has been a part of the USA Volleyball High Performance pipeline since 2002 and was part of the 2005 U.S. Women's Junior National Team coaching staff that participated in the FIVB Women's Junior World Championship in Ankara, Turkey.
French, who has been the U.S. Women's National Team technical coordinator since 2005, was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team along with Woodstra. She played for Team USA from 1975 to 1980.


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SEM for count models?
Mplus Discussion
Categorical Data Modeling
eric baumer
posted on Wednesday, January 02, 2002 - 10:05 am
I have a situation in which I really want to estimate a fairly complex structural equation model, yet the key endogenous variable is probably best represented as a count variable with a poisson distribution (i.e., a count model or negative binomial). Does Mplus handle this type of estimation in an SEM context? Thanks, Eric Baumer
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, January 02, 2002 - 4:21 pm
Mplus does not have a facility for representing count data using a Poisson distribution. Mplus would treat this data as ordered polytomous.
Patrick Malone
posted on Tuesday, June 25, 2002 - 8:34 am
I'm also working with count data, where I have several count items (number of occasions on which the respondent has performed certain behaviors) which I would like to use in a factor model. Unfortunately, I have incomplete data.
Previously, I imputed the count data (using NORM -- yes, I know, it's already a distortion), categorized the counts into ordered polytomous variables, and ran a categorical data model in MPlus, combining across imputations.
I'd like to avoid the multiple imputation step, if possible, not least because I have a lot of individual items and the imputation takes quite a while. Would using the MLR estimator in 2.1 seem like a reasonable approach for these data?
Separately, following up Eric's question, is work being done on Poisson links for this kind of model? I have no idea what the complexities would be, but I'm used to y'all pulling rabbits out of hats :-).
posted on Tuesday, June 25, 2002 - 2:33 pm
Yes, I think MLR or MLM can be seen as a rough approximation. Mplus is developing missing data facilities for more types of outcomes. And also planning for Poisson outcomes.
Patrick Malone
posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 8:52 am
Excellent! Thank you.
Charles Green
posted on Monday, September 16, 2002 - 7:02 am
Dr. Muthen:
I am also working on a relatively complex growth curve model that is based on count data. Do you know of any resources that might save me some time writing simulations by discussing the biases that might result from treating data distributed as a poisson with M-Plus which would consider them polytomous in nature. I assume that this would entail the violation of the assumption that there is a continuous latent dimension underlying the categorical polytomous data.
Thank you.
posted on Sunday, September 22, 2002 - 9:41 am
I am not aware of any writings on the analysis of Poisson count outcomes using methods for ordered polytomous outcomes. Personally, I would not worry too much because for the simple purpose of regression I don't think the ordered model makes important violations of the nature of count data, although I may be wrong. That is, the ordered polytomous model would certainly not estimate the same parameters as Poisson, but probably fit the data well and point to the same important predictors. Perhaps other Mplus Discussion readers have an opinion here. I don't think of the ordered polytomous model as requiring an assumption of a continuous underlying dimension (a "y*" latent response variables), but merely a model based on proportional odds (see Agresti's book), so that would not be an important consideration to me in this choice.
Tor Neilands
posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 9:43 am
I am preparing to fit a path analysis model in which there are three sets of observed variables: (a) exogenous variables (either dummy-coded or continuous, approximately normally distributed); (b) mediators that are continuous and approximately normally distributed; and (c) a single outcome that is a count and which appears Poisson distributed (perhaps with zero-inflation).
We will be using Mplus 3.11 to analyze these data. Of interest are the indirect effects of the (a) variable set on (c). I notice that Mplus 3.11 does not support computation of indirect and total effects models involving count outcomes. Can you tell me how to compute these by hand?
More generally, I'm also curious how much the calculations would change under different, but similar scenarios. For instance, how would the computations change if one of the mediating variables was binary or ordered categorical? What about if continuous latent variables are involved at the exogenous, mediating, or outcome stage of the model?
Thank you for any tips you can offer on this topic.
posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 1:12 pm
With an ultimate count outcome, the indirect effect could pertain to the log rate that is modeled - so that this is the "y*" variable (in my terms) that we are used to when modeling categorical outcomes. The indirect effect would then simply be the usual product of regression coefficients and SEs computed using the Delta method (see Bollen's book). For count outcomes, Mplus uses ML and in the ML context a mediating variable that is categorical (binary or ordinal) is entering the prediction of the count outcome as an observed variable (not y*), i.e. a score that is treated as continuous. The same approach as above applies. And also for continuous latent variables.
posted on Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 1:04 pm
Hi Linda,
Does mplus version 3 handle mediating count variables?
thanks a lot.
posted on Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 1:18 pm
Yes. This is done in the new ML estimation framework. Note that when used in the equation where it is an exogeneous variable, as opposed to in the equation where it is endogenous, the count variable is treated as a continuous variable (an observed variable rather than the underlying y*-type log rate).
posted on Friday, July 15, 2005 - 2:16 pm
I am glad to see that Mplus 3 can run zero-inflated Poisson model, using cross section or longitudinal data. I have a couple of questions on this issue:
1) It looks like that Mplus only provides Loglikelihood values and Information Criteria for the zero-inflated Poisson model. Is there any way to tell whether a model fits the data?
