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Jonathan Vincent is mourning the death of a friend, a man to whom he delivered a sofa, struck up a friendship and with whom he helped to hand out money to the homeless.
The death of Robin Williams in San Francisco this morning has left Jonathan saddened and reflective about a man who quietly gave his time and his money to help others.
Jonathan who now lives in Merimbula on the NSW Far South Coast, first met Robin Williams in 1988 when he was working with a removal company to the rich and famous of San Francisco, AKT Trucking. The trucking company was delivering items to Robin Williams' temporary home while his new house was being built.
Jonathan said: "We were delivering an expensive couch to his house in San Francisco at the Golden Gate and we just seemed to click. He couldn't get his head around my New Zealand accent. He could do an Australian accent but not New Zealand one. I worked for him a couple of times and then he said that he was involved in some charity work and would I mind giving him a hand."
Jonathan agreed to help Robin. "He drove up to my place, picked me up and we drove to an area where there were lines of homeless people outside soup kitchens."
"We parked and went on foot and Robin started handing money out. Some people recognised him and some thought he was a ghost. He wore a hoodie because he didn't want to be recgonised."
It became a regular outing for Jonathan and Robin about once a month over the course of almost four years when Jonathan lived in San Francisco.
Jonathan said that Robin would either leave some money with the soup kitchen organisers or simply hand it out to the homeless in the queue.
"He was a generous, witty and kind person with his time. He was famous on the big and small screen but there was another side to him that I was privileged to be apart of. The idea was hatched as we jogged around the cinder track in Golden Gate Park in 1989, every Wednesday Robin, a few mates and my partner and I would meet on the corner of O'Farrell and Van Ness to begin our rounds of visiting those who were sleeping rough.He was one of the brains behind the portable homeless shelter in a briefcase.
"You have to realise that San Francisco in winter it can get so cold that people have been found dead even on Market Street, the main shopping strip.
"Robin often handed out cash and clothing, but his greatest gift besides his humour was to offer his hand to show that he did really care. Robin quietly supported many charities but one he was most passionate about was visiting San Francisco General and San Diego General hospitals to offer support to those living with HIV/AIDS."
"I could not tell you what financial contribution he made to these hospital support services but it was significant. He used to say that he was carrying on the tradition started by Gerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead fame who would hand out $100 bills on Christmas Eve to the homeless."
It was something that Jonathan also became involved in when he was asked to help Gerry Garcia. "Robin would come along in his trackies and hoodie surprising and delighting those who recognised him."
There were moments of quiet and introspection though. Jonathan said: "During his quiet moments you could see in his eyes there was a bigger plan. He always wanted to ground himself by helping the common people. He was very introspective sometimes."
But there was also a dark side with which Robin Williams wrestled.
Jonathan said that he saw that side when Robin wouldn't speak for a couple of hours or would suddenly race off when they were jogging as if he wanted to outrun the dark mood that had overtaken him.
Jonathan said: "We have lost one of the great funny men on the 20th century. Robin always lived life at full speed, had his issues with addiction but in his eyes you could always see the spark of human kindness that made him more a man than a celebrity. He was a noble person, of great humility, whom I am privileged to say shared a tiny part of his life and humanity with me."
Robin Williams 1951 – 2014
Story via South Coast Register
for well-being news and info or


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The Daily Word in falling satellites, no clergy allowed at 9/11 ceremony and people wearing clown noses to spread joy.
Plus, let's ban deep sea fishing.
This satellite is going to fall to Earth, but NASA says it probably won't hit anyone.
More allergens this Fall than ever, including extra mold.
A team of marine scientists want to put a stop to deep sea fishing.
The private medical data of 20,000 patients was online without detection for almost a year.
Threat of terror attack has Department of Homeland Security beefing up.
Mayor Bloomberg bans clergy from 9/11 commemoration.
Xkcd reminds us that sending files is tricky.
Old-timey curse words and gross insults.
A muslim school navigates how to teach students about 9/11.
This poem reminds you to feel awesome about yourself.
A group that wears clown noses to make people smile, and wants you to wear them too.

