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Merchant's Legacy is a game that started to make in late August of 2015, and ended in April of 2016. With eight months of development, this game is still to date, my largest project. So what is it? Well basically you could call it a 2D, top down version of Shoppe Keep. This is a game where you run and manage a medieval shop, buying produce and selling it to customers. At the time of early development, I hadn't known about Shoppe Keep until around a month in so the idea wasn't really a copy, yet there were some mechanics that I did borrow from the game. What makes my game different though? Well here's a description of the game:
Merchant's Legacy is a game set in medieval times, where you are in charge of a shop. You need to place down the shelves and tables, then buy the various different items that you can put up for sale. Once that is done you can open up your shop and let people passing by come in and browse your goods. This game also has a dynamic economy, so you can set what price you want for each item and can even affect the future prices by many ways. You need to pay tax in time and watch out for thieves.
That little description didn't really give a full overview of the features, so here's a list of them that can be found in the game:
- 2D pixel art, top down style.
- Customisable shop interior.
- Dynamic in-game economy.
- Various different citizens you can talk to.
- Thieves can steal from your shop.
- You can be cursed by mysterious passers by.
- You can grow a farm in your yard.
- You need to pay tax every month or the King's thugs will come for you.
- There are beggars on the street who do good for you if you do good for them.
- Skill tree.
- You can upgrade your weapon.
- If you want, you could kill everyone on the street outside.
- You need to manage your reputation.
- Black market.
- Load / save system.
- You need to sweep the floor as those dirty citizens come through your shop.
- If you do attack people, you need to clean up their blood or your rep will go down.
- Achievements.
- You can put up advertisements for your shop to increase traffic.
- You can borrow money from the bank.
Here are a few of the game's values / mechancis that are useful to know when reading this blog post:
- Gold is the currency of the game. You can use it buy items from suppliers, upgrade your shop / weapons and other things. You can gain money by selling items to customers or by other means.
- Reputation is the number out of 100 which determines how popular and respected your shop is. You want this number as high as possible as this determines how often people visit your shop. You can increase this by keeping your shop clean, keeping prices reasonable and not attacking citizens.
The game revolves around its time system. It has a calendar just like us, yet the days are only around five or so seconds long. This means that each year is around half and hour. With this, all the games mechanics revolve around the time. You need to be always watching the date as you need to pay your tax, repay loans, watch for deliveries. At times I feel like because of this time system, the game forces to player to rush what they're doing and any mistake would be detrimental. This is not how I wanted to game to turn out though. I wanted it to be a sort of peaceful yet in-depth management game. It turned out to be a stressful journey, where the player is at the mercy of RNG and skill to get as many people coming into their shop so that they can pay their tax. If I could fix this, I would make the days go on for longer or maybe even chuck out the entire time system. Yet I don't that was ever going to be an option. The game was designed around having a time system and changing that would require an entire re development from the ground up. I like the time system, it's just that I'm not doing it correctly to suit the mood and pacing I want for the game.
The pacing and game loop is another issue I have. The whole basis of the game is: buy items, resell at higher price, pay tax, repeat. Of course there is progression, in that you can buy more shelves and upgrade stuff, yet it can get boring after a while. Also with the fast paced play style you will need to develop, it can lead to quite a stressful and unsatisfactory result. In my mind not looking back, there was never a real goal to the game. Yes there was the ones like, reach a high reputation, sell an expensive armour piece or achieve all the achievements. These are goals in their own way, but there isn't really an overarching end goal. Although does it need one? I've played this game for an hour straight once and like mentioned above I felt kind of stressed out and pretty unsatisfied. Then there is the tax that the player needs to pay every month. This is a mechanic that I thought was good and that added a constant challenge for the player to accomplish, yet it is just the main contributor to the games fast play style and stressful nature as you need to get the money each month otherwise you will be punished.
