text:
Not your personal army.
Guy has been non stop hating on the Jets for upwards of a week now....Let's get some guys yelling at him on the air or blowing his twitter up @RothenbergESPN. Keeps talking about a "QB Controversy" and other media created crap that we know isn't true. Talked about "Our number 2 reciever in Kerley being bad so far".
Not your personal army.
No, obviously not, but this is a voice spreading garbage throughout the whole market on one of the biggest stations. Trolling hard.
We'll show him. We are not to be trifled with.
He's on now if you guys want to listen. He's a giants fan, and a few days ago he said "What Eli has done over the last five years is nothing short of Legendary" and "Yeah there are those guys Brady, Brees, Rodgers, but in the last 90 seconds you've gotta take Eli over all of those guys". While CONSTANTLY talking about Tebow being a threat to Sanchez and blah blah blah.
I've never heard of the show but the name sounds familiar and I'm pretty sure I knew him back in high school - worked with him for a bit.
The dude went to Wheatley I think.
He's a NY Giants homer who ALWAYS bashes the Jets....it would probably be better to just turn the dial like I do when he gets ridiculous...carry on folks....
The thing I hate the most is when guys like this talk like every thing they say is matter of fact...it's just the worst radio. Him and John Rothstein who used to be on 1050 a lot are both just opinionated , biased, pessimists.
always need a little luck to win a SB.
It sucks that folks let this stuff upset them...Let it go. Not worth it...


text:
Harper reflects on first two weeks in Majors
By Kevin Goheen / Special to MLB.com
Cameras, microphones and bodies surrounded Harper as the 19-year-old sat atop the bench in the Washington dugout. He politely answered questions -- "How have you been received in the clubhouse?" ... "Do you ask a lot of questions of the veterans?" -- for a few minutes before heading back to prepare to face Reds right-hander Mike Leake.
"I keep to myself pretty much, try not to say much, and just play the game of baseball and not worry about anything around me," said Harper. "But when guys come up to me and talk to me, that's when I take it in the most. I let them come to me and tell me what I need to do."
Harper reached base safely in 10 of his first 11 games in the big leagues and entered Friday hitting .263. He was just 2-for-12 through the first three games of this current six-game road trip, but that isn't much of a concern for manager Davey Johnson.
"He's had a lot of attention thrown at him, and he's handled it great," said Johnson. "He hasn't changed his game. He's very aggressive and loves to play the game. He doesn't get cheated at home plate. He'll crash into walls or fall down, do whatever he has to do to make a play."
Harper has been a magnet for attention since before the Nationals drafted him No. 1 overall in two years ago. On the road, that means a lot of boos.
"I love getting booed. I do. I really do," said Harper. "At home, it's good to hear the cheers, but I think that it gets me going a little too much. The adrenaline comes in and you want to do so well for your fans. When I'm on the road and I get booed, it puts me in a mellow stage."
Zimmerman feeling good since return
CINCINNATI -- Three days off the disabled list and Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is slowly feeling like he's finding his groove.
Zimmerman went 3-for-12 in the three games at Pittsburgh, collecting one hit in each of the games against the Pirates at PNC Park. Inflammation in his right shoulder got Zimmerman off to a slow start -- he's hitting just .229 heading into Friday night's game against the Reds at Great American Ball Park -- but he's confident that average will soon rise.
"I had some good at-bats the first three games, and hit the ball pretty well," said Zimmerman. "It takes a few games to get back in there. I'm just happy to be back in there and not watching it anymore."
Coming to a ballpark with the reputation of being hitter-friendly can help a player find that groove a little quicker.
"It's like playing in Philly and parks like that; you don't try to do too much," said Zimmerman. "You know that you just have to put a good swing on the ball and good things will happen. The bigger parks play into that notion of trying to do too much. You still have to hit the ball and have a good at-bat, but if you hit a ball well here, you usually get rewarded."
Zimmerman is one run shy of reaching 500 for his career, and career hit No. 1,000 is just 37 away.
Johnson praises Hall electee Larkin
CINCINNATI -- Davey Johnson managed Barry Larkin for three years, from 1993-95, when the current Nationals manager was leading the Reds. Larkin won the National League MVP in 1995, when he hit .319 and stole 51 bases in leading the Reds to the Central Division title and an appearance in the NL Championship Series.
This summer, Larkin will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
"I've been asked the question 'Who's the best player I've ever managed?' and my answer is always Barry Larkin," said Johnson. "He's a complete player. He played one of the leading positions on the field, as far as I'm concerned, at shortstop. He could hit anywhere from one to three [in the lineup]. He stole bases whenever you needed him. He was great defensively, and led by example.
"He had a great year for me -- MVP -- and I can't think of another person better to be inducted into the Hall of Fame than Barry Larkin. I've managed a lot of great ones, but what he did and the way he played, he was arguably the best player I managed."
Larkin played 19 seasons for the Reds, his hometown team. He spent four seasons in Washington as a special assistant to former general manager Jim Bowden.
Worth noting
The Nationals won three of four games against the Reds at Nationals Park last month in the opening home series of the season. Washington is seeking to secure just its third season-series win against Cincinnati since moving to D.C. in 2005.
First baseman Adam LaRoche entered Friday fifth in the National League with a 1.003 OPS. His on-base percentage of .421 and slugging percentage of .582 were both in the top eight of the NL.
The Nationals have allowed just 15 home runs this season, the lowest total in baseball. That will be tested this weekend at Great American Ball Park, dubbed by some locals as Great American "Small" Park.
Kevin Goheen is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
HOUSTON - More than 30,000 people gathered at Reliant Park early Saturday morning to walk for a good cause.
The Houston Heart Walk kicked off around 9:30 a.m. with people of all ages walking in the fight against heat disease and stroke.
"It's all about individual team captains signing up friends and family members to support them in the heart walk," said Ryan Lance, chairman of the event.
The walk is the biggest fund raising event for the American Heart Association, officials said. It brings together survivors and others who have seen the effects of heart disease.
Donavan Edwards is one of those people. He came to the walk in memory of his father.
"He had a stroke when I was in the fourth grade [and] sort of recovered," said Edwards. "Unfortunately, he had another my freshman year in high school."
According to the American Heart Association, 29% of Houston residents are obese, and more than 16% of adults smoke. In 2011, more than 6,000 people died from cardiovascular disease and another 1,400 from stroke.
Local 2 is a proud sponsor. Dominique Sachse emceed Saturday's event, and Rachel McNeil emceed the walk up north, helping bring to light the strides made in the fight against one of Houston's biggest health threats.
The American Heart Association's fundraising goal for 2012 was $2.2 million, all of which would go toward research, education and programs to help fight heart disease and stroke, officials said.
For more information, visit the American Heart Association's web site.
Copyright 2012 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Pedroia, Papi lead way in blowout
Pair comes up big to lead Red Sox over Orioles at Fenway
By Mark Remme / MLB.com
Tuesday's outing against the Orioles was nothing out of the ordinary for the thrice cleanup hitter in four days -- who moved into the position just moments before the game when Kevin Youkilis was scratched with lower back spasms. Pedroia came to the plate, used all areas of the park and drove in pivotal runs.
"I told him I was going to paint an 'S' [for Superman] on his chest," outfielder Mark Kotsay said. "He's a great young player who comes to the park ready to play every day, and you can't say enough about that."
But he wasn't alone on this night. All nine starters collected hits, David Ortiz added four RBIs and the Red Sox rolled to a 14-2 win over the Orioles at Fenway. Coupled with a Tampa Bay loss to New York, Boston moved to within four games of the American League East-leading Rays.
Pedroia is currently in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak in which he's batting .600 with three doubles, two homers and 11 RBIs.
He notched five on Tuesday, sending a three-run homer to left in the fourth inning that was part of a six-run outburst. It turned a 4-1 contest into a 10-1 rout rather quickly.
As his roll continues, so do the "MVP" chants from the Fenway bleachers. And with each passing night, they get a little bit louder -- with good reason, considering the 5-foot-9 second baseman is leading the AL with a .330 batting average.
"I just come to the park and keep doing the same thing I've done all season," Pedroia said.
Does he hear the chants in the stands when he comes to the plate?
"I don't think about that," he said. "I just keep trying to hit; keep doing what I do."
On this night, Pedroia wasn't alone. In fact, Boston's top four hitters accounted for 12 RBIs in the shellacking, led by Pedroia's five and Oritz's four.
Ortiz hasn't exactly put up the numbers he's accustomed to this season, having just 66 RBIs coming into Tuesday's bout with Baltimore. But he rallied off a pair of two-run doubles in the third and fourth innings that put Boston in command without looking back.
"He had some very good swings," manager Terry Francona said. "But, again, he came up in situations where the pitchers had to pretty much throw the ball over the plate, because there were so many men on base. The guys ahead of him did a pretty good job."
Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie did their part at the top of the order. Not only did they each collect a hit and drive in a combined three runs, but they drew a combined five walks in the contest. Having those two on base throughout opened up Ortiz and Pedroia to situations where they could produce big hits.
The offense provided enough muscle to put the game away by the fourth. Jon Lester's steady hand helped put his team in position to run away with the victory.
While it wasn't his soundest performance of the season, it certainly did the job. Lester improved to 3-0 in four starts against the Orioles in 2008, racking up a stout 2.16 ERA in those outings.
He left after five innings on Tuesday, having already recorded 99 pitches. But he allowed just one run on six hits, earning his 13th win of the season.
"It was one of those nights, I felt real strong, almost too strong," Lester said. "I was getting out too early trying to throw the ball past guys every time."
Too strong might be the correct term. While Lester admitted he'd never topped 96 mph in his career prior to this season, he notched a 97 mph fastball in the first inning against leadoff hitter Brian Roberts.
It was an early indication of an overpowering performance by the Red Sox.
"His stuff was phenomenal," Francona said. "The ball's coming out of his hand -- I think he touched 97 early in the game. He's strong."