1) Can I use the Loglikelihood values Mplus provides to conduct LR test for comparing the standard Poisson model with zero-inflated Poisson model?
2) Can I run zero-inflated negative binomial model in Mplus?
3) Can I run other zero-modified (e.g., zero-deflated and zero-truncated) Poisson models in the current version of Mplus?
Thank you very much for your help
posted on Friday, July 15, 2005 - 6:41 pm
1) No fit statistics are offered so one has to work with nested models. I believe you can request RESIDUAL in the Output command to check disagreement between observed and estimated.
2) Yes, these models are properly nested I believe.
3) No, Mplus does not yet have negative binomial modeling.
4) No, that is not implemented yet. Unless it is possible to do it via tricks like the one used in the Version 3 User's Guide ex 7.25 where the ZIP is done via explicit 2-class modeling.
posted on Monday, July 18, 2005 - 9:13 am
Thanks a lot!
Hope more zero-modified Poisson models will be integrated in the future version of Mplus. Great service!
posted on Monday, July 18, 2005 - 5:51 pm
Do you have any good writings to recommend with applications of zero-deflated and/or zero-truncated Poisson?
artem prokhorov
posted on Wednesday, April 19, 2006 - 11:54 pm
Does Mplus support grouped zero-inflated poisson indicators, i.e. indicators of the form "1 through 3", "4 through 8", etc.? Thanks
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 9:08 am
No, Mplus does not support this model.
Daniel E Bontempo
posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 8:51 am
Hello -
I was studying the example 7.25 Linda referenced above.
Is there a reference (or discussion of how the output of the two alternative approaches are interpreted)?
Did Bengt publish a paper where he used this model on alcohol or substance use data?
Daniel E Bontempo
posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 9:05 am
Hi again -
I am reading Bengt's posting above on September 22, 2002 where he wrote "I am not aware of any writings on the analysis of Poisson count outcomes using methods for ordered polytomous outcomes."
My question is about the other way around: the analysis of discrete (i.e., 6 response options) data representing unequal count intervals (e.g., 0, 1-2, 3-5, 6-9, 10-19, 20-39, 40+) using continuous Poisson models.
The choice would appear to be between an ordered polytomous outcome (i.e, 0,1,2,3,4,5,6) or a recoded somewhat discrete count-approximation using interval midpoints (or endpoints).
A colleague told me Bengt had written a paper on adolescent alcohol use where a Poisson model was used, although there was some discussion as to whether response options or interval mid-points should have been used. I have been unable to clearly identify this paper, or the subsequent critique. Does this ring any bell?
Also, what about the more general question as the best approach for modeling data obtained from a survey item about number of drinks in the past month ... etc?
The zero-inflated Poisson is attractive because many of these high-school students did not drink and reported zero drinks in the past month. But I am worried that the data is not continuous.
Our respondents are nested within school, so with either the discrete or the continuous model, I would want to appropriately handle the nesting.
Any advice, references to your own work, pointers to MPLUS examples, or other references would be greatly appreciated.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 4:11 pm
Answer to your first message of today: No, I have not written about this. One relevant, related ref. is the Roeder et al (1999) JASA article on ZIP mixture modeling.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 4:19 pm
My 1999 Biometrics paper with Shedden worked with frequency of heavy drinking as the outcome. The outcome was a categorized count outcome such as 0, 1-2 times, 3-5 times etc. One could argue that this should be handled via some generalized Poisson model - earlier in this thread a "grouped zero-inflated Poisson" model was mentioned, but Mplus does not support that yet. I tend to want to treat such data as ordered categorical. This then takes care of the strong floor effect. Another approach is 2-part modeling which Mplus also supports and that modeling has the advantage of letting covariates have different impact on the probability of engaging in an activity at all vs how much.
Mplus can handle 2-level data in either case.
Daniel E Bontempo
posted on Friday, July 28, 2006 - 12:01 pm
Thanks Bengt -
When you refer to two-part modeling, do you refer to Example 7.25, which uses two classes? or do you mean a manual split of the data into drinkers and non-drinkers and I predict frequency of drinking using only the drinkers?
Or, perhaps I misunderstand any you mean something else?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Friday, July 28, 2006 - 12:38 pm
No, I refer to example 6.16.
marissa hansen
posted on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 4:47 pm
I have a mediating and outcome variable that are both count variables. The outcome variable is a categorical count variable. The mediating variable is continuous. Below is the syntax that I used to try to run my model but for some reason the operation can not be performed. Can you let me know what part of the syntax needs to be adjusted? This is a straight forward regression model with only one LV.