In contrast to the statement above about the game being fast and stressful, there are also moments where it is slow and at times stagnant. By this I mean there are points where all you can do is stare at the people walking into your shop in hope that they will buy stuff. There are points in the game where you are so low in money and in reputation that it is nearly impossible to recover. You may say that this then balances the games pacing. Well no it doesn't. Having a fast paced play style suddenly shift to a slow crawl is not good as there is no middle ground. The same way hot and cold doesn't mix.
Although, in saying all this, if you know what you're doing then the fast paced play style is not that bad as you have in mind what you need to do and when you need to do it. It's just for new players who will suddenly have thugs at their door for not paying something that just flew by their head. Apart from this, the rest of the game's mechanics and features are quite good as this is probably one of the only overarching problems of it – and one of the reasons why the project eventually failed after eight months.
As the player you have three tools. Your broom, your weapon and your selection tool. These tools let you manage your shop in various ways. Here's what they do:
- The Broom tool allows you to sweep up dirt from when people walk in your shop and blood from when you or a thug injures someone.
- The Weapon is a tool that allows you to defend your shop from thugs or thieves. Although you can attack anyone you see, it may not be the best idea as your reputation will go down. You start with a club, but can upgrade that to a sword with gold, and furthermore to a bow.
- The Selection Tool is a tool that isn't necessary to run your store, but makes management easier and allows you to see data that might be useful. When this tool is in your hand, you can hover over your shelves and cupboards to see exactly what items are inside them, rather than needing to open them up. You can also hover over citizens to see how much gold they have on them and what their occupation is.
What I wanted for the game, was hands on interaction with the environment by the player. This means that I wanted the world to feel real by having the player need to manually walk up to things to trigger them. For example, to open the shop door they need to walk up to it instead of just pressing a button. I feel that doing things like this, adds to the player experience, just like in some games you need to sleep in a bed to save the game. Here are the other situations where this hand on interaction takes place:
- To view the achievements, the player needs to walk up to the trophy cabinet in the back of the shop.
- To manage the farm, the player needs to walk up to it and interact with it.
- When supplies get delivered, the player needs to walk outside and collect the items.
There are many different types of citizens in this game. What are citizens? I talk about them above but never really go into detail on what they are and what they do. Well citizens are the NPC's that walk across the screen in front of your shop. You can talk to them and they will say one of a hundred or so randomly selected phrases. Some citizens are different though and here is what they are:
- Customers are citizens that have a chance (based on reputation) of visiting your store and perhaps even buying something. Each customer has a certain amount of money they can spend and this is dictated by their occupation. You can see their gold and occupation by hovering over them with the Selection Tool in your hand.
Citizens can have a variety of different occupations and this can even influence what they will buy. For example, a doctor would be more inclined to buy medicine. The occupations a citizen can be are: None, Farmer, Apothecarist, Knight, Blacksmith and Doctor. Most citizens are unemployed and the occupations with the most money are rarer to spawn.
When a customer walks into your shop, you can right click on them and an options pop up will appear. You can either greet them or ask them to leave. If you greet them, they will be happy and be willing to spend more. If you ask them to leave, they will be angry and walk out of the shop. Sometimes if you need to close shop and renovate, this option may be needed.
- Thieves are citizens that act like customers, browsing your goods and remaining unnoticed. Yet when you least expect it, they could suddenly start to run out of your shop with an item. A message will pop up saying that something has been stolen and you can choose to go after them. If you successfully kill the thief, you will get the item back and gain some reputation.
- Thugs are the citizens that you
don't want to see. They are high health people who walk in groups through your store, taking what they can find, hitting citizens and leaving a mess. They can get called to your shop if you: haven't payed your tax in time or haven't payed back your loan in time. How they work, is that they come on the screen like any normal citizen but when they come into your shop, they go to all the shelves and just take a number of items. Seems scary right? Well it's pretty broken since you can just take all the items out when you see them coming. This was a problem that I found almost impossible to balance.
