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New 3-step approach for GMM with cova...
Mplus Discussion
Growth Modeling of Longitudinal Data
SF Wang
posted on Tuesday, October 08, 2013 - 12:26 pm
Dear Professors,
The standard 3-step approach is (1)GMM w/o covariates; (2) get class assignment; (3) further analysis, usually logistic regression. Actually to M+ users, steps (1) and (2) are done in one step - one GMM fit provides the class assignments as an output data.
Now standard 3-step approach is replaced by a new 3-step approach by adding "Auxiliary = (R3STEP) x;" statement.
But after reading the webnotes, I am still a little bit confused how many models in M+ we should fit. Please let me know which of the following two understandings is correct:
(a)we need to get latent class membership from a GMM w/o covariates and get the error probabilities too, and then feed these into another GMM (with the auxiliary statement) and get the correct class assignment?
(b)we only need to replace step (1) in standard 3-step approach by adding auxiliary statement. i.e. the new three steps are: (1)GMM with auxiliary statement; (2) get class assignment; (3) further analysis.
Thank you in advance!
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, October 08, 2013 - 5:48 pm
SF Wang
posted on Monday, October 21, 2013 - 7:24 am
Thank you for answering my question!
Could you confirm whether my following understandings are correct?
My understanding #1: in the new 3-step approach, auxiliary statement won't change any model results, including the class assignments. It's just logistic regression for class assignment with corrections. Therefore, step(3)-further analysis(logistic regression) has already been done, and the results are in the M-plus output too. (step(2) is done in the same model). So, to users, it's like a one-step procedure.
My understanding #2: if I don't plan to do logistic regressions in step (3)(I am thinking of doing something else, e.g. CART), I wouldn't need the AUXILIARY statement.
Thanks a lot!
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Monday, October 21, 2013 - 5:06 pm
Classes do not change only with R3STEP, DCON, and DCAT. They can change with the other settings. This is explained in Web Note 14.
You would not need the AUXILIARY statement in this case.
posted on Sunday, April 06, 2014 - 3:18 pm
If we want to predict the intercept and slope factor (in addition to the latent class variable C) in the GMM from a covariate, can we do so using the R3step manual or automatic procedure? Will the covariate influence class formation in this case?
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Sunday, April 06, 2014 - 5:54 pm
The 3-step procedures are for the categorical latent variable c only. See Web Note 15.
Matthew Carlson
posted on Friday, June 03, 2016 - 12:26 pm
Dear Muthens,
Quick question. I'm using the R3step method to estimate predictors for class membership in my GMM. I am seeing some logits above 1 (e.g., 1.052) that are significant. These logits above 1 are offending estimates and, thus, invalidate the R3step results, correct?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Friday, June 03, 2016 - 5:56 pm
No, logits can be greater than 1. They can vary from minus infinity to plus infinity.
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Phillies Toyota Alumni Weekend Lineup Announced: Legends Return August 1-4 for Fan Events
Brad Lidge to retire as a Phillie, Curt Schilling to be inducted into 2013 Wall of Fame, Salute to 1993 NL Champions & All-Star-packed Luncheon
More than 50 Phillies alumni will return to Citizens Bank Park to take part in Phillies Toyota Alumni Weekend, August 1-4, 2013.
Each day features special fan events and many opportunities to see former Phillies All-Stars and Wall of Famers. Fans attending the weekend's games are encouraged to arrive early for the many pre-game festivities, which will also be covered live on phillies.com. Tickets are also available at www.phillies.com.
Thursday, August 1
11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Diamond Club, Citizens Bank Park; For the fourth year, seniors 55 and over are invited to go behind-the-scenes to some of the most exciting moments in the team's history. Highlights include Q&A sessions with:
- Lee Thomas, general manager, and Jim Fregosi, manager, of the 1993 Phillies.
- Members of the '93 National League Championship team: Mitch Williams, former closer, Larry Andersen, Phillies broadcaster and former relief pitcher, Jim Eisenreich, former Phillies outfielder and Tommy Greene, former Phillies pitcher.
- Event also includes a photo opportunity with the World Series trophies, a silent auction that will benefit Phillies Charities, Inc., an appearance by Phillie Phanatic and an optional tour of Citizens Bank Park.
- A full lineup is available at www.phillies.com/alumniluncheon.
Tickets are on sale on www.phillies.com and via 215-463-1000.
Closer Brad Lidge, one of the many heroes on the 2008 World Champion Phillies, will ceremoniously retire as a Phillie before the 7:05 p.m. game against San Francisco. Lidge clinched the World Series title by striking out Tampa Bay's Eric Hinske in Game 5. In honor or the evening, all fans will receive a commemorative print of Lidge, courtesy of Toyota.
"I had my greatest moment at Citizens Bank Park and I would like to officially retire as a member of the Phillies organization," explained the 36-year-old Lidge, who will throw out the first ball. Lidge will remain in town for the rest of the Alumni weekend festivities.
Previous Alumni who have also chosen to retire as a Phillie include: Doug Glanville (2005), Mike Lieberthal (2008) and Pat Burrell (2012).
Friday, August 2
6:50 p.m. Wall of Fame Induction Ceremonies for Curt Schilling, on-field.
- The evening honors Curt Schilling, who will be inducted into the Phillies Toyota Wall of Fame. Schilling, who pitched nine of his 20 big league seasons with the Phillies - his longest tenure with one team - was the first Phillies right-hander to strike out 300 in a season and the first Phillies pitcher to win an NLCS MVP Award and toss a postseason shutout.
- The Phillies Wall of Famers scheduled to attend include: Jim Bunning (1984), Steve Carlton (1989), Mike Schmidt (1990), Larry Bowa (1991), Curt Simmons (1993), Dick Allen (1994), Greg Luzinski (1998), Garry Maddox (2001), Tony Taylor (2002), Bob Boone (2005), Dallas Green (2006), Juan Samuel (2008), John Kruk (2011) and Mike Lieberthal (2012).
