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Sep 29, 2010
The Deadline Has Been Extended
Now your games are due on Tuesday, October 19. That's two more weeks! Make it count!
Sep 27, 2010
Meeting: Last Meeting Before Our Games Are Due!
Same deal as last time, pretty much: Work on games with your team, join a team if you haven't already.
BUT: New time and place!
You mean we don't have to stay at school until 10:30 any more? :O
That's right! Henceforth, meetings will take place at 7pm – 9pm, in the Boccardo Business Center, room 124.
I know! So yeah, see you tomorrow. This is the last meeting before our games are due.
When: Tuesday, September 28, 2010; 7pm – 9pm
Where: Boccardo Business Center, room 124, San José State University
Sep 19, 2010
Meeting: Work More! (Also Bowling After)
We have another meeting on Tuesday! That's like less than 48 hours from now oh geez. All we'll be doing is working on our games more, it'll be like last week! Also like last week, don't worry if you haven't been to a meeting before or anything, we'll fit you in.
(Also, we will go BOWLING AFTER.)
Say that again, but with more numbers and less sentence structure
When: 9:00pm-10:30pm; Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Where: Ohlone Room, Student Union building, San Jose State University
(Bring: $2 and your Student ID card, if you want to go bowling after)
Sep 15, 2010
If You're Carpooling with Us to Learn To Play
You should be aware that we're meeting up at 3:50pm in MacQuarrie Hall, room 227. Not 2pm!
Sep 15, 2010
Event: Fighting Game Tournament
The CS Club (MacQuarrie Hall, room 227) will be hosting a fighting game tournament on October 2nd, from 10am to midnight.
Games to be played include BlazBlue, Guilty Gear, and Melty Blood.
If you've heard of any of those, you're encouraged to participate! Entry in the tournament is $6, attendance is free. If you haven't, you're encouraged to come anyway; the event is deliberately newbie-friendly.
Sep 15, 2010
Museum Exhibit and Carpool: Learn to Play
If the prospect of seeing videogames in a museum entices you, you might want to check out Learn to Play, an art show put on by former Game Dev Club faculty advisor John Bruneau and current advisor James Morgan.
If you want to check it out but don't know how to get there, you can carpool with us!
Come to MacQuarrie Hall, room 227, at 3:50pm this Friday, and we'll stick you in a group, either as a rider or a driver.
Sep 15, 2010
Meeting: Meet your Teams! (Summary)
That was neat!
According to plan, teams met up and got to brainstorming/planning their games. I dunno about your group, but our group got along famously. Folks in this club are seriously friendly, word up.
If you still haven't joined a team, you're not even close to being too late; give a shout on the Google Group and we'll hook you up. It doesn't matter if you have no applicable skills; giving you some is half the reason this club exists in the first place!
Sep 11, 2010
Steam Group
If you weren't aware, we have a Steam group. Because sometimes we play games, too! (Mostly Left 4 Dead 2 and Team Fortress 2, it seems.)
Sep 9, 2010
T-Shirt Contest
We've wanted T-shirts for a long time, so we're putting a hard deadline on it: October 5th. Whoever submits the coolest T-shirt design to [email protected] by then will be the designer for the shirt that club members will wear! We've only got one design so far so GO GO GO.
Wait, What?
Okay I'll give you a bit more detail.
At events like GDC, it would be nice to show our unity by all wearing the exact same thing. The Associated Students at SJSU is willing to pay for such exact same things, which basically means free T-shirts for us! But we have no idea what to put on them.
You should probably keep it down to one or two or three colors, for cheaper printing.
Since the deadline is awfully close, you don't have to make a finalized design; just the best design. Then you can finish it after.
It doesn't have to be a blank shirt with a logo in the middle; it could be any kind of rad design, as long as it's unique to us.
Anyway but yeah it's due October 5th. GO GO GO!
Sep 8, 2010
Meeting: Meet your Teams!
If you didn't come to the last meeting, you can catch up by reading the last few posts on this website you're reading; you basically didn't miss anything at all, and you can get on a team by just coming to this next one.
Here's the important bits
Where: Costanoan Room, Student Union, San José State University
When: 9:00pm – 10:30pm
Here's the whatever
Our next meeting is on Tuesday! This Tuesday!!
This meeting, we'll be meeting up with our teams and maybe swapping people around a bit, and kinda planning what we'll be making. You know, brainstorming, making sure everything works out, figuring out who will do what. It will be social and thereby interesting.
It will also be at 9pm, not 9:30pm! Rad!
Sep 8, 2010
The Photos Challenge
Update: The deadline has been extended! Your games are now due on Tuesday, October 19.
The theme of the first game challenge of the semester is "photos"!
What does this mean for you, the aspiring gamesmith? It means that you must make a game tangentially related to photos in some form. It could use photographs for graphics. It could use a game mechanic somehow related to photography. It could involve a physical camera. Remember, it doesn't have to be a video game—it could be a board game or a variant on tag! Basically, if you can BS us into thinking that it's related to photos, you're in. And we know you can. You're a college student.
This time around, we decided to prod the introverts a little by putting people into teams. You can still form your own teams, if you want, but it might be fun to work with someone random.
If you signed up at the meeting, you should have received an email telling you who your teammates are. We took care to put an experienced member in every team; if you need help, Marek, Cindy, Alex Kerr, David Do, Kelsey, Euclid, Kristopher, or Patrick would be a good first person to ask.
If you didn't sign up, or haven't been put in a team for some other reason, you can ask on the mailing list and we'll help you out. Don't worry, you needn't have attended the meeting or anything; you can just pop in out of the blue and you'll be more than welcome.
Official Rules
this part is so boring
- You may work in teams of up to 5 people.
- You may use existing assets for this challenge, provided you have the right to use them. Try Creative Commons-licensed photos on Flickr!
- Your game must be related somehow, anyhow, to photos.
- Your game is due on October 5th October 19th!
Have fun and make games!
Sep 8, 2010
Meeting: Fall 2010 Kickoff (Summary)
It was a rad start to what is sure to be a rad semester!
We Met Each Other
We've got some computer science people, some art people, some SXM (formerly DMA) ((it's a really obscure major, you probably haven't heard of it)) people, some totally other people. Yay diversity!
We Showed Off Some Games
It was mostly repeats of stuff you can watch in the Games section. If you're unfamiliar with the club, you should check it out! It's a good introduction.
T-Shirt Contest
We've wanted T-shirts for a long time, so we're putting a hard deadline on it: October 5th. Whoever designs the coolest design by then will be the designer for the shirt that club members will wear! We've only got one design so far so GO GO GO. More details here!
The First Challenge
The first game challenge of the semester was announced, with the theme of "photos". More details here!
Some Events
We will be hosting more Glorious Trainwrecks physical meetups because they are totally rad. They're basically three hour events; during the first hour, we teach you to make games. During the next two hours, you make a game. More information to come!
Learn to Play is a videogame art exhibit that will be opening next weekend. You should attend! More information to come.
TIGJam is a three-day event during which you masochistically make several games per day. It's like a sweatshop, but with videogames. A bunch of us will probably be attending. I know I am a broken record but more information to come.
We hope to attend GDC again next year! That will be neat more information to come.
Now you know what happened at the meeting
Isn't the Internet great?
Sep 7, 2010
If You're Looking for the Google Group,
It's right up there. î It's labeled "Mailing List".
More information to follow! First though it is sleeptime.
Sep 1, 2010
Hullo, Interested Folk!
Are you new here? THAT IS RAD AND YOU ARE RAD.
If you want to make games but have no idea how, there are some pretty simple steps we can provide.
- Come to meetings! People will showcase games they've made, and you can meet people to collaborate with. Meetings tend to be every two weeks; look down a bit to see when our first one is.
- Come to events wherein we will be teaching people to make games! A bunch of people have made their very first videogames at such events. These tend to happen on the third Saturday of every month.
To learn about such meetings and events, you'll have to keep an ear out. There are way too many ways to do this:
- Sign up for our RSS feed (if you know what that means)
- Like us on Facebook (if you're into that kind of thing)
- Follow us on Twitter (if you're one of those people)
- Join our Google Group (if you were born in like the sixties)
Meanwhile, to get an idea of what the club is about, check out some of the things we've made, and watch some of the speakers we've hosted.
Have a nice school year!
Sep 1, 2010
Meeting: Fall 2010 Kickoff
Time and Location
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
9:30pm – 10:30pm
Almaden Room in the Student Union, San José State University
Everything Else
If you're new to the club, welcome, and if you've been here before, welcome back! This semester will be an exciting semester, I can feel it. Here's what will happen at our first meeting:
- Hella introductions will go down. You'll learn what the club is all about, and we'll all learn each other's names, so that we all feel bad when we forget them by the next meeting.
- If you've made a game before, bring it on your laptop or USB drive! You'll get a few minutes to show off anything you've made before, and especially anything you've made over the summer.
- The first game challenge of the semester will be announced! We'll help you get into groups so that you can make a game like a team. If you haven't worked on a game before, don't worry, that's what we're here for to begin with!
We look forward to seeing you there!
May 27, 2010
Brian Urbanek on Matching Theme and Mechanics in Game Design
Thanks to Brian Urbanek (of Cryptic Studios (of Champions Online)) for giving us an idea of the things he thinks about while he's designing! It was super fascinating and super informative.
May 19, 2010
Meeting: Brian Urbanek on Matching Theme and Mechanics in Game Design (Summary)
Edit: Sorry, Action's video won't actually be posted, since he requested that no video be taken. I didn't realize!
Things that happened
Brian gave an awesome presentation. Seriously, it was so great! Speaking personally, it enabled me to solve like ten design problems in one game alone, and it gave me a lot of food for thought for future and past games. Speaking impersonally, everyone I talked to loved it too, so you don't have to take my word for it.
Also, Kristopher's "Stability" won! A poll was conducted on our Facebook page and his entry got the most votes.
Things that will happen
Videos of Brian's and Action's presentations will be posted. Stay tuned!
Edit: Sorry, there won't actually be a video of Action's presentation.
Kristopher will get a yoyo with a Microsoft logo on it for winning, and all the participants of the budget crisis challenge will get an Xbox 360 game. We figured there'd be enough participants for there to be both winners and losers…
I'm sorry
This post is awfully short in proportion to how long I procrastinated writing it. :O
May 3, 2010
The Budget Crisis Game Challenge (Entries)
There's no corresponding post with the rules for this competition, because I am a terrible person who hasn't been updating the website, but here is what the rules were, quoted directly from the PowerPoint shown at the meeting:
- Make a game about the budget crisis!
- Work on teams of up to 5 people to make a new game
- Any artwork used must be made by members of the club
- Any sound / music must be original or in the public domain
- Each member can only be on one team
- Games are due at the next meeting, on April 27th
GovernmentRipsoff, by Andrey Andreev
Here's a direct link to the download for the .zip.
Stability, by Kristopher Windsor
Here's a direct link to the download for the .zip.
Budget Crisis 9000, by Chris Nelson
Here's a link to a page with the download.
Budget Game, by Marek Kapolka
Here's a direct link to the .swf, which will open in your browser.
May 3, 2010
Meeting: Brian Urbanek on Matching Theme and Mechanics in Game Design
[Note: Due to incredibly stupid planning on the part of the Game Dev Club's board, Brian wasn't able to make it to our April 6th meeting. It was our fault, not his! Do not think of less of him, think less of us. We're sorry. But: He will make it to this one!]
Brian Urbanek of Cryptic Studios will be speaking at our May 11th meeting! I already talked about him on the post that announced our poorly planned meeting, but I can reveal new tidbits:
His talk will be titled Matching Theme and Mechanics in Game Design, it will be 30-40 minutes, and it will have a Q&A at the end. This is something I have been thinking about in the back of my mind, so I'm looking forward to it! Are you?
I want to go, tell me how to go
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Guadalupe Room in the Student Union, San José State University
RSVP on Facebook, if you like
May 3, 2010
Meeting: How To Start Your Own Student Game Dev Studio, by Action (Summary) (21)
(Kelsey note: Sorry, there wasn't an announcement post for this meeting. If you missed it, there will be a video posted, so all is not lost!)
(Second Kelsey note: Oh, I guess there won't be a video, because Action requested that one not be taken. Sorry, I didn't realize.)
- May 11th is our last meeting of the semester
- The next Glorious Trainwrecks Klik of the Month is May 15th
- We won't be meeting in person, but you can participate online
- If you have not yet received your reimbursement for GDC, please see Cindy
We presented the Klik of the Month games that members of the game development club during our Glorious Trainwrecks events, which were made within 2 hours
Action of Choma Coders on Chromacoders.org gave the members of the Game Development Club insight in how to build and manage their own game studio.