But it was the strength of his second baseman that added the muscle in this game. Pounding that three-run shot in the midst of a six-run fourth added the exclamation point to Ortiz's doubles.
It didn't go without notice, by the fans or by Lester on the hill.
"Petey's been unreal -- he's swinging the heck out of the bat right now," Lester said. "It seems like every time you turn around, he's up to bat with guys on base and comes up clutch every time."
Pedroia's heard that a lot this week. Monday's starter, Paul Byrd, praised him for the way he plays in the field and at the plate. So when the crowd throws "MVP" chants around, it's nothing the Sox players in the clubhouse aren't echoing either.
That doesn't change Pedroia's perspective, or his play. He just goes out the next game and does it again.
"I'm just trying to have good at-bats," Pedroia said. "No goals ... I'm just trying to put a good swing on the ball."
Mark Remme is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Rox hope spring start of things to come for Stubbs
By Thomas Harding / MLB.com
MIAMI -- Spring Training statistics don't say much in and of themselves. But it's possible they speak volumes about Rockies center fielder Drew Stubbs.
The toolsy Stubbs, acquired from the Indians last winter, has hit for power (22 homers in 2010) and provided speed (70 steals in 2009 and 2010), but has struggled to get on base (.310) and has high strikeouts (729 in 632 games).
"When you come back after spending three or four months off, it takes a little time to get your timing back, but as spring progressed, I was able to do that and come out of there feeling good," said Stubbs, who made his first Rockies start Tuesday night against the Marlins.
The at-bats are available in the leadoff spot, although Stubbs has not been the on-base type that functions well in that top spot during his career. But after spending the last couple of years experimenting with a leg kick and a toe tap, Stubbs has forgotten the mechanics and just hit with his athletic ability. By the end of spring, Stubbs was lining pitches because he was loading his legs into the swing properly.
The strikeouts are a concern he is trying to correct, since it means he would need good contact and good luck whenever he makes contact to have a decent OBP. But because he has power potential, he believes it would be counterproductive to be a slap hitter.
"At the end of the day, getting on base is all that matters," Stubbs said. "You try to limit strikeouts as much as you can, but you don't want to place so much emphasis on it that it takes away from the rest of your game. As long as you are getting on base and you are getting a productive at-bat, things take care of themselves."
Stubbs has well-celebrated issues with right-handed pitching in recent years. For example, he hit .216 with a .275 OBP against righties in 2013. But this spring, he hit .276 with a .344 OBP against righties, and manager Walt Weiss started him against Marlins hard-throwing righty Nathan Eovaldi on Tuesday.
In the opener, Weiss started left-handed-hitting Charlie Blackmon (0-for-4). There will be starts for left-handed-hitting Corey Dickerson and right-swinging Brandon Barnes. In the case of Tuedsay, Weiss said righties do decently against Eovaldi.
"That played into it, but it's gong to be a fluid situation early on, and we'll see who takes it [center field] and runs with it," Weiss said. "But [Stubbs] has that elite skill on the defensive side of the ball, and that certainly helped.
"I saw better at-bats [as the spring progressed]. He had some things he was working on specifically this spring -- the small game and doing those things. He was in a good place by the time we broke camp."
De La Rosa, Rosario to clear up confusion
MIAMI -- Rockies left-handed pitcher Jorge De La Rosa vowed to work out the communication issues between him and catcher Wilin Rosario before his next start, on Saturday at home against the D-backs.
They talked at the behest of manager Walt Weiss after a five-run fifth inning -- De La Rosa's last of the night -- that was complete with contentious mound visits in the Rockies' 10-1 Opening Night loss to the Marlins on Monday night. The two met again Tuesday. On Wednesday, they'll work things out in their own pitcher-catcher way.
"I'm going to throw a bullpen [session], and he's going to call all my pitches tomorrow," De La Rosa said.
They simply have to settle whatever differences they have, which always arise when a runner is on second base and they try to change the signs. Even if they have crossed signals, De La Rosa can't let the outing deteriorate. He was down 2-0 when the trouble started Monday, and by the end, he was saddled with five runs in 4 1/3 innings. It was not what the Rockies were seeking from their No. 1 pitcher, for whom the club picked up an $11 million option for this year to keep him away from free agency.
Because of the rough defensive stats Rosario has had the first two seasons of his career, after he was called up from Double-A, he is roundly criticized as the problem, although the Rockies -- and the pitcher, himself -- laid more of the blame for Monday on De La Rosa losing his temper and letting his outing go haywire.
"I was mad at myself," the lefty said. "I got confused. Then he said he got confused, too. We both got confused. I never get mad at anybody.
"Everybody thinks I'm mad at him. I don't try to show up anyone. I told him before the game if I do something, I'm not trying to show him up. But people are going to think those things."
And although the two had problems the last time they worked together in Spring Training, forget simply having De La Rosa throw to someone else.
"Wilin's our catcher," Rockies pitching coach Jim Wright said. "Without him in our lineup, we suffer a little bit [offensively]. They'll work it out. They'll figure it out. It will not be a Steve Carlton-Tim McCarver type thing or Greg Maddux and his personal catcher. That's not going to happen.
"The whole thing with pitching is you have control of the situation. The situation cannot control you."
Rosario said it's simply a matter of practice.
"We talked already and we're going to get another set of signs and keep practicing that for the next four days until his next start," Rosario said. "We talked about it and we're going to figure it out."
Recent success nets Nicasio home opener start
MIAMI -- Rockies manager Walt Weiss decided to go with right-hander Juan Nicasio for Friday's home opener against the D-backs, rather than lefty Franklin Morales, because Nicasio's experience at Coors Field is fresher.
Nicasio has been with the Rockies the last three seasons. Morales began his career with the Rockies as a callup starter on the 2007 team that went to the World Series, and as a reliever in 2009, but he was traded to the Red Sox in 2011. Weiss thought it was better to have Morales make his first start Thursday, at Marlins Park.
"More than anything, Juan has pitched a lot and made a lot of starts in our park," Weiss said. "Frankie did at one time, but it's been a while. I'd rather Frankie's first start be on the road before we get back there in all the hoopla of Opening Day and throw that on top of being with a new club. Juan was the best choice."
Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @harding_at_mlb. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
This document provides a quick overview of the capabilities of OpenMx in handling everything from simple calculations to optimization of complex multiple group models. Note that this overview focuses on matrix specification of OpenMx models, and that all these models can equally well be developed using path specification. We start with a matrix algebra example, followed by an optimization example. We end this quick overview with a twin analysis example, as the majority of prior Mx users will be familiar with this type of analysis. We plan to expand this overview with examples more relevant to other applications of structural equation modeling. While we provide the scripts here, we will not discuss every detail, as that is done more systematically in the next example shown in two model styles and two data styles. Then we describe in detail a series of models using path specification, followed by the same examples in matrix specification.
The OpenMx scripts for the examples in this overview are available in the following files:
We will start by showing some of the main features of OpenMx using simple examples. For those familiar with Mx, it is basically a matrix interpreter combined with a numerical optimizer to allow fitting statistical models. Of course you do not need OpenMx to perform matrix algebra as that can already be done in R. However, to accommodate flexible statistical modeling of the type of models typically fit in Mx, Mplus or other SEM packages, special kinds of matrices and functions are required which are bundled in OpenMx. We will introduce key features of OpenMx using a matrix algebra example. Remember that R is object-oriented, such that the results of operations are objects, rather than just matrices, with various properties/characteristics attached to them. We will describe the script line by line; a link to the complete script is here.
Say, we want to create two matrices, A and B, each of them a 'Full' matrix with 3 rows and 1 column and with the values 1, 2 and 3, as follows:
we use the mxMatrix command, and define the type of the matrix (type=), number of rows (nrow=) and columns (ncol=), its specifications (free=) and starting values (values=), optionally labels (labels=), upper (ubound=) and lower (lbound=) bounds>, and a name (name=). The matrix A will be stored as the object 'A'.
Assume we want to calculate the (1) the sum of the matrices A and B, (2) the element by element multiplication (Dot product) of A and B, (3) the transpose of matrix A, and the (4) outer and (5) inner products of the matrix A, using regular matrix multiplication, i.e.:
we invoke the mxAlgebra command which performs an algebra operation between previously defined matrices. Note that in R, transpose is represented by t(), regular matrix multiplication \%*\% and dot multiplication as *. We also assign the algebras a name to refer back to them later:
expression=A + B,
expression=A * A,
expression=A %*% t(A),
expression=t(A) %*% A,
For the algebras to be evaluated, they become arguments of the mxModel command, as do the defined matrices, each separated by comma's. The model, which is here given the name 'algebraExercises', is then executed by the mxRun command, as shown in the full code below:
algebraExercises <- mxModel(
mxMatrix(type="Full", nrow=3, ncol=1, values=c(1,2,3), name='A'),
mxMatrix(type="Full", nrow=3, ncol=1, values=c(1,2,3), name='B'),
mxAlgebra(expression=A+B, name='q1'),
mxAlgebra(expression=A*A, name='q2'),
mxAlgebra(expression=t(A), name='q3'),
mxAlgebra(expression=A%*%t(A), name='q4'),
mxAlgebra(expression=t(A)%*%A, name='q5')
answers <- mxRun(algebraExercises)
result <- mxEval(list(q1,q2,q3,q4,q5),answers)
As you notice, we added some lines at the end to generate the desired output. The resulting matrices and algebras are stored in answers; we can refer back to them by specifying answers@matrices or answers@algebras. We can also calculate any additional quantities or perform extra matrix operations on the results using the mxEval command. For example, if we want to see all the answers to the questions in matrixAlgebra.R, the results would look like this:
[1,] 2
[2,] 4
[3,] 6
[1,] 1
[2,] 4
[3,] 9
[,1] [,2] [,3]
[1,] 1 2 3
[,1] [,2] [,3]
[1,] 1 2 3
[2,] 2 4 6
[3,] 3 6 9
[1,] 14
So far, we have introduced five new commands: mxMatrix, mxAlgebra, mxModel, mxRun and mxEval. These commands allow us to run a wide range of jobs, from simple matrix algebra to rather complicated SEM models. Let's move to an example involving optimizing the likelihood of observed data.