- All fans will receive a commemorative print of Schilling, courtesy of Toyota.
- A 14"x20" cast bronze plaque of Schilling will be added to the Phillies Toyota Wall of Fame display located in the Memory Lane section of Ashburn Alley. The Phillies began the Wall of Fame in 1978, honoring former players with the Phillies and A's. When Citizens Bank Park was opened in 2004, the Wall of Fame was limited to Phillies greats.
Saturday, August 3
More than 50 Alumni will be introduced on the field during pre-game with the Phillies-Braves game to follow.
- It's a great photo opportunity for fans, as introductions include Phillies Wall of Famers, members of the 1983 and 1993 National League Champion Phillies, and local alumni.
- Presentation of the annual John Vukovich Award will also take place pre-game. Manny Amador, coordinator of the Dominican Summer League Phillies, is the 2013 recipient.
Sunday, August 4
This is a pregame event fans won't want to miss, as the popular 1993 National League Champions will be saluted on Sunday, August 4, at 8:05 p.m. game with Atlanta.
- Many players from the team, who went from last place in 1992 to the World Series the next year, will be introduced on-field before the game. The '93 club is the first Phillies team to lead the division on the first of the month in May, June, July, August and September.
- All fans will receive a 1993 National League Champions pennant, courtesy of Toyota.
All Weekend Long
- Fans are urged to be on the lookout all around the ballpark before and during the games on Friday through Sunday of Alumni Weekend - you never know where your favorite former Phillies might turn up!
Alumni Charity Events
Garry Maddox will host two events to benefit charities during Phillies Toyota Alumni Weekend as well.
- The 12th Annual Stephen Starr-Garry Maddox Barbecue Challenge will take place starting at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 3, on Citizens Bank Way at Citizens Bank Park. Fans will have the opportunity to taste the delicious offerings of restaurant and pit master teams cooking off for a good cause.
- On Sunday, August 4, the annual Garry Maddox-Drew Katz Celebrity Bowling Classic will be held at 4:00 p.m. at 30 Strikes. This fun-filled evening, a private, sponsor-only event, features bowling, appearances by local celebrities, silent auction, food and much more.
- For more information on the Garry Maddox charity events, please contact Kerry Ann Williams via (267) 886-8233 or email [email protected]

subset: commoncrawl


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Earning Its Stripes
Look around Annapolis these two weeks, and you'll see how the maritime industry helps the visitor industry thrive.
Recreational sailing and power boating are newcomers to this old city. We were a working seaport from colonial times through World War II.
So well known were Eastport's skilled wooden boat builders that in 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent the grand and famous schooner America here to be restored.
But with the coming of World War II, the boatyard on Spa Creek turned to making PT boats for the Navy. One Annapolitan serviceman rescued from the English Channel found the name of his neighbor carved into the side of the Eastport-made boat that saved him. The neighbor was Joe Alton, who would later become Anne Arundel county executive.
Before work on America was finished, disaster struck. A late spring snowfall in 1943 crashed the roof of the shed unto the schooner, splintering her beyond repair. Her wood decorated the mantels of many Eastport homes.
After the war, the boating climate of Annapolis changed.
Little by little, workboats stopped bringing oysters to Annapolis Harbor and McNasbys Oyster House (now the Annapolis Maritime Museum) to be shoveled into buy boats.
Owens Cruisers began business on Spa Creek. Trumpy luxury yachts took up shop where the America was housed and where the Chart House stands today. Both were early builders of motorboats.
|Annapolis can credit much of its sailing reputation to the work of Arnie Gay.
But when Arnie Gay, the father of today's industry, came to town with $1.27 in his pocket, workboats still crowded the creeks at dilapidated piers harboring waterfront rats, the four-legged kind and some two-legged ones, too.
Convinced Annapolis had a future in the sailing industry, Arnie set about building a sailing empire. Today Annapolis is called America's Sailing Capital thanks to the initiatives of Arnie Gay.
Newport, Rhode Island fights Annapolis for this title. But Newport gave up much of its downtown waterfront for shops to satisfy spending sprees. Maritime businesses squeezed out by the shopping malls in Newport moved to Annapolis, now home to more than 200 of their kind.
We almost threw away our own chance at that title through development and neglect. Finally, in the 1980s, Annapolis city fathers passed tough maritime zoning laws to protect its waterfront from a ring of tall condominiums.
Frank Young, publisher of the now-defunct Public Enterprise, editorialized about the city's neglect of the industry. "If the mall in Parole closed down," he complained, "you would notice it. And if the maritime industry disappeared you would notice it and feel it. Boats define the city's character. What would Annapolis be if our boats disappeared?"
To demonstrate the importance of the invisible industry, Arnie Gay once paid his employees in $2 bills. Business leaders couldn't help but notice.
"This industry employs over 2,000 people," said then-Annapolis mayor Roger 'Pip' Moyer — and that was 30 years ago.
The U.S. Sailboat Show, the first in-water show in the country, opened 42 years ago and introduced the city to an international community. Twenty years later, the Whitbread Round the World Race — which followed the old clipper ship routes — added Annapolis to its circuit. Enthusiastic residents lined Spa Creek when the ocean racers — including the Maryland challenger Chessie — came to town. In an amazing display, hundreds of spectator boats lined the Bay shipping channel for miles when the racers set out for the finish in England.
Recognizing the pillars of this local industry, the city created a local hall of fame and saved the Thomas Point Lighthouse, an icon to sailors. Today, Annapolis is home to the National Sailing Hall of Fame.
We have had many hometown heroes in international sailing competition. Gary Jobson for one, who brought sailing into our living rooms on ESPN, was aboard Courageous, captained by Ted Turner when the U.S. won the America's Cup in 1977.
Annapolis sailors continue to bring home awards. Terry Hutchinson will be vying to bring home the honors in the next America's Cup competition, starting in November in San Diego.