- Beggars are homeless people who wonder the street looking for some gold. If you talk to them they will tell you of their situation and you can choose to give them 10 gold. If you accept, you will receive some xp and on rare occasion, even get a random active effect on your shop that could boost reputation or profit.
- Mysterious Citizens are just like customers yet they will never walk into your shop. If you happen to talk to one, they will ask you if you wish to accept a gift. If you accept, you will either be given a positive temporary active effect like rep boost or profit boost. Or you can be given a negative one which could lower your rep. There is also a chance you could get an item or gold from them. After you talk to them they will fade away. Also if you choose to attack them, they will not take damage, yet just fade away.
In this game, the way you get items to sell, is from buying them from the supplier. The way I done it, was that you go to the Order menu and select your supplier and then the items you want to buy. Once your order form is complete, you can click Send Order to add it to the order list.
Depending on what items you purchased, it will take a few in-game days to arrive. When it does, a horse and carriage will run past, dropping off the crate with your items in it. You then need to go outside and take everything out of it. This is an example of the hands on experience that I wanted in this game. Instead of just adding the items to your inventory, it requires the player to manually go outside and collect their goods.
There are four suppliers in the game, with one of them being only available in December (in-game). When making the game, I had a supplier for early game, mid game and end game. This is so that the player can concentrate on once supplier which is relatively cheap, rather than being overwhelmed straight away with so many choices. These suppliers are listed below:
- South-West Farms is a farm that produces bread, ales, meats and other food stuff. Their items are pretty cheap, so early game you will be selling quite a few of their items to build up your shop.
- Merik's Forge is a metal work and weaponry supplier. He makes shields, bows, swords, armour, axes and more. These items are quite expensive to buy, so it is recommended for the player to only sell these items once they have established a quite profitable shop already.
- The Apothecarist is a supplier that sells medicinal items. At the games current state, they only sell medicinal herbs, yet I had many different drugs and herbal healing medicines in mind. Like Merik's Forge, the items here are quite expensive, so they are sort of reserved for mid to late game for the player to buy.
- Holiday Seller is a supplier that only appears during the month of December in-game. They sell Christmas trees and antlers. These Christmasy themed items are in very high demand during December so it is a good idea for the player to buy them quick. The problem though is that for all the months outside of December, the demand is very low so there is no point of selling them then.
There are also two other sellers that I had in mind when making the game and planned to add in eventually. These suppliers are:
- Foreign Market is an event that happens once a year in-game. For one month traders from around the world come to your street to sell their exotic and high in demand foreign items. You can buy these and re sell them in your shop like any other supplier, yet these are of limited supply. I think I was going to make it so that overtime, their supply dwindled as it simulated other shops buying those items, so you had to be quick to be first.
- Black Market is a supplier that I was going to add in along with another feature of hiring workers. Both never came around to happen, but I believe it was still a pretty good idea. The general gist of things was that you could hire traders to go out and find you good, sometimes illegal deals on the street. Eventually these traders you hire would come across the black market and it would be unlocked for you to use in the Order menu. What they sell is a variety of stuff that the other suppliers sell, yet at a discounted price. The downside though, is that when you send out an order for black market items, there is a chance that the package could be intercepted and you could have thugs sent to you by the King. It was a risk vs reward situation where the player had to decide if getting cheaper items was worth the risk of having stuff stolen from their store.
What you put these items into, to make them up for sale, are shelves, cupboards and build items. You do this by clicking on the Build button on the bottom right corner of the screen.
Once in Build Mode you can select objects from the screen and place them anywhere inside your shop. In the image above, we see the Pedestal, which costs 20 gold and can store 3 items. This is what the player will be placing around at the start of the game, where as later on, they will be placing down the more expensive and greater item holding Cabinet (the cards table was only a test item). The biggest problem with these storage cabinets is that having more than one is kind of redundant. You are able to instantly add and remove items from them, so you could just keep adding items to a single one as they are getting purchased. This makes having more expensive and multiple storage cabinets useless. A way that it could be avoided, is perhaps to have the items load in the storage cabinet for a few seconds. Similar to Rust's inventory system, how it takes time to move items in and out of your inventory. Although due to the game's nature, this would still only stop the problem a bit as having many storage containers would still be redundant.