The game dev resources that Action provided are
The free book on social games...
The php code base for making your own social game in a few days...
Here is a link to the interview in the presentation...
Here is a link on making money off iPhone games...
Also board members of the new semester were announced during the meeting.
and the winners are...
- President: Marek
- Vice President: Cindy
- Secretary: Alex
- Event Coordinator: David
- Webmaster: Kelsey + Euclid
- Treasurer: Kristopher
- Marketing: Patrick
- Video Master: Shea
Apr 11, 2010
Event: Mortal Kombat Dance Dance to the Death II!
Here we go again!
On Tuesday, April 20th at 7pm the second grand master tournament of Mortal Kombat Dance Dance Revolution will take place. This is a double elimination tournament. Come early to get in on some practice rounds. The fighting will take place in Room 241 of the Art building on the San Jose State Campus. The art building is underneath the word 'State' on this Map
Sweet videos I made of the last event.
Mortal Kombat Dance Dance to the Death!
Apr 6, 2010
Event: The Game Dev Club/Glorious Trainwrecks Piggydocumogamesmash! (3)
Glorious Trainwrecks is an online community celebrating the spontaneous creativity that comes from making games using children's gamemaking tools under severe time constraints.
The third Saturday of every month, they host Klik of the Month, an event where participants are encouraged to use the simplest tools and the lowest standards possible to make a game in two hours.
We, the Game Dev Club at SJSU, have discovered that it's a lot more fun if you meet up in person to do these together! So we're doing that.
The last time we did this was possibly the best day ever, so we're doing it again! Like I said last time, no experience of any kind is necessary. If you haven't made a game before, we will teach you how! Just ask the six people so far who have made their first game at one of these things.
But When, Internet Guy, and Where?
Room 227 (on the second floor) of MacQuarrie Hall, San Jose State University
Saturday, April 17th, 3:00pm – 6:00pm
RSVP on Facebook, if you're one of those social networking types
Sign up on Glorious Trainwrecks, if you want a cryptic email reminder
Oh and by the way: There's a good chance that we'll be filmed.
Apr 3, 2010
Meeting: Cryptic Studios's Brian Urbanek on Design
[A historical note, for future-people: Brian wasn't able to make it to this meeting due to stupid planning on the part of the Game Dev Club's board. Think less of us, not of him! He is awesome and we are unreliable.]
Sorry for the late notice, but we have a meeting this Tuesday! We will have a guest speaker, Brian Urbanek from Cryptic Studios, talking about game design, probably. We must have a contact at Cryptic or something, this is the second time we've had someone from there to present.
Brian has been working on MMO design for over ten years! He most recently worked on the design of superpowers and combat in Champions Online, the "subscription-based, superhero-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game by former City of Heroes/Villains developer Cryptic Studios based on the Champions license." ((Wikipedia is the best.))
Okay here's some interesting links
- Champions Online's website has an interview with him that should give you an idea of what it is he does for a living (or did in September 2008, anyways). Recommended!
- He wrote two articles (one two) about balancing systems in Champions, both of which are fascinating, seriously!
- He was one of four developers interviewed for an article about balancing classes in MMOs. I think I am seeing a pattern here.
- He was interviewed in three parts (one two three) about combat dynamics and powers and balancing and math.
I haven't read all of these, but you should! Do as I say, not as I do. And then come to the meeting, which I will be doing.
The Deets ((That's short for "details"!))
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Ohlone Room in the Student Union, San José State University
RSVP on Facebook, if you're one of those people
Mar 22, 2010
If you have Internet access from 4 to 6 on Saturday...
There's another Glorious Trainwrecks event wherein you make not a game, but a level for an existing (wonderful) game! It's a perfect opportunity to apply what we have learned recently. As with all Glorious Trainwrecks events, the idea is just to make something stupid without caring about the quality, so don't be afraid to participate!
Since it's such short notice, we won't have a physical meetup, but I thought you'd want to know about it anyway. There's a link to a chat, and people will be talking, so you can still get your camaraderie fix.
Mar 22, 2010
Edusociogamesmash: Games
We had like fifteen people come to the gamesmash and like ten of them were making games! Like five of them were making games for the first time! That's awesome.
Here are some of the games made for it, in no particular order! Because never actually asked what anyone's name was (oops), they are attributed to usernames.
I Love You But You Kiss Like a Girl, by mkapolk
mkapolk is the one who originally came up with the idea of physically hosting Glorious Trainwrecks events, starting with when we made like 35 games in what we called an Intergalacticollabogamesmash! PROPS TO HIM. He's somewhere in the process of changing majors from Computer Science to Digital Media Arts.
Invasion of the Spiders and the Bee in the Middle, by trimon
I'm pretty sure that this was trimon's first game! Nice. He's some kind of Art major, I think.
Cave Shooter, by Kitaru
Kitaru doesn't look like a nerd, even when he tried on my glasses! I'm not sure how he does it. I'm almost certain that he's a Computer Science major.
Duck Hunt remake, by gregsqueeb
I'm almost certain that a) this was gregsqueeb's first game and that b) he's some kind of Art major! Sweet!
Jumps, by KristopherWindsor
Kristopher couldn't make it in person, but he was with us on the Internet! He's a Computer Science major.
UFO, by GingeRage
GingeRage made his first game, and he's an Art major! There is a pattern here which can be explained by natural phenomena.
THIS IS NOT AN ART GAME, by Cavalcadeofcats
Cavalcadeofcats is actually a University of California, San Diego student! He was visiting because he is home for spring break. He is an HONORARY TEMPORARY member of the Club, or something.
FAKE GAME, by Fake Person
I know there are at least four games that didn't get uploaded! This is unfortunate, it means that not all of our games can be seen. To upload a game, go to the Klik of the Month Klub #33 page and click on upload it here (it's in the post). ((If you were using Game Maker, you'll want to compile an executable--that's a fancy way of saying that you'll want to save the Game Maker file as a .exe. To do that, go to File > Create Executable... or click the equivalent toolbar button. Then right-click on the .exe file and do Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder, so that it's smaller.)) ((If you were using Klik & Play, I can't actually remember the instructions, but I know that only one person was using Klik & Play and that he's smart enough to figure it out. Remember to include the .DLLs in the .zip, Joe! The game won't run without them.))
It's best to include a screenshot--it just is!--and to tag your game with "sjsu", so that we can more easily find the games made at these physical events. Click to see the games we have made at these physical events! If you haven't uploaded a screenshot or you haven't tagged your game with "sjsu", you can find your game and click "Edit" at the top of it to do those.
If you upload your game or add a screenshot, tell me on Facebook (I'm Kelsey Higham) and I'll update this post!
Mar 17, 2010
Anna Anthropy on the Design of REDDER
Thanks to Anna Anthropy for presenting about the design of one room (and then of other things) in REDDER! There were like 50 attendees and we were all at the edge™ of our seats.
Mar 17, 2010
Event: The Game Dev Club/Glorious Trainwrecks Edusociogamesmash! (2)
Glorious Trainwrecks is an online community celebrating the spontaneous creativity that comes from making games using children's gamemaking tools under severe time constraints.
The third Saturday of every month, they host Klik of the Month, an event where participants are encouraged to use the simplest tools and the lowest standards possible to make a game in two hours.
The last time we tried to organize a physical event around a similar thing, it was a total blast. So we're doing it again!
I should note that no experience of any kind is necessary. If you have not made a game before, we will teach you how! Last time, a guy (Andrey) who had never made a game before not only learned to make his first game, but he made another game that was mentioned on Bytejacker. From not knowing anything, that's a time-to-fame of like eight days! This could be you.
Details details
MacQuarrie Hall Room 227
3:00pm - 6:00pm
RSVP on Facebook, if you like
Sign up on Glorious Trainwrecks, though it's not necessary
Mar 17, 2010
Hello, artists and other new friends!
It is cool to have more artists, we are like 90% programmers here usually! Look at our games, they are generally ugly, we need y'all. (If you're not an artist, of course, you already fit right in!)
If you're new to the Game Dev Club and you want to collaborate on/participate in the current challenge, you should join the mailing list.
If you want to become a member of the Game Dev Club, here's how:
- spin around three times
- clap three times
- hop on one foot three times
Congratulations, you're a member! You didn't even have to pay a fee or anything.
Mar 16, 2010
The Asynchronous Collaboration Game Challenge, Part II (Rules)
If you haven't implemented a game before, this weekend is Klik of the Month on www.glorioustrainwrecks.com. Participate in that for practice, there are people who can help you!
Part II of the challenge has begun! In this part, you will be tasked with implementing a game using Part I's designs and assets. The designs and assets are here! But don't you start downloading them yet. This is a challenge, we have constraints to make it challenging.
Here are some rules
There's no "I" in "COLLABORATION"
Part of the fun of this challenge is that it forces people to team up with each other. But that doesn't work unless we force people to team up with each other! So you're not allowed to use your own design or assets. You have to use someone else's if you want to be eligible for prizes.
If we didn't do it this way, there wouldn't have been much point to Part I!
i made a picture
If the design you choose has assets to go along with it, you have to use the assets provided before using your own. This doesn't mean that you can't create assets, just that you can't replace existing assets for new ones. If something is in the design but isn't provided as an asset, you're free to make it yourself!
Lol, Internet
You're not allowed to use assets beyond those provided and those you create yourself; no pulling a sweet sprite or jammin' soundtrack off the Internet.
Team Size
In Part II, you can work with only one other person, because we only have enough prizes for teams of that size. Human assets from Part I don't count towards that, because technically they're in Part I.
The best game will net prizes for both the team that made the design and assets and the team that implemented it!
The competition ends on April 6. It started two weeks ago, and there are three weeks remaining!
Here are some summarizing bullet points
- Members select one game design from the previous challenge, and implement it, in teams of 1 - 2 people
- Members cannot develop their own designs
- There will be one prize per team member for the best implemented game (the implementing team and design team will both win prizes)
- The challenge ends at the meeting on April 6th
- If the game design includes art, the art must be used, but additional art can be added (same for sound)
- All code and assets must be made by team members
Here are some designs and assets
Designs and Assets
Mar 9, 2010
Meeting: Anna Anthropy on Guided Level Design
Anna Anthropy will be presenting at our next meeting on Tuesday, March 16! You should come, even if you're not a part of the club. (Even if you're not a student here! (Even if you're from the Internet.)) I don't know what she'll be talking about, so I'll tell you a few miscellaneous things about her. Or you could just skip this post and play her games.
As a general introduction, Anna is a game designer and critic who excels at telling stories through the medium of games. Rather than relying on the embedded media of text or movies, like most story-based games out there today, she embeds her stories in the gameplay interactions. Literally, she has told a video game love story where the only action you can take, as the player, is to shoot. More abstractly, she's told countless smaller stories in her various games' level designs. She has written extensively about game design and storytelling on her blog, where she has, among other things, dissected the level designs in Super Mario Bros. and Star Guard to find out some of the reasons they're so good.
Since it's right after transgendered awareness week, I feel it's worth mentioning that she's transgendered. Historically, this has been a problem for people in the game industry; the story of Dani Bunten, lead designer of MULE (you should play the online multiplayer version) is a tragic one. Anna's story is more inspiring—it's a testament to the meritocratic nature of the Internet that she became known and respected first, and when people finally figured out that she was biologically male, few really seemed to care. Ultimately, people are more grateful than anything, because she has created some of the few games with non-immature lesbian stories.
She's a judge in the Independent Games Festival, and she's been influential in making the judging process suck less for those whose games were are getting judged.
Also at this meeting
People will show their progress on the current challenge, if they've got anything to show! (I still need to post the rules and the design docs for that thing, sorry. •_•)
We'll probably share anything interesting that happened at GDC this weekend. I'm sure that something interesting will happen at GDC this weekend. (EDIT: Interesting things happened at GDC this weekend!)
People will also make new friends and get along with each other!
Here's the where and the when
Guadalupe room (second floor), Student Union building, San José State University
Tuesday, March 16
7:15pm - 9:15pm
RSVP on Facebook, if you like.