subset: commoncrawl


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Troop 635's
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Just when I thought things had calmed down…
The Story Siren (TSS) recently launched a week-long series on plagiarism meant to educate both herself and her readers. Although a good idea in theory, it has also reopened wounds that are not yet healed and reawakened some feelings of anger and—quite frankly—sadness about the whole situation.
It has also dredged up discussion about apologies, personal attacks and moving on. I can't speak to the feelings of the other bloggers whose work was stolen, but I can try to illustrate why it is that I have not yet been able to forgive Kristi for her actions (if you don't know what I'm talking about, this covers it). It is not my intent to attack her in any way… instead I want to use this experience to facilitate a discussion about non-apologies and their ineffectiveness.
A Clarification
Before I go on, I want to point something out that I feel has gotten lost in this drama:
Grit and Glamour and I were not the only two people Kristi stole from. She also plagiarized Fajr of Stylish Thought and a guest post that Jamillah of Made to Travel wrote for my blog.
Let me repeat that.
Kristi lifted content from FOUR different authors on THREE separate blogs, and…
We, the bloggers who were plagiarized, have yet to receive a true apology from her.
UPDATE: 4:35 pm EST on 5/23/12: Grit and Glamour commented below and her words deserve to be included in the post itself:
"And the other thing no one else knows—and they should:
WE HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A PERSONAL EMAIL FROM HER TO APOLOGIZE SINCERELY OR ASK HOW WE COULD WORK TOGETHER TO GET PAST IT. Just the initial correspondence and nothing since it exploded online.
She had our email addresses. She can find us on our blogs…she did the first time and many times after. She can find us on Twitter. She never has. That, to me is proof of guilt, immaturity, and the inability to own up to her actions. And perhaps even fear."
– Vahni of Grit and Glamour
The Famous Non-Apology Apology
A non-apology occurs when a person is compelled to express regret while—in actuality—accepting no blame or responsibility for their actions. In a non-apology, the person at fault shows no real remorse for the wrongdoing and, instead, makes excuses and makes themselves appear to be a victim. In a non-apology, the offending actions are not clearly described and are instead only hinted at. A non-apology is damage control at its worst.
image by thebigharumph via
True apologies are direct, clear and brief. They are not supplemented with excuses and justifications. They do not suggest that someone's actions or intent were misinterpreted. They are transparent and outline the wrongs that were done. They are authentic. They are damage control at its best.
As of now, the four wronged bloggers have yet to receive a true apology from Kristi. All we have gotten is non-apology after non-apology.
"I'm sorry, but I am not guilty…"
"… I would never intentionally take someone's content and pass it off as my own. As you mentioned I am an advocate against this behavior and believe there is no excuse for it. I sincerely apologize for putting you and your friends in this situation. In all honestly, I have never been to your blog or any of the blogs mentioned in this email until tonight when I cross referenced the posts that you had listed. I rarely if ever read blogs beyond the book blog community. But I could not agree more with your assessments of the posts. And I am sorry to say that I have no viable explantation. I even searched my web history to see if perhaps I had read the posts and had recalled them as I was writing my own… As I've mentioned initially, I would never intentionally copy content and I'm more than happy to rectify the situation in whatever way works best…"
– Email from Kristi of TSS, 01-20-2012
This is a non-apology at its finest.
When we initially approached Kristi we gave her the opportunity to handle the situation professionally and admit her actions; instead she denied them and lied about her knowledge of our websites. If she had simply accepted responsibility for what she had done with no excuses—and complete transparency—it would have ended here. Instead, her "apologies" were negated by her outright lies and refusal to accept full responsibility for the situation.
This is when things escalated and we presented her with the IP evidence documenting the time spent on our websites. At this point we asked her to remove all the posts in question and requested that she publish a post on The Story Siren that would serve as a public apology to the 4 bloggers whose work she plagiarized. We felt strongly that her readers, and the authors and agents she works with, had a right to know that a blogger they respect knowingly plagiarized fellow bloggers.
This request led to more non-apologies.
"I am sorry… for the wrong thing"
"I have since deleted all the posts from my blog and from any social media accounts. I apologize again for the inconveniences this has caused you."
– Email from Kristi Diehm, 01-23-2012
When you are apologizing to someone, please don't lose sight of what you should be apologizing for. The issue here was not that we were inconvenienced. It was that we were plagiarized.
"I'm sorry I got caught, now here are my excuses"
"I'm was not being dishonest in my admission of not having visited your blogs. As far as I knew I had not. I know that seems convenient in this instance, but I visit hundred's of blogs a week and I simply cannot remember them all… However, in mentioning your specific Blogger to WordPress posts, I do admit, yes I did recently consult them in my own move. I thought they were wonderful posts. I did not recognize your blog upon my revisit of the posts in question… I apologize for not remembering a blog that I visited months ago."
– Email from Kristi Diehm, 01-23-2012
When apologizing, don't be dishonest about your actions. We had proof that showed each visit to our blogs did not occur months ago, as she suggested, but as recently as January 11th and January 19th, 2012. We reached out to her on January 20th, 2012. That wasn't "months ago" it was the day before. Excuses and dishonesty just weaken the apology further.
"I am sorry… but I am a victim here!"
"… As I mentioned in my email earlier I would never do something to jeopardize what has taken me years to build. I understand that this a very frustrating situation for you, but I don't see how taking that away from me is going to improve the situation. What I did was wrong, knowingly or not and I apologize for that."
– Email from Kristi Diehm, 01-23-2012
In a true apology, one should never paint themselves the victim as Kristi did above. We weren't—and still aren't—out to destroy Kristi, her work, or her reputation. We have never attacked her personally and this post isn't meant to do so either.
"I am sorry… but I still can't bring myself to say why"
"I apologize for my actions and for the disruption I have caused all of you. This has been a very eye-opening experience for me. I assure you… You, nor anyone else, will never need to contact me regarding this issue ever again."
– Email from Kristi Diehm, 01-24-2012
This almost sounds sincere. Except in order to truly be sorry for your actions you have to admit the mistake you made. Kristi did not own up to her plagiarism in any of her prior emails (it was all a huge coincidence! I never visited your sites!), so which actions was she referring to here? The inconvenience she mentioned earlier? The lies? The denials? The disruption? Again, no clarity. This reads more like "I am sorry that you took this so personally." How can we forgive if the person at fault can't find the right words?
All we ever asked of Kristi was that she take full responsibility for what she had done and stop making excuses. When it became clear that wasn't going to happen, we dropped it. We didn't force her to go public and decided to use this as a teaching experience on our own blogs. Given that our niches rarely cross paths (until now), we never expected this to come out.
The truth goes public
Though our initial contact with Kristi occurred in January, things went public in April. We did not out her. Her own book blogging community did and things got heated.
I'm not going to discuss the first apology she posted on TSS because she admitted she was emotional when she wrote it and had to clarify her comments with a second one.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, that second apology was also a non-apology.
"I'm sorry… but not to the right people"
"I am truly sorry for all the trouble that this has caused the book blogging community. That's my biggest regret. You gave me your respect and I let you down. I took a role as a leader and I didn't take my actions into account as it would reflect on the community as a whole. For that I am truly sorry."
– Clarification post on TSS, 04-24-2012
"I'm sorry I got caught… now I am going to change my story"
"When I first received the allegations of plagiarism, I was presented with the information and could not deny the facts. While the content was not identical the subject matter was… I am not denying my actions. I was in the wrong. I read a post, I thought it was interesting and wanted to make it into something that would be relevant for book blogging."
– Clarification post on TSS, 04-24-2012
Chances are the people you wronged will be seeing your public apology so this is not the time to change your story. In this case, Kristi did deny the facts in her correspondence to us. Repeatedly. She also denied her actions. Repeatedly.
"I'm sorry… that my reputation was hurt by this"
"I know that I have disappointed many of you. That is heartbreaking to me. I am still the same person that you have come to know through the years. I just really screwed up. I am sorry for the strain that I have put on the blogger/author/publisher relationship. I for one have worked hard to lessen that strain, and it seems that all of that work may have been lost in this mistake."
– Clarification post on TSS, 04-24-2012
The key to a successful public apology is clarity. By this point Kristy had apologized for everything except intentionally plagiarizing fellow bloggers.
"I'm sorry… because I am expected to be"
"To Grit and Glamour and Beautifully Invisible, I extend my deepest apologies. Please do not judge the book blogging community by my mistakes."
– Clarification post on TSS, 04-24-2012
There are so many things wrong with this particular statement I don't know where to begin. First, what is the apology for? Deliberately plagiarizing our work? Getting caught? Inconveniencing us? Representing the YA book blogging community? Why would we judge others based on the actions of one person?
What about the two other bloggers that were plagiarized? Do they not deserve an apology because they have stayed quiet?
Again, if you are going to publicly apologize to the people that were wronged, be transparent about it!
If I had been in Kristi's shoes I would have said: "To the four bloggers I plagiarized, I am sorry for my actions. I am sorry that I denied it. I am sorry I tried to make it sound like a misunderstanding and a mistake. It wasn't. I knew what I was doing and take full responsibility for my actions. I hope you'll be able to forgive me one day."
Plagiarism revisted…
"I'm sorry it's public… so let's downplay what I did"
"Hello, my name is Kristi, the Story Siren and I am a plagiarist… How did it happen? I'm not really sure I realized I'd crossed the line I'd been so adamant against, but I did. I suppose it happened because there was something I wanted to say, and I couldn't find the right words to say it. I was asked a question about a blogging topic and went in search of inspiration. I came across a couple of posts that seemed like I could have written them myself — they expressed exactly what I wanted to, in the way that I wanted to…
I wanted to make it relevant to book bloggers. I knew I couldn't use their words — not exactly as written — so I added words of my own and subtracted a few of theirs. In my mind, I had done enough to make it mine; it was my voice. But I was wrong. I screwed up."
– Let's Talk about Plagiarism post on TSS, 05-21-2012
Again, these comments are riddled with excuses that downplay what happened. The phrase "I'm not really sure I realized" attempts to remove culpability. The phrase "a couple of posts" downplays the fact that this happened six times and to multiple (four!) bloggers.
Then she goes on to admit that she copied the posts in question and made a few small tweaks. That shows intent. Plain and simple. Intent indicates that she knowingly plagiarized. It was no accident.
"I'm sorry… I made a big mess of things"
"And I screwed up even more when they called me on it. I tried to deny it, because I didn't want to believe it myself. I tried to keep it private, because I didn't want to be judged."
But when it all came out anyway, that just made everything seem even more deceitful. I should have admitted I was wrong right away. But I didn't."
– Let's Talk about Plagiarism post on TSS, 05-21-2012
So close… but yet again, she stopped short of true transparency. After this post went live on The Story Siren, I noticed a slight spike in my own blog traffic. People were coming to my site after searching "Story Siren plagiarism" because they still didn't know what she was talking about. Everything is still being discussed in vague, nondescript terms. How can you truly be an advocate against plagiarism when you can't be transparent about your own actions?
"I'm sorry… but it could have been all of you!"
"… an author contacted me and suggested I look at this as an opportunity. She said, "A lot of young people, bloggers and writers read your blog, and all of them have probably walked that plagiarism line at least once, whether they are willing to admit it or not…" She asked me to consider hosting a discussion about plagiarism, to help all of us figure out what it is, why it's wrong, and how we can all avoid doing it in the future."
– Let's Talk about Plagiarism post on TSS, 05-21-2012
I'll be the first to admit that we all make mistakes. None of us are perfect. But the above statement gets my blood boiling. Again, it takes responsibility away from Kristi by suggesting that everyone ("all of them" "all of us" "we can all") needs a lesson in plagiarism because everyone does it. I have a Bachelors in English and have a career that involves plenty of writing. I can guarantee you this is one line I have not walked.
Why Non-Apologies Don't Work
There is a misconception that simply saying "I am sorry" fixes everything. That couldn't be further from the truth. More important than those three little words are the way the apology is presented and the tone behind it. Transparency and directness are key ingredients in making the wronged parties feel like the apology is an authentic one.
Excuses, double-talk, misrepresentations, half-truths and denials negate every "I am sorry" they are coupled with.
To those that believe we need to move on and that Kristi has apologized enough:
I don't know Kristi. I don't know what type of person she is and I can't speak to her character. What I do know is how she has handled this situation and that has been poorly. I understand that she is trying to make amends with the book blogging community but for many that won't happen until the non-apologies stop.
We—the victims—have tried to handle this in a professional manner. We've addressed the subject on our blogs when we felt it was necessary. We spoke out against any bullying occurring, whether the victim of said bullying was Kristi or one of us. We have remained (mostly) quiet on other blogs and only shared our thoughts when absolutely necessary. We have given her every chance to do the right thing by us.
And we are still waiting for that apology.