TITLE:1-2-07 Instr mediation model2
DATA: FILE IS "C:\1-2-07.dat";
VARIABLE: NAMES ARE id a5 b2 d1 h5 h9 h17 needdepr recgende
forsrv lngsocco lngmedia contlang socethn relginf2;
MISSING are all (999);
USEVARIABLES ARE a5 b2 d1 h5 h9 h17 needdepr recgende
forsrv lngsocco lngmedia contlang socethn relginf2;
COUNT ARE h5 h9 h17 forsrv;
CATEGORICAL ARE forsrv;
cultural_integration by lngsocco lngmedia contlang socethn b2;
h9 on a5 cultural_integration recgende relginf2;
forsrv on a5 cultural_integration recgende relginf2 h9;
d1 with a5 cultural_integration recgende relginf2 forsrv needdepr;
needdepr with a5 cultural_integration recgende relginf2 forsrv;
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Monday, January 08, 2007 - 9:59 am
I don't think you can have WITH statements that include count variables. If this is not the problem, please send your input, data, output, and license number to
Bryan T. Karazsia
posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 9:02 am
Drs. Muthen & Muthen,
On an earlier post, you mentioned that "Mplus is developing missing data facilities for more types of outcomes". (posted on Tuesday, June 25, 2002 - 2:33 pm). I am developing some models with a count outcome. These models will be analyzed with longitudinal data, so missing data is an issue. Are there capabilities in the latest version of Mplus for handling missing data on count variables?
Thanks so much for your time!
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 10:13 am
Yes. Mplus provides maximum likelihood estimation under MCAR (missing completely at random) and MAR (missing at random; Little & Rubin, 2002) for continuous, censored, binary, ordered categorical (ordinal), unordered categorical (nominal), counts, or combinations of these variable types.
Bryan T. Karazsia
posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 11:14 am
Many Thanks!
Lisa Fucito
posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 7:08 am
I would like to model indirect effects using a zero inflated count outcome variable. The IV and mediator are both continuous. I receive an error message when I try to model indirect effects.
Lisa Fucito
posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 7:15 am
Model Constraint with Count Variable:
I have a zero inflated count outcome variable, 2 IVs and 3 mediators. My dataset has missing data. I am trying to compare the strength of different parameters using bootstrapping to derive confidence intervals. None of the estimators that are available for bootsrapping, however, work with count data or missing data. Can you please advise me of my options.
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 9:27 am
MODEL INDIRECT is available only for continuous, binary, and ordered categorical dependent variables.
Bootstrapping is not available when numerical integration is required.
Lindsay Jorgensen
posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2008 - 7:09 am
I had a brief question. I created a measurement model using both categorical and continuous variables. My final model has correlated errors between the indicators. I would like to create a full model using a count outcome and my measurement model as the exposure. However, I cannot seem to do this in MPlus. Is there any way in the current version of MPlus to include WITH statements with a count outcome?
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2008 - 8:00 am
You would need to put a factor behind the two indicators as shown in Example 7.16. Note that each residual covariance requires one dimension of numerical integration.
Lindsay Jorgensen
posted on Wednesday, October 08, 2008 - 2:38 pm
Thank you!
Lindsay Jorgensen
posted on Thursday, October 09, 2008 - 2:39 pm
Dr. Muthen,
I am having problems with the numerical integration in my model per your note above. I have 6 correlated error covariances in my original measurement model.
c by x1 x2 x3 x4 x5 x6;
f1 by x2 x3;
f6 by x5 x6;
u1 ON c;
Where the x's are my indicators, c is my latent variable of interest and u1 is my count outcome.
What would you recommend I do to facilitate the integration if anything. Change the INTEGRATION= in the Analysis step? If so, to what? Thank you!
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, October 09, 2008 - 3:16 pm
Not enough information to say - please send your input, output, data, and license number to
Mary Campa
posted on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 - 9:21 am
Hello. I am trying to estimate a multiple mediator path model with a negative binomial distributed Y, one continuous M, one Poisson distributed M, and a three-level X.
The convention in my discipline is to present standardized coefficients; however, M-plus will not provide these with the count mediating variables. Is there any way to get these estimates or a reference I can provide as to why these estimates are not valid?
Thank you.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 - 9:42 am
Regression with a count dependent variable does not involve a residual variance parameter. There is also not an underlying continuous DV for which a residual variance can be conceptualized like with logit or probit regression. That's why you don't see standardized count regression coefficients in the literature.
You can standardize with respect to the other variables.
Note that mediational models are perfectly valid in their raw, unstandardized form.
Mary Campa
posted on Thursday, April 23, 2009 - 6:03 am
Thank you for your prompt response. Could you tell me what situation would create a significant raw effect and a very non-significant standardized effect (in both STDYX and STDY)? How should I interpret this?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, April 23, 2009 - 1:36 pm
Such big differences are rare, so there is probably something peculiar about this example. Please send the output and license number to
Rob Dvorak
posted on Thursday, October 22, 2009 - 11:56 am
Hi Drs. Muthen,
I am running a model in which I have two latent variables and their interaction predicting two zero inflated negative binomial distribution outcomes, with one of the zinb outcomes predicting the final zinb outcome as well. Mplus ran the model and terminated normally, however, I just want to be sure that what I am getting is valid. I am wondering, because I am only getting a dispersion test for one of the zinbs (the one that serves as a mediator).
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, October 22, 2009 - 12:41 pm
To be able to answer that you need to send your input, output, data, and license number to
Frank Snyder
posted on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - 5:48 pm
I have a SEM with a latent variable mediating the effect of an intervention on 3 outcome variables (2 count outcomes and 1 binary outcome) and want to be sure I�m calculating and interpreting the effects correctly. For the count outcomes, I used an approach recommended in a previous post and calculated the indirect effects by simply calculating the product of the unstandardized regression coefficient of the intervention on the latent mediator times the unstandardized regression coefficient of the latent mediator on the count outcome variable. Then, I calculated the SE using the delta method; this was also done for the binary outcome. Here are my questions:
1) Did I follow your recommended approach?