text:
French fries?
Cookies or
biscuits? Learn the differences between food vocabulary in British and North American English in this simple lesson!
bitter lager very tasty at 5´48 that was the best of this topic, hell yes. because I like to drink beers. cya u Ronnie n' thank u funny teacher.
Sorry Ronnie we call it arugala or arugula ,i think the latter
good lesson. I am waiting for the next one…..
hi there i like ronnie's teaching
IS very nice lesson .
I need anther lesson .
I want to know more about north American .
i think we need to study more words about food! However, thanhks Ronnie for your lesson :)
I am realy helped by you. I want more details lessions on prepotition such as to , of , at,in , on etc and also step by step lessions on eng. grammer.
where is the quiz
Hi Ronnie! I really like the way how you teach. You are the best you got really a sweet voice. I want to learn use of "About to" in grammar. i have a sentence structure like " You all are about to weep now" Kindly provide some good examples and where should i use "About to"
thanks for you the lesson very useful
I hope you continue.
thanks again.
tq ronnie .u r teaching is gud i like so much.
I think is not Arugala as you said. The correct is Arugula
ronnie your the best teacher …
Ronnie is the best teacher ever! <3
teacher your teaching is very very good. nuw iknows littile english any body ask to any thing i can under stand but icanot speek toevery boy (i know my english is not good .i want to speek in english plssssssssssssss help me
you are agood teacher.. you can teach clear and easy to know
Ronnie! Your lessons are the best! Thank you very mush!
it is perfect web leston
wow what a great lesson.
thank you very much ronnie.
Thank you Ronnie for the lesson.
Here I have a question related to pronunciation about letter 'X'. e.g. anxiety,anxious,lexigram etc…
Please explain it.
Very nice lesson. Your lesson helps me in making differences in vocabulary of British and North American.
hello ronnie.. is not arugula??? or is arugala??? cos i found in internet that in english is the same word as spanish(my mother language) arugula… thanks
I love EngVid because you are there!
I am an arabian girl and I have learnt these words ,but they were mixed together. However, I can now distinguish whether they are British or not.
Thanx my teacher (=
She is great!! very funny her lessons!! I love her!!
Thanks Ronnie teacher~ (((o(*゚▽゚*)o)))
Hi .rEALLY I LOVE YOUR TEACHING BUT QUIZ IS VERY IMPORTANT I MADE A NOTE BOOK OF THE MANE OF AND WRITE ALL THE QUIZ PLEASE PREPER THE QUIZ THANKS MS.RONNIE
Thank you Rooni…nice teaching … I really like your lesson. pls advise me how to improve my english conversaion skills.
I think cookie is used in the United Kingdom and biscuit in North America. Really?
Great the lesson! Ronnie is one of the best English teachers all over the world.
i wanna download …how can i do it..??brilliant Roooonnnn
i want to download all tenses from simple present up to past future perfect continous tens how can I do
just show me the method of this
many thanks
najib ullah wqif
You're really awesome!! just awesome!! thank so much for all these tips.
rocket, roquette, rucola, rugula, or arugula, not arugala…
thank's very important i hope visiting canada is a beautiful countery
thank's for all staff in this website , thank you very mach
h! i am narjice from Morocco, i am studying at university this year,i study science.before i was have a problem with some verbs like see;watch;look and other verbs but now i am so proud of my self because i can know the diffrence.i will see all videos and thank you engvid so much.
I learn the basic diffence between Assure, enssure and Insure.This lecture is most usefull and beneficial.
I like study English
Thank you Ronnie !!! :) that was very fun
Its been nice to watch your Videos very simple & digestible. I learned allot from this website,Greetings from Tando Jam,PAKISTAN.
This is good lesson but I need more to lean myself at home
i need to learn more english
love ur way of teaching <3
I really want to improve my english. I need you to help me, I am not good speaking. When was young I really want to study English but I am poor. I learn with the monks at pagoda. They learn for free. But not a good teaching. But I really like to learn there, because they are very friendly.
Now I have time to learn with and hope you to make me to improve my English.
Thank a lot.
My English teacher was so rude, that's why I've bunked many classes, now here I find you funny and more informative than my teacher..:)
Wow, amazing teacher!
it was very fun
i like the way which you explain it
thank you Ronnie:)
I really like the way you are .. ur style. Thank you.
Hi.I can't see the video unfortunately.following those comments I love your class.like!
good lesson !!!
I,ve ever never seen sch way of teaching in my Life, really that is wonderfulness, thanks so much Ronnie, God bless you .
Great teacher.
Like the way you teach.It is nice and easy to understand.
I do not speak English better because Arab
Is it possible representation of Vocabulary clearly more so I can understand the vocabulary
i am poor in eng.because my mother tongue is hindi so i requsted madam give me good directin to improve eng.
She should show us real fruits at the same time!
i think your cool ronnie