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Modern nuclear technology for new plant
The hand wringing has started in earnest as the NRC has granted permission for Southern Co. to add two more units to its Vogtle nuclear plant site in Georgia. "Haven't we learned anything from Fukushima?" the chorus asks.
The answer to that is yes, we have learned a great deal, not just from Fukushima (other than maybe we don't want to locate plants right on the coast) but from all the nuke plants around the world. Here's an analogy: Let's say you want to buy a new car, but your friend says cars aren't safe based on the fact that his aunt was killed in a crash in a 1967 Plymouth. What would you say in response to that? You could legitimately make the point that cars have changed a great deal since then. Accident information collected over the years has guided technical improvements, like airbags, that make today's cars much safer.
Such is the case with nuclear reactors. The new units proposed for Georgia will use Westinghouse AP1000 reactors, which are billed as Generation III+ technology using many safety improvements compared to those designed and built 30 or 40 years ago. This reactor is also a modular design to cut construction costs. To make a specific and very relevant connection to Fukushima, once the tsunami hit and those plants went dark, there was no power available to run cooling pumps, which was a serious problem. The AP1000 has a passive cooling system that can operate via gravity and convection without needing power. Lesson learned.
Of course there are lots of those old nuke plants still running which need upgrades. Many have already been improved, but there is more to do.
Others detractors suggest that those new plants aren't necessary, particularly with natural gas so cheap. Yes, it's cheap today, but what happens if fracking is banned for various environmental reasons? That idea has been seriously suggested. Nuke plants look to the very long term, and they are 24/7 base loaded facilities. I don't know enough about Southern Co's generating fleet, but maybe these new reactors could create room to retire older coal burners.


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Just Too Busy is a fun, friendly and focused marketing consultancy working with small businesses in West Sussex and Surrey. We LOVE developing great creative ideas and strategic plans for your small business marketing.
Our aim as marketing consultants for small businesses is to provide a service that is professional, flexible but above all 100% value for money. As a small business ourselves, we know that any expenditure is a serious commitment. We also know that marketing is a key investment in any business, so we do our best to make it a worthwhile and successful one for you.
You can take advantage of a complete marketing service which includes helping you work out what your brand and marketing should actually be about, to creating a new visual identity for your business, (including a logo), to crafting a clear and targeted marketing strategy and messages for your business, backed up by our range of writing, creative and design services to implement your small business marketing.
If you would like to work with a friendly, professional and highly creative team to drive your business forward then please get in touch.