The economy in this game is one of the things that I spent a lot of time on, yet never really flushed it out. It was designed to be an ever changing, dynamic system.
Each item in the Economy screen has two values. Recommended Price and Demand. These two values can change overtime by random events and player influence. The recommended price is the price that the item should be sold for. If you choose to sell it for less, than more people will be willing to buy it, while if you sell it for more than the rec. price, less people will buy it. Then there is the demand. The demand basically makes it so that if there are a bunch of items a citizen has to buy, they have a higher chance to purchase the one/s with a higher demand.
I mentioned before that the player can influence the economy, how can they do that?
- Since each citizen has an occupation, if the player killed farmers for example, the price and demand of bread would go up. The player could hoard bread when it's cheap and then kill many farmers passing buy to boost the price. Although the bad thing about this, is that your reputation will go down, making that strategy kind of redundant.
- The more of one item the player has, the higher the demand and rec. price of that item will eventually get.
- If the player sells a lot of one certain item, slowly overtime that item's rec. price and demand will drop.
I did manage to make the economy semi dynamic as all of the above mentioned features were implemented into the algorithm. Although another thing I wanted in the economy, was random fluctuating of certain items. This would make the game more interesting as the player would never know what is coming. It would require them to adapt to the economy and sell accordingly to make the most out of their items. This though, was something that I never came across to adding in. It was a feature that I did try to develop, yet never worked out. The randomness of it and how often it happened was not planned, thus making it very awkward in balancing it being too random and ruining the game, or less random and making it kinda boring.
With this game, I wanted to make it so that eventually, the player could self sustain themselves with some items. What was added, was a farm. This farm allowed the player to plant seeds for a price and then after some time, it could be harvested for a bunch of bread. A problem there is that once the player gets to the point where they can comfortably farm bread, bread is an item that they won't want to sell since its price is too low. This creates a problem where the farm is essentially useless. A way to balance this though, would be to decrease the price of seeds, yet increase the time it takes to grow.
Another self-sustainable thing I was going to add into the game but never got around to it was the forge. You can see it in the image above, just above the trophy cabinet. What it was going to be was a forge where you can smelt iron into different weapons and armour. It would take practice and skill to make better things and would be available to the player later in the game. It never saw the light of day, yet still was a goal that I aspired to achieve.
Workers were also another feature that I planned on adding to the game. I did develop them a bit with a working UI, yet scrapped many of the ideas around it as I believed that it would make the game too easy. The original idea was to add in a simple store worker, who would go around the shop, cleaning the floor and overall maintaining the place. This was scrapped since that would make the player's broom and the challenge of keeping the store clean irrelevant. One worker that I did plan on adding was the lender. I talked about them back in the black market paragraph. Like the lender, I also planned to add in a the bodyguard worker. This was someone who could stand outside of your shop and would attack thieves and thugs if they got close.
Workers would be payed weekly or monthly and the player could tweak how much they would get paid. If they got payed above the average amount, they would perform their job better, yet if the pay was below average, then they would be lazy or eventually quit.
In the game you can also buy advertisements. These were basically temporary buffs to your shop and can be purchased in the Shop menu. The different advertisements and their stats can be found below:
Along with advertisements there is also a lender. With the lender you can borrow money off him and need to repay it back in a certain amount of time. If you fail to repay in the required time, then thugs would be sent to your shop.What I found is that the prices of the ads are too much when starting out and when you get to the point when buying one of these would be beneficial, the rep boost is too small to care. Making the prices cheaper though, would just make it too OP. This is a problem that I found which would require fine tuning to make it fair.