2) For the binary outcome, is it appropriate to calculate the % mediation by dividing the indirect effect B by the direct effect (without the mediator) B? For example, x-> m-> y B=-1.969 and x->y B=-0.697; -0.697/-1.969= .354, or 35.4% of the effect of the intervention was mediated by the mediator.
3) Could the approach used in question 2 be used to calculate the % mediation for the count outcomes?
4) Your previous post states that WITH statements can�t be included with count variables, and I�m unclear why? Is there a reference available for not including the correlations?
5) Would it be useful to exponentiate the product terms (i.e., indirect effects) to get a fractional interpretation?
Thank you
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 9:48 am
1. It sounds like you did. Remember that the final dependent variable is the log rate.
2-3. This sounds questionable to me.
4. There is no model estimated variance for a count variable. See one of the Agresti books on categorical data analysis.
5. I think this would work. When you exponentiae a log rate, it becomes a rate.
Alicia Bunger
posted on Friday, March 26, 2010 - 8:08 am
Hi - I'm new to path modeling and Mplus(so forgive me if this question is simple!) but I was wondering if there is a way to get fit statistics for path models that have an outcome variable with a negative binomial distribution?
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Friday, March 26, 2010 - 9:37 am
Chi-square and related fit statistics are not available for these models because means, variances, and covariances are not sufficient statistics for model estimation. In these cases, people compare nested models using loglikelihood difference testing and also look at BIC.
Alicia Bunger
posted on Friday, March 26, 2010 - 10:14 am
Thanks for your response - I appreciate it!
james rosenthal
posted on Monday, May 03, 2010 - 1:32 pm
Dear Mplus:
I have a multi-wave sample of 5000 children involved with the child welfare system. I have measurements of behavior problems (approximately normally distributed) at three times, T2, T3, and T4. I have counts of the number of out-of-home placements experienced by the children at three time intervals: from T1 to T2, from T2 to T3, and from T3 to T4. The counts are highly skewed. For any given interval, about 85% of children experience zero placements, about 7-8% experience one placement only, and about 7-8% experience multiple placements. I am modeling the effects of: behavior on placement, placement on behavior, behavior on behavior, and placement on placement.
For the regressions on placement counts, I used a zero-inflated negative binomial model. This model worked reasonably well (after appropriate starting values were supplied) and provided sensible/interpretable results. Due to the skewness issue, a journal reviewer has recommended that the placement counts be modeled either as binary or ordered categorical variables. My question is: Is the placement count data so skewed that the zero inflated negative binomial is not be recommended and, thus, a binary or ordered categorical model would be preferred.
Just hoping to get an opinion on this. I realize there may not be an �answer.�
Thanks in advance.
Rob Dvorak
posted on Monday, May 03, 2010 - 4:39 pm
Hi Drs. Muthen,
I have a latent variable interaction predicting a zinb outcome. There is a significant path from the latent variable interaction to the count portion of the model. I computed the simple slopes ala Aiken & West (i.e., +/- 1 SD on one of the latent variables), and computed the SEs of these slopes using asymptotic covariances. I then exponentiated the simple slope coefficients, making them into incident rate ratios. Is this an appropriate way to compute simple slopes for non-linear models? If not, do you know of a reference for computing these? Thanks in advance.
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, May 04, 2010 - 9:35 am
James: I would disagree with the reviewer. A count variable is skewed by definition and the count model is made to handle that.
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, May 04, 2010 - 9:36 am
Rob: I think what you are doing sounds correct. I don't know of a reference.
Scott C. Roesch
posted on Friday, December 16, 2011 - 6:14 am
Using the output from a negative binomial model in MPlus, how can I calculate a rate ratio? Is there an option for this using the MPlus code?
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Friday, December 16, 2011 - 9:18 am
You should exponentiate the coefficient. You can do this in MODEL CONSTRAINT and you will obtain a standard error for it.
posted on Saturday, September 01, 2012 - 5:35 pm
Is it possible to use a zero inflated variable as a mediator in a SEM? If yes, is there any special treatment on the variable or in the way to interpret the results?
I usually use negative binomial regression when this variable is my DV as there is too much over dispersion for a Poisson regression.
In the SEM my DV is binary.
Thank you.
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Sunday, September 02, 2012 - 10:32 am
Yes. In the y on m regression it is treated as a continuous variable. For issues related to the computation of indirect effects, see the following paper which is available on the website:
Muth�n, B. (2011). Applications of causally defined direct and indirect effects in mediation analysis using SEM in Mplus.
posted on Sunday, September 02, 2012 - 5:51 pm
Thank you Linda. Much appreciated.
Tom Booth
posted on Thursday, August 01, 2013 - 12:27 am
I have a CFA model which forms part of a larger SEM which uses both count and categorical variables.
I have been asked by a reviewer to provide some information on how well the model fits. As we only have one model, AIC and BIC are not useful. Also, our sample size is moderate to large (700+) so I am not sure how useful the chi-square for the categorical and count portions of the model will be.
I was considering the following as options:
1 - fix all loadings in the CFA to nominally small values (.01), and compare AIC and BIC from a psuedo-model of no association to the CFA with free loadings.
2 - provide the average of the residual matrix.