Today, the maritime industry nourishes all of Annapolis on both sides of Spa Creek. That's always been true, but it's never more visible than during these first two weeks of October, when the U.S. Sailboat Show and the U.S. Powerboat Show come to town. See for yourself.


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Brevard Co. HS football team tests high-tech helmets which alert coach to concussion risk
New study shows high school athletes twice as likely to suffer head injury
ROCKLEDGE, Fla, – On any fall Friday in Central Florida, high school football rules the night. Many players play because they like the contact. They do not shy away.
One recent Friday night, Rockledge High School defensive back Justin Weaver is dazed by a blow, but doesn't take himself out of the game.
Rockledge trainer Ian Stites knows he needs to check Weaver for a concussion right away thanks to sensors in his helmet that measure the force of the hit on his brain.
This new technology allows Stites to track each player in real time on a computer.
"The level of this impact, 84gs with the rotation that's pretty significant... That's a pretty good hit," said Stites.
The arrows on the screen mark how many hits Weaver took to the head and where. A highlighted arrow marks the blow that's the cause for concern.
The good news is that Weaver did not suffer a head injury and he went back into the game.
"I think back to when I played and shouldn't have played," said Rockledge coach Larry Laskowski.
In his day, Laskowski said a blow to the head was a badge of honor, not a reason to come out of the game.
But those days are gone.
"The sensors don't cure anything, but I think maybe it's made the kids even more aware. Where they're not so apt to lead with their head and they're playing better technique-wise," said Laskowski.
Stites remembers his high school playing days thinking about the concussion he suffered, and his recovery time every time he evaluates a player.
"I want to win, but first things first. I'm going to take care of the kids first," said Stites.
He and the Rockledge players are working with the University of South Florida to test the sensors.
The system will record every hit from the start of training camp through the final game of the season. Then, the players will be evaluated.
A new study released Wednesday reports high school athletes are twice as likely as college or professional athletes to suffer a concussion. The study expects more than 250,000 high school students will suffer a head injury this school year.
Copyright 2013 by ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Thursday, March 8, 2012
Cookies n Cream No-Bake Cheesecake
Right about this time, Oreo is celebrating its 100th birthday. So I went and bought a couple packages of delicious chocolate sandwich cookies with the intention of making a yummy dessert to celebrate. This is what Jeff and I came up with - a light and creamy cheesecake filling with chunks of Oreos, surrounded by a crisp cookie crumb crust. Yummers!
Cookies n Cream No-Bake Cheesecake
40 Oreo cookies
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1 8-oz carton whipped topping
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
For crust, place 25 cookies in food processor, crush into fine crumbs. Mix well with melted butter. Press into 9-inch pie plate. Set aside in refrigerator while you make the filling.
For filling, cream together the cream cheese, whipped topping, sugar, and vanilla with electric mixer. Coarsely chop remaining cookies and fold in gently. Spread mixture into crust.
Chill in refrigerator for a couple of hours or until set.
Labels: cheesecake, chocolate, cookies and bars, dessert, pies and tarts
6 comments:
- Tiffaney said...
My mouth is watering after reading this recipe! This looks so good, thank you for sharing :)
- March 8, 2012 at 6:38 PM
- Marilyn said...
Oh I'm drooling! This looks go delicious. As soon as the baby wakes up from his nap, we're going to the store to get the ingredients! Thanks for sharing this!
- March 9, 2012 at 8:59 AM
- Maia Vivar said...
Oh goodie! I'm gonna make this when my uncle arrives! I just hope I'll do this right! *fingers crossed*
- April 3, 2012 at 3:21 PM
- Solar Panels said...
Preparing for this one is like your making a salad. We can now eat delicious desserts if we want without inserting too much effort.
- August 25, 2012 at 8:03 AM
- Sara Lucinda Bell said...
Oh MY!!!! I am so desperate for cheesecake tonight and this is NOT helping he he!
- September 6, 2012 at 8:47 PM
- Kitchen appliances said...
Great recipe. Looks delicious. Thanks for sharing.
- November 5, 2012 at 4:27 AM
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Big 12 Morning Five: 12.02.11 EditionPosted by dnspewak on December 2nd, 2011
- The wave of college basketball signings have subsided, but Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger has announced the addition of two recruits for next season. Forwards C.J. Cole and Jarion Henry will join the squad, rounding out a four-man recruiting class. Interestingly, the 6'9" Henry is the son of Skeeter Henry, who starred for Oklahoma during the days of the Big Eight. Henry is a coveted recruit and a top-150 prospect according to Rivals, but Cole is a bit more obscure. He's a 6'7" product of Sperry High School in the state of Oklahoma, where he earned All-State honors twice.
- Kansas State grinded out a victory over George Washington last night, but there was more to the story than the 69-56 final score would suggest. Several Wildcats have D.C. connections, and there is bitter blood between the two squads. Rodney McGruder is a D.C. product, and Martavius Adams also knew several of the GW players as well. Maybe it was the pressure, or perhaps the two players' old friends knew how to stop them: McGruder and Adams combined for just 12 points. But a win's a win, as they say.
- Here's some more Kansas State news that has nothing to do with basketball. Or KSU basketball, we should say: a prospective Kansas State student has now accused Syracuse assistant Bernie Fine of molesting him, too. 23-year-old Zach Tomaselli will head to Manhattan next year, and though this won't affect Big 12 basketball in any way, it's still interesting to note that the league has a bit of a connection now to the Syracuse case.
- To another part of the state of Kansas– in Lawrence, we've got a few news and notes to pass along. First, Thomas Robinson is still unstoppable. He had a career-high 17 rebounds against Florida Atlantic on Wednesday, and that's the most by a Jayhawk since Cole Aldrich in 2010. Did we mention Robinson also scored 19 points? Plus, Bill Self is also reporting that Anthony West actually will not walk-on the team. He would have given Kansas another body at 6'6", but he says he does not have the time to compete.