When collecting data to test a specific hypothesis, one of the first things one typically does is checking the basic descriptive statistics, such as the means, variances and covariances/correlations. We could of course use basic functions in R, i.e., meanCol(Data) or cov(Data) to perform these operations. However, if we want to test specific hypotheses about the data, for example, test whether the correlation between two variables is significantly different from zero, we need to compare the likelihood of the data when the correlation is freely estimated with the likelihood of the data when the correlation is fixed to zero. Let's work through a specific example.
Say, we have collected data on two variables X and Y in 1000 individuals, and R descriptive statistics has shown that the correlation between them is 0.5. For the sake of this example, we used another built-in function in the R package MASS, namely mvrnorm, to generate multivariate normal data for 1000 individuals with means of 0.0, variances of 1.0 and a correlation (rs) of 0.5 between X and Y. Note the that first argument of mvrnorm is the sample size, the second the vector of means, and the third the covariance matrix to be simulated. We save the data in the object xy and create a vector of labels for the two variables in selVars which is used in the dimnames statement later on. The R functions summary() and cov() are used to verify that the simulations appear OK.
#Simulate Data
xy <- mvrnorm (1000, c(0,0), matrix(c(1,rs,rs,1),2,2))
testData <- xy
selVars <- c('X','Y')
dimnames(testData) <- list(NULL, selVars)
To evaluate the likelihood of the data using SEM, we estimate a saturated model with free means, free variances and a covariance. Let's start with specifying the mean vector. We use the mxMatrix command, provide the type, here Full, the number of rows and columns, respectively 1 and 2, the specification of free/fixed parameters, the starting values, the dimnames and a name. Given all the elements of this 1x2 matrix are free, we can use free=True. The starting values are provided using a list, i.e. c(0,0). The dimnames are a type of label that is required to recognize the expected mean vector and expected covariance matrix and match up the model with the data. For a mean vector, the first element is NULL given mean vectors always have one row. The second element of the list should have the labels for the two variables c('X','Y') which we have previously assigned to the object selVars. Finally, we are explicit in naming this matrix expMean. Thus the matrix command looks like this. Note the soft tabs to improve readability.
bivCorModel <- mxModel("bivCor",
Next, we need to specify the expected covariance matrix. As this matrix is symmetric, we could estimate it directly as a symmetric matrix. However, to avoid solutions that are not positive definite, we will use a Cholesky decomposition. Thus, we specify a lower triangular matrix (matrix with free elements on the diagonal and below the diagonal, and zero's above the diagonal), and multiply it with its transpose to generate a symmetric matrix. We will use a mxMatrix command to specify the lower triangular matrix and a mxAlgebra command to set up the symmetric matrix. The matrix is a 2x2 free lower matrix with c('X','Y') (previously defined as selVars) as dimnames for the rows and columns, and the name "Chol". We can now refer back to this matrix by its name in the mxAlgebra statement. We use a regular multiplication of Chol with its transpose t(Chol), and name this as "expCov".
expression=Chol %*% t(Chol),
Now that we have specified our 'model', we need to supply the data. This is done with the mxData command. The first argument includes the actual data, in the type given by the second argument. Type can be a covariance matrix (cov), a correlation matrix (cor), a matrix of cross-products (sscp) or raw data (raw). We will use the latter option and read in the raw data directly from the simulated dataset testData.
Next, we specify which objective function we wish to use to obtain the likelihood of the data. Given we fit to the raw data, we use the full information maximum likelihood (FIML) objective function mxFIMLObjective. Its arguments are the expected covariance matrix, generated using the mxMatrix and mxAlgebra commands as "expCov", and the expected means vectors, generated using the mxMatrix command as "expMeans".
All these elements become arguments of the mxModel command, seperated by comma's. The first argument can be a name, as in this case "bivCor" or another model (see below). The model is saved in an object 'bivCorModel'. This object becomes the argument of the mxRun command, which evaluates the model and provides output - if the model ran successfully - using the following command.
bivCorModel <- mxModel("bivCor",
mxMatrix( type="Full", nrow=1, ncol=2, free=TRUE, values=c(0,0), name="expMean" ),
mxMatrix( type="Lower", nrow=2, ncol=2, free=TRUE, values=.5, name="Chol" ),
mxAlgebra( expression=Chol %*% t(Chol), name="expCov", ),
mxData( observed=testData, type="raw" ),
mxFIMLObjective( covariance="expCov", means="expMean", dimnames=selVars)
bivCorFit <- mxRun(bivCorModel)
We can request various final values of the output using the mxEval command. In the following example, the simplest use case of mxEval is seen. The name of a matrix or algebra is used, and mxEval returns the current value of that matrix or algebra. See the OpenMx Style Guide for more advanced uses of the mxEval command.
EM <- mxEval(expMean, bivCorFit)
EC <- mxEval(expCov, bivCorFit)
LL <- mxEval(objective,bivCorFit)
These commands generate the following output:
[1,] 0.03211646 -0.004883803
[1,] 5415.772
Standard lists of parameter estimates and goodness-of-fit statistics can also be obtained with the summary command.:
> summary(bivCorFit)
Min. :-2.942561 Min. :-3.296159
1st Qu.:-0.633711 1st Qu.:-0.596177
Median :-0.004139 Median :-0.010538
Mean : 0.032116 Mean :-0.004884
3rd Qu.: 0.739236 3rd Qu.: 0.598326
Max. : 4.173841 Max. : 4.006771
name matrix row col parameter estimate error estimate
1 <NA> expMean 1 1 0.032116456 0.02228409
2 <NA> expMean 1 2 -0.004883803 0.02235021
3 <NA> Chol 1 1 1.004631642 0.01575904
4 <NA> Chol 2 1 0.479130899 0.02099642
5 <NA> Chol 2 2 0.874055066 0.01376876
Observed statistics: 2000
Estimated parameters: 5
Degrees of freedom: 1995
-2 log likelihood: 5415.772
Saturated -2 log likelihood:
AIC (Mx): 1425.772
BIC (Mx): -4182.6
adjusted BIC:
If we want to test whether the covariance/correlation is significantly different from zero, we could fit a submodel and compare it with the previous saturated model. Given that this model is essentially the same as the original, except for the covariance, we create a new mxModel (named bivCorModelSub) with as first argument the old model (named bivCorModel). Then we only have to specify the matrix that needs to be changed, in this case the lower triangular matrix becomes essentially a diagonal matrix, obtained by fixing the off-diagonal elements to zero in the free and values arguments
#Test for Covariance=Zero
bivCorModelSub <-mxModel(bivCorModel,
Or we can write it more succintly as follows:
bivCorModelSub <-mxModel(bivCorModel,
mxMatrix( type="Diag", nrow=2, ncol=2, free=TRUE, name="Chol" ))
bivCorFitSub <- mxRun(bivCorModelSub)
We can output the same information as for the saturated job, namely the expected means and covariance matrix and the likelihood, and then use R to calculate other statistics, such as the Chi-square goodness-of-fit.
EMs <- mxEval(expMean, bivCorFitSub)
ECs <- mxEval(expCov, bivCorFitSub)
LLs <- mxEval(objective, bivCorFitSub)
Chi= LLs-LL;
LRT= rbind(LL,LLs,Chi); LRT
Now that you have seen the basics of OpenMx, let us walk through an example in more detail. We decided to use a twin model example for several reasons. Even though you may not have any background in behavior genetics or genetic epidemiology, the example illustrates a number of features you are likely to encounter at some stage. We will present the example in two ways: (i) path analysis representation, and (ii) matrix algebra representation. Both give exactly the same answer, so you can choose either one or both to get some familiarity with the two approaches.
We will not go into detail about the theory of this model, as that has been done elsewhere (refs). Briefly, twin studies rely on comparing the similarity of identical (monozygotic, MZ) and fraternal (dizygotic, DZ) twins to infer the role of genetic and environmental factors on individual differences. As MZ twins have identical genotypes, similarity between MZ twins is a function of shared genes, and shared environmental factors. Similarity between DZ twins is a function of some shared genes (on average they share 50% of their genes) and shared environmental factors. A basic assumption of the classical twin design is that the MZ and DZ twins shared environmental factors to the same extent.
The basic model typically fit to twin data from MZ and DZ twins reared together includes three sources of latent variables: additive genetic factors (A), shared environmental influences (C) and unique environmental factors (E), We can estimate these three sources of variance from the observed variances, the MZ and the DZ covariance. The expected variance is the sum of the three variance components (A + C + E). The expected covariance for MZ twins is (A + C) and that of DZ twins is (.5A + C). As MZ and DZ twins have different expected covariances, we have a multiple group model.
It has been standard in twin modeling to fit models to the raw data, as often data are missing on some co-twins. When using FIML, we also need to specify the expected means. There is no reason to expect that the variances are different for twin 1 and twin 2, neither are the means for twin 1 and twin 2 expected to differ. This can easily be verified by fitting submodels to the saturated model, prior to fitting the *ACE* model.
Let us start by simulating the data following by fitting a series of models. The code. includes both the twin data simulation and several OpenMx scripts to analyze the data. We will describe each of the parts in turn and include the code for the specific part in the code blocks.