Does this sound reasonable?
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Thursday, August 01, 2013 - 10:46 am
You might consider looking at TECH10 and also estimating neighboring models.
Tom Booth
posted on Thursday, August 01, 2013 - 11:36 am
Thanks Linda. My poor phrasing, by point (2) I was referring to a summary of TECH10.
Please excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by neighbouring models?
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Thursday, August 01, 2013 - 2:19 pm
A neighboring model would be a model which frees a key parameter that is fixed at zero in the original model.
Jacqueline Homel
posted on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 1:39 pm
I have a path model with three outcomes measured over three time points. Two of the outcomes are continuous and one is a count, and I am using numerical integration. I need to test whether some parameters are significantly different (e.g. stronger) than others. I know that with count outcomes that standardized estimates are not available, and I also read above that bootstrapping is not available when numerical integration is required. Would it be feasible to answer this question by comparing the fit of two models, one where the parameters to be compared are constrained to be equal, and another where they are free?
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 3:23 pm
You can use chi-square difference testing to test the difference between parameters with the same scale.
Jacqueline Homel
posted on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 4:34 pm
Thank you very much - but I cannot use chi-square difference testing to test the difference between parameters that do not have the same scale? If not, is there any way to compare these parameters?
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 4:53 pm
No, this is not possible.
Yvonne LEE
posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - 8:54 am
As a novice to Mplus, I am conducting modeling on 'rape tendency' on a group of offenders and have made enquiries earlier.
I have 2 indicators for my rape tendency DV i.e. self-report number of rape and official record of rape count. The former indicator scored 0 on 64% of the cases and the latter scored 0 on 79%. Because of the very low frequency on higher count, I collapse these 2 indicators into 4 levels. For the self-report rape, I collapse into 0, 1, 2, >=3 and the same for the official rape count.
Question 1: Should I treat the 2 indicators as categorical or count data? The estimation model terminated normally when treating as count data but error message 'THE RESIDUAL COVARIANCE MATRIX (THETA) IS NOT POSITIVE DEFINITE.' appears if treating as categorical data. Pls advise.
Question 2: Should I use two-part modeling ? I have tried and the estimation model terminated normally.
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 - 10:51 am
You should treat this as a categorical variable not a count variable.
I would not recommend two-part modeling.
Yvonne LEE
posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 - 5:16 pm
Thanks for your advice. I have run analysis treating them as categorical variable but error message of 'non-positive definite covariance matrices' was shown, involving variable PAbuse. Pls advise how to go about.
f1 by EAbuse PAbuse SAbuse ENeglect CTS_PV;
f2 by Rape0123 SES0123;
f2 on f1;
One thing is that both categorical indicators have a U-shaped distribution. Does it matter? Major problem observed in TECH4 is correlation between F2 and SES0123 is 1.14. Also, Rsquare for SES0123 is undefined.
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 - 6:41 pm
Categorical data methodology can handle variables with both floor and ceiling effects.
Please send the output and your license number to
Kyoko Shimamoto
posted on Thursday, January 29, 2015 - 3:23 pm
Dear Linda,
I would like to seek your advice on convergence problem. I have a count outcome, with three latent mediators, with survey data. I am unable to get the model to converge when I treat the mediators as latent variable. However, the model converges with summary measured variables(treating them as observed).
Could you take a look at my code? Please let me know anything that I could try.
Thank you very much.
count is v201;
Categorical are hlt purc visit gooutr neglr arguer refsr burnfr negsex negcon;
Cluster = v021;
Weight = weigh;
Stratification = v022;
Subpopulation = subpop_fa eq 1;
Type = complex ;
integration = montecarlo (75);
v511 ON v133 v012 work2 head urban house2 house3 house4 house5 polyfir polysec reage reeduc2;
f1 by hlt purc visit;
f1 ON v133 v511 v012 work2 head urban house2 house3 house4 house5 polyfir polysec reage reeduc2;
f2 by negsex negcon;
f2 ON v133 v511 v012 work2 head urban house2 house3 house4 house5 polyfir polysec reage reeduc2;
f3 by gooutr neglr arguer refsr burnfr;
f3 ON v133 v511 v012 work2 head urban house2 house3 house4 house5 polyfir polysec reage reeduc2;
v201 ON v133 v511 f1 f2 f3 v012 work2 head urban house2 house3 house4 house5 polyfir polysec access reage reeduc2;
f1 with f2; f2 with f3; f1 with f3;
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Thursday, January 29, 2015 - 5:51 pm
Please send the output with the problem and your license number to
Kim Kiely
posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 - 8:52 pm
Hi Linda and Bengt,
Many years ago (Sept 22 2002), Bengt posted in this thread:
"I am not aware of any writings on the analysis of Poisson count outcomes using methods for ordered polytomous outcomes. Personally, I would not worry too much because for the simple purpose of regression I don't think the ordered model makes important violations of the nature of count data, although I may be wrong. That is, the ordered polytomous model would certainly not estimate the same parameters as Poisson, but probably fit the data well and point to the same important predictors. "
I was wondering if your thougts on this remained the same?