- And finally, a blog for Texas has a different view of Kansas, from an outsider's perspective. Burnt Orange Nation gave a broad view of the Jayhawks, and like we've all been saying, KU still obviously has a chance to win this league. This particular article repeated most of the same lines we've used time and time again: always trust Bill Self, no matter which players he graduates or loses to the NBA. Self simply knows how to assemble a winning team, and the former reserves playing big roles this year are thriving already. Just look at what Thomas Robinson is doing.


text: Use this method if you haven't gotten the OTA prompt yet or your wi-fi/3G/4G is too slow to download it. READ EVERYTHING BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANY STEPS YOU MUST BE STOCK STOCK STOCK 2.3.6/6.12.181.XT912 FOR THIS TO WORK If you have installed Safestrap or Bootstrap, uninstall them. If you are rooted, unroot. IF YOU BRICK, DON'T PANIC, DON'T GIVE UP, DON'T CALL VERIZON TO SEND YOU A NEW PHONE, READ THE BOTTOM OF THE POST TO UNBRICK YOUR PHONE (You'll know it's bricked when you're waiting about 20 Minutes in the red "Dual Core" boot up screen) If you reboot back into GB, make sure again, you are 100% stock, no root, nothing, and try these steps again. For some it's taken doing these steps about 2 times to work 100%. Want to be 100% SURE you WON'T brick or have any errors or problems? Or simply want to make sure you're 100% stock? Follow the guide below (Just as if your phone is BRICKED) Last thing, make sure battery is 100% CHARGED FULLY, if it isn't charge it until it gets to 100% charge. Files needed: 4.0.4 / 6.16.211.XT912 Update ----------> Blur_Version.6.12.181.XT912.Verizon.en.US.zip (TORRENT DOWNLOAD) (MIRROR 1) (MIRROR 2) (Thanks computerfixer412!) (MIRROR 3) (Don't worry if the name of the .zip is 6.12.181, it's supposed to be that way, it means that's the VERSION you are coming from) (Verification Hash) File: Blur_Version.6.12.181.XT912.Verizon.en.US.zip CRC-32: 0732c03f MD4: ac94d73a7d97f3105dde4456bf84513c MD5: 79a1ee4a992eacd1d08f98dee5deebf7 SHA-1: 5193bebc18cf70939259ee52ebb1e33eb8fae84c Steps to Update to ICS 1. Download the official OTA "Blur_Version.6.12.181.XT912.Verizon.en.US.zip" file from above. 2. Place the file downloaded in step one into the ROOT of your EXTERNAL SD card. (DO NOT UNZIP THE FILE) 3. Turn off phone. 4. Go into recovery by pressing and holding the Volume Up (+), Volume Down (-), and Power button all three at the same time. (Press and hold all physical buttons.) 5. The menu will come up and select "Recovery".(Volume Down key to go down and Volume Up key to SELECT/ENTER Recovery.) *The Android and Exclamation mark logos will come up* 6. Press both Volume Up (+) and the Volume Down (-) buttons at the same time. Release. 7. With the Volume Down (-) button go down to "Wipe CACHE partition" and press the Power button to select it. DO THIS TWICE (Don't worry your data will not get erased by wiping the cache.) (Thanks smmfc) 8. With the Volume Down (-) button go down to "Apply Update from SDCard" and press the Power button to select it. 9. Volume Down (-) go to the "Blur_Version.6.12.173.XT912.Verizon.en.US.zip" and select it with the Power button. (This is the one we put in the External SD in Step 2.) 10. It will take a while to upgrade, mine isn't even done yet and I started it when I started to write Step 1 11. Once it is done, go to "Reboot system now." 12. Official ICS, Enjoy!!! =D Once it's your first time starting ICS, it WILL take a while to load up, it is normal, it will also be "Optimizing applications" at first start up. View attachment 51375 View attachment 51376 View attachment 51377 View attachment 51378 View attachment 51379 http://www.rda990.com/forums/droidForums/ICSInstallationGuide/6.png http://www.rda990.com/forums/droidForums/ICSInstallationGuide/7.png http://www.rda990.com/forums/droidForums/ICSInstallationGuide/8.png If you need any help reply here and myself and others can help you, or on www.twitter.com/rda990 @rda990 I can give you a step-by-step help. Unbricking/Flash phone to stock If you happen to brick, which there's a 50/50 chance you will, follow these steps to put your phone back in a working state. Files needed: Droid Razr Utility 1.7 ---------------> DroidRazrUtility1.7forICS.zip (TORRENT DOWNLOAD) (MIRROR 1) (MIRROR 2) (Thanks computerfixer412!) (Thanks to mattlgroff Droid Razr Utility 1.6 [Contains 6.12.181 Fastboot Files] - DroidRzr.com) (Verification Hash) File: DroidRazrUtility1.7forICS.zip CRC-32: 40adc704 MD4: 1c388f25e385d42e0b5ceba609b7dadd MD5: 40dc068dc4b0dfba12c96a7d18c267e5 SHA-1: 61cbd07166a4d719a5413ca0c48e40f3bc06064f Steps to Unbrick/Go Stock 1. Download the official OTA "DroidRazrUtility1.7forICS.zip" file from above. 2. Unzip all the files into the ROOT of your computer (C:\). (Thanks loudneon) 3. If you DO NOT already have the Motorola drivers installed, go into the "drivers" folder and select your OS type (64bit or 32bit). If you already have the drivers installed, continue. 4. With the phone turned off, press and hold Volume Up (+), Volume Down (-) and the Power button all together. 5. With the Volume Down (-) key go down to AP Fastboot and select it. You are now in AP Fastboot mode. 6. Connect the phone to your computer. 7. From Step 2 files, double click on the "DroidRAZRUtility.bat" file. 8. Press any key to get started. 9. Select option 1 and follow the instructions. 10. Once it is done with the process, your phone will be unbricked and be 100% ready to try the steps above, or if you want, be safe and wait for the OTA =D


text:
Quicks for Ford
Year: 1959 Item #: 203 Views: 29,338 Comments: No Comments.