First, we simulate twin data using the mvrnorm R function. If the additive genetic factors (A) account for 50% of the total variance and the shared environmental factors (C) for 30%, thus leaving 20% explained by specific environmental factors (E), then the expected MZ twin correlation is a^2 + c^2 or 0.8 in this case, and the expected DZ twin correlation is 0.65, calculated as .5*a^2 + c^2. We simulate 1000 pairs of MZ and DZ twins each with zero means and a correlation matrix according to the values listed above. We run some basic descriptive statistics on the simulated data, using regular R functions.
a2<-0.5 #Additive genetic variance component (a squared)
c2<-0.3 #Common environment variance component (c squared)
e2<-0.2 #Specific environment variance component (e squared)
rMZ <- a2+c2
rDZ <- .5*a2+c2
DataMZ <- mvrnorm (1000, c(0,0), matrix(c(1,rMZ,rMZ,1),2,2))
DataDZ <- mvrnorm (1000, c(0,0), matrix(c(1,rDZ,rDZ,1),2,2))
selVars <- c('t1','t2')
dimnames(DataMZ) <- list(NULL,selVars)
dimnames(DataDZ) <- list(NULL,selVars)
We typically start with fitting a saturated model, estimating means, variances and covariances separately by order of the twins (twin 1 vs twin 2) and by zygosity (MZ vs DZ pairs), to establish the likelihood of the data. This is essentially similar to the optimization script discussed above, except that we now have two variables (same variable for twin 1 and twin 2) and two groups (MZ and DZ). Thus, the saturated model will have two matrices for the expected means of MZs and DZs, and two for the expected covariances, generated from multiplying a lower triangular matrix with its transpose. The raw data are read in using the mxData command, and the corresponding objective function mxFIMLObjective applied.
expression=CholMZ %*% t(CholMZ),
Note that the mxModel statement for the DZ twins is almost identical to that for MZ twins, except for the names of the objects and data. If the arguments to the OpenMx command are given in the default order (see i.e. ?mxMatrix to go to the help/reference page for that command), then it is not necessary to include the name of the argument. Given we skip a few optional arguments, the argument name name= is included to refer to the right arguments. For didactic purposes, we prefer the formatting used for the MZ group, with soft tabs and each argument on a separate line, etc. (see list of formatting rules). However, the experienced user may want to use a more compact form, as the one used for the DZ group.
mxMatrix("Full", 1, 2, T, c(0,0), name="expMeanDZ"),
mxMatrix("Lower", 2, 2, T, .5, name="CholDZ"),
mxAlgebra(CholDZ %*% t(CholDZ), name="expCovDZ"),
mxData(DataDZ, type="raw"),
mxFIMLObjective("expCovDZ", "expMeanDZ", selVars))
The two models are then combined in a 'super'model which includes them as arguments. Additional arguments are an mxAlgebra statement to add the objective funtions/likelihood of the two submodels. To evaluate them simultaneously, we use the mxAlgebraObjective with the previous algebra as its argument. The mxRun command is used to start optimization.
twinSatModel <- mxModel("twinSat",
mxMatrix("Full", 1, 2, T, c(0,0), name="expMeanMZ"),
mxMatrix("Lower", 2, 2, T, .5, name="CholMZ"),
mxAlgebra(CholMZ %*% t(CholMZ), name="expCovMZ"),
mxData(DataMZ, type="raw"),
mxFIMLObjective("expCovMZ", "expMeanMZ", selVars)),
mxMatrix("Full", 1, 2, T, c(0,0), name="expMeanDZ"),
mxMatrix("Lower", 2, 2, T, .5, name="CholDZ"),
mxAlgebra(CholDZ %*% t(CholDZ), name="expCovDZ"),
mxData(DataDZ, type="raw"),
mxFIMLObjective("expCovDZ", "expMeanDZ", selVars)),
mxAlgebra(MZ.objective + DZ.objective, name="twin"),
twinSatFit <- mxRun(twinSatModel)
It is always helpful/advised to check the model specifications before interpreting the output. Here we are interested in the values for the expected mean vectors and covariance matrices, and the goodness-of-fit statistics, including the likelihood, degrees of freedom, and any other derived indices.
ExpMeanMZ <- mxEval(MZ.expMeanMZ, twinSatFit)
ExpCovMZ <- mxEval(MZ.expCovMZ, twinSatFit)
ExpMeanDZ <- mxEval(DZ.expMeanDZ, twinSatFit)
ExpCovDZ <- mxEval(DZ.expCovDZ, twinSatFit)
LL_Sat <- mxEval(objective, twinSatFit)
Before we move on to fit the ACE model to the same data, we may want to test some of the assumptions of the twin model, i.e. that the means and variances are the same for twin 1 and twin 2, and that they are the same for MZ and DZ twins. This can be done as an omnibus test, or stepwise. Let us start by equating the means for both twins, separately in the two groups. We accomplish this by using the same label (just one label which will be reused by R) for the two free parameters for the means per group. As the majority of the previous script stays the same, we start by copying the old model into a new one. We then include the arguments of the model that require a change.
twinSatModelSub1 <- mxModel(twinSatModel, name = "twinSatSub1")
twinSatModelSub1$MZ$expMeanMZ <- mxMatrix("Full", 1, 2, TRUE, 0, "mMZ")
twinSatModelSub1$MZ$expMeanMZ <- mxMatrix("Full", 1, 2, TRUE, 0, "mDZ")
twinSatFitSub1 <- mxRun(twinSatModelSub1)
If we want to test if we can equate both means and variances across twin order and zygosity at once, we will end up with the following specification. Note that we use the same label across models for elements that need to be equated.
twinSatModelSub2 <- mxModel(twinSatModelSub1, name = "twinSatSub2")
twinSatModelSub2$MZ$expMeanMZ <- mxMatrix("Full", 1, 2, TRUE, 0, "mean")
twinSatModelSub2$MZ$CholMZ <- mxMatrix("Lower", 2, 2, TRUE, 0.5, labels= c("var","MZcov","var"))
twinSatModelSub2$DZ$expMeanDZ <- mxMatrix("Full", 1, 2, T, 0, "mean")
twinSatModelSub2$MZ$CholDZ <- mxMatrix("Lower", 2, 2, T, 0.5, labels= c("var","DZcov","var"))
twinSatFitSub2 <- mxRun(twinSatModelSub2)
We can compare the likelihood of this submodel to that of the fully saturated model or the previous submodel using the results from mxEval commands with regular R algebra. A summary of the model parameters, estimates and goodness-of-fit statistics can also be obtained using summary(twinSatFit).
LL_Sat <- mxEval(objective, twinSatFit)
LL_Sub1 <- mxEval(objective, twinSatFitSub1)
LRT1 <- LL_Sub1 - LL_Sat
LL_Sub2 <- mxEval(objective, twinSatFitSub1)
LRT2 <- LL_Sub2 - LL_Sat
Now, we are ready to specify the ACE model to test which sources of variance significantly contribute to the phenotype and estimate their best value. The structure of this script is going to mimic that of the saturated model. The main difference is that we no longer estimate the variance-covariance matrix directly, but express it as a function of the three sources of variance, A, C and E. As the same sources are used for the MZ and the DZ group, the matrices which will represent them are part of the 'super'model. As these sources are variances, which need to be positive, we typically use a Cholesky decomposition of the standard deviations (and effectively estimate a rather then a^2, see later for more in depth coverage). Thus, we specify three separate matrices for the three sources of variance using the mxMatrix command and 'calculate' the variance components with the mxAlgebra command. Note that there are a variety of ways to specify this model, we have picked one that corresponds well to previous Mx code, and has some intuitive appeal.
#Specify ACE Model
twinACEModel <- mxModel("twinACE",
# Matrix expMean for expected mean vector for MZ and DZ twins
mxMatrix( type="Full", nrow=1, ncol=2, free=TRUE, values=20, label="mean", name="expMean"),
# Matrices X, Y, and Z to store the a, c, and e path coefficients
mxMatrix( type="Full", nrow=1, ncol=1, free=TRUE, values=.6, label="a", name="X"),
mxMatrix( type="Full", nrow=1, ncol=1, free=TRUE, values=.6, label="c", name="Y"),
mxMatrix( type="Full", nrow=1, ncol=1, free=TRUE, values=.6, label="e", name="Z"),
# Matrixes A, C, and E to compute A, C, and E variance components
mxAlgebra( expression=X * t(X), name="A"),
mxAlgebra( expression=Y * t(Y), name="C"),
mxAlgebra( expression=Z * t(Z), name="E"),
# Matrix expCovMZ for expected covariance matrix for MZ twins
mxAlgebra( expression=rbind(cbind(A+C+E, A+C), cbind(A+C, A+C+E)), name="expCovMZ"),
mxData( observed=DataMZ, type="raw"),
mxFIMLObjective( covariance="twinACE.expCovMZ", means="twinACE.expMean", dimnames=selVars)
# Matrix expCovMZ for expected covariance matrix for DZ twins
mxAlgebra( expression=rbind(cbind(A+C+E, .5%x%A+C), cbind(.5%x%A+C , A+C+E)), name="expCovDZ"),
mxData( observed=DataDZ, type="raw"),
mxFIMLObjective( covariance="twinACE.expCovDZ", means="twinACE.expMean", dimnames=selVars)
# Algebra to combine objective function of MZ and DZ groups
mxAlgebra(MZ.objective + DZ.objective, name="twin"),
twinACEFit <- mxRun(twinACEModel)
Relevant output can be generate with print or summary statements or specific output can be requested using the mxEval command. Typically we would compare this model back to the saturated model to interpret its goodness-of-fit. Parameter estimates are obtained and can easily be standardized. A typical analysis would likely include the following output.
LL_ACE <- mxEval(objective, twinACEFit)
LRT_ACE= LL_ACE - LL_Sat
#Retrieve expected mean vector and expected covariance matrices
MZc <- mxEval(expCovMZ, twinACEFit)
DZc <- mxEval(expCovDZ, twinACEFit)
M <- mxEval(expMean, twinACEFit)
#Retrieve the A, C, and E variance components
A <- mxEval(A, twinACEFit)
C <- mxEval(C, twinACEFit)
E <- mxEval(E, twinACEFit)
#Calculate standardized variance components
a2 <- A/V
c2 <- C/V
e2 <- E/V
#Build and print reporting table with row and column names
ACEest <- rbind(cbind(A,C,E),cbind(a2,c2,e2))
ACEest <- data.frame(ACEest, row.names=c("Variance Components","Standardized VC"))
names(ACEest)<-c("A", "C", "E")
ACEest; LL_ACE; LRT_ACE
Similarly to fitting submodels from the saturated model, we typically fit submodels of the ACE model to test the significance of the sources of variance. One example is testing the significance of shared environmental factors by dropping the free parameter for c (fixing it to zero). We call up the previous model and include the new specification for the matrix to be changed, and rerun.
twinAEModel <- mxModel(twinACEModel,
mxMatrix("Full", nrow=1, ncol=1, free=F, values=0, label="c", name="Y")
twinAEFit <- mxRun(twinAEModel)
We discuss twin analysis examples in more detail in the detailed example code. We hope we have given you some idea of the features of OpenMx.