subset: commoncrawl


text:
South East Nerve Net Conference
03/27/2009 - 03/28/2009
The annual South East Nerve Net (SENN) is designed to bring together neuroscience research groups from the southeastern United States. It is intended to be a forum not only for the presentation of completed work, but also the discussion of ideas and works in progress. This year's meeting will be held from March 27-28, 2009, at the University of North Florida, located in Jacksonville, Florida. For more information visit
http://www.unf.edu/coas/biology/SENN09.html. Deadline for abstract submission is Feb 27th.


text:
Journal of Lie Theory
Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 449--460 (2002)
Vanishing of the first cohomologies for lattices in Lie groups
A. N. StarkovA. N. Starkov
All-Russian Institute of Electro\-technics
143500, Istra, Moscow Region
Dept. of Mechanics and Mathematics
Moscow State University,
117234 Moscow
Abstract: We prove the following ``maximal'' theorem on vanishing of the first cohomologies. Let $G$ be a connected semisimple Lie group with a lattice $\Gamma$. Assume that there is no epimorphism $\phi\colon G\to H$ onto a Lie group $H$ locally isomorphic to SO$\scriptstyle(1,n)$ or SU$\scriptstyle(1,n)$ such that $\phi(\Gamma)$ is a lattice in $H$. Then $H^1(\Gamma,\rho)=0$ for any finite-dimensional representation $\rho$ of $\Gamma$ over ${\bf R}$. This generalizes Margulis' Theorem on vanishing of the first cohomologies for lattices in higher rank semisimple Lie groups. Some applications for proving general results on the structure of lattices in arbitrary Lie groups, are given.
Full text of the article:
Electronic fulltext finalized on: 6 May 2002. This page was last modified: 21 May 2002.
© 2002 Heldermann Verlag


text:
Awesome Tree
Simon joined us for another Forest Park hike so he and Xander could both climb the awesome tree…
Simon joined us for another Forest Park hike so he and Xander could both climb the awesome tree…
Xander and I did an 8 mile hike in Forest Park. One of my kids actually wanted to do a longer hike with me and did great! Woohoo! Hiking buddy!
I have always been interested in backpacking, since my guided backpacking trip in college, and I'm hoping to start collecting gear and do a trip soon. Xander is definitely interested, and maybe Simon too!
This tree garland had notes from children, thanking someone for teaching them about the forest and also hoping that that someone doesn't die. We wondered if that someone was the tree itself??
I love seeing Xander get overwhelmed by the beauty of it all and break out his iPod for a photo…
"Better than the Octopus Tree (on the coast) and it doesn't have a 'no climbing' sign."
Xander's new prescription sunglasses are working out nicely.
Super crowded at the Rose Garden…
Selfie with the roses…
My guy, Isaac, is 14 today!
He enjoyed a nice day out for dinner and a movie, with one of his friends, on Saturday. Today we went out for breakfast with Grandma at the Blue Moon Cafe. No tiny amounts of food at that place! The kids got a kick out of the giant plates.
Our little buddy, Luke has already been deaf and with impaired vision from cataracts, but lately he has also started losing weight and his hips are not good. He has trouble doing stairs and sometimes his back legs want to give out.
Lotus and I took him to the vet today and we learned he has some kidney failure and heart issues. He now has a heart pill and some pain medication for the joints. He still eats great, gets excited to be with us and doesn't have any trouble going outside to potty so we'll do what we can for him. I forgot to ask if she thought there was a timeline we should expect with all of these things going on. We will sure be sad. He's been part of the family since before kids and helped keep our dining room floor clean through all of the kid's toddler years. Couldn't have gotten through it without him!
I had to work the whole weekend and was busy, busy, busy…but, the kids made me lovely cards and we went out to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner. I ran some homemade bread over to my mama but she wasn't home for the hug. That must be remedied soon!
Look at these four! Isaac passed me in height recently by a tiny bit. BEST LIFE EVER!!!!!
Jason started up softball again. We've been coming to Jason's games for 12 years and I can finally watch the game and not chase after a toddler. Can you tell I am really loving having big kids? It's like another honeymoon period, appreciating this new lifestyle.
I never thought it would happen, but TWO kids have asked for music lessons! Xander asked for guitar lessons and was thrilled after his first lesson. Lesson two has him trying three finger chords and it has been a stumbling block already. Hopefully the teacher can help him work through it.
Simon wants to learn piano. We bought a digital piano with the standard 88 keys. It does feel like a regular piano, sounds great and he can use headphones, record and play with sound effects. He hasn't started lessons just yet but hopefully he enjoys them.
Lately I've been feeling the pull to do a little gardening, which is a new and foreign feeling. We started a couple 4×4 raised beds many years ago but didn't continue it, aside from the no maintenance strawberries that keep coming every year.
Simon is a fantastic weeder! He and I have been clearing sections of the yard a little at a time. Next, we are trialling some ground cover plants and will fill in with bark.
We started an herb box and two tomato plants on the deck. Next we'll spruce up our old 4×4 raised beds with some greens and add to the dwindling strawberry plants. Hopefully things will go much better this time without the tree that shaded the entire yard or a new baby sucking my energy. The kids are getting bigger and I am loving this new phase of parenting! Gardening energy? Who knew!?


text:
Large protruding ears are often the source of ridicule for many children. This may lead to poor self esteem, difficulty developing friendships, and poor school performance. This congenital deformity is one of the most common deformities of the head and neck. An otoplasty is a procedure designed to reshape the ear to complement the face.
The ears protrude out because the "Y-shaped" bend (called the Crura of Antihelix) of the ear is missing. During the procedure, two cuts are made, one on the front and one on the back of the ear. This gives the ears the "Y" they were missing.
This outpatient surgery may be performed as early as 5 years of age. Patients need to wear a headband for one month post-operatively and must refrain from sports and strenuous physical activity for 6 weeks post-operatively.
This book is designed as a guide to help children prepare for having an otoplasty. The problems children with prominent ears face are described in a child friendly manner. The pre-op, intra-op and post-op care is described in a way to alleviate fears and anxiety for both the child and his or her parents. In the end, the child will be excited about their surgery and their new ears!
Click the image to order your $9.99 print copy or e-book online.
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text:
I normally don't peel butternut squash before roasting it – I find that it's easier to remove the peel after it's roasted and cooled-off for about 10 minutes.
This soup freezes very well, so if I'm only making this for two, I serve half now, and then freeze the other half for later
·8 C butternut squash, diced (one average-sized butternut squash should be fine – I
rarely measure this out
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 large onion, chopped
·20 oz vegetable stock
·1/4 C cilantro, chopped and divided
· 2 tsp finely chopped jalapeño (optional)
10 oz (295 oz) coconut milk
1 lime, juiced
salt & pepper, to taste
vegan sour cream, or additional coconut milk, for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Toss squash with 1 tbsp olive oil. Spread squash onto cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 20 minutes until slightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium-heat, add 1 tbsp coconut oil, cumin and coriander and stir frequently for about 3 minutes.
3. Add onion and cook 5 minutes, until clear, then add broth.
4. Remove peel from squash if not already done, then add to pot along with half the cilantro and the jalapeño, if using.
5. Simmer gently for 20 minutes or until squash is soft. Stir in 1 cup of the coconut milk, as well as the lime juice.
6. Using an immersion blender, carefully puree until smooth. Season with salt & pepper. Garnish with coconut milk or vegan sour cream, and remaining cilantro.
Serves: 4-6