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Welcome to Mesón European
Known as "One of San Antonio's Best Kept Secrets" Meson European Dining offers exceptional San Antonio Dining. Our attentive staff will assure you the finest dining experience available, while our Chefs prepare your cuisine with the utmost attention to detail. Our beautiful dining rooms surround you with elegance.
Mesón European
Finest Dining Experience
Enjoy your own european culinary experience right here in San Antonio in an elegant dining atmosphere. Savor an endless variety of fresh herbs, luscious meats, vivid herbs and freshly ground spices to enhance flavour and inspire you.READ MORE
Our Promise
Excelent foods and service
Not only do we understand you want the perfect banquet with wonderfully delicious foods and beverages, we also understand that you want it provided with superb service. Enjoy a very private, cozy and romantic dinner while your waiter attend to your needs.READ MORE
The perfect banquet
Special events
Planning a wedding, banquet, or other dinner event? At Meson European Dining we are dedicated to providing you and your guest a most memorable experience. Your wedding reception and wedding plans are our top priority. Committed to your enjoyment.READ MORE
Spinach also graced a most wonderful Lobster Florentine, chief among the specials one evening. Consider yourself lucky if it's available when you dine there and forget all other options. The sweet, moist lobster meat was a perfect match for the spinach and the creamy sauce that graced it.


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3 steps to reduce your risk of stroke
(NewsUSA) - Four out of five victims of a stroke saw no obvious warning signs -- meaning 80 percent of adults who suffered a stroke had no idea they could have managed their risk factors, according to the National Stroke Association.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says stroke has become the fourth leading killer in the U.S. If adults can't rely on warning symptoms to point to signs of a stroke, they should take stroke prevention into their own hands. Many of the most significant risk factors are controllable.
"Preventive health screening aims to identify those with subclinical disease at a time when lifestyle changes and medical management can make a difference," explains Dr. Andrew Manganaro, the Chief Medical Officer at Life Line Screening -- a provider of community-based vascular screenings.
"The risk factors for cardiovascular disease are incredibly prevalent. The latest statistical research reveals 94 percent of the U.S. population has at least one serious risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The facts are clear. We are a nation at risk."
Consider three simple steps -- lifestyle changes you probably should've made years ago -- to lower your risk of stroke.
1. Get a preventative screening. This is the most important preventative step you can take. Diet and lifestyle changes won't alleviate your risk if your family has a history of stroke, Type 2 diabetes or carotid artery disease.
2. Find 3.5 more hours each week to be physically active. Besides reducing risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol, exercise keeps arteries flexible. Take three more walks each week, buy a fun exercise DVD like Zumba or just add a set of push-ups or sit-ups to your workout routine.
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, increasing your level of physical activity by 3.5 hours per week can reduce your risk of stroke by almost 40 percent, regardless of your age.
3. Write a step-by-step plan to stop smoking. Women who smoke a pack a day are at increased risk of hypertension, plus their cardiovascular system is damaged by continued nicotine and carbon monoxide.
Making a plan to quit is the first step, but following through is the toughest step. Write down when you smoke, why you smoke and what you are doing when you smoke. This will show what triggers you to smoke, which is necessary to help you figure out a way to replace those urges with something less harmful.


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Tooling Article
Punch Tooling Supports Rapid Growth
Twelve years ago, the workforce at Pulverman Precision Metal Components numbered eight and generated annual revenues of roughly $500,000. Today the company employs 190 people, with annual revenues approaching $30 million. To say the company has grown quickly is perhaps an understatement.
Founded in the early 1940s in Wilkes-Barre, PA, Pulverman now operates out of an 80,000-sq.-ft. plant in Dallas, PA, supplying custom-fabricated metal products. The firm performs laser cutting, stamping, precision forming, welding, powder coating and assembly for customers working in the transportation, construction, HVAC, electronics, computers and appliance industries. Its rapid expansion can be credited in part to a boom in the heavy-trucking industry, as its fortunes grew along with a major customer in that industry.
This truck heat shield, the first part Pulverman produced using its new turret-press tooling, is manufactured entirely on a turret punch press from 14-gauge Type 304 bright annealed stainless steel. The material tends to wear tooling quickly, but that's not been an issue since switching to Wilson Tool's EXP tooling.
The Downturn Sparks Diversification
During the recent economic downturn, the company chose not to rely so heavily on its one major trucking-industry customer, so management made a serious effort to diversify its product line and acquire new customers in new industries. The strategy has worked remarkably well. Not only has Pulverman gained customers across a wide range of industries, but it has experienced double-digit growth during all but one of the past 12 years.
Its equipment list includes three CNC laser-cutting machines, rated to 4000 W; 15 stamping presses, from 60 to 300 tons; several arc- and resistance-welding machines; 12 CNC press brakes, the largest a 10-ft. by 140-ton model; and seven CNC turret-punch presses.
To equip its hard-working turret presses, over the years Pulverman has accumulated a varied tooling inventory from several tooling suppliers. Its variety of machine and tooling suppliers tended to cause confusion. Enter Wilson Tool, White Bear Lake, MN, which introduced its EXP punch technology to Pulverman to help ease the confusion. And when the Pulverman management team learned that EXP tooling utilizes standard punch holders with universal punches, it leapt at the opportunity to standardize and simplify its tooling inventory. Rather than use multiple types of thick turret tooling, it now sources with one tooling manufacturer—Wilson—and stocks a single punch inventory that can be used throughout the shop.
Pulverman punches the bolt holes and perforations on this muffler heat shield on its turret presses. The part is of 16-gauge Type 304 bright annealed stainless steel.
Pay Now, Save Later
"By buying EXP punch holders, we've been able to standardize our turret tooling," says Ken Yermal, Pulverman's sales and engineering manager. "I only have to buy one punch that can be used for any of the three styles of tooling that we use. It's been a big help."
EXP punch technology is available for all major brands of thick turret tooling and is fully compatible with all current guide assemblies. Pulverman is systematically replacing its old tooling, as the old punches wear out, with EXP punch technology.
"Often, when our old punches wear out, we just replace them because the spring packs and the punch guides are still good. It doesn't make sense to throw them out," adds Yermal.
Pulverman has enjoyed significant cost savings since standardizing its punch inventory. While upfront costs may be higher to purchase the holder and the punch when compared to buying just a regular punch, moving forward the firm only needs to replace the punch insert. This has proven to be much less expensive than buying a full replacement punch.
Turret punching manufactures this truck dash structure, of 16-gauge cold-rolled steel.
"We realized almost immediate cost savings," says Yermal. "We're getting more life out of the punch inserts because they're machined from a higher-quality tool steel, and we're also experiencing more grind life with the tooling."
A Fine Finish on Sensitive Work
Pulverman fabricates a variety of materials, including mild steel, stainless steel and aluminum. In particular, stainless-steel and aluminum work tends to be very finish-sensitive, requiring polished finishes without scratches. Not only does EXP punch tooling handle this variety well, it's also showing little signs of wear.
"We've been using the tooling for several months now and haven't worn out any of the punch inserts," says Yermal. "But I can tell you that if they were standard punches, we probably would have replaced several by now."
Yermal also appreciates the quicker changeover times realized with the new tooling. Once an operator removes the guide assembly, there's no need to twist out the punch holder. Changing punches is a simple matter of switching punch inserts.
"Instead of having to build the tool up from scratch," he says, "all the operator has to do is give a quarter-turn with an Allen key at the bottom of the punch holder. With the punch insert removed he then can install a new insert and lock it in place. It all happens in just a few seconds, a big time saver."
For Pulverman, upgrading its punch technology represents the firm's "constant effort to expand our business, attract new customers and make sure we stay on top of quality and delivery, to keep our customers happy," says Yermal.
With yet another year of record sales expected in 2012, this strategy seems to be working just fine. MFArticle provided by Wilson Tool International, White Bear Lake, MN: 800/328-9646; www.wilsontool.com.
See also: Impax Tooling Solutions, A Div. of Wilson Tool International
Related Enterprise Zones: Fabrication, Tool & Die