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I found a seaweed at low water in rock pool in North Devon - very delicate about 3 inches high with bright blue tips to fronds which colour was only visible when viewed from certain directions. The coloured part approx 1 x 1.5 mm. The rest of the plant being brown .Can anyhone identify this ? Stan Hill.
from your description it is quite possible Chondrus crispus and here
It does sound like Chondrus crispus; there's an example showing the sheen at http://www.ispot.org.uk/node/272304 , & collins seashore guide says "tips may have a violet irridescence when in water". Jen's 2nd example also shows another sp's with similar irridescence, Mastocarpus stellatus ; & a 3rd example is the rainbow weed, Drachiella spectabilis, at http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=3204 .These are all in the class Red weeds, though, eg, chondrus crispus can be green or even yellow in good light conditions.


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9-20-08 PNC Park, Astros @ Pirates
There was a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert tonight, and sellout was expected, so I wasn't sure if batting practice would be crowded or not. Luckily, it wasn't as most of the "fans" of the band showed up around the 7th inning.
My strategy for today was to spend the first part of batting practice in the left field corner in foul territory. I wasn't the first one to get to the spot, as a ballhawk named Dan beat me there. I did however, have some early success in this spot. Upon entering the lower level, being the second person in, I found ball #1 laying on a step. I quickly snatched it up, wrote #160 on it, and got to the small 2 foot fence seperating the seats from the warning track in foul territory. After watching the Pirates bat time after time, I've come to the realization that my best chance of getting a ball was to come to foul territory. The Pirates best right handed home run hitter is Andy KaRoche, with Jason Michaels a close second. However, they do not hit many. I came to the left field foul line for players such as Nyjer Morgan, Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit, Doug Mientkiewicz, and Brandon Moss. They are left handed batters that I assumed would try to hit the ball the other way at some point during their turn in the cage. I was anticipating their opposite field fly balls to slice directly to where I was. However, they didn't oblige.
Luckily Jack Wilson came up to bat. He usually over pulls the ball into foul territory. During his round he hit a long fly ball foul that rattled around in the seats around 20 rows up from where I was standing. Immediately after he hit it, I went racing after it. Just then, the very next pitch, Jack hit a line drive foul ball to the direct spot where I was just standing. I was closer to the ball that was just hit, so I turned around and picked up ball #2, and then jogged up the stairs and found the ball that was hit 20 rows back, ball #3. Luckily, there weren't any other fans in the section, as it was still early (about 4:40).
Near the end of the Pirates round of BP I decided to move back to the left field bleachers as I noticed the Pirates were throwing a ton of balls into the stands. Especially Ian Snell. Predictably, they didn't thow any to me.
During the Astros round of BP, I had an incident with a fellow fan. There's some guy who always wears a Pirates Batting Practice "Lebeck 22" Jersey on Saturday games. He's about 47 years old and sports a crappy Wal Mart plastic imitation glove. I'm not a fan of this guy because he always stands in "my spot." Whenever he comes I usually go a row in front of him. Anyway, a Houston Astros sent a deep home run ball directly at us. The ball was over my head. Lebeck reached up and almost caught the ball, but it hit in his unoiled, unbroken in glove pocket and bounced out. Myself and another ballhawk went after the missed ball, and I ended up grabbing it barehanded underneath the bleacher. It was ball #4. This Lebeck guy was furious. He started screaming at me that it was his ball because it hit his pocket. When I totally ignored him and walked back to my spot he started calling me hurtful names, such as Jerk. He went on to state that "I've never seen a ball hit in someone's pocket and them not be given the ball." Apparently he has never been to batting practice before. Just earlier in the day, Romulo Sanchez tossed a ball to a 16 year old kid named Amac. Amac missed the ball due to the sun, and Jim raced over and snatched it away. I misplayed maybe 4 balls this year that hit off of my glove. I was never given the ball back. Did I cry about it, no. Lebeck continued making comments directed at me. I largely ignored him. The only thing I said to him was, "You missed the ball – If you want it, catch it." I decided not to use profanities or anything because I didn't feel like escalating with this idiot.
Later on in batting practice I caught ball #5 on the fly by ranging to my right. Near the end of batting practice I caught my final ball of the season on the bounce off of the warning track. It was ball #6. I had to leap and catch this one high above my head because I had to move down to row C due to it being the only open row. Rows E-F are the best for playing the high bounces off of the warning track at PNC.
Game: 6 balls
Season: 127 balls
Career: 165 balls
Hit List: 165 Hits ties me for #3939th place on the all time list with Jim Lindeman and Ron Gardenhire. Lindeman is probably best know, at least by me, for his role as a bench player in RBI BASEBALL, probably one of the greatest baseball games ever created. Whenever I was the Cardinals (usually picked them so I could run all over the competition with Coleman, Smith, and McGee), Lindeman was an important pinch hitter for my starting pitcher.
Attendance: 36,621 (95.5% full)


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- emaj 0.11.1
- Tables updates log and rollback
README ------ E-Maj: logs and rollbacks table updates Version: 0.11.1 1- License This software is distributed under the GNU General Public License. 2- Objectives The main goals of E-Maj are: - log updates performed on one or several sets of tables. - cancel these updates if needed, and reset a tables set to a predefined stable state. In development environments, it brings a good help in testing application, providing an easy way to rollback all updates generated by programs execution, and replay these processings as many times as needed. In production environments, it brings a good solution to: - keep an history of updates performed on tables to examine them in case of problem - set inter-batch savepoints on group of tables, - easily "restore" this group of tables at a stable state, without being obliged to stop the cluster, - handle several savepoints during batch windows, each of them been usable at any time as "restore point". It brings a good alternative to the management of several disk images. In both environments, being able to examine the history of updates performed on tables can be very helpful in debugging work or for any other purpose. 3- Supplied files - README this readme file - CHANGES release notes - LICENSE license information - AUTHORS who is behind E-Maj - META.json meta file for PGXN - sql/emaj.sql psql installation script - sql/check-0.10.1-to-0.11.0-conditions.sql psql script to check that all conditions allowing a direct migration from 0.10.1 to 0.11.0 are met - sql/emaj-0.10.0-to-0.10.1.sql psql migration script from 0.10.0 to 0.10.1 - sql/emaj-0.10.1-to-0.11.0.sql psql migration script from 0.10.1 to 0.11.0 - sql/emaj-0.11.0-to-0.11.1.sql psql migration script from 0.11.0 to 0.11.1 - sql/emaj--0.10.0--unpackaged.sql script used to unregister a 0.10.0 E-Maj extension - sql/emaj--0.10.1--unpackaged.sql script used to unregister a 0.10.1 E-Maj extension - sql/uninstall.sql uninstallation script - sql/demo.sql demonstration psql script - sql/prep-pr.sql psql script to prepare parallel rollback demonstration - doc/emaj.0.11.1_doc_en.pdf E-Maj user's guide in English - doc/emaj.0.11.1_doc_fr.pdf E-Maj user's guide in French - doc/emaj.0.11.1_pres_en.pdf E-Maj presentation in English - doc/emaj.0.11.1_pres_fr.pdf E-Maj presentation in French - php/emajParallelRollback.php external client for parallel rollback 4- How to install and use E-Maj All the information details needed to install and use E-Maj are provided in the user's guide that is included in the supplied .tar file. To reach this user's guide, just untar the supplied file by : tar -xvzf emaj-<version>.tar.gz Unfortunately, due to current limitations in EXTENSION management by PostgreSQL, it is not possible to install E-Maj as a standart EXTENSION. Remark: The user's guide also presents an emaj plugin for phpPgAdmin. In its current implementation, this plugin is very invasive inside phpPgAdmin code. For this reason, this plugin is currently not yet available on pgfoundry. But if you wish to get a copy, simply ask me. 5- Support For additional support or bug report, please contact Philippe BEAUDOIN (phb <dot> emaj <at> free <dot> fr). Any feedback is welcome, even to just notice you use E-Maj.


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So, you have a brand new little one. It's the time of your life, despite that whole zombie-like lack of sleep thing. The deal is, you have to feed this little one, don't you. Yes, breast feeding is wonderful for most, and it's the best bet for you baby. But sometimes, you feel it's just not the best time and place…like maybe 3AM and you are in a como. These are the times you need to have a little stash of milk ready to go. You need a pump…baby.
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An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2018
hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most traditional type of family name found in the region of the Papal States is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, the nickname type of surname is also frequently found. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The surname Livecchi came from a person who was of aged appearance. The surname Livecchi is derived from the Italian word vecchi, which further derives from the late Latin word veclus, which mean old, aged, or elderly.
Livecchi Early Origins
Livecchi Early History
Livecchi Early History
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Livecchi research. More information is included under the topic Early Livecchi History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Livecchi Spelling Variations
Livecchi Spelling Variations
Enormous variation in spelling and form characterizes those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. This is caused by two main factors: regional tradition, and inaccuracies in the recording process. Before the last few hundred years, scribes spelled names according to their sounds. Spelling variations were the unsurprising result. The variations of Livecchi include Vecchi, Della Vecchia, La Vecchia, Del Vecchio, De Vecchi, Lo Vecchio, Vecchia, Vecchiatini, Vecchione, Vecchiotti, Vec China, Vecchiarini, Vecchiarelli, Vechietti, Vechiet, Vechione, Vecchiato, Vecchiuzzo and many more.