text:
Crazed acts of Iran's cyber war machine to counter Resistance's international campaign
The Iranian regime seems to have lost its bearings after large opposition rallies in numerous world capitals and the five-day gathering in Ashraf 3 attended by over 350 political dignitaries from 47 countries, in addition to an increasing stream of activities by resistance units inside the country.
The events have dealt a lethal blow to the regime in the midst of a comprehensive oil embargo and international sanctions against the regime's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and its foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif.
On August 4, 2019, Ali Rabie, the regime's government spokesman and a founding member of the Iranian regime's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), complained that the White House's discourse against the regime has become similar to that of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
Khamenei's mouthpiece, the Kayhan daily, wrote on August 8, the MEK "has penetrated deeply into our homes and its impact is being felt."
An IRGC brigadier general named Assadollah Nasseh said on state TV on July 28, "We must know that everything that takes place in the world against us is the result of their [PMOI/MEK's] lobbying effort somewhere, or a price that they have paid... On the issue of missiles, we witness that it was based on the information that they provided to the Americans. Regarding human rights, they make up dossiers and files and provide them to Europeans and they put pressure on us in this way. They use every leverage against us."
Iranian regime officials are horrified at the specter of what they see as the warm welcome for the PMOI/MEK and Iranian Resistance in social media networks.
IRGC Brigadier General Gholamreza Jalali, who heads the regime's civil defense forces, told state run ISNA on July 29, 2019, "our new war [with the PMOI/MEK] in cyberspace is more difficult than the Mersad operation." [Mersad, or Operation Eternal Light, was a major offensive by the Iranian resistance that penetrated 100 miles inside of Iran leading to the liberation of two cities in July 1988 that shook the regime to its foundations.] "Many hateful, insulting and slanderous comments are posted by them [PMOI/MEK] with fake accounts. Their fingerprint is on many of the controversies that we face. Many of the news cycles in cyberspace that are orientated against the state and the revolution are their psychological warfare against us… They [PMOI/MEK] take advantage of some of the weak economic circumstances domestically and incite people to rise up… During last year's events we saw this same fake news in cyberspace had a significant role in fanning the perception of shortage of basic goods… They try to influence public opinion and perception in society negatively, and to instill despair, disappointment and a sense of failure of the Islamic Republic."
The deputy commander of IRGC's Sarollah headquarters said, "Today they [PMOI/MEK] have put all efforts into humiliating the holy system of the Islamic Republic in cyberspace."
On July 29, 2019, an MOIS operative named Mohammad Javad Hasheminejad complained of the "presence of 1,500 of their [PMOI/MEK] units in three shifts round the clock" in social media networks and their role in "the riots of 2018 in the country," adding, "we need to know our enemy and know its objectives so we can counter it accordingly."
A founding member of the IRGC brigadier general Abolghassem Forootan, told the State run Mizan news agency, on August 2, 2019, "This time they want to harm the values of our nation and system through the use of cyberspace and soft power."
It is evident that the MOIS, IRGC, and Qods Force have embarked on a futile campaign to counter the growing resistance to the regime by using their propaganda and cyberwarfare machine. Their known suppressive tactics employed against the Iranian Resistance has been demonization campaigns, dissemination of false information and news, use of fraudulent emails and accounts, sending threatening emails, injecting virus and worms to hack the computers and email accounts of Iranian Resistance supporters.
1. An English language website created by the Iranian regime called Iran Front Page (IFP) has spread a ridiculous and categorically false claim that it has access to a video clip of a "private meeting of the MEK in Albania." The two minute long clip of this "private" meeting features the voice of Mr. Mehdi Abrishamchi reviewing the policies of past US administrations in appeasing the clerical regime and has been quickly republished in a network of websites affiliated to the Iranian MOIS. There is nothing new, private, or confidential in this clip. It is not related to Albania either. It is just an out of context part of a public meeting with Iranians after the large gathering of Iranians in Paris on July 1, 2017. Similar commentary has been broadcast on numerous occasions in Simaye Azadi television and websites affiliated to the Iranian Resistance. The lies of the MOIS just go to show the regime's bankrupt need for such news to lift the morale of its dispirited loyalists. The IFP website, published in English and Arabic, is registered to Mahmoud Asgari in 26 Ali Shariati and Pir-Jamali Street, in Tehran, since June of 2014. The telephone number for this website is +93-2177528888 and the country code of 93 is for Afghanistan.
2. In another amateurish and ridiculous act, the MOIS has claimed accessing another sound clip of Mr. Abrishamchi in another internal meeting in Albania and published this claim on a website called Mozahemin.org [meaning Nuisances]. The website published a sound clip of a woman asking a question under a photograph that shows Mr. Abrishamchi in a public meeting in Paris. The woman asks, "In 2013 a message announced that the regime would be overthrown in six months…" The MOIS website then goes on to portray the short out of context sound clip as proof of protests by high ranking members of the PMOI in Albania. But the photo in the article and the woman's voice (assuming it has not been produced by the MOIS) have no relation to Albania. The question also (a message in 2013) has no relation to any of MR. Abrishamchi's meetings and speeches in which he has answered compatriots' questions. Not to mention that the mentioned message of 2013 never existed. The Mozahemin website that is registered in Mashhad has its address as the MOIS offices and projects its own moto onto the PMOI/MEK by writing "wherever there is terrorism, murder, and treason, we are there." The website introduces itself as "website for people's nuisance organization of Iran" to parody the MEK and continues that it is "a window onto a student, scientific, and human rights organization that is the result of the efforts of some students all over Iran and essentially from those interested in the field of counter-terrorism." The meaning of student, science, and human rights in the vulgar world of the clerics of Iran cannot be more than that. The website's directors are probably the same students that Khamenei talked of on May 22, when he said, "According to reports that I receive, student organizations and associations have in the past year or two done good work in various fields. In national affairs, and international affairs. This is a good presence. A gathering in front of some embassies is good sometimes. Of course it should be restrained, calculated, rational, and to show our moral and spiritual superiority. It is not that scaling the walls [of embassies] is good all the time. Sometimes however it is good."
3. The MOIS' inability to counter the MEK was on display in the state run daily Khorasan article on June 3, 2019 entitled "Publication of first document of MEK's interference in riots of December 2017." It quotes Khamenei on January 9, 2018, and states that the MEK are the third side of a triangle that created the uprising that they had prepared since months earlier. Then it trumpets victoriously that "We are publishing for the first time parts of a secret internal meeting of the terrorist monafeghin [pejorative for PMOI/MEK] in January 2018 in which Mehdi Abrishamchi, second in command of the group, explicitly revealing the terrorists' role in the riots of December 2017." The article adds, "The voice clip of this five hour confidential meeting has been published by a high ranking member of this terrorist group and parts of the transcript are published in Khorasan." Then it goes on to report on the role of the PMOI/MEK and resistance units in protests in Kazeroun, Ahvaz, and Touysirkan based on the "highly confidential" source. It quotes Mehdi Abrishamchi emphasizing the necessity of activating 1,000 Ashraf bases meaning 1,000 resistance units and enflaming the uprising in the cities. In short, this is the unending nightmare of this regime and the MOIS.
4. Subsequent to the scandal involving the fake Twitter account of the French Consul General in Jerusalem (about which the NCRI Counterterrorism Committee issued a statement), the MOIS put out a fake tweet on behalf of a Toronto Police Official (Donald Belanger). On August 8, the Daily Beast wrote in this regard, "American intelligence officials are monitoring a social media disinformation campaign that attempted to falsely implicate the White House National Security Adviser in a global money laundering and drug trafficking operation. On Monday, a Twitter user claiming to be a high-ranking Canadian law enforcement official posted records supposedly showing a $350,000 wire transfer from a Canadian children's apparel company to a Swiss bank account owned by National Security Adviser John Bolton's daughter… Twitter suspended the fake Belanger account and Toronto Police Service spokesman Alex Li confirmed to The Daily Beast that it was 'a fraudulent' persona. The real police official the account had impersonated has never had a Twitter account. A U.S. official familiar with the apparent disinformation campaign said intelligence community officials were aware of the effort. And Lee Foster, an information operations intelligence analyst at the cybersecurity firm FireEye, told The Daily Beast that the hoax's techniques are 'consistent with what we've seen with previous pro-Iranian influence operations.' Bolton is among the Trump administration's most aggressive critics of the Iranian regime. The U.S. official, while not commenting on this week's disinformation campaign specifically, said Bolton has been the target of state-sponsored influence operations designed to weaken his standing in the administration. Though Twitter quickly removed the tweet on Monday and suspended the account, it had already been picked up and covered by a handful of websites with editorial positions sympathetic to the Iranian government. News outlets such as Iran Front Page blared 'Belanger's' claims that a Canadian business had supposedly transferred the funds at issue had been caught smuggling 'a significant amount of opium" and "has close ties with the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group.'"
6. In late July, the regime's cyber army used a fake telegram account, @SetareganZamini, to contact several Iranians and Resistance's sympathizers, asking them for financial support for Resistance units inside Iran.
8. In April and May, a person with the fake name of Arezoo, introduced herself as an official of the PMOI who was dealing with issues related to PMOI supporters. She contacted many of them to tell them that because she was busy with successive demonstrations, another individual, Homa, will replace her. The MOIS agent introducing herself as Homa would pose different questions to obtain information about the Iranian Resistance. For example she would write, "I want to know whether you know anyone in Iran who you can introduce and with whom I can speak? Let us know about anyone, anywhere, who you think could be in touch with us or give us any news or carry out even a small task. I would be very grateful."
10. In April 2019, the regime's cyber operative used a fake email account, carrying the name of a Resistance official, to send urgent messages and warn that some emails have been hacked. One such message said, "Hi, I would like to inform you that email of …. has been hacked. If he/she sends you an email, don't click on it because it is a virus and will infect your computer and cellphone. Please let all friends know." A short while later, he/she would send messages urging the recipients to contact a specific email. By claiming to have lost their phone numbers, he was trying to connect people to MOIS email accounts and obtain information.
12. In another example, the regime used the telegram account of a detained person to contact his brother abroad and invite him to go to Iran. After some follow up, this individual realized that his brother had been arrested and that his telegram account had been used.
15. The regime's cyber operatives also used a fake Skype account, ISSA, similar to one used by a Resistance member, to obtain information from PMOI supporters.
16. Another tactic used by the MOIS was to send threatening messages to PMOI supporters active on telegram. One such message by "didban fazaye majazi" reads, "Dear telegram user, you have joined the telegram group nationwide uprising, which belongs to the PMOI. So far your membership appears to be out of ignorance. If you continue to be a member, it would be perceived as deliberate membership and would have legal repercussions for you."
17. In the past few months, the regime's intelligence agents have used the phone number 33937502075 to contact Resistance's supporters in France and obtain their Facebook and email accounts.
18. Recently, the MOIS used an email account similar to the one used by a US journalist, and copied his picture and information, to ask for an interview with a PMOI supporter. It sent a dangerous virus to hack his computer, but failed.
The NCRI's Committee on Security and Counterterrorism calls on all compatriots and PMOI supporters to expose the regime's pathetic ploys and neutralize their cyber plots. It urges them to refrain from responding to suspicious and unknown emails and contacts including in Telegram, Skype, Whatsapp, etc., and share suspicious cases with the NCRI representative offices or PMOI chapters in different countries.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran
Committee on Security and Counterterrorism
August 14, 2019


text: KathrynLisbeth 81 Posted August 26, 2018 Oh... Now that I think about it more. Patch's Flicker Pictures. I am not seeing anything that reminds me of the Cornfield. So... No hitting things with a piece of wood? or a Chainsaw? ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


text: The Telford Steam Railway are pleased to announce that on Sun 3rd May, 2015, we will be hosting author Neil Clarke for a book signing event to celebrate the launch of his new book 'Railways of East Shropshire – Through Time'. Neil will be available to sign new copies of his book between 12 & 2pm in the waiting room of Spring Village station. The book features many of the lines that used to exist and still exist in East Shropshire including our very own Telford Steam Railway adding a very local flavour to the proceedings. So for avid railway readers and supporters of local Telfordian history then do please come along and take advantage of buying a signed copy of this hugely informative book.