Image scaled down from 900px to 740px wide. Click the image to view the original.
New colours... new contours... new comfort... See the 3 new graces. The Zodiac, Consul and Zephyr are all re-designed with this new elegance. See them in our Showrooms...


text:
Climate Change Is Making Food Less Safe – Eat Drink Better
While there has been extensive research on the effects of climate change on food security, less well-known is the effect of climate change on food safety.
But new evidence suggests that climate change is already putting the safety of our food at risk, and that things are only going to get worse.
Food security and food safety are inextricably linked. Climate change decreases food security by causing extreme weather that wipes out crops and livestock populations. And when food supplies are insecure, food safety diminishes.
According to experts at this year's American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting, when food becomes scarce, people consume more unsafe foods. For example, in areas where climate change has decimated food resources, illnesses associated with mycotoxin molds are becoming more prevalent as people try to stretch their meager food supply over longer periods of time.
Read the whole story via Eat Drink Better.


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PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- Lydia Ko took a share of the lead in her first start as an LPGA Tour member, matching Meena Lee with a 5-under 68 on Thursday in the season-opening Bahamas LPGA Classic.
The 16-year-old Ko turned pro late last year. She won the Canadian Women's Open the last two years as an amateur and closed last season with a victory in a non-tour event in Taiwan in her second pro start.
Ranked No. 4 in the world, the South Korean-born New Zealander had six birdies and a bogey on Atlantis Resort's Ocean Club course.
"I just tried to play my own game and be relaxed," Ko said. "I got off to a shaky start and I needed to make a 4-footer for par, but when I made birdie at No. 2, I was able to relax. I was actually shocked that I wasn't nervous. I felt I even played better than my score. I gave myself a lot of opportunities."
THE DAY IN PHOTOS: Farmers Insurance Open, LPGA Bahamas, Qatar Masters
Lee, from South Korea, eagled the par-4 13th and had four birdies and a bogey.
"I had a wintertime working hard, so that's why I have more confidence than last year," said Lee, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour. "That's why I feel very good and happy to play in the first tournament."
Third-ranked Stacy Lewis was a stroke back at 69 along with Jessica Korda, Brittany Lang, Mirim Lee, Austin Ernst, Danah Bordner, Amelia Lewis, P.K. Kongkraphan and Candie Kung.
Lewis played alongside Ko.
"When she gets some confidence in herself, the rest of this tour better watch out," Lewis said. "When I saw we were paired together, I was pretty happy. She is just a really likable kid. ...
"I think our games are very similar, just the way we play. We both hit it solid and make some putts. She rolled it great today. For the first seven, eight holes, she made everything she looked at."
PGA MERCHANDISE SHOW: Catch up on the happenings at golf's biggest gathering
Lewis had five birdies and a bogey.
"I thought I'd be a little bit more rusty than I was," Lewis said. "But I got off to a good start, and really just hit the ball really solid and was able to control some shots in the wind and the shots that I saw I was able to pull off. I was really happy with the way I hit the ball."
Ko recently signed an equipment deal with Callaway, changed her swing coach and hired a new caddie.
"Over the last month hearing the word change, it could pretty much be my middle name," Ko said.
Lewis also commented on all the changes Ko has made.
"You can change your clubs, your coach, all these things, but she's still the same person," Lewis said.
Jaye Marie Green had a 71. The 19-year-old Green won the LPGA qualifying tournament by 10 strokes last month, finishing the 90-hole event at a record 29 under.
Michelle Wie shot 72.
Defending champion Ilhee Lee opened with a 74. Last May, the inaugural event was reduced to three 12-hole rounds because of flooding.
Experts on the business and game of golf. The best coaching tips and latest golf news delivered straight to you. Sign Up to get the latest.


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Your daily news briefing, with the video of the day, the top news and the quote of the day.
News to know
An advertisement for a makeup company has been banned in Britain because it's been ruled false advertising. The ads – for L'Oreal's Maybelline and Lancome brands – feature Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington and were airbrushed to make the models' skin appear unnaturally smooth.
Quote of note
"I woke up and saw a figure in our hotel bedroom, and I thought I was dreaming." - Alex Trebek, talking about the incident that led to him tearing his Achilles. The 71-year-old Trebek tried to chase after the thief and injured himself.
Hot video
Bear mauling victim Sam Gottsegen talks about the attack. Watch the video below.
GateHouse News Service


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Post Apocalyptic film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbkyK2Nj ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1c2ICOL ... re=related
"Cain is a military scientist, disappointed in human race. His conclusion is that the mankind failed to create a world worth living in. Only a minority of privileged people are happy, while the rest are spending their lives in pain and hopeless struggle to survive.
One day, Cain decides to wipe out the entire human race from planet Earth, by activating the weapons of mass destruction.
And now, he's coming out of the shelter to find the place where he will die... The place where the last man will die. "


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From: Harper's Weekly, December 20, 1862. Source: http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1862/december/emancipation-proclamation-cartoon.htm
As December 1862 progressed the date approached (January 1, 1863) for President Abraham Lincoln to make good on his promise in the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves in the portions of the rebellious states not under control under federal control if those states did not return to the Union by the end of 1862. Not surprisingly, there was disagreement in the press over whether Lincoln would actually do it. As mentioned in the last edition of Civil War Emancipation, the President had generated some of the uncertainty in his annual message to Congress, dated December 1, 1862, by making a last attempt to convince the slave states to accept gradual compensated emancipation, followed by the emigration of freed slaves out of the United States. So the artist of the cartoon above from Harper's Weekly certainly can be forgiven for doubting Lincoln's resolve on this issue.
The pro-administration newspaper in Washington, D.C., the National Republican, sought to reassure its readers as Christmas approached that President Lincoln was standing fast. It stated in its December 23 issue:
The late interview which the border State Congressmen held with the President has developed the fact that he will stand by his proclamation. The President told these gentlemen that [emphasis in the original], "he was an anti-slavery man, and considered slavery to be the right arm of the rebellion, and that it must be lopped off." We congratulate the country upon the firm stand the President of the United States has taken upon this important matter. It is characteristic of Abraham Lincoln, and when his mind is made up, and he is satisfied that he is right, he is not to be moved.