Livecchi Early Notables (pre 1700)
Livecchi Early Notables (pre 1700)
Prominent among members of the family was Palma il Vecchio (c. 1480-1528), born Jacopo Palma or known as Jacopo Negretti, an Italian painter of the Venetian school born at Serina Alta near Bergamo; Pietro della Vecchia, also sometimes known as Pietro Muttoni, (1603-1678), an Italian painter of the Baroque period; and...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Livecchi Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration
An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Livecchi or a variant listed above: John Del Vecchio arrived in New York in 1822; Matteo Vecchiola, who came to Allegheny County Pennsylvania in 1891; Adele Vecchiarelli, aged 20, who arrived at Ellis Island from Agnone, Italy, in 1919.
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Caesaris Sum
Motto Translation: I am Caesar
Livecchi Family Crest Products
Livecchi Family Crest Products
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News and media
|Remove year: 2013
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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addresses World Energy Congress
Promises access to energy for all by 2030 One in five people worldwide lack access to energy World Energy Congress, Daegu, Korea, 17 October 2013: On the closing day of the World Energy Congress, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reaffirmed his pledge to provide one billion people across the globe access to sustainable energy by […]
Posted on 17 October 2013
Sustainable energy for all: One year later
Providing energy for more than a billion of the world's poor will need good governance in developing countries and a willingness in developed nations to tolerate increases in greenhouse gas emissions, the World Energy Congress was told on 17 October. "In one petroleum-rich country with a population of 150 million, half the people are off […]
Posted on 17 October 2013
KEPCO plays leading role in "smart grid" innovation
South Korea's state-owned electricity monopoly, KEPCO, said it will introduce new business models nationwide based on so-called "smart grid" power delivery by 2015. The plan built upon a pilot program on the Korean island of Jeju which concluded this May, a senior company executive told at the Daegu 2013 Congress on 17 October. "Smart grids" […]
Posted on 17 October 2013
Energy efficiency key to future
Energy efficiency can be a major contributor to the world achieving its energy needs, said Maria van der Hoeven, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA). Discussing its goal that half of energy can come from "negawatts," or energy efficient savings, she said "It's not just about low hanging fruits, we have to climb […]
Posted on 17 October 2013
Energy access requires unprecedented scale of efforts
Despite some gains in the past 20 years, almost 1.2 billion people worldwide – close to the population of India – still do not have access to electricity, the World Energy Congress was told on 17 October. From 1990 to 2010, the gains in electricity access have stayed "slightly" ahead of population growth over the […]
Posted on 17 October 2013
Renewable energy a solution for both developed and developing nations
Governments across the globe are still innovating ways to incorporate renewables into their national energy mix. This process presents challenges for both developed and developing economies. Perhaps the biggest question for poor countries remains how to make new technologies affordable for citizens, many of whom live on $1 a day. And for wealthy nations, such […]
Posted on 17 October 2013
An energy infrastructure road map for Africa
Although sub-Saharan Africa is well endowed with fossil fuels and renewable resources, they are largely untapped due to institutional and infrastructural barriers to efficient use, the World Energy Congress was told on 17 October. The region's limited ability to improve its energy system and related services significantly affects social and economic development, as seen in […]
Posted on 17 October 2013
The utilities industry needs to adapt to a "decentralized" system
The rise of new technologies in "smart energy" and customer behavioral changes is reshaping the utility industry, posing a possible threat to the centralized utility model, the World Energy Congress heard on 17 October. Instead, the utilities business may be moving towards a decentralized energy system, which can put power sources closer to the consumer, […]
Posted on 17 October 2013
Waste should be viewed as a resource
Waste is not only dirty, but waste management is affected by archaic regulations, corruption, a lack of transparency, and misperceptions. But the paradox is that waste may have the potential to be the most sustainable energy resource, according to experts who discussed the issue at the World Energy Congress on 17 October. The average individual […]
Posted on 17 October 2013
Doing well on megaprojects by doing good
Mega projects that ignore social and environmental impacts almost always end up costing more than those that pay attention to the needs of local communities, the World Energy Congress was told on 17 October. "70 to 75% of delays on major projects are caused by social and environmental issues, not because of technical failures," said […]
Posted on 17 October 2013


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Remington 44 Remington Magnum 240 Grain Soft Point
Every application, one brand. Remington has been making centerfire handgun ammunition longer than anyone. It should then come as no surprise that we offer the broadest line of pistol and revolver ammunition available. With loadings tailored to virtually every potential shooting application, our line includes vast choices of calibers, bullet weights, bullet styles and combinations of all these. Choose from a complete range of traditional bullet styles, as well as from some of the most sophisticated handgun bullets made. All cartridges are assembled from the highest quality components - with meticulous quality control - to assure reliability in all handgun actions. Combine the quality of Remington components with Remington's superior performance, and it's easy to see why Remington is the first choice for so many handgunners.
SPECIFICATIONS:Mfg Item Num: R44MG2 Category: AMMO CENTERFIRE Caliber :44 Remington MagBullet Type :Soft PointBullet Weight :240 GRMuzzle Energy :741 ft lbsMuzzle Velocity :1180 fpsRounds/box :25 Rounds Per Box, 20 Boxes Per Case


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Missing Florida hunter, 51, found dead near Savoy State Forest
North Adams Transcript
FLORIDA -- A 51-year-old Florida hunter who had been missing since Saturday was found dead by a search party of roughly 60 emergency responders and family members Sunday morning near Savoy State Forest.
According to officials, Larry Lewis of South Street, died of head trauma after apparently falling 12 feet from a tree stand he'd set up in the forest east of Brown's Garage at 481 Mohawk Trail, in the Drury section of town.
The search party, led by the Florida Volunteer Fire Department, located Lewis' body there at roughly 10:45 a.m.
"We're 99.9 percent sure he fell out of his tree stand," Florida Fire Chief Michael Bedini said Sunday evening. "We don't know if he had a heart attack or just fell asleep and rolled off. ... An autopsy [will be conducted] to see what the cause of death is."
Berkshire County State Police Detective Unit will lead an investigation into the cause of Lewis' death, state police at the Cheshire barracks said Sunday evening.
The search began Sunday after an aunt of Lewis' contacted Bedini at 8 a.m. to report the hunter missing.
According to Bedini, she'd said Lewis was last seen by an uncle Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on South Street, and that she and other family members had spent several hours searching for Lewis on Sunday morning before contacting authorities.
North Adams Police Department's Sunday log indicates that authorities initiated a full search-and-rescue operation for the missing hunter at 8:36 a.m.
Bedini, Florida Fire volunteers and members of Lewis' family were joined by Clarksburg Volunteer Fire Department, North Adams Ambulance and state police in the search.
Less than three hours later, the party of roughly 60 people discovered Lewis' body beyond a ravine on the Florida side of the Cold River.
Responders isolated this area by instructing local AT&T representatives to repeatedly "ping" Lewis' cell phone, which he possessed before going missing.
This technique provided precise GPS coordinates of the last location the phone had been in service, and was within the general area of where Lewis was ultimately found.
"[Lewis was] a very avid hunter, and loved hunting during bow season," Bedini said. "We weren't really expecting [his death]. It's something that's hard to see."
Volunteers of Savoy Fire Depart ment also provided aid during the search, manning the Florida station while Florida volunteer firefighters took part in the search.
Bedini thanked firefighters, Lewis' family and other responders for being "a tremendous help."
Lewis is survived by his wife, Joan, and two sons, Chance and Chase.
To reach Phil Demers, email
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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New Mexico
Shelter Dogs Come to the Rescue for Rare Salamanders
Conservation Canines
See Frehley in action!
An unusual team of researchers in New Mexico's Jemez Mountains is helping protect a rare salamander found nowhere else in the world.
You can help! Your critical support is needed today to help fund the Conservation Canines research and improve how we manage New Mexico's vital forests.
- Super Sniffer Back on the Job!
- Dog Tracks Endangered Species, Outside Online, August 20, 2013
- Scientists find oldest known member of elusive, endangered salamander species, Santa Fe New Mexican, Saturday, July 20, 2013
An unusual team of researchers has been at work in New Mexico's Jemez Mountains, helping protect a rare salamander found nowhere else in the world.
They are extremely energetic and focused. And they love to play chase with a ball.
These researchers are the four-legged variety—rescue dogs trained to sniff out wildlife and help conservation planners and land managers collect valuable data about wildlife populations.
The so-called Conservation Canines—all rescued shelter dogs—are working with the Conservancy, the US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, and the Valles Caldera National Preserve to map salamander distribution in the Jemez Mountains and improve our understanding of how to manage forests in the face of a changing climate.
Meet the Dogs
Frehley is a border collie whose previous owner kept him in a crate for the first year of his life. After being rescued, he had to be hand-fed but quickly learned and excelled at locating wildlife in the field. He has sniffed out wolf, wolverine and grizzly, among others.
Sampson is a labrador rescued from the Seattle Humane Society. His field work has included research projects on lynx, northern spotted owls and sea turtle nests.
In all, the Washington-based Conservation Canines team has 11 dogs in active duty.
These trained dogs work happily and eagerly 4-6 hours a day, motivated by the expectation of a ball reward given only when they find wildlife scat.
The obsessive, high-energy personalities of scat-detection dogs make them difficult to maintain as family pets. For these dogs, a home placement could mean returning to the shelter and possible euthanasia.
Conservation Canines provides a rewarding and satisfying alternative—a career in the field of conservation research.
Dogs from the program have worked on projects searching for spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest, jaguars and wolves in Brazil, and even orcas in the Pacific Ocean.
Compared to traditional wildlife detection methods (remote cameras, radio-collars, hair snags and trapping), no other method can acquire such a vast amount of reliable information in so short a time. It's an approach conservation planners and land managers find incredibly valuable.