I have the following outcome data, which strictly speaking are counts (I also expect are underdispersed with a mean=1.17 and variance=0.78):
I have analyzed as count (with NegBin and Poisson) and as ordinal in Stata, and am about to start replicating these models in Mplus v7. Generally my ordinal models have a relatvely better fit - and given the frequencies it seems reasonable to treat as such. But I would be interested get a second opinion.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 - 12:28 pm
Yes, I think I'll stay with what I wrote 13 years ago. You could perhaps even use linear regression - counts get approx normal with a high rate (mean).
posted on Sunday, February 28, 2016 - 9:41 pm
I am building a cross-lagged panel model with one count variable and one continuous variable across four longitudinal waves.
how to specify the within-wave correlations (T1, T234) between these two variables? Are there any Mplus examples?
posted on Sunday, February 28, 2016 - 10:53 pm
follow up my previous question, I will need to use ZIP model for my data. The relationship between the continuous variable and the zero-inflated part has to be estimated as well (after creating a latent variable for the count variable, the correlation between part of the count variable and continuous variable can be estimated but the model does not recognize the zero-inflated part of the count variable). any suggestions?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Monday, February 29, 2016 - 5:55 pm
I assume you specified a factor as measured by the continuous outcome and the count outcome where the factor variance is fixed at 1 and one loading is free to capture the residual covariance. Seems like you can do the same using the inflation part as an indicator of a second factor.
Sindes Dawood
posted on Monday, August 01, 2016 - 2:37 pm
Dear Prof Muthens,
Given that my outcome count data are highly zero-inflated, I am interested in comparing different count based distribution models of my data to determine the best fitting model so that I may specify my data accordingly for other analyses. Specifically, I would like to compare the Olsen and Schafer's Two-Part model to poisson, NB, ZIP, ZINB, and NBH.
I was wondering if you could please tell me what information criterion in mplus should I use to compare the two-part model to these other distributional models. BIC? Vuong test?
Thank you!
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Monday, August 01, 2016 - 4:09 pm
This has many aspects which are discussed at length in our new book
Sindes Dawood
posted on Sunday, August 14, 2016 - 8:38 pm
Dear Prof Muthen,
Thanks for your suggestion. I have since purchased your new book and read the section in your book. It was helpful in answering most of my questions.. According to the section of the chapter on model comparison, it says a Vuong test should be used to compare non nested models, which I need to do. I was wondering if you could please tell me whether mplus can compute the Vuong test and if so, how?
If mplus cannot compute it, could you please let me know what information from the mplus outputs are needed to put in the formula to do the Vuong test by hand?
Thank you
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Monday, August 15, 2016 - 6:48 am
On which page of the book do you find this suggestion?
Sindes Dawood
posted on Monday, August 15, 2016 - 7:10 pm
Hi Linda,
The suggestion was on page 264 in the new book.
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Monday, August 15, 2016 - 8:54 pm
We have not implemented this test. You would need to read the articles referenced to see what they suggest.
Lisa M. Yarnell
posted on Wednesday, October 05, 2016 - 3:52 pm
Hello, I read in the Mplus User's Guide that residual variances are not estimated for count variables: "The inflated part of censored outcomes, binary outcomes, ordered categorical (ordinal) outcomes, count outcomes, and the inflated part of count outcomes have no variance parameters" (p. 639), and indeed I have seen this in my own Mplus output before--that no R-square is given, for this reason.
However, I am regressing count variables in a latent growth model on time-varying covariates and it is working.
How can I regress a variable that does not have residual variances defined on a TVC, if it is already loading onto the I, S, and Q LGM factors? (I am not using Theta parameterization.) If its residual variance is undefined, what does the regression parameter mean? I am unsure how to interpret this.
Can you explain whether it is possible to regress a count indicator in a factor model on another variable? How can this be possible? Thank you.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, October 05, 2016 - 4:22 pm
Regression analysis with a count DV indeed has no residual variance parameter in the regular Poisson version of count modeling. You can still estimate an intercept and slopes. See for example Chapter 6 in our new book which also discussed more elaborate models.
Lisa M. Yarnell
posted on Thursday, October 06, 2016 - 5:58 am
Bengt, the quote from the User's Guide above suggests that the (zero) inflated portion of a count outcome does not have a defined residual variance; but that the COUNT portion (if it has both inflated and count portions) does. Is that true?
This seems intuitive because there is a dispersion parameter for a zero-inflated negative binomial variable.
Could you address? I will also see the book.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, October 06, 2016 - 9:22 am
I don't see that the quote suggests that the Count portion has a residual variance. The standard Poisson doesn't.
In our book you will see how one can add a residual to the Poisson and how the negative binomial model with its dispersion parameter can be viewed as having a residual.
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text:
what Elon said about the Boeing 787 battery design flaw
what Elon said about the Boeing 787 battery design flaw
A new business-prospect for Elon Musk?
Just some input from a long time friend, a PHD, holding many battery patents, working for years as the head of a battery lab for a large national company
I read the article -- not sure that there is anything super useful for
a Tesla owner or Boeing for that matter, as I think the twitter was
more about PR than anything. With that said, I'll offer two thoughts:
the Roadster does have active cooling, which is probably more to do
with extending battery life than preventing a catastrophe. More
significantly, I think the use of many smaller cells rather than a few
huge ones, probably does more to set the Tesla design approach apart
from Boeing. Despite the probability of a bad cell being greater
with more cells, the consequences of failure and large thermal events
can be lower, provided the pack is designed well (adequate thermal and
electrical isolation between cells).