text:
St Pat's Flashing Shamrock Necklace
$3.29 each
Ships In 1–2 Weeks
Add some extra bling to yoru neck with this fun flashing shamrock necklace. This necklace has several lighted settings to give you the exact effect you are looking for. Liven up any St Patricks day celebration with some great costume accessories. Our fun party favors and accessories are all you…


text:
Your Name: Julie Cavanaugh
Hometown: Madison Heights
What is your position in the district?: Paraprofessional
Are you a graduate of Lamphere Schools?
No. Redford Union HS Redford Township. All of our children attended Lamphere K-12.
Did you go to college, if so tell us where. What degrees do you have?
Western Michigan University BS education. Oakland University Early childhood specialist
Tell us about your family:
Married to Paul. We have been hanging out since I was 16. We have five children, Adam, Amy, Alex, Mike and Joe. Three oldest are married and we have four darling granddaughters, ages 4, 1 and 9 months.
What kind of hobbies do you have? What do you like to do?:
I like to knit and watch Red Wing hockey. Enjoy many outdoor activities: walking, snowshoeing, gardening, canoeing and camping. Several summer weekends are spent pedaling somewhere in Michigan!
How long have you worked at Lamphere?:
In 1985 I taught Adult Basic Education at Sixma. I substituted elementary level, then taught the BEST preschool program at Edmonson. (Took some breaks along the way due to family demands.) Worked at Lessenger with PPI and kindergarten children. Also at Simonds in kindergarten, special education, reading intervention and kindergarten enrichment. Taught summer school at Hiller and presently a physical education para at John Page MS.
What's your favorite thing about being a part of the Lamphere district?:
Living and working in one of the best school districts around! Meeting so many devoted staff (at all levels) who are committed to their students success. The close knit friendships and culture within each building. Lastly, my favorite thing about being part of this district is my upcoming RETIREMENT !


text:
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LEGO Marvel Super Heroes features an original story crossing the entire Marvel Universe. Players take control of Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Wolverine and many more Marvel characters as they unite to stop Loki and a host of other Marvel villains from assembling a super-weapon capable of destroying the world. Players will chase down Cosmic Bricks as they travel across LEGO Manhattan and visit key locations from the Marvel Universe, such as Stark Tower, Asteroid M, a Hydra base and the X-Mansion.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Features:
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FRANKFURT: December 21, 2018. Suparna Airlines has added Frankfurt-Hahn Airport to its route network, with a connection between Shanghai and the German gateway operated with a Boeing 747-400.
The new routes are part of an air freight agreement concluded by the Chinese company China Aerospace International Holdings Limited (CASIL) to distribute Asian flows of goods for Europe via the Frankfurt-Hahn Airport hub and vice versa.
Along with a number of global logistics service providers, CASIL signed air freight contracts worth more than 2.6 billion yuan (about 334 million euros) for intensive cooperation and support of the Chinese "One Belt One Road" initiative. For this purpose, the subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation is establishing Frankfurt-Hahn Airport as a new hub for its international air freight business. The flights will be operated with various cargo airlines to different destinations in China, including Zhengzhou (CGO) and Hong Kong (HKG).
"The new cargo flights to China are an important step in further expanding the cargo business at Frankfurt-Hahn Airport. With its 24-hour operating permit, flexible slots and fast handling, Frankfurt-Hahn Airport is ideally positioned for the freight business and a backbone of the German export industry," says Christoph Goetzmann, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Flughafen Frankfurt-Hahn GmbH.
From January to October 2018, freight at Hahn Airport increased by 58.4 percent compared to the same period last year


text:
The Universe of Iteration
Stanley Miller isn't necessarily a well-known name if you're not a chemist.
The scientist from the 1950s has proven how amino acid building blocks can emerge from nothing, so to speak.
All it takes is methane, ammonia, water, hydrogen, and electricity, in a certain mixture, at certain temperatures, time and iterations.
What was it like 4 billion years ago, when the first amino acids decided to join together to form living cells? The first unicellular organisms formed 100% of the known life in the Precambrian age and for what it's worth, all the following life as well.
Stromatolites can still be found today, in shelf areas, always formed by so-called cyanobacteria, which are able to produce oxygen. As supposedly the first living organisms on earth, they are responsible for the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere. Life on earth was thus formed by chance, after various elements and chemical substances interacted with each other over billions of years. A product of repetition.
Over an almost infinitely long period of time, different events have been combined again and again in different ways. Until, by coincidence, life came into existence. An unstoppable chain-reaction that tried everything to use energy for its purposes. The apparent waste product of cyanobacteria, oxygen, enabled other, already adapted cells to enlarge and form nuclei. Eukaryotes were born. Here, too, a cascade of endless interactions with the environment was the reason.
Substances were processed, every molecule used, digested, absorbed. Sometimes the result was death, sometimes an advantage over other life formed and remained. Cells that only occurred in strange niches in need for more or less sun, with a specific temperature preference, or calcareous water.
The infinity of iterations began to unfold. The goal was to move on. Energy, transformation, survival.
As the first invertebrates emerged, the first explosion of species, the Cambrian Explosion appeared, which is still seen as the moment where life manifested itself in the oceans.
But the only constant that remained was that everything kept evolving. As the byproduct of this evolutionary cycle, a huge number of life-forms had already died which occurred much more often than survival. This mechanism is still active today.
Human Ideas
If you skip several eras of the earth's history, the dinosaurs, several great extinctions, and quadrillion steps in between, then we arrive at Homo Sapiens Sapiens.
The number of iterations which the human organism has carried out evolutionarily until then is certainly higher than any nomenclature known to us could express. And this number will be exponentially higher in the future.
How exactly does mankind "iterate through evolution"?
Try to imagine something that's never happened before. The other things are caused by trial and error.
Everything we know happened because people tried it before.
Aspects of culture in the form of music, film and creative art, technological achievements from mastering fire, other elements, invention of the wheel, steam engine, domestication of the horse, invention of combustion engines, fidget spinner, french fries with chocolate sauce, cage fighting, homeopathy, pipe cleaner, hoverboards, 4k cameras or distributed ledger technologies. It makes no difference whether these things are meaningful, sustainable, popular or affordable. They were discovered, used, and someone thought it was a good idea to focus their lives on it and monetarize, innovate every facet of this discovery.
This characteristic of infinite further development, of trying out, failing and shining, are characteristics that we find in other places.
In our simulations of artificial intelligence.
Sergei Ivancheglo (NXT, IOTA, Paracosm, Inventor first full proof of stake) has recently published a short article about Aigarth.
The visionary known as Come-from-beyond knows the potential impact of artificial intelligence and its possibilities on society which he explains as something that should be made available for everyone.
It can be assumed that the same unstoppable evolutionary force that has created and enhanced life itself also has an impact on the software progression.
Why should we leave a potential existential boost, a multiplier of the knowledge, possibilities, and solutions of our own lives only to special companies or rich individuals, when it can solve so many problems and simplify life for everyone, in every direction?
Ai & Aigarth
A vivid example was provided by a competition played on a Go board in 2016. Go is probably the oldest game of mankind, which is still played all around the globe.
The strange thing about Go is that moves and combinations can't be brute-forced, because the number of possible game combinations in Go is about 10 to the power of 170 while the number of atoms in the universe is only about 10 to the power of 82.
Google's AI project AlphaGo defeated the then reigning world champion Lee Sedol 4-1.
The training method of the AI, in this case, was to include all available human moves and tactics, video material, and so forth.
With the usual proceedings of machine learning, the algorithm was iterated millions of times to make it a true end boss.
This event called many interested people to the scene, but the event was outshined by a way bigger event a year later.
Namely, the extended project called "AlphaGo Zero" -a new approach. It did not train with human tactics, but instead started at zero (hence the name) and only learned to win along the known Go-rules. AlphaGo Zero destroyed AlphaGo in 100 games with 100-0. It created unknown moves, exotic tactics, and undeniable progress for the entire scene.
These insights are highly valuable because they prove that AI's can create new knowledge that is superior to the limited human knowledge. If they receive basic information, rules and time and a specific task in a specific field.
Since human knowledge is very diverse, as described in the first part of the article, it can be concluded that it's beneficial to build an AI in a decentralized AI service, like Aigarth, that collects and generates more knowledge in many different categories without many interferences and that provides more insights than a centralized service of a few entities. If it's built on a decentralized ledger like IOTA and on a module for renting computational power like Qubic on IOTA, the conditions for secure usage of AI's are provided. A possible tool for a responsible society that benefits everyone and that is easily applicable for specific tasks by everyone.
In 15 years we will know how such an impact can change our society. And whether iterations will bring changes that may shift the balance of power or not.
15 years sound like a long time, at first, but if you look at innovation timeframes, it's really just a blink of an eye. World of Warcraft has been released 15 years ago, also Facebook, Skype, Firefox and Bluetooth. Time flies fast, but not as fast as innovation! These innovations changed society, and for the most part: the companies won. Time to set the course for a progressive future for the rest of us and to keep the number of iterations for ourselves as small as possible.


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Get your cuties dressed in their costume and come out to Pam Long Photography Studio next Saturday, October 16 for a 10 minute mini-session! Call and book your session now to take advantage of this fun offer and to help raise money for Preston Scibek. Preston is a wonderful 11-year old who found out last year that he has a rare, aggressive cancer. He and his family have been brave, positive, courageous fighters throughout this past year. Preston is currently in Boston undergoing Proton radiation. Please click here to read Preston's story.
Here's an extra chance for your child to get dressed up! AND you get an 8×10 keepsake photo, a goodie bag for your child and a $25 gift card for you to use at a future Pam Long Photography photo session. All of that for $45. $10 for each additional child.
These mini sessions are by appointment only and are paid at time of booking in order to reserve your space.
We hope that you're able to come out and join us! We still have some spaces open so call today to reserve YOURS!