The Search for Salamanders
Jemez Mountains salamanders—a candidate for the Endangered Species List found nowhere else on Earth except north-central New Mexico—are in rapid decline. A warmer, drier climate in the state has impacted the salamanders' habitat—threatening their long-term survival.
They are also very hard to find. And that's where the dogs can help.
This study is part of the Conservancy's Southwest Climate Change Initiative, an effort to develop adaptation strategies that make the Jemez Mountains healthier and more resilient for salamanders, other animals and plants, and humans, too.
In 2011, the Conservancy convened members of the Jemez Pueblo to collect salamander scent samples, which were then delivered to the Conservation Canines group for training.
Frehley and Sampson spent several weeks last September in the Jemez Mountains and have returned this fall to continue their highly specialized training to locate the reclusive amphibians.
The dogs' findings are helping the Conservancy and partners better understand where salamanders live so we can move forward with our forest restoration program in the Jemez Mountains without impacting salamander habitat.
This forestry work will preserve wildlife habitat and improve forest health, reducing the risk of damaging wildfire.
Large and destructive crown fires—like last summer's Las Conchas Fire—destroy the trees that the salamanders depend on for shelter, and are therefore the biggest threat to Jemez Mountain salamander populations.
Conservation Canines have a critical role to play in helping us develop strategies to keep New Mexico's forests healthy for generations to come.
You can help! Your critical support is needed today to help fund the Conservation Canines research and improve how we manage New Mexico's vital forests.


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Bethesda, creators of the well selling Dishonored and Skyrim, has told Destructoid that their new stealth action game is getting the franchise tag. What this means exactly is that you can definitely expect more Dishonored in the future. If you haven't checked out Dishonored yet, I full heartily suggest you give it a whirl; it's an experience like no other.
The exact quote Bethesda told Destructoid, "So, we're very pleased and appreciate all the fans that have supported Dishonored and Arkane. We clearly have a new franchise."
So there's no real stipulation around that, that statement is pretty straight forward. I say bring it. I was really absorbed into Dishonored and once they refine the game more so with all the player feedback the sequel will be highly highly anticipated.
Blink. Choke. Win.
Historian, teacher, writer, gamer, cheat master, and tech guru: follow on Twitter @AndrewC_GZ


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When the rolls of power-pop royalty are read, before one can go back to early-˜70s ur-power-pop bands like Big Star and Badfinger, you have to hail the genre's late-˜70s/early-˜80s heyday. Among the handful of acts whose names are invariably invoked in that context"Cheap Trick, Dwight Twilley, The Knack, The Rubinoos, etc."Shoes are always near the top of the list. The Zion, IL band is considered by the cognoscenti to be one of the quintessential bands to combine melodic pop hooks with urgent rock & roll momentum. Their discography boasts stone-cold classic albums like Black Vinyl Shoes (1977), Present Tense (1979), and Tongue Twister (1980), and most of the rest rate just a step behind them. But Shoes released only one new album in the ˜90s, 1994's Propeller, and haven't really been heard from since, until now.
Ignition, the first record to feature new Shoes material in 18 years, will be unleashed on August 14. It features all three original Shoes: Gary Klebe and brothers Jeff and John Murphy, all of whom have always made equal singing/songwriting contributions to the band's albums. In fact, a key aspect of the group's sound is the way the members' individual styles blend together to create a true collective identity. Jeff Murphy says it comes from the fact that Klebe and the Murphys all learned their instruments between ˜73 and ˜74 specifically to start Shoes. That's part of why we communicate so well with each other, Jeff explains, adding the striking admission, We still don't know anything about music. We can't read music, we don't know what proper chord structure is, or scales, or any of that. But we learned together, so we're all in the same skill level. We speak the same language."


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5.0111 Summary-3-Resource summary.Cite as [A.S.A.C. § 5.0111 ]
(See Figure 2 for sample format)
This form contains resource requirements, budget history , funding for budget year, object class summary and staffing requests for each unit. The information to complete this form comes from Detail-l and Detail-2 forms. Detail-l provides the object class summary and budget history while Detail-2 provides the staffing requests for each activity.
To complete this form, start with the grant accounts first and subtotal it. Next, list all the special programs and enterprise funds under the agency's jurisdiction and subtotal it. Finally, list all the activities funded by appropriated funds and subtotal it. Compute grand totals from the three subtotals and record them on the line for the budget year.
Identification. Fill in department name, unit title, account number for unit, date document was finalized and person's name who prepares Summary-3.
Funding Source. Mark the appropriate box to identify the funding source based on the subtotals shown on the form.
Approved Budget. The totals for this line are compiled by adding the object class totals on all the Detail-l forms within the agency.
Actual Expenditures. Same instructions as the "approved budget" line.History: Rule 3-83, eff 4 Apr 83, § E.4 (part).


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In keeping with my request in Denver, that people work on making sure theism and theistic religion have a reputation that is at least aligned with what they actually subscribe to and promote, here is part of an exchange I had with an "agnostic" (read: atheist who doesn't know he's an atheist), who was arguing against my anti-theistic positions. He is a great demonstration of how theistic P.R. can make even secular people unreasonable when it comes to religious considerations. His comments are in italic bold:
Hey is this a gang bang or what? If I went on a Catholic thread and criticized the Church's absurd position on contraceptives, I would not have been attacked so.
A reply is not an attack.
I happen to have an advanced degree in law and am considered extremely intelligent by those around me, so your ad hominem attacks are futile.
However well you may do in field-X does not make you expert or even reasonable in field-Y. Your law expertise has no bearing. Nor does your intelligence, as many people have areas about which they are irrational, even though they are otherwise intelligent. Francis Collins is certainly no slouch, and yet he believes in things he doesn't dare try to promote in peer-review, because he recognizes the evidence is not on his side, as just one example.
I have not seen any ad hominems aimed at you so far. Calling you unreasonable, after demonstrating clear flaws in your reasoning is not an ad hominem. It is a conclusion, in the same way calling someone a racist after you have demonstrated from their arguments that they support segregation of the races is not a ad hominem, but a supported conclusion. They may not like being labeled a "racist," but the label is not applied as an "attack," but as a summation of what they have demonstrated.
Someone above pegged me…agnostic. Bingo. I know some atheists will equate themselves to agnostics others don't.
Any person who cannot say "I accept it as true a god exists," is an atheist (one who does not believe a god exists). I don't know of any atheists who do not identify with this position. All atheists are required, in fact, to not believe a god exists. They may go on to assert no god exists, but they still also do not believe a god exists. You are asserting an agnostic does not believe a god exists—but that is undeniably also the atheist position.
Without splitting too fine of a hair, the atheists who are so hostile to theists are the ones certain there is no God, while other atheists adopt a more neutral position, like me.
Your "neutral" position is atheism. You may also call yourself agnostic if you like—as I noted, that's a sloppy usage that has come into vogue due to disinformation from theists, mainly. But people do use it that way—so feel free. However, it is undeniable such people are defined accurately as atheists—most accurately.
For all the hostility you claim is aimed at theists by anti-theistic atheists, you are the only person in this exchange who has labeled theists as "half-brained." I have addressed problems with their ideology, but nowhere attacked the people themselves, as you have done—basically calling them idiots. So you lose the high ground when it comes to attacking, prejudiced perspectives held toward theists.
It is claimed above, that the posters are not denigrating theists merely because they are "irrational" theists, but are only "intolerant of faith-based thinking that can lead to real harm." I find that denial to be disingenuous. "Real harm" can be caused by thinking arising from theists and atheists alike.
Theists, without ever applying their beliefs to doctrines, have already adopted a position that unreasonable beliefs that are not evidenced based, are OK to hold. It is evident that unreasonable beliefs not based on evidence very, very often lead to significant harm—and not just for the individual involved. The list of such harms is near endless.
However, I do not claim that all harm done by a theist is caused by their theistic beliefs. A good example is the Catholic priest cover up of child rape. That was not caused by theists, but by child rapists, who only happened to also be theists, abusing a religious infrastructure. Theistic religion did not cause that. But preaching in HIV ravaged African nations that condoms are a sin, is very much harm caused by theistic beliefs, that can be directly attributed to theistic religion. So, I am quite careful to not simply say "a theist did X, therefore I blame theism." That would be confusing causation and correlation.
With that in mind, I challenge you to provide a single example where "atheism" motivated harm (caused rather than correlated)—where simply not accepting belief in a deity provided the impetus to proceed with actively doing harm to anyone.
Millions have died at the hands of theists acting in the name of their religion
Small correction—not "in the name of," but "in the cause of" their religion. They did it as part of their religious beliefs and mandates—not just in name only, but in demonstrable doctrine—in the cause of.
but millions others have died at the hands of persons without any apparent theistic belief
Correct. Please demonstrate that the killings were the result of (caused by) not having theistic beliefs. Please show causation, rather than mere correlation. Stalin had a moustache. Hitler had a moustache. However, I don't assert that atrocities they caused are the result of people wearing moustaches. These men had proactive ideologies that drove their horrors. Atheism has no ideologies. No doctrines. No commands or calls to action.
(or at least without any attempt to rationalize or justify the conduct based on religious morality.
Theistic religious morality—if it even exists—is responsible for much atrocity. And in fact, if you read what I wrote, you will have seen that theistic religion actually is anti-morality. It mainly requires adherence to mandates and unquestioning obedience. Morality requires judgment that theistic religion requires one not to employ. That is a large problem. Many people "feel" what they're doing is not correct, but do it anyway, because their god dictates it is "good." These people bend their natural, human moral tendencies to religious rules because they have also accepted that "god knows better than I do." Human morality—actually applying your reason to determining a best course—works much better than blindly following rules and laws that are above being questioned.
I would argue that most of these despots you're describing actually used similar modes of rule as this "religious morality"—that they set up systems where they demanded full adherence and no questioning, and where questioning was punished—again, similar to many theistic religious "morality." It's not morality at all. It's blind obedience.
I choose to question political, economical and social positions based on my utilitarian and humanistic perspective.
That's good.