Two days later, on Christmas Day, the National Republican mocked Republican conservatives and others for whom the impending finalization of the Emancipation Proclamation stirred the old fear that once freed the slaves would embark on a violent orgy of vengeance aimed at their former owners and other whites. The paper opined:
There is considerable feeling in certain quarters, in respect to [emphasis in the original] servile insurrection. We desire to treat this apprehension with due respect, but we have no belief in these apprehensions, because, in fact, the danger does not lie in the direction which these sensitive people suspect.
It is asserted, with apparent fear and trembling, that if the President sticks to his proclamation, there will be trouble in this regard. Such a conclusion is absurd, and has no foundation in the nature of things. The danger does not lie in that direction. It is not in affirming and maintaining the proclamation that servile insurrection will find its incentive, but the abandonment of that principle, and giving up the bondsman to hopelessness and interminable doom to which slavery consigns him.
Human nature is the same the world over. We forget this generic fact, when we discuss this slavery question. The negro is not unlike the rest of mankind, unless it be in this particular, that he is more grateful for favors than the white race.
The negro, with all his stupidity, understands as well as we do, that his liberty can be secured only as fast as we, or our arms, achieve the control of the country where the slaves abound. This is understood by the negro in his bondage as well as by us. He will, therefore, wait patiently for the hour of his release, believing that while Abraham Lincoln holds to the doctrine of his proclamation, the good time will be sure to come sooner or later. Annul that proclamation, as the frightened conservatives would have Mr. Lincoln do, and who would be answerable to the consequences? Servile insurrection would be the almost certain result of so-ill timed a step.
No human being rises to minister vengeance upon those who do him favors, whether the favor is voluntary, and comes from the individual tyrant's own volition, or is extorted from him by external causes over which he can exercise no control.
How was it in the British West Indies? The slave there understood that his master gave him liberty per force of English law, enacted thousands of miles away in the little island of the seas. Did the slaves of those islands arise and kill their masters, who yielded to this outside pressure with extreme reluctance, but nevertheless yielded? Not at all. They received this boon of freedom with uplifted hearts to God in solemn prayer, and not with murderous hands against their former masters. This is history, and it is human nature the world over. And it is worth infinitely more in settling a question like this than any amount of theorizing and speculation, such as the fearful and quaking conservatives are wont to put forth.
It is only when you cut off a man's freedom, or attempt to subjugate him to the rule of despotism, that he resists you unto blood. This is the lesson of San Domingo. It is the lesson, also, of history, ever since the world began. Let then the timid and mistaken conservatives, who would induce the President of the United States to withdraw his proclamation, cease their efforts in that direction. Their safety, the safety of the nation, and the safety of the slaveholders are solely dependent on the maintenance of the President's proclamation.
On December 27, the National Republican mocked a specific slave insurrection scare that had broken out in Missouri, which as a loyal slave state was, of course, exempt from the provisions of the Emancipation Proclamation. It reported:
St. Louis, Dec. 26.–The Halleck Life Guard left the city this morning for Gray's Summit, Franklin county, on special duty. It is said that they are ordered to that place to prevent trouble from the negroes from apprehended insurrection; but inquiries have failed to elicit a reliable foundation for such rumors. There are but few negroes in that county, not enough to get up an insurrection on a large scale.
While correct about the newly liberated not rising in vengeance the National Republican misunderstood something fundamental about American slaves in the Civil War. This article, quite openly racist, assumed the slaves were passive waiting for the moment of their liberation. If the scholarship of recent decades on emancipation has proven anything, the slaves were anything but passive in their own emancipation. While there was no large-scale organized resistance by slaves during the Civil War, through countless acts of self-interest they chipped away little by little at the foundation of slavery in the American South, whether it be by fleeing to federal lines, joining the Union Army, or insisting they would no longer work without being paid. So while the suspense in December 1862 over whether Abraham Lincoln would made good on his pledge to free the slaves was certainly justified, to an extent it was merely confirming a social revolution already in progress in the slave states that had been unleashed by the Civil War.
Sources: 1) http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86053570/1862-12-23/ed-1/seq-2/; 2) http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86053570/1862-12-25/ed-1/seq-2/; 3) http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86053570/1862-12-27/ed-1/seq-2/.


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When the Wright brothers were in their teens, they were already dreaming of taking flight. So what are tomorrow's Wright brothers dreaming of? Some want to make personal aviation more affordable. Others are working on ways to go farther and faster. For Keith Yoerg, the 13-year-old great-great-grandnephew of Orville and Wilbur, the dream comes down to one word: Mars.
Exactly 100 years ago on Wednesday, the Wright brothers turned their dream into reality over the sands of the North Carolina coast, near Kitty Hawk. Inspired, Yoerg has set his sights on getting his pilot's license, becoming an astronaut — and eventually extending the legacy of the Wright brothers by setting foot on the Red Planet.
"That'd be a great place to go," he told MSNBC.com. "It must be a lot like Kitty Hawk was in 1903. Desert and sandy, from the pictures that I've seen. It would be a bridge from the past to the future. It would almost be a modern re-enactment of what they did."
Yoerg isn't the only one seeking to build on the legacy of his famous forebears: Thousands of scientists and engineers, explorers and tinkerers are expanding on Orville and Wilbur's dreams of flight, spiritual heirs if not blood relatives. Based on suggestions from MSNBC.com users, we've put together an initial list of innovators who just might inspire future generations the way the Wrights have inspired Yoerg:
Powered flight to the people
- Paul Moller: His Skycar is a sentimental favorite for flying-car fans, and he's planning a major demonstration flight next spring. But the first commercially viable fruits of his 40-year quest likely will have more to do with his patented rotary engine design. "I'm not going to be a Ford or a GM," he told MSNBC.com. "I'm just having a good time and sometimes a scary time breaking through new technologies."