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Exposure Underwater introduce Klas Malmberg one of our Ambassador's and 2013 Swedish Champion in UW photography.
About Klas
"My highest wish is to grow gills - then I dont have to carry all that dive equipment."
Klas is a marinebiologist who rather stay in the marine element learning how to get close to the animals. The more time he spend in the water the more lucky he seems to get and succeed in getting the pictures he want. Klas have two favorite groups of marine animals. It is the sharks that always has been fascinating to interact with and the brightly colored nudibranches that Klas find to be the most beautiful creatures in the sea.Interview with Klas
Why underwater photography? It gives me a possibility to explain why it is so fantastic under the surface. What's best about it?There is a total harmony with the water element and a great possibility to get close to so many animals. What's worst about it?
To freeze your fingers so you cry when coming the surface and still wanting to take more pictures…Favourite places?My facourites are the Norwegian fjords and the beatiful islands of the Philippine archipelago.
More about Klas [here]


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As an Aussie today was a great day. I understand that every Australia Day I can remember was in Brisbane but this year I was in Adelaide!!! I was wearing jeans and jackets! In the summer time, it was cold as.
We saw sneaky sound system 😱 and we watched the fireworks over the river. It was amazing and the best part is it was all free!
Happy Aus day


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|*December 15 - 21
|Dying Like a Seed
Read for This Week's Study:
|1 Sam. 2:12-3:18; 13:1-14; Zech. 4:1-14; Rom. 12:1, 2; Phil. 2:5-9.
Memory Text:
| "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the
ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces
many seeds"
Jesus' picture of a kernel of wheat dying is a fascinating analogy of our submission to God's will. First, there is the falling. The kernel that falls from the wheat stalk has no control over where or how it falls to the ground. It has no control over the ground that surrounds and then presses over it.
Second, there is the waiting. As the kernel lies in the earth, it does not know what the future holds. It cannot "imagine" what life will be like in the future, for it is only a kernel of wheat.
Third, there is the dying. The kernel cannot possibly become a wheat stalk unless it gives up the safe, comfortable situation as a kernel. It must "die"; that is, it must give up what it has always been before it may be transformed from a seed into a fruit-bearing plant.
The Week at a Glance:
|If we know that God's will is best for us, why do we have such a hard time accepting it? What example of submission has Christ left for us? How do you see the analogy of the kernel of wheat applying to your own life?
*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 22.
|December 16
Submission for Service
Read Philippians 2:5-9. What important message is there for us in these verses?
Contemporary culture urges us all to demand and assert our rights. And all this is good and is often the way it should be. But, as with Jesus, the will of God may ask us to freely give up our rights in order to serve the Father in ways that will make an eternal impact for God's kingdom. This process of giving them up may be difficult and uncomfortable, creating the conditions of a crucible. Look at how Jesus did this (Phil. 2:5-8). These verses describe three steps that Jesus took in submitting Himself to the Father's will. And at the beginning, Paul alarmingly reminds us: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus" (vs. 5, NIV).
In order to be in a position to save us, Jesus gave up His equality with the Father and moved to earth in the form and limitations of a human being (vss. 6, 7, NIV). Jesus did not come as a great and glorious human being but as a servant of other human beings (vs. 7, NIV).
As a human servant, Jesus did not live a peaceful and long life but "became obedient to death." But He did not even die in a noble and glorious manner. No, He was "obedient to death-even death on a cross!" (vs. 8, NIV).
In what areas of life is this example of Jesus a model for us? If rights and equality are good and should be protected, how would you explain the logic of sometimes needing to give them up? Now read verse 9. In what way does this verse help us to understand the logic of submission to the Father's will?
While we wait, we can concentrate on one of two things. We can focus on the things that we are waiting for, or we can focus on the One who holds those things in His hands. What makes such a difference when we wait for something isn't so much how long we have to wait as it is our attitude while we wait. If we trust the Lord, if we have placed our lives in His hands, if we have surrendered our wills to Him, then we can trust that He will do what's best for us when it's best for us, no matter how hard it is sometimes to believe it.
|Pray for wisdom from the Holy Spirit, asking, What rights am I holding on to right now that actually might be a barrier to submitting to Jesus' will in serving my family, my church, and those around me? To what extent am I willing to endure discomfort to serve others more effectively?
|December 17
Dying Comes Before Knowing God's Will
Many Christians sincerely seek to know God's will for their lives. "If only I could know God's will for my life, I would sacrifice everything for Him." But even after promising God this, we still may be confused about that will. The reason for this confusion may be found in Romans 12:1, 2. Paul is describing how we can know God's will, and he makes an important point: If you want to know what God's will is, you have to sacrifice first!
12:1, 2. Paul writes that we will be able to "test and approve what God's
will is"
2, NIV) when:
1. We have a true understanding of "God's mercy" for us (vs. 1, NIV).
2. We offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God (\).
3. Our minds are renewed (vs. 2).
It is only the renewed mind that truly can understand God's will. But this renewal hinges on our death to self first. It was not enough that Christ simply suffered for usHe had to die. It is the same with us.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you any areas in which you are not completely "dead." What things does the Holy Spirit need you to give up in order to become a "living sacrifice" for God?
When areas of our lives are not completely dead to self, God permits crucibles to bring them to our attention. However, our suffering not only helps us confront our sin, it also gives us an insight into Jesus' giving Himself up for us. Elisabeth Elliot writes, "The surrender of our heart's deepest longing is perhaps as close as we come to an understanding of the cross. . . . Our own experience of crucifixion, though immeasurably less than our Savior's, nonetheless furnishes us with a chance to begin to know Him in the fellowship of His sufferings. In every form of our own suffering, He calls us to that fellowship."Quest for Love (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Fleming H. Revell, 1966), p. 182.
|Read and pray over Romans 12:1, 2. Think about the things you need to give up in order for you to become a sacrifice. How does this help you to understand the sufferings Jesus faced for you on the cross? How can this knowledge help you enter into fellowship with Jesus and His sufferings?
|December 18
Willingness to Listen
"The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, `Samuel! Samuel!' Then Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant is listening' " (1 Sam. 3:10, NIV).
Have you ever heard that still, small voice of the Holy Spirit but ignored it? Consequently, everything went wrong, and you thought to yourself later, Oh no, why didn't I listen?
First Samuel describes a story of an old man and two wicked sons who didn't listen to the Lord and a little boy who did. Though there were strong warnings from God, those who needed to change their course didn't.
Read their story in 1 Samuel 2:12-3:18. What contrast is made apparent here between those who listen to God and those who don't?
Eli's sons had other things on their minds than the things of God. And even when Eli, after hearing what God wanted, spoke to his sons, he didn't seem to do anything else. And his sons were obviously not ready to submit the details of their lives to God's will. What a contrast to the young Samuel!
Preacher Charles Stanley describes how essential it is to cultivate openness to God's voice in what he calls "shifting into neutral." He says: "The Holy Spirit ... does not speak for the sake of passing along information. He speaks to get a response. And He knows when our agenda has such a large slice of our attention that it is a waste of time to suggest anything to the contrary. When that is the case, He is often silent. He waits for us to become neutral enough to hear and eventually obey."The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers, 1992), pp. 179, 180.
|What do you think Stanley means by becoming "neutral enough"? When you think about your openness to God, what things often prevent you from being "neutral enough to hear and eventually obey"? What do you need to do in your life to cultivate openness to God's voice and a decisiveness to be obedient to His direction?
|December 19
When Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, it wasn't simply because she doubted God's word. At the heart of the problem was her belief that she had enough wisdom to decide what was good and right for herself. She trusted her own judgment. When we rely on our own judgment as opposed to trusting God's Word, we open ourselves up to all sorts of problems.
The story of Saul describes the steps to self-reliance and the tragedy that so quickly follows. Samuel anointed Saul as God's king (1 Sam. 10:1). Then he gave Saul specific instructions (vs. 8), but Saul disobeyed.
Read the next part of the story in 1 Samuel 13:1-14. What did Saul do that led to his own downfall?
There are three steps that led Saul down the road to self-reliance so soon after having been made king. The problem is that none of the steps were that bad in themselves. Yet, they contained the seeds of tragedy because they were each taken independently of God. Notice the order in which Saul's fall occurred.
1. Saul said, "I saw" (N/V)the scattering of his troops and Samuel's absence (vs. 11). Saul was under pressure, and he evaluated with his own eyes what was happening.
2. Saul moved from "I saw" to "I said"that the Philistines would conquer them (vs. 12, NKJV). What he saw with his own eyes shaped what he said, or surmised, about the situation.
3. Saul moved from "I said" to "I felt"compelled to offer sacrifice (vs. 12, NKJV). What Saul thought now shaped his feelings.
All of us have done this: We rely on our own human eyesight, which leads us to rely on our own human thinking, which leads us to rely on our own human feelings. And then we act on these feelings.
|Why do you think it was so easy for Saul to follow his own judgment, even though he had God's clear instructions still ringing in his ears? If we know that we are so fragile and have such imperfect knowledge, why do we still try to rely on ourselves? What can we do to learn more to trust in the Lord's commands than upon ourselves?
|December 20
As we saw yesterday, submission to God's will can be undermined as we rely on our own strength. It also is possible to rely on other substitutes for God. When some people feel depressed, they go shopping for something to make them happy. When some feel inadequate, they pursue fame. When others have difficulties with their spouse, they look for someone else to give them intimacy and excitement.
Many of the things we use can relieve the pressure, but they do not necessarily solve the problem nor teach us how to handle the situation better the next time. Only supernatural help from God can do that. The problem is that many times we try to depend on substitutes for God rather than on God Himself.
Here are three substitutes that we may use instead of God:
1. Using human logic or past experience when we need fresh divine revelation.
2. Blocking problems from our minds when we need divine solutions.
3. Escaping reality and avoiding God when we need communion with God for divine power.
Zechariah helps us to focus on what really matters when we are tempted to use substitutes. After many years away, the exiles had finally returned from Babylon and immediately began to rebuild the temple. But there was an incredible amount of opposition to this (some background can be found in Ezra 4-6). So Zechariah came with this message of encouragement to Zerubbabel, who was leading the work.
Read this message in Zechariah 4:1-14. What does God mean in verse 6? How could the completion of a building project be affected by the Holy Spirit? What does this teach us about the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the practical things that we do?
When stress comes, what's your first reaction? Food? Television? Prayer? Submission to God? What does your answer tell you about yourself and the things you need to learn or to change?
|December 21
Further Study:
|Read Ellen G. White, "Eli and His Sons,"
pp. 575-580; "The Presumption of
Saul," pp. 616-626, in Patriarchs
and Prophets.
Submission to God's will comes as we die to our own desires and ambitions. This opens the way for true service to others. We cannot live for God without becoming a sacrifice and living in continual openness to God's voice. For us to truly submit our wills to our Father's will, we must recognize the dangers of relying on ourselves and on substitutes for God's Word and power. As submission to God's will is at the heart of a Christlike life, God may allow crucibles to teach us dependence on Him.
"The neglect of Eli is brought plainly before every father and mother in the land. As the result of his unsanctified affection or his unwillingness to do a disagreeable duty, he reaped a harvest of iniquity in his perverse sons. Both the parent who permitted the wickedness and the children who practiced it were guilty before God, and He would accept no sacrifice or offering for their transgression."Ellen G. White, Child Guidance, p. 276.
Discussion Questions:
| As a class, talk about the incredible condescension
of the Son of God in coming to earth as a human being in order to die for
our sins. What does it tell each of us about what self-sacrifice and self-denial
for the good of others means? Though we certainly can't do anything like
that, the principle is there and should always be before us. What ways can
we, in our own spheres, emulate the kind of submission and self-sacrifice
shown to us by Jesus at the Cross?
For many people, submitting to God without knowing what will happen next can be a terrifying thing. How would you counsel someone who is relying on themselves rather than God? What would you say to help remove their fears of not knowingor being able to controlthe future?
What can you do as a church, or a class, to help others who are in the crucible as they await God's timing for something?
As a class, spend some time praying for people you know who have difficulty in submitting to God's will, that they may see that trusting God's will is the only route to a lasting peace. At the same time, what practical things can you do for these people to help them see that they can surrender to God and that His way is the best? In other words, how can God use you to help others know of His love and willingness to provide?
|I N S I D E Story
|Invited by an Angel
by BENJAMIN D. SCHOUN
In the Muslim country of Azerbaijan, one family of new believers is convinced that an angel guided them to the Adventist Church.
A young woman named Gunel and her family had just lost their grandfather. Her mother cried quietly as she rode the city bus to the family's grave site. A woman came to comfort her, saying that God is good, that Jesus will come again, and that there is hope for the future. Then the woman told Gunel's mother about a church where she could go to learn more about these things.
A month later Gunel's mother again saw the woman on the bus. The woman again encouraged her and gave her the address of the church. Gunel's mother asked Gunel to go with her one Saturday morning to this church. They had never been inside a Christian church before and hesitated to enter. Then one of the church greeters saw them arid invited them in, where they were welcomed with hugs and kisses.
Gunel and her mother enjoyed the worship. After the service Gunel's mother asked about the woman she had met on the bus. She described the woman in detail, but no one recognized the description. The pastor, who knew every Adventist in the city, listened carefully. He did not recognize the woman's description and suggested that Gunel's mother had met an angel.
Gunel and her mother continued attending church and studied the Bible diligently. First Gunel's mother was baptized, then Gunel and her brother and sister followed. Now they host a small group meeting in their home. Gunel's father, still a Muslim, is favorable to Adventists.
Gunel's Muslim friends harass her because she has become a Christian. But Gunel is not deterred. Recently she took an Adventist World Radio seminar to learn how to produce radio programs. Perhaps Gunel will be part of AWR's outreach into her homeland, where today just a handful of believers live.
GUNEL (left). BENJAMIN D. SCHOUN is president of Adventist World Radio.
|Produced by the General Conference Office
of Mission
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Another Democrat pushing bill on hydrofracking
Sen. Tony Avella, D-Queens, introduced legislation today that would ban the use of hydraulic fracturing, a drilling process in which a mixture of sand, water and chemicals is sent deep underground to break shale formations and release gas. Avella spoke yesterday at a rally held by opponents of hydrofracking
The state Department of Environmental Conservation is developing a second draft of its environmental-impact study on hydrofracking and expects to finish it by the end of the summer. Permits for high-volume hydraulic fracturing are on hold during the process. Potential drilling has been targeted for the Marcellus Shale and other shale formations in the state.
Avella said "fracking fluids" used in the drilling process "use an enormous amount of water" and with chemicals that often are "highly toxic, non-biodegradable and are virtually impossible to remove once they enter the natural environment."
"I have grave concerns that the risk presented by hydrofracking; where a single accident can contaminate the water supply for over eight million people, outweighs any possible economic gain drilling within the watershed would bring," Avella said in a statement. "New York City residents benefit from one of only five unfiltered surface water systems in the country. As a result we enjoy water with a superior cleanliness and flavor that rivals any throughout the world. We must be vigilant in protecting our water supply from any potential risk of contamination."
"Property owners in Pennsylvania, who allowed natural gas companies to perform hydrofracking on their land, have been rewarded with undrinkable and toxic water," Avella said. "In some instances the water quality is so bad people can actually light their tap water on fire. We cannot allow this to happen to our drinking water."
The Independent Oil & Gas Association has asked the Department of Environmental Conservation to expedite the report and the review of permits. Hydrofracking is a safe process, according to the group
Meanwhile, earlier today, the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee
shot down legislation that would have required companies to disclose the chemicals in fracking fluid used in the state.