That is why I ridicule proposals not to teach evolution for example or to restrict contraceptives.
You don't just ridicule the proposals—you attack the actual people involved as "half-brains." You go after the people themselves, not just their harmful ideas. That is one point where you and I disagree.
They don't offend me because they are proposed by some theists. I am sure there are atheists with deplorable proposals as well,
Yes, but unlike the theistic positions, the atheists with deplorable ideas cannot point to any atheist holy book or supreme authority over all atheists, that instructed their deplorable views. Their awful ideas—which my group has addressed, in fact, on occasion—have been derived from sources other than their atheism. But these theistic religious ideas, such as creationism, are not incidentally derived, but are directly caused by the doctrines themselves.
but I would not seek to discredit them because the advocate does not believe in God.
And I don't use "you believe in god" to discredit creationism, either. I have offered separate arguments for criticisms of theistic belief versus theistic religious doctrines. The problem I have with theism is that it stands as an unreasonable, non-evidence based belief that is praised broadly by human beings. There are many irrational beliefs that are also harmful and I also do not like—but they appear to already be often criticized and generally accepted as problematic, not praised by the majority of society as "good." Since theism is, for whatever reason, being insulated from criticism, and is the most broad-in-scope of current irrational thinking I'm aware of, I feel it should be focused upon far more than it is, rather than insulated, and much more than other such beliefs—which are already viewed as negative most often. Theistic religion's reputation needs to be put more on a level with other unreasonable beliefs that are not praised for their unreasonableness. I wish only that people would view theism in the same way they view claims of UFO abductions. Theism is not handled in the same way as other irrational beliefs, and is given a special status as "good," that is wholly unearned based on the level of harm that has resulted from it. If this were not the case, I would probably not be so focused on it as a main cause to address. It's sterling reputation, and far-reaching scope, make it more of a problem, than other, similar types of irrational beliefs.
It is also claimed above that some Gods can be disproved such as an omnipotent God. The logical argument against an Omnipotent God is simplistic and fallacious along the same lines as Pascal's Wager.
No, it is not. And in fact, in response to the omnipotence paradox, apologists have had to redefine "all powerful" as "nearly all powerful"—which is not redefining omnipotence at all, but merely admitting it's impossible. You take another tack, a far less reasonable one (in fact, a wholly, demonstrably unreasonable one) below, which, ironically, demonstrates how theistic religion can poison the thinking of even secular-minded folks.
An Omnipotent God can create a rock so large he cannot move it because an Omnipotent Being can act outside the rules of conventional logic.
If there is something that god cannot do (as you say it can do X that it cannot undo), then it is not "omnipotent"—by definition. Emphatically insisting "there IS SO such a thing as a married bachelor!" does nothing to make it less wrong. You're simply arguing "An omnipotent god is wholly unreasonable! But that is perfectly fine!" And this is the major problem with theism and theistic thinking—the idea that irrational beliefs are OK and acceptable, that their ideas don't have to make any sense at all, and that's fine. Here you are saying "And why should it have to be reasonable? That it is unreasonable makes perfect sense." You are, literally, talking nonsense.
This is how these beliefs are toxic, how they convince people to be OK with, or worse, praise irrationality. You're not even embarrassed to be promoting "this is completely illogical" as though that should mean it's acceptable and "reasonable," even—you're actually treating "unreasonable" as though it should be considered "reasonable"—"illogical" as though it is "logical." And you're not even a theist—but their arguments have demonstrably caused even you to buy into this irrational thinking, as though it's perfectly "reasonable," despite being an affirmation of the exact opposite of reason. When you say it's "outside of logic"—you've just admitted the idea makes no sense. But you're promoting as though you've somehow offered a reasonable, rather than a nonsense, rebuttal.
It is also claimed above that the God in the Old Testament is a "Jewish" God or the God of the Jewish People. Without getting into an extended debate, that is silly.
Not if you understand Hebrew and Ugarit history and the stories themselves. God was specific to Abraham, making a pact that he would be the god of Abraham and his descendants, making of Abraham a great nation, in exchange for sole worship status—to the exclusion of the other gods in that region and surrounding regions. In fact, this was a new idea for that area and time. Generally people paid homage to the gods of the territories they were entering, in order to ensure safe passage. The idea of bringing a god around with you, regardless of your movements, was unique. (Ref: Karen Armstrong, "A History of God")
It is very clear if you read the entire Old Testament that by the time the books were written and assembled over the centuries, it was understood there is only one God and He is God of the Universe (and not just of the Jewish People or the Earth).
This is inaccurate. The authors of some of the texts used terminology and statements clearly consistent with polytheism. This is because Hebrew gods are a variant on the Ugarit pantheon. And references to other gods the Hebrews believed in and worshipped are made in the Old Testament—including Asherah, the wife of Yahweh. King Hezekiah was a demonstration of one Hebrew ruler who worked to create a monotheistic belief, by pushing the other gods in the pantheon out of the Hebrew places of worship. Words the authors used in the Hebrew texts are known to represent plural usage of "gods"—but scholars attributed a singular usage to them as well. However, the discovery of the Ugarit texts undeniably demonstrated that it's actually a hold over of a polytheistic past.
You appear to be confusing modern Christian interpretations of the texts with what the original authors intended. If you were to say that modern Christians take this view, you'd be correct for the most part. But to say that this was the view at the time they were "written" would be inaccurate. To say it was the view at the time they were collected would depend on your view of when that happened. Was it at the time they were regularly read in the temple or synagogues? Or at the time the books were canonized—around the same date as the New Testament canon was created?
It is also understood that God chose to use one group, the Hebrew tribes, to introduce Himself to (so to speak) and one might even say as a sort of Lab Rat.
See above.
See how you have attacked me,
Is any response to you an attack?
someone generally supportive and certainly sympathetic to your views.
You don't even demonstrate you understand the views expressed here. So, to claim you are supportive is premature.
And you wonder why Atheism
Atheism is not capitalized. This is not pedantic criticism. Some people capitalize it in order to profess it as an ideological "ism"—and that is generally intended as a slander. This is the only reason I call it out here.
has made little headway convincing theists to adopt their viewpoint.
And yet I get letters from people daily saying that I have changed their views. So, I assert you are wrong. I think the reason we don't get heard is that theism pretty well, up to now, has owned the information highways. With the rise of the Internet as an information source, levels of religiosity have declined more rapidly in the last generation than in prior generations for a very long time.
This does not demonstrate a rise in atheism, per se, but of people dropping their religious affiliations. I believe that is due to more information being available to more people than ever before via the Internet. When I was a Christian, I had to research this out of books in a university library—because there was no Internet. And all I knew about atheism was the concept of the "godless communist" from McCarthy's slanders. Today, that has changed immensely.
Christian apologist, Josh McDowell, who was the man who convinced me at the tender age of 15 that Christianity made sense (and it took some study, as I noted, to undo the flawed ideas he'd convinced me of), has been quoted as saying publicly, "The Internet has given atheists, agnostics, skeptics, the people who like to destroy everything that you and I believe, the almost equal access to your kids as your youth pastor and you have… whether you like it or not."
And I agree with him—if only on this particular issue. However, as I've noted earlier, it's disappointing to me that people trying to undo the damage wrought upon young minds by people like McDowell should be framed as the "bad guys" in this. But when racism was heavily supported in the Southern U.S., the assaults against racism were also framed as people trying to tear down historic, traditional, good, moral values. So, it's not unexpected.
It is like the socialists squabbling among themselves over idiosyncratic details while the Plutocrats continue their plunder. Oh, and I know you would like to believe Atheism is a growing movement, but it really is not.
You often assert things without any information to back your claims.
There has certainly been a decrease in the support for organized religion in some countries, and there certainly is an increasing tendency to downplay the concept of an Activist God who intervenes in day to day life. But that is not quite the same thing as Atheism is it.
Correct. But it does represent a decline in the willingness of people to affiliate with an organized religious institution, and this is definitely a step in the right direction and a potential reflection on religion's reputation status. At any rate, by interfering with organized indoctrination efforts, it seems reasonable to believe the hold that religion has on society will only loosen. Children raised in unaffiliated theistic homes, who aren't indoctrinated in constant church ideology-mills, will have a much better chance of considering their views reasonably later in life, without prejudice, as they won't have to first undo the damage of indoctrination.
Or at least it would apparently not be enough to satisfy the purists on this forum.
It's a step in the right direction that makes me very happy. It means that people are seeing it as less attractive to affiliate with specific religions, and that may be an indication the bloom is fading off the rose, even if only slightly.
Rosemary [another anti-theist in the same discussion], Surely someone as educated as you knows there were no Jewish Genocides in the Old Testament. Those accounts, like virtually all the "numbers" (numbers of troops, numbers of people in the Exodus, etc.) were greatly inflated by the recorders of history.
This is like trying to argue that Hitler did not commit genocide, as some Jews were left when he was stopped.
I will let her answer the rest of the reply to her.
By the way, it is quite possible for an Atheist to be unconcerned by the deaths from Aids in Africa because he or she simply does not care about "those people."
Yes, I agree.
You seem to be equating Atheist with being "moral" which is just as bad as the theists equating their religious doctrine with morality.
Morality requires employment of moral judgment. Following rules is not "morality." Religious "morality," where people are told what to do and how to behave, and assured that these rules are "best," even in cases where they may seem to be damaging, is not exercising anything that could reasonably thought of as morality. It is exercising obedience. They are not the same thing at all.
Atheists are not always moral, I agree. But at least they have the opportunity to attempt to be moral, which is denied to many, if not most, theistic religious adherents.
[The End]


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Habitat Expo ShoesThe Expo is a low-cut, vulcanized skate shoe with a streamlined utilitarian silhouette and an asymmetric toe cap. It uses suede and canvas uppers, a triple stitch action to ensure durability, and minimal padding in the collar and tongue to give you maximum board feel.
Sorry, this product is currently not in stock. Below are colors we've previously had. Email email@example.com with any questions.