The lender was quite a problem. I found that the payback time was too short as time ticks pretty fast in the game. Also there is the fact that at any point in the game you can ask for a loan of any amount. I believe it would of been better if the player was locked from borrowing more than 1000 gold until level 5 or something.
Then there are the perks. Once you level up, you get one perk point. You can put that point in either one of the three perk trees available to you.
Trophies are another feature that I kinda just tacked on. They are basically achievements and I had the intent to make them hard to achieve. There are too many games where achievements are just given out, so making it a challenge to even get one will make the player feel glad about themselves when they achieve it.
What you see below is the main menu screen with the load window up. This game has a fully function load and save system. You can have multiple games and pretty much all the data that gets changed/added while playing will be saved. This requires a large script holding hundreds of variables for all the shop data, citizens on the map and events.
I'm proud of the feature, yet it doesn't come without its flaws. One flaw, which is kind of a problem with Unity / C#, is the fact that if you modify the save data script, all previous saves wont work.
What you see below, is the in-game pause menu. It can be toggled by the ESCAPE key and pauses the game. From here you can load a new game or change options. To save the game as you play, you just press F5.
So overall, Merchant's Legacy for me was my largest and most ambitious project. Although its many flaws in both design and buggy gameplay caused it to become victim to my many other games sitting there abandoned. It's main flaws would be the contrast in pacing of the game, the many mechanics which can be either too OP or too under powered, and the overall bugs. I would like to continue this project, yet the amount of scripts it has as well as the amount of assets proves it almost impossible for me to fix it. Like the 2D MOBA, the only way I can see of ever returning to a project like this, would be to totally rebuild it from the ground up.
As much as I've explained in this blog post about the game and its features, there are still many that I either forgot or were too insignificant to add in. I learned quite a bit while making this game and even more when writing this blog post over half a year later. At the time the pacing of the game never came to my mind until the end as I would just add in features without any prior planning. That is the number one issue with all these games that I've left abandoned. They had barely any planning. I would start small, adding features as I went along that I thought sounded cool until it became a large mess.
I can say that all day, yet this game still remains to be my most proudest project yet, as there were many technical features and new things that I used in making the game. I probably spent hundreds of hours working on it. Experience from making this project will certainly carry over to my future games and perhaps one day I will return to this idea.


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CS/HB 703 — Vessels
by Highway and Waterway Safety Subcommittee; and Rep. Workman and others (CS/CS/SB 1454 by Fiscal Policy Committee; Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee; and Senator Hutson)
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee (EP)
The bill revises what constitutes careless operation of a vessel to only apply if a person is operating a vessel in an unreasonable or imprudent manner that endangers the life, limb, or property of another person outside of the vessel or endangers the life, limb, or property of another person due to vessel overloading or excessive speed.
The bill requires the issuance of safety inspection decals by law enforcement officers to operators of vessels that have been found in compliance with the safety equipment carriage and use requirements. The bill prohibits law enforcement officers from stopping a vessel solely for the purpose of inspecting the safety equipment carriage and use requirements, if the vessel has a properly displayed valid safety inspection decal, unless there is reasonable suspicion that a violation of the safety equipment carriage and use requirements is occurring or has occurred.
If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect July 1, 2016.
Vote: Senate 39-0; House 104-13

subset: commoncrawl


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- Joined
- Apr 20, 2010
- Messages
- 398
- Location
- Occasionally EX2
I'll be back again, yay. The beeb has predicted a horror freeze for my return, which I can only guess that I must be some sort of snow queen bringing bad weather with me. Due to arrive on 01/01/2013 after a horrible 24 hour flight through the ridiculously huge and complicated terminal 3 in Dubai, then onto the equally annoying Heathrow at about lunchtime. Will make A Barge drive to get me of course, I'm too posh for the train to St David's. Will be seeing Shaz and I'm sure Kirky at some stage. Anyone else for a pint of lemon squash? I'll be there until Feb when A can finally get me out the door and back to Gatwick again to resume his bachelor exe-city life. Will be surely attending quite a few games after Christmas. It'll be good to be back again, even if I do potentially freeze to death.