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I wrote a lot more about this on my blog, which you can read here.
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Since the release ZBrush 4R4, we've presented more than 20 ZClassroom videos that are available at ZClassroom at Pixologic.com.
We are delighted to add to this list another set of movies created by ZBrushCentral member Joseph Drust aka Piggyson.
About Joseph Drust
Joseph has over ten years of experience working in the video game industry as a character artist with a focus on modeling and sculpting. He has created character assets for games including Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, Ben 10 Alien Force, Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, and most recently Ghost Recon Future Soldier.
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View and Download his "MatCap Baker" ZPlug-in here
Also view and Download his ZPlug-In "ZWelder" and "Insert Mesh Master" here
In the first two movies of this series, Joseph dives into the process he uses in order to build a real world military component known as 'Modular Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment', or a MOLLE. The MOLLE is an integral component used by military forces to help soldiers carry resources and supplies, including drinking pouches.
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Creating a "Molle" Insert Mesh Curve Brush Part 1
Watch intently, as Joseph Drust models a military vest accessory by using a multitude of ZBrush features to achieve a perfectly accurate "molle" vest. Some of the key features he will be using are ZBrush 4R4's Insert Mesh Capability, as well as a number of other techniques and features including NoiseMaker for pattern creation. ENJOY!
Creating a "Molle" Insert Mesh Curve Brush Part 2
Continue along from part 1 creating the Insert Mesh Strap, as Joseph transitions into the use on NoiseMaker for pattens, and many other amazing techniques to finish off this piece.
Modeling a"Radio" Part 1
In this 2 part series, Joseph will be creating a Tactical Communications "Barrett" Radio. When it comes to creating such precise and complicated hard surface shapes, it can be a bit puzzling at times to decide where to begin. This video will enlighten you with various different key features such as NEW DynaMesh subtract, and grid image reference capability to easily model this radio to exact specifications.
Modeling a "Radio" Part 2
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Building a"Picatinny" rail Part 1
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Building a "Picatinny" rail Part 2
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Building a "Picatinny" rail Part 3
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(note: additional movies from Joseph will be available in the coming weeks, stay tuned!)


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Founding Director, Cheetah Conservation Fund
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Founding director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund and a pioneer in cheetah research
The Green Living Project visit the CCF in Namibia to film Earthwatch volunteers working with Dr. Marker to help save the world's fastest land animal.
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Dr. Laurie Marker
Cheetah Conservation Fund


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I'll start-
1 c)- you say it is a reference to a past event, but then so is the past perfect. You haven't cleared up why the past simple is preferable here.
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English Teacher