One take away message is that lithium ion batteries are wonderful
things but have more narrow design margins than other batteries. This
results in a less robust or forgiving system that does not tolerate
abuse or manufacturing defects. I say this with some amount of
knowledge. It is possible to engineer more robustness into the
systems, but this comes at a cost of performance (size, weight, range
and/or dollars). Therefore, there is a balance point. Seeking the
right balance point is different for batteries used aerospace or
medical devices than from consumer electronics. Boeing is learning
this lesson the hard way. Empirically, the Tesla batteries have
held up very well. In sum, I think you should be able to enjoy your
car with confidence in performance and safety.
I still look forward to joining you for a test drive when yours
I suppose the large cells could be made safer with pass-through cooling tubes, etc.
Here is an interesting article on the battery technology used by Boing, Tesla and its competitors.
Interesting article.


text:
Renowned British tabloid the Sun has pledged to take on the task of running the nation's UFO-report bureau after cash-strapped Ministry of Defence chiefs closed it down last year. The paper says its public-spirited move has been endorsed by famous Mars-prang eggface prof Colin Pillinger.
The Currant Bun proudly announces Pillinger's backing - and that of NASA boffin Christopher McKay - in a searing report today. Giving background, the tabloid says:
Ministry of Defence chiefs secretly axed the department that investigated UFOs last month.
The axing wasn't actually very secret, having been announced on the MoD website. Nor did the "department" - actually a single low-ranking desk officer - "investigate" anything: it merely recorded UFO reports sent in to it. But no matter. "The Sun has picked up the baton" in a "bold bid to record alien activity in the UK".
"The Sun is right to keep the UFO files going," Professor Pillinger told the paper. Pillinger is most famous for his personal leadership of the Beagle 2 Mars lander project, which saw the £44m machine - after a colossally expensive journey to the red planet aboard a European spacecraft - completely cock up its mission, failing to make radio contact after being dropped towards the Martian surface. Its fate remains unknown to this day.
But the unlucky prof reckons that Sun-readers might help fill the gap in Blighty's knowledge of outer space.
"You have an army of readers who could flag up something extraordinary," he told the paper.
"Even if it is not alien life, it could be a meteorite which are of great value to the scientific community.
"Just because we do not understand something does not mean it is not true."
NASA boffin Chris McKay - famed for advocating plans to "bring Mars back to life" and described by the paper as "a NASA extra-terrestrial investigator" - also endorsed the Currant Bun's UFO service.
"I think it is only natural as a human to wander [sic] whether there is life outside of Earth," he apparently said. ®


text:
In American politics, there's no money game bigger than the one played in California.
Our gubernatorial candidates can receive donations 10 times larger than the maximum legal donation to a candidate for president.
If only our governors were 10 times as good as our presidents.
The Center for Governmental Studies, whose president Bob Stern has been working on political reform and campaign finance in California for four decades, is determined to bring the state political money game under control.
The center recently released not a series of incremental proposals but something much better: a comprehensive plan for redesigning campaign finance in California.
This plan, in the form of a model law that the center says could be exported to other states, has many smaller pieces but if adopted would achieve for two big things.
The first would be to blunt the impact of big contributions from a few rich people. The second would be to increase the incentives for smaller, broader fundraising that could bring more people into the political process.
The result would be a new hybrid system of private fundraising and public financing.
Among the most interesting provisions of the model law:
-A new lower contribution limit of $2,500 per candidate per election.
That's the same as the federal limit, but 90 percent less than the current limit in the governor's race. Right now, a married couple that gives the $25,000 inidividual limit in the primary and general elections can give a candidate $100,000.
-A requirement that candidates raise significant amounts of money from a large number of small donors to qualify for public financing.
For example, a state assembly candidate would have to raise a total of $25,000 from a minimum of 750 California residents to qualify for public funds.
That would change politics, since Assembly races are low-key, non-competitive affairs in which many candidates don't talk to that many people in the course of a race.
After an initial payment, public financing would be based on a match of small donations between $5 and $100. And that match would be on a four-to-one basis, in part to help small-donor-dependent candidates compete with wealthy self-financed candidates.
-Funding for the public financing program would come from the general fund and from a 10 percent surtax on civil and criminal penalties.
This model has worked in Arizona, providing financing so secure that the program has returned money to the general fund there.
-A ban on fundraising in off-year elections.
This would give lawmakers more time to focus on policy -- at least every other year.
The goal also is to prevent contributors from rewarding elected officials for access or particular legislation.
There is a long history of a contribution following a particular vote or legislative action. That sort of thing would be illegal in an off-year.
You can read the model law here.
It will be interesting to see if the model law sparks any real change.
If it does, you can depend on one thing: legal challenges to such a law. Campaign finance reform almost always provokes litigation.
Here's hoping this law provokes conversation too.


text:
Montgomery County Public Schools is pleased to offer "new" courses for students during the summer of 2019. These courses allow qualified students to graduate early or provide opportunities for additional elective courses in the following school year's class schedule. Students who satisfactorily complete course requirements will have these credits recorded on their MCPS transcript.