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If you are in your 60s and own your home, you have likely heard about reverse mortgages — or will soon. Reverse mortgages can be helpful to homeowners who want to stay in their homes but are having trouble keeping up with their mortgage payments, or who have no other source of funds to pay bills or meet unexpected expenses. As more Americans near retirement age, some financial institutions are aggressively marketing reverse mortgages as an easy, cost-free way for retirees to finance lifestyles — or to pay for risky investments — that can jeopardize their financial futures.
Homeowners thinking about reverse mortgages are urged to make informed decisions and carefully weigh all of their options before proceeding. And, if you do decide a reverse mortgage is right for you, be sure to make prudent use of your loan.
Older homeowners who want to tap the equity in their homes typically have three options. They can sell their house and downsize, take out a home equity loan or
consider a reverse mortgage. A reverse mortgage is an interest-bearing loan secured by the equity in your home. To be eligible, you and any other co-borrowers, such as your spouse, must own your home and be 62 or older — although some lenders offer reverse mortgages to individuals as young as age 60.
Like a home equity loan, a reverse mortgage allows you to convert your home equity to cash that you can use for any purpose. Unlike other home loans, however, homeowners make no interest or principal payments during the life of loan.
The interest is added to the principal, which is why reverse mortgages are often called "rising debt" loans. Unless you opt for a fixed-term loan, the loan only becomes due when you die, sell your home to move or otherwise leave your home for more than 12 months — for instance, if a health issue requires you to enter a nursing home.
If any of those events occur, you or your heirs must repay the loan, including compounded interest, in full. Normally, that means the house must be sold, and the loan will be paid back from the proceeds of the sale. Because interest will have been accruing during the life of the loan, you will likely owe more than you borrowed — and if home values have fallen or you live longer than expected, you may even owe more than your house is worth.
But since reverse mortgages are non-recourse loans, the worst that will happen is that you or your heirs will receive nothing from the sale of your house. The lenders cannot go after any other assets that you or your heirs own.
Home Equity Conversion Mortgages, or HECMs, are administered by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and make up the majority of reverse mortgages in the U.S. The loans are insured by the federal government against default by a lender (the borrower pays a fee for this protection). The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 made significant changes to FHA reverse mortgages and how they are sold.
For example, the law allows seniors to use a reverse mortgage to purchase a new home (called a "reverse mortgage for purchase"). It also mandates counseling for all FHA reverse mortgages.
Additional changes resulted from the Reverse Mortgage Stabilization Act of 2013, which authorized FHA to change the HECM program. FHA replaced the Standard and Saver HECM options with a single program that is different in a number of ways. For one, it adjusted the maximum loan amount.
Based on a formula tied to the borrower's age and current interest rates, this new maximum is less than the previous HECM Standard, though slightly higher than the HECM Saver option.
There are also new limits on the amount homeowners can borrow at closing and during the first 12 months. This new limit is 60 percent of the maximum loan amount, though making repairs or paying off an existing mortgage may constitute "mandatory obligations" that could allow for additional borrowing.
And lenders are now required to perform a financial assessment of the borrower before a HECM loan can be approved. Part of the assessment is a detailed credit check.
Non-HECM single-purpose reverse mortgages may be offered by some states, local governments and nonprofit organizations for specific objectives such as home repairs or the payment of property taxes. There may be income restrictions accompanying these reverse mortgages, and they are not federally insured.
Banks and other lenders may also offer proprietary reverse mortgages, often called jumbo reverse mortgages. These are typically designed for borrowers with high-value homes. Proprietary reverse mortgages are not federally insured, and fees are not regulated as they are with HECM loans. It's a good idea to work with a HUD-approved mortgage counselor if you are considering either of these non-HECM options (there may be a fee for counseling services).
You can read more about reverse mortgages at FINRA's website. FINRA is the largest independent regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States. Its chief role is to protect investors by maintaining the fairness of the U.S. capital markets.