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This course, presented by attorney Eric Gang, provides basic procedural information as to how to implement the nuts and bolts of handling a VA administrative appeal. It covers basic time deadlines, the required documents, what types of claims can be appealed, advice on initiating the appellate process, common errors in Board decisions, exhaustion of administrative remedies, and the CAVC's jurisdiction. The course is ideal for the elder law practitioner who does VA pension work and needs to have a basic understanding of the VA appeal process should a claim be denied.
Learning Objectives:
I. Assess scheduling issues pertaining to the timely handling of a VA appeal
II. Review the process of receiving an agency decision and dissecting its parts
III. Identify the agency decisions that are appealable and the exceptions to those rules
IV. Define, draft and file an "NOD" (Notice of Disagreement) – what info should be included?
V. Plan a timely and place-appropriate NOD filing
VI. What is a DRO? Understand the right time and situation and limitations when requesting a DRO
VII. Explore the SOC, form 9, the SSOC and highlighting the important considerations
VIII. Apply BVA certifications and appeal BVA denials
IX. Grasp the important jurisdictional requirements
Eric has been in the private practice of law since 1998. He is the founding member of Gang & Associates, LLC, Veterans Disability Lawyers, a law firm that represents veterans worldwide in their appeals for VA disability benefits. He maintains offices in New York City and New Jersey.
Eric graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law (Newark, New Jersey), where he served on the Legislative Law Journal.
Eric is licensed to practice law in all New Jersey state courts; the Federal District Court, District of New Jersey; and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. In addition, Eric is an accredited representative with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Eric's past and current affiliations include membership in the National Organization of Veterans Advocates, the CAVC Bar Association, the Veterans and Military sections of the Federal Bar Association and the New Jersey State Bar Association. Eric has also served as a member of the American Bar Association and the New York County Lawyers Association.
Eric is a frequent speaker and lecturer in the area of veterans' disability law. He is a faculty member at LawLine.com, where he teaches continuing legal education courses in the area of veterans' disability law. In addition, Eric is also a lecturer for the National Business Institute (NBI), a national provider of continuing education services, where he teaches about veterans' issues. He has lectured for the New Jersey State Bar Association's Institute for Continuing Legal Education, and is a contributor on veterans' issues for WRNJ radio.
He has co-authored two books published by NBI on veterans' benefits and funding long-term care. His published work has also appeared in The Federal Lawyer magazine, and his work for veterans has been mentioned in media outlets across the country.
Eric is the founder and executive director of the Disabled Veterans Resource Center, Inc., a nonprofit veterans' advocacy group.
Very helpful on a current case. Good pointers.
Excellent presentation. Detailed information.
I work at DC VA Medical Center and found this information very helpful
Excellent subject matter knowledge. Thanks for the very useful appeal overview!
Great program. A little disheartening to the veteran, but we must deal with truth in law and it is not always kind.
great presenter!
I have extensive experience with military medical discharges (MEB/PEB) and also with the CAVC, however, I have not previously practiced before the BVA. This course filled a gap in my knowledge regarding the appeal process at the Board. Very helpful.
Great Webinar; excellent Instructor.
I am a VSO and I love his courses! Extremely detailed.
Good Presentation.
Excellent class.
Eric Gang is a great speaker. Knows subject well, is passionate about it and gives good recap after each section. Excellent. Would like to see more Veterans benefits seminars be made available.
Lots of good/real examples.
He really knows his stuff and can explain it
Great Information
Very good!
Mr. Gang again gave an outstanding presentation .
Excellent seminar
Instructor is excellent.
Excellent Presentation on an important area. Thank You.
Very informative and well presented.