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Logistic regression in mediation anal...
Mplus Discussion
Categorical Data Modeling
Jian Wang
posted on Tuesday, December 06, 2011 - 12:17 pm
Dear Drs. Muthen&Muthen,
I am working on a mediator model with a binary outcome Y, two continuous mediators M1 and M2 and a continuous initial variable X. I am trying to use the logistic regression. The input file is as following:
TITLE: Two-mediator example
DATA: FILE IS data1.txt;
VARIABLE: NAMES ARE x m1-m2 y;
CATEGORICAL IS y;
MODEL: m1 ON x(a1); m2 ON x(a2); y ON m1(b1);
y ON m2(b2); y on x; m1 WITH m2;
MODEL INDIRECT: y IND m1 x; y IND m2 x;
SAVEDATA: RESULTS ARE results_data1.txt;
TECH3 IS tech3_data1.txt;
However, when I run it, I got an error message like:
MODEL INDIRECT is not available for analysis with ALGORITHM=INTEGRATION.
I am not quite sure what the error message means. Thank you a lot for your help.
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, December 06, 2011 - 2:14 pm
You would need to use MODEL CONSTRAINT to create the product term of the indirect effect. Note that this is the indirect effect of the latent response variable underlying y. If you are interested in the indirect effect of the observed variable y, see on the website:
Muthén, B. (2011). Applications of causally defined direct and indirect effects in mediation analysis using SEM in Mplus. Submitted for publication.
Jian Wang
posted on Tuesday, December 06, 2011 - 3:57 pm
Dear Linda,
Thank you very much for your quick response.
1. Now I have tried to use the Model constraint command, and it seems work. But when I tried to use bootstrap to get the confidence interval, it gave me the error message again:
*** ERROR in ANALYSIS command
BOOTSTRAP is not allowed with ALGORITHM=INTEGRATION.
Does it mean I can not use bootstrapping for logistic regression?
2. I remember that when the outcome is binary, I need to rescale the coefficients to make the coefficients comparable across equations. (
) I wonder if the mplus will rescale the coefficients? If yes, what option I should use?
Really appreciate your help!
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, December 06, 2011 - 6:25 pm
1. Yes, bootstrap is disallowed with integration due to the worry about computational time. If you are concerned about the indirect effect having a non-normal distribution, you can switch to Estimator=Bayes.
2. That rescaling is not necessary - the approach your refer to is about two generations of papers behind now. The first generation change is described in
MacKinnon, D.P., Lockwood, C.M., Brown, C.H., Wang, W., & Hoffman, J.M. (2007). The intermediate endpoint effect in logistic and probit regression. Clinical Trials, 4, 499-513.
The second generation change is the Muthen (2011) paper Linda referred to (it comes with Mplus scripts).
Jian Wang
posted on Wednesday, December 07, 2011 - 7:11 am
This is very helpful! Appreciate your help.
Mario Mueller
posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 9:56 am
I specified a mediated logistic regression model as follows (x1 and x2 are categorical: sex, education-hi/lo):
usevariables are x1 x2 x3 x4 x5 x6 x7 c;
missing are all (-999);
categorical is c;
c on x6 (p1) x7 (p2) x4 (p3) x1 (p4) x2 (p5) x3 (p6) x5 (p7);
x6 on x1 (p8) x2 (p9) x3 (p10) x5 (p11);
x7 on x1 (p12) x2 (p13) x3 (p14) x5 (p15);
x4 on x1 (p16) x2 (p17) x3 (p18) x5 (p19);
model constraint:
new (x1_x6_c x1_x7_c x1_x4_c
x2_x6_c x2_x7_c x2_x4_c
x3_x6_c x3_x7_c x3_x4_c
x5_x6_c x5_x7_c x5_x4_c);
I requested Tech1 & Tech8 but the output did not provide any fit statistics.
Is this useful and how can I obtain it?
Thanks, Mario
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 5:20 pm
With categorical dependent variables and maximum likelihood estimation, chi-square and related fit statistics are not available because means, variances, and covariances are not sufficient statistics for model estimation.
Mario Mueller
posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 5:07 am
Dear Linda,
thank you very much for your quick reply!
We have a path analysis with one categorical dependent variable (a two-class solution of a latent profile analysis of health behaviors) and two sets of predictor variables: 3 proximal predictor variables and four more distal predictor variables (e.g. sociodemographics).
Predictor variables are either Likert, ordinal or binary.
Can I ask two follow-up questions to make sure that I understand how to proceed:
(1) In this model with a categorical dependent variable, are there any usable fit indices?
(2) If yes, which should we use and which values would indicate acceptable fit?
Many thanks for your reply in advance,
all the best,
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 11:33 am
There are no absolute fit statistics. Nested models can be compared using -2 times the loglikelihood difference which is distributed as chi-square. BIC can be used to compare models with the same set of observed variables.
Mario Mueller
posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 - 4:55 am
Dear Linda,
I have a follow-up question:
As recommended by you, I have used the MODEL CONSTRAINT option to obtain Odds Ratios for both the direct and the indirect effects (via a continuous mediator). How can I interpret these total effect-ORs, especially when it is summarized from two paths with opposite directions? Do you know any reference I could refer to?
Thanks, Mario
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 - 11:48 am
See the following paper which is available on the website:
Muthén, B. (2011). Applications of causally defined direct and indirect effects in mediation analysis using SEM in Mplus.
Mario Mueller
posted on Monday, August 13, 2012 - 3:32 am
Dear Linda,
Is there a way to obtain p-values for these indirect effects (via MODEL CONSTRAINT)? Is it possible to compute it from confidence intervals?
Thank you,
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Monday, August 13, 2012 - 6:24 am
You will get p-values for all new parameters defined in MODEL CONSTRAINT.
Mario Mueller
posted on Monday, August 13, 2012 - 6:50 am
Okay, I realized that but was uncertain how to interpret them, since I got for an estimate of -.004 (p<.001) of an indirect effect but the OR was 1.00 (95%CI: 1.00-1.00). Is that possible?
Thanks, Mario
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Monday, August 13, 2012 - 9:14 am
Please send the output and your license number to
posted on Monday, January 13, 2014 - 8:58 am
Dear Prodessor Muthen,
I have quite a large mediated logistic regerssion model (x1-x13 m1-m4 Y1-y6). I see that i need to use the MODEL CONSTRAINT to specify the indirect effects based on posts on statmodel.
My question is, is there any way to use a collapsed type of labeling format to specify each of the paths instead of labeling each and every path? So instead of this:
y1 on m1 (p1) m2 (p2) m3 (p3) m4 (p4) x1 (p5) x2 (p6) x3 (p7) x4 (p8) x5 (p9) X6 (p10) x7 (p11) x8 (p12) x9 (p13) x10 (p14) x11 (p15) x12 (p16) x13 (p17) ;
maybe something like this? Since my syntax is getting very large specifying all the individual paths and then specifying all the labels as well.
Y1-y6 on m1-m4 (p1-p24) ; <----- if this is possible.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Monday, January 13, 2014 - 4:09 pm
I think that works - give it a try.
You can't give several labels on the same row as you have done - you need to separate them by semi colons.
posted on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - 12:45 pm
Thank you so much Bengt, it worked wonderfully.
However, I have a follow up question. If the indirect effects are the product of OLS regression coefficient and probit coefficient, how on earth do would you interpret the indirect effects estimates since they are the product of two different scales?
I understand neither scales can be scaled.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - 1:52 pm
These issues are discussed in my paper on our website:
Muthén, B. (2011). Applications of causally defined direct and indirect effects in mediation analysis using SEM in Mplus. Click here to view the Technical appendix that goes with this paper and click here for the Mplus input appendix. Click here to view Mplus inputs, data, and outputs used in this paper.
posted on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - 2:57 pm
Thank you so much sir - good day.
posted on Sunday, April 20, 2014 - 11:16 am
Dear Linda and Bengt,
I am conducting a similar model to Mario, with 6 continuous IVs, 1 continuous mediator and a binary DV. Based on readings on this forum, I have opted for the mlr estimator versus wlsmv.
I have 2 questions:
1.Is the following syntax appropriate for a sensible interpretation of indirect effects - or is another step was required given the combination of OLS and logit coefficients?
2. to compute total effects do I simply add the indirect and direct effects? or again should I be weary of the combination of OLS and logit coefficients?
estimator is mlr;
type is missing;
integration = monte;
abexp on sesgez_low gender;
abexp on sch1 sch2 sup con consci socanx;
peer on sch1 (p9);
peer on sch2 (p10);
peer on sup (p11);
peer on con (p12);
peer on consci (p13) ;
peer on socanx (p14);
abexp on peer(m1);
new (ind_sch1);
new (ind_sch2);
new (ind_consci);
new (ind_con);
new (ind_sup);
new (ind_anx);
ind_sch2= m1*p10;
Sorry for my confusion and thank you in advance for any help.
posted on Sunday, April 20, 2014 - 11:58 am
Dear Professor Muthen,
I have completed a mediation model using Bayes since the results of MLR gave me product estimates that were non significant even though I have significant AB paths.
However I am a little bit confused over one of the results of the Bayes estimation. I have significant P values but the credibility intervals contain zero. So is the mediated effect significant or not?
For example;
m1 on x1 is significant (0.313, p =0.008, 95%CI= 0.063 - 0.555)
y1 on m1 is significant??? (0.098, p 0.035, 95%CI= -0.009 - 0.207)
and the mediated effect is:
Y1_M1_X1 = (0.028, p = 0.043, 95%CI= -0.003 - 0.085).
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Monday, April 21, 2014 - 10:10 am
With MLR and a binary distal outcome and a continuous mediator, you can use the product specification for an indirect effect involving the latent variable underlying the binary distal outcome. You can also use this with WLSMV. For further information about indirect effect specification, see
Muthén, B. (2011). Applications of causally defined direct and indirect effects in mediation analysis using SEM in Mplus.
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Monday, April 21, 2014 - 10:13 am
Go by the credibility interval. If it covers zero, the estimate is not significant.
The p-value is the probability of being in the other tail. For a positive estimate, it is the probability of being zero or negative.
posted on Friday, April 25, 2014 - 4:35 am
Dear Linda,
Thank you for your prompt response. I have one follow up question - if I use WLSMV can I also use MODEL INDIRECT to calculate indirect effects and make use of bootstrapping? Or given that I have a binary outcome with continuous mediators and predictors is the MODEL CONSTRAINT method preferred?