Students will complete their seat hours within the standard Summer School schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:30-2:00, June 10 - June 28 at Montgomery Central. The remaining hours will be completed independently through an online program and students will have access beginning on June 3, with posted teacher office hours for support. All students will need regular access to a computer with internet availability.
New Course Requirements:
In-county student Out-of-county student
$300.00/new course $450.00
$450.00/English 12 & Government $600.00
Early Graduation
This program is intended for students who have completed their Junior Year and can graduate with the completion of English 12 and VA/US Government. The student's transcript will be reviewed very closely to ensure that all other requirements, including verified credits, have been met. This course will require a substantial amount of out-of-class work as the student is awarded two credits upon satisfactory completion. A high degree of self-motivation and the ability to work with limited supervision is necessary for success. Students who successfully complete graduation requirements will be awarded diplomas from their home schools at a summer graduation ceremony on June 28, 2019.
Economics and Personal Finance
This course will allow students to add one additional elective credit to their regular academic schedule in the new school year provided all course requirements are met.
Health/Physical Education 9
This course is intended for rising freshmen who want the opportunity to earn a credit prior to entering high school and/or enjoy a unique PE experience. Students will complete the health curriculum through the independent online modules. During their time at Montgomery Central, students will take a variety of field trips to explore physical activities. Sample trips include: the Christiansburg Aquatic Center for swimming lessons, disc golf at Mid-County Park, and outdoor adventures at the Izaak Walton League Park. This course awards one credit.


text:
KU to host middle school students for Future Cities competition
LAWRENCE — Conjure out of thin air a cutting-edge transportation system for a city: That's the challenge for hundreds of middle school students participating in the 2014 Future City Great Plains Regional Competition, set for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Kansas Union at the University of Kansas.
The event – which will draw more than 200 sixth- through eighth-graders from Kansas, Missouri and Colorado – is sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers and hosted by the KU School of Engineering.
"This program is really designed to teach students about engineering, teamwork and how to problem-solve," said Jeff Sims, program management engineer with the Kansas Department of Transportation and Future Cities Great Plains Regional Coordinator. "The competition provides students with a hands-on technique to apply what they've learned in math, science and research."
Sixty-eight teams from 35 schools are registered for the competition.
This year's theme is Tomorrow's Transit and calls for students to use SimCity software to design a way to move people in and around a city of their imagination. Over the fall semester, teams have been busy designing a virtual city, writing a narrative of their city and then building a physical model of that city using recycled materials. At the regional competition, teams display their models and make short oral presentations before a panel of judges. They are judged in five areas: design, research essay, city narrative, oral presentation and city model.
The public is invited to view the models throughout the day as well as watch presentations from the top finalist in the afternoon.
The first-place team at the Great Plains Regional Competition will advance to national finals Feb. 19-24 in Washington, D.C. In addition, several awards honor teams for excellence in a specific area of design or for a team's performance.
Nationally, more than 35,000 students take part in the Future City Competition at one of 37 regional competitions. The winner of the national competition receives a trip to U.S. Space Camp and an award of $7,500 for their school's STEM program.
Great Plains Regional Competition organizers are seeking additional volunteers to ensure the competition runs smoothly. Helpers are needed any part of the day from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Volunteers will assist with a variety of tasks, including distributing T-shirts, checking in teams, measuring models, timing presentations and monitoring doors during presentations. KU students and others able to assist during any part of the day are encouraged to contact Engineering Outreach Coordinator Jacquelyn Pedigo at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Participating schools are as follows:
- Belleville: Republic County USD 109
- Cherokee: Southeast Junior High School
- Concordia: Concordia Junior High School
- Courtland: Pike Valley Junior High School
- Eudora: USD #491
- Fort Leavenworth: Patton Junior High School
- Garnett: Anderson County Junior High School
- Hutchinson: USD 308, Prosperity Elementary School
- Lansing: Lansing Middle School
- Lawrence: Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, South Middle School, Southwest Middle School, St. John Catholic School, West Middle School
- Lenexa: Holy Trinity Catholic School
- Manhattan: Frank V. Bergman Elementary School
- Olathe: Chisholm Trail Middle School, Indian Trail Middle School, Prairie Trail Middle School
- Overland Park: Harmony Middle School, Indian Woods Middle School, Westridge Middle School
- Pretty Prairie: Pretty Prairie Middle School
- Sterling: Sterling Junior High
- Topeka: St. Matthew Catholic School, Washburn Rural Middle School
- Belton: Yeokum Middle School
- Kansas City: Raytown Middle School
- Raytown: Raytown Central Middle School, Raytown South Middle School
- Stover: Morgan County R1 School
- Sturgeon: Sturgeon RV.


text:
It's a sign of just how far prices for DDR2 have fallen that Corsair's once prohibitively priced Dominator RAM is available for less than £100.
Given the overclocking potential of Core 2 and Phenom chips, though, there's a convincing argument for stretching to buy the famous DHX heatspreader.
Disappointing performance
Unfortunately, we ran into problems with the Dominator from the off.
Even without the FSB cranked up for a comparable test platform to the 4GB kits, we couldn't hit the quoted 1,066MHz speeds at 5-5-5-15. The best we could manage was 900MHz.
Even if this was just a curiosity of our mobo, the main conclusion stands: four gigabytes of slower RAM outperforms two gigabytes of performance stuff like this in all our practical tests.