- Vern Raburn: The chief executive officer and president of Eclipse Aviation says the company is on track to bring its low-cost, high-tech jets to market in 2006. He sees some parallels to the pioneering days of aviation. "What we're doing with the Eclipse is in essence rejection of the conventional wisdom. And the Wrights did exactly that," he said. But there are differences as well: "The challenges today are significantly greater in terms of technology, the business climate, the regulatory climate and involving capital."
- Alan Klapmeier: Cirrus Design's co-founder and president also has a vision of bringing down the cost of personal flying. He's also part of a brother act; Dale Klapmeier is Cirrus' vice president. The single-engine Cirrus is equipped with a parachute landing system as an extra safety measure. But the selling points focus on user-friendliness and economy as well as safety. "We think of it as consumer-driven aviation," he said. "We're never going to have the airplane in every garage, but we will make air transportation more commonplace, because people will be able to afford it."
- James Dunn: His team in Worcester, Mass., is developing an electric-powered, fuel-cell-equipped airplane that could eventually have a range of 500 miles. The first test flight of the "E-Plane" could come early next year — and the revolutionary fuel-cell concept has attracted interest from the Boeing Co. as well.
Private-enterprise space race
- Burt Rutan: The man who designed the round-the-world Voyager airplane is targeting suborbital spaceflight with his White Knight / SpaceShipOne combination. In a PBS interview, Rutan said he took his inspiration from the pioneers of aviation: "A lot of them crashed. A lot of them didn't even get off the ground. By natural selection the airplane was developed, and most of it was nonsense, but the ones that became breakthroughs are the airplanes of today."
- John Carmack: The head of Armadillo Aerospace, who made millions as a game developer, is considered Rutan's closest competition. "Rocket science has this mystique and mythology about it, but it's completely out of proportion with its level of difficulty," he told the Dallas Business Journal. "A computer is radically more advanced than a rocket ship."
- Elon Musk: PayPal's founder has similarly put his fortune into spaceflight — but he is developing a new satellite launch vehicle rather than a suborbital passenger craft. In his view, cheaper access to orbit is the key to reigniting interest in space travel. "I think there's quite a bit of will," he said at this year's Mars Society convention. "It's not so much 'Where there's a will, there's a way.' I think it's 'Where there's a way, there's a will.'"
- Jeff Greason: XCOR Aerospace's chief executive officer isn't going after the X Prize, but his company is seeking a commercial launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration for a reusable, suborbital spaceship that could give the X Prize competitors a run for their money. "We're not in a rush to be the first to do it; we want to be the first to make real money doing it," he told The New York Times.
- Eric Anderson: His company, Space Adventures, brokered the deals that sent the international space station its first paying passengers: California millionaire Dennis Tito in 2001, and South African millionaire Mark Shuttleworth in 2002. On Tuesday, he announced that two more customers had signed contracts for space station trips. "It's testament to the fact that spaceflight and space exploration are going to be the biggest part of the next 100 years of flight," Anderson told MSNBC.com.
Flying like never before
- Ann Druyan: Carl Sagan's widow is keeping the late astronomer's "Cosmos" flame alive, not only by presiding over Cosmos Studios, but also by supporting such projects as the Cosmos 1 solar sail and the SETI@ home alien-seeking computing grid in cooperation with the Planetary Society. The solar sail is due to fly in space next year, and Druyan says the challenges remind her of the Wrights' experience: "I think of their four failed businesses. I think that, in the classic American tradition, they were essentially nobodies, with no one to pave the way for them. ... Obviously the possibility of failure is always a reality, but that tiny hope that we might succeed, and our descendants in the exploration game might look back on us, and thank us, and remember us with respect, is definitely one of the things that keep me going."
- Bradley Edwards: The physicist helped bring Arthur C. Clarke's concept of a space elevator close enough to reality that researchers now believe they can actually build the darn thing : It would be a carbon-nanotube ribbon stretching out 62,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) from Earth's surface, on which payloads of up to 5 tons could ride into orbit. "This is a different technology than rockets," Edwards told Space.com. "Whether you're going into Earth orbit, to the moon, Mars, Venus, the asteroids ... the space elevator is really the way to go."
- Franklin Chang-Diaz: Along with fellow astronaut Jerry Ross, Chang-Diaz holds the record for most space shuttle missions flown (seven) — but spaceflight is just one side of the story. The physicist/spacewalker is also director of the Advanced Space Propulsion Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center, focusing on the development of plasma power for future interplanetary missions. "Nuclear power is definitely a must if we're going to go to Mars," Chang-Diaz said in a NASA report on his research. That fits in with NASA's Project Prometheus — and someday the technology just might make young Yoerg's dream come true.
© 2013 msnbc.com Reprints


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active projects
April 2020
IAF investment
people benefiting
Contacts for Nicaragua
Foundation Representative
Program Assistant
Local Liaison
Country Strategy
Nicaragua faces historic and deep-rooted poverty, made worse by the country's ongoing sociopolitical crisis. It is also vulnerable to natural disasters including drought, hurricanes, and earthquakes. Our grantee partners expand economic opportunity, enhance peace and security, improve democratic governance, and reduce the motivation to migrate.
We invest in local organizations that expand access to credit and markets, develop small businesses, and mobilize local resources for development. Our grantee partners work with underserved groups in 9 of the country's 15 departments, including indigenous people, women, people with disabilities, and young people.
We awarded our first grant in Nicaragua in 1972. Since then, we have provided $44 million through 227 grants to local organizations.
Projects in Nicaragua
ordered by most recently awarded
2016-Juan 23
Asociación Roncalli-Juan XXIII (Juan 23) finances the construction of homes through its loan guarantee fund to increase access to home ownership in urban and rural areas.
Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples Ríos de Agua Viva 21 de Junio R.L. (RAV) helps farmers increase crop yields using sustainable and ecologically sound practices, improve processing and product quality and expand their access to domestic and export markets.