Thank you kindly for your advice,
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Friday, April 25, 2014 - 6:12 am
In your situation, you can use either.
posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 - 6:14 am
Dear Linda,
Yet another follow up question. If I wanted to add two binary covariates to the model, would WLSMV with MODEL INDIRECT still be a valid method? It seems to me the combination of continuous and categorical predictor variables are fine with WLSMV. These are control variables, which are only regressed on binary DV, not continuous M.
I am trying to stick with WLSMV instead of switching back to MLR as long as valid, due to the benefit of the fit statistics produced.
Furthermore, I normally interpret my indirect effects as: for one unit in change in x, y changes by the value of the indirect effect. However, it is not clear to me how to translate this combined probit/OLS indirect effects I have in this model. I guess I cannot change these coefficients into probabilities as with the strictly probit coefficients? Nor can I interpret as I would with OLS coefficients? So how do you advise to interpret them?
Kind regards,
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 - 7:33 pm
WLSMV has no problem with binary covariates, just don't put them on the Categorical list.
With WLSMV and a binary DV the y in your story is a latent continuous response variable behind the observed binary y. If you want to instead think about probabilities you have to study
Muthen, B. & Asparouhov T. (2014). Causal effects in mediation modeling: An introduction with applications to latent variables. Forthcoming in Structural Equation Modeling.
which is on our website under Papers, Mediational Modeling.
Stephanie Aymans
posted on Friday, November 28, 2014 - 5:39 am
Dear Professor Muthen,
I saw your tutorial about the logistic regression and read your paper about the direct and indirect effects in mediation analysis using SEM in MPlus.
I have a binary outcome and two continous mediators. I understand that I have to create a MODEL CONSTRAINT. Now I get the following error message:
Can you tell me what I did wrong?
Thank you for your help.
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Friday, November 28, 2014 - 6:21 am
Try the suggestion of the error message. Otherwise, send the output and your license number to
Danyel Moosmann
posted on Wednesday, February 04, 2015 - 3:55 pm
Professor Muthen,
I'm running a single mediation model (7 continuous IVs; 1 continuous mediator; 1 categorical outcome).
I'm currently using the following to run my model before testing for mediation.
type = complex;
estimator = MLR;
integration = montecarlo;
To test for mediation, can I use model indirect with bootstrapping? Also, I read in an article that when testing mediation with a categorical outcome, it is best to standardize all variables (not the outcome). Thoughts on this technique?
Any help you can give is greatly appreciated.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, February 05, 2015 - 7:25 am
You should read
Muthén, B. & Asparouhov, T. (2014). Causal effects in mediation modeling: An introduction with applications to latent variables. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 22(1), 12-23. DOI:10.1080/10705511.2014.935843
Danyel A.Vargas
posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 - 12:47 pm
Dr. Muthen,
Thank you for recommending this article to me, it was a great help.
I have several IVs and want to extend this model. Thus when referring to Table A.2, would I include *-.2 on each of my IVs?
Thank you very much!
Danyel A.Vargas
posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 - 2:41 pm
Dr. Muthen,
Also, I read your paper - Applications of Causally Defined Direct and
Indirect Effects...& ran Table 31 syntax with just one IV; however, the model won't run when I try to add additional IVs.
Under model constraint, wouldn't I need NEW variables for the multiple direct and indirect effects? Am I misunderstanding?
THanks in advance.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 - 4:57 pm
First post:
You can do that, but note that X is the "cause" here. When you say "several IVs", do you mean that there are covariates beyond the "cause" that are used as control variables?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 - 5:01 pm
Second post:
Table 31 is rather advanced with a binary Y and X*M interaction - is that really what you need? If so, you may be better off doing that using the new Mplus language shown in my 2014 article.
Danyel Moosmann
posted on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 - 10:28 am
Dr. Muthen,
1st post:
Yes, my IV is a dichotomous variable (whether students participated in an intervention) and the other vars. are covariates.
2nd post: No, I don't need the XM interaction so I will use the new language in the 2014 article.
When adding the covariates and asking for the indirect effects - is this the correct way?
RET IND CurGPA FYSApp;
RET IND CurGPA HSGPA;
RET IND CurGPA ACG1;
Thanks for responding.
Danyel Moosmann
posted on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 - 11:10 am
Dr. Muthen,
I had another thought - OR by just adding the covariates in the model and only requesting the indirect effect with my intervention variable, would this consider the covariates?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 - 12:32 pm
Your IND statements should have only the intervention X on the right hand side. The covariates are taken into account in the sense that they affect the partial regression coefficient for X. The covariates play into the counterfactual effect estimates only if you have interactions between them and X or include the X*M interaction (and then only for the direct effect).
Danyel Moosmann
posted on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 - 1:20 pm
OK - thanks.
Another question - is this a correct interpretation of the Odds Ratio of the TNIE = 1.085?
"As mediated by GPA, students who participated in the intervention were 1.085 times more likely to retain than students who did not participate."
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 - 4:44 pm
I recommend that you use the effect on the probability scale, so what's reported first in the output. See my example on page 19 of my 2014 article.
Danyel Moosmann
posted on Thursday, March 19, 2015 - 9:45 am
OK, thanks. Is there a specific situation when you would suggest to use the Odds Ratio?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, March 19, 2015 - 1:15 pm
No; I am just saying to keep it simple at first.
Danyel Moosmann
posted on Friday, March 20, 2015 - 12:15 pm
Ok - thanks again!
posted on Friday, March 17, 2017 - 3:53 am
Dear Drs. Muthen&Muthen,
I am working on a mediator model with a binary outcome Y, four binary mediators M1-M4 and a nominal independent variable X. I am trying to use the logistic regression and bootstrap respectively to calculate and test the indirect effect. Part of my input file is as following:
cinterval (bootstrap);
However, when I run it, I got an error message like:
MODEL INDIRECT is not available for analysis with ALGORITHM=INTEGRATION.
I am puzzled.Does the error message means I can not use bootstrapping for logistic regression?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Friday, March 17, 2017 - 6:04 pm
Perhaps you are not using version 7.4.
Also, note that special consideration are needed for mediation models with a binary Y and binary mediators. See our web page
and the article
Nguyen, T.Q., Webb-Vargas, Y., Koning, I.K. & Stuart, E.A. (2016). Causal mediation analysis with a binary outcome and multiple continuous or ordinal mediators: Simulations and application to an alcohol intervention. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 23:3, 368-383 DOI: 10.1080/10705511.2015.1062730
Massimiliano Orri
posted on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 - 5:55 am
Dear Dr Muthen,
I am performing mediation analysis with a multicategorical outcome using multinomial logistic regression.
I calculated the indirect effects using the product of coefficients in MODEL CONSTRAINT.
My question: can I trust the results for these indirect effects? They are different from the results obtained by single logistic regressions (obtained following your 2011 paper for calculate the indirect effects using the logit link)
Thank you very much for your help
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 - 6:03 pm
I don't think it is clear what an indirect effect should mean for a nominal outcome. Typically, such effects are defined in terms of the expected value but a nominal outcome needs to score its categories to get a single expectation. I would recommend doing a series of analyses where the nominal DV is dichotomized in different ways and then use the counterfactual effects that Mplus now provides.
Massimiliano Orri
posted on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 - 1:12 am
Thank you for your advice, it really helps!
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text:
Philippe Starck, the French designer who helped late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs design his yacht, has revealed the process that led to the final creation of the boat, which made its first public appearance in October.
"From the beginning, I had complete carte blanche," Starck said in an interview with SuperYachtTimes. "[Jobs] just gave me the length and number of guests he wanted to accommodate, and that was it. In our very first meeting we had little time to speak, so I told him, I will design it as if it was for myself."
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We haven't been granted a look inside the ship, but Starck revealed: "We used loose furniture but left it very open. The owners have to live their own life so it was mostly done by them. It is the minimum of everything. There is not a single useless idem inside… not a single useless pillow, or a useless object. In that sense, it is the opposite of other boats. Other boats try to show off more and more. Venus is revolutionary. It's the extreme opposite."
The overall minimalist and purposeful design ideas behind Steve Jobs' yacht demonstrate the same style that he frequently implemented in Apple's products.
Starck has designed several other yachts in the past, including the 'A', which can be seen in the image below.
As for the future, Starck was hesitant to discuss his plans, but hinted that there are other secret projects in the pipleline, and the end result of one of those projects will be "the most astonishing boat in the history of sailing yachts."
See also:
WATCH: Steve Jobs' yacht makes public debut in Holland
Sony's Steve Jobs biopic has three-scene structure set backstage at keynotes
Recording of 1983 Steve Jobs speech reveals Apple was working n iPad, App Store 30 years ago
Steve Jobs decided, 'we're going to patent it all' after $100m iPod fine
Pixar renames HQ in memory of Steve Jobs


text:
Holidays in Laces - Val Martello/Latsch - Martelltal valley
Glaciers, strawberries and culture await visitors to the Laces - Martelltal holiday region. The main village of the region, Laces, with its easygoing urban vibe, is the starting-off point for an eventful holiday. From here, a panoramic journey with the cable car to the mountain farming village of San Martino/St. Martin is possible, as are longer journeys to the villages of Coldrano/Goldrain, Morter, Tarres/Tarsch or the idyllic Martelltal valley. The valley starts at 950 m above sea level and soars to its 3,769 m peak at the Cevedale glacier. The Martelltal valley is part of the Stilfserjoch national park and offers countless hiking and biking trails. The Erdbeerweg trail is a thematic walk through Europe's highest interconnected strawberry farming region.


text:
Russia remained at loggerheads with the U.S. and its European allies ahead of a scheduled vote Wednesday afternoon on a new Syria resolution and there appeared to be little hope that the U.N.'s most powerful body would unite behind a plan to end the 17-month civil war in the Mideastern country.
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A commentary that ran Tuesday in the official People's Daily newspaper strongly opposed using force against Syria — a sign that China may again block the Western-backed resolution. It said "a political solution is the only way out of the Syrian problem."
Hague cautioned that the situation in Syria "is so grave and unpredictable that I don't think any option should be ruled out for the future."
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Kodmani noted that the Syrian people have been calling for a no-fly zone, safe zones for delivering humanitarian aid and the arming of the Free Syrian Army.
She said she told Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin at a meeting earlier Tuesday that a Russian veto of a resolution threatening sanctions would be a "blank check to continue the violence."


text:
Remember that dumbass lawsuit filed against Electronic Arts because they called a gun "the Dillinger" in the two Godfather games? Yeah, that one didn't go so well. The family of the Depression-era gangster lost their case in federal court.
Back in 2009, the grandson of Dillinger's half sister threatened to sue EA unless they paid him "millions of dollars" for putting his ancestor's name on the weapon, which resembled Thompson submachine guns. EA, which only pays in the low six figures for the Madden cover star, said bring it, and so it all went to court.
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Dillinger Kin Lose Claim Against Video Game Company [The Times of Northwest Indiana, via GamePolitics]


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