Centro Especializado de Atención a la Mujer (CEAMUJER) provides technical assistance for women to develop skills in leadership and violence prevention and promotes gender equality and economic independence for women.
Asociación Centro Jurídico Popular (CJP) encourages young people to launch or strengthen small businesses and provides technical and financial assistance for them to develop skills in citizenship, conflict resolution, communication and advocacy.
2015-Nidia White
Asociación Movimiento de Mujeres Nidia White (Nidia White) provides technical assistance for women to develop skills in financial independence and raises awareness to prevent family violence.
Asociación de Cooperativas de Pequeños Productores de Café de Nicaragua (CAFENICA) provides technical assistance and credit to farmers to help increase their production and income for their families.
Asociación Para el Desarrollo Integral de la Mujer (APADIEM) works to identify income-producing activities that improve the quality of life for these residents.
Centro de Comunicación y Educación Popular Cantera (CANTERA) provides technical assistance and entrepreneurship support for at-risk young people to develop small business initiatives and engage in community development.
2013-Aldea Global
Asociacion Aldea Global Jinotega (Aldea Global) helps farmers — especially women — become more efficient and competitive in providing credit, marketing goods and controlling the quality of production.
Staff working with projects in Nicaragua
Recent News and Stories
Cultivating Women-Led Businesses
In Cusco, a women's flower-growers association has blossomed into a source of income for 168 people in four communities.
What Good Can a Couple of Goats Do?
Seventy-one percent of IAF-supported projects in Haiti use mutual solidarity funds to increase economic opportunities for women. Learn how these small injections of support have changed women's lives.
Frequently asked questions
The Inter-American Foundation (IAF) is governed by a nine-person board of directors appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. Six members of the board are drawn from the private sector and three from the federal government. The board appoints a president who serves as the IAF's chief executive officer.
Congress annually appropriates funds for use by the IAF pursuant to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1969, as amended. The IAF's other primary funding source is the Social Progress Trust Fund administered by the Inter-American Development Bank and consisting of repayments of loans originally made by the U.S. government under the Alliance for Progress to various Latin American and Caribbean governments. The IAF accepts donations for projects in the region.
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The IAF has been a leader in helping grassroots initiatives gain recognition as a critical factor in the sustainable development of Latin America and the Caribbean. Since 1972, the IAF has awarded more than 5,200 grants totaling about $730 million to support more than 4,000 organizations. Many grants went to grassroots organizations such as agricultural cooperatives or small urban enterprises; others were awarded to larger intermediary organizations that provided community groups with credit, technical assistance, training and marketing assistance. The largest portion of IAF funding has been invested in enterprise development, followed by food production and agriculture, education, training, and eco-development. Together the IAF and its grantees have tested cost-effective, participatory models for social and economic development. These models have been replicated and expanded by government and larger donor agencies improving conditions for hundreds of thousands of poor families throughout the hemisphere.
Grassroots development works. It not only engages poor people in improving their conditions but also fosters responsible citizenship. To gauge the impact of its investment, the IAF systematically tracks the results of its projects by using a conceptual grassroots development framework. This measures tangible results of projects and assesses the civic capacity of individuals, organizations and communities
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Kit Nicholls
Director of the Center for Writing
Kit Nicholls received a Ph.D. in English at New York University and a B.A. in creative writing at the University of Michigan. He studies and writes about Irish and Scottish nationalisms in the context of Atlantic history and economics. His other interests include the history, theory and literary representation of music, academic rhetoric, and postmodern American fiction.


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To facilitate shaft alignment for OKC, OKCX, OKCS and OKCK couplings one of the shafts should be so designed that the coupling can be slid along it far enough to expose the outermost part of the coupling seat. Surface roughness is to be within Ra 2,5 μm. ISO tolerance h8 applies to coupling seats from 25 - 90 mm. ISO tolerance h7 is used for larger diameters (table).
Hollow shafts for OKC couplings
The outer sleeve must be driven further up with hollow shafts than with solid ones if the same pressure and power transmission capacity are to be achieved. The shafts must also be reinforced by means of sleeves shrunk into recess turned beneath the coupling seats. This will prevent the stresses, which arise in the shaft material when the coupling has been mounted, from exceeding the permissible value.
The reinforcement sleeve should be made of toughened steel with a yield point of at least 850 N/mm2. The length of the sleeves should be 15 mm longer than the pressure length (= A2 - A3 + 15 mm). The outside diameter, the required interference between the sleeves and the shafts, and the increase in the drive-up distance (the reduction in dimension A3) can be obtained from the table for various values of diameter ratio dc/da.
Suitable tolerance ranges for the outside diameter of the sleeves and the recesses in the shafts are IT6 and IT7 respectively. Note that the coupling seats should be machined to the prescribed diameter tolerance only after the reinforcement sleeves have been fitted.
An OKC coupling is to be mounted on shafts with an outside diameter of 400 mm and a bore of 120 mm.
i.e. dc/da = 120/400 = 0,3
The outside diameter of the reinforcement sleeve is obtained from
db/da = 0,49, i.e. db = 196 mm.
The interference δ is obtained from
δ/db = 0,0013, i.e. δ = 0,25 mm
i.e. dc/da = 120/400 = 0,3
The outside diameter of the reinforcement sleeve is obtained from
db/da = 0,49, i.e. db = 196 mm.
The interference δ is obtained from
δ/db = 0,0013, i.e. δ = 0,25 mm
The increase in drive-up distance, R, is obtained from the ratio R/da = 0,009. Thus dimension A3 in the product table (30 mm) must be reduced by 3,6 mm.
With hollow shafts whose diameter ratio exceeds 0,55 the normal pressure and transmitted torque cannot be fully achieved. In such cases, please consult the local representative.
Hollow shafts for OKCX, OKCS, OKCK and OKF couplings
For OKCX, OKCS, OKCK and OKF couplings mounted on hollow shafts, please contact the local representative.