Great course. Very interesting.
This course was very depressing given subject matter, but as a veteran advocate this was valuable to me. It gave a great "quick and dirty" overview of the appeal process and while I was familiar with most of the developments, it was helpful to get specific case law cites and current processing times.
This presenter does an excellent job in this area.
Excellent instructor. As a veteran myself, I appreciate the instructor's dedication and commitment to assisting veterans with their service-connected disabilities.
Very good use of citations to illustrate points.
Excellent presentation! Very knowledgeable.
Lots of stuff. Could have an entire course on this. Recommending a particular book on the process would be good
Excellent program
Excellent presenter, great content, including practical information as well as law.
Thank you.
really good
This course is an eye opener on the outrageous way our Vets are treated. Very troubling.
Excellent course!
Excellent Presenter
good course for those involved in this area
Good presentation. Answering questions from viewers was helpful.
Excellent choice to hold both seminars on the same day. I look forward to using this in the future to represent veterans.
Eric did a very nice job
Excellent presentation for such limited time!


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How is she doing now? I am so sorry.You must be so very worried!
No announcement yet.
Pluto--what did you do?!
new posts
- Oct 2008
- 5056
You may want to consider in the future feeding her crickets in a cup. What I do is I have a large ceramic dog food dish, I put the crickets in there and place the container into the tank this way there is no way they can get food in their mouths, obviously you dont need something so large, but a deli cup would work.
I hope she is just stressed from being a bit warm.lets just say I have a lot of stuff
hey guys....i kept waking up making sure she was cooled. my mom took her to work with her to see about getting her in a stable, cool environment all day. our crappy landlord is sending somone in a couple of hours...all of the other reptiles seem to be doing good. last night i thought one of my dumpy frogs had died, so i wrapped him in a paper towel...i found him this morning on the floor, very not dead. he went with my mom, too. she said Pluto still has her mouth wide open...i have no idea what to do
It can absolutely be from the heat. I had a couple of U. Sikorae's shipped to me and I think they were too hot because when i opened the box they were both in their containers with their mouths wide open like that! Cool them down and hydrate them and they should be fine. I know you are doing all you can do! Good luck!184.108.40.206 Crested Geckos
2.2.0 Mossy Leaf-tails
1.2.0 Ball Pythons - 1 Pied, 2 Regular
Originally posted by Tara Sharp View PostIt can absolutely be from the heat. I had a couple of U. Sikorae's shipped to me and I think they were too hot because when i opened the box they were both in their containers with their mouths wide open like that! Cool them down and hydrate them and they should be fine. I know you are doing all you can do! Good luck!
They kept their mouths open until I cooled them down and hydrated them. It was not 12 hours but it was definitely a couple.
It sounds like Pluto is coming around if his mouth is not as open.22.214.171.124 Crested Geckos
2.2.0 Mossy Leaf-tails
1.2.0 Ball Pythons - 1 Pied, 2 Regular
Originally posted by Heatheri004 View Posttara, how long did they have their mouth open??? this has been at least over 12 hours. mom says she has it only open a little now, but it is still open.
we did get our a/c fixed yesterday. mom brought home Pluto...she still has her mouth open. she had it open when i left for work this morning . im afraid i'll lose her.
Familiar Exotics
- Aug 2008
- 1719
How is Pluto doing now?.. Familiar Exotics .. and related Blog ..
*** 7.16.10 Cresties *** 4.5 Gargs *** 1.0 Ibera Greek Tortoise *** 0.1 Rubber Boa *** 0.2.1.2 Mourning Geckos *** 2.1.3 E. agricolae *** 22.214.171.124 L. williamsi *** 1.1 C. sarasinorum ***
i dont know if she will make it. her mouth just continues to stay open. i spray her down often because of it...i cant let her get dehydrated. other than that, if she wasnt showing that, i would assume she is fine, but i know something has to be wrong for her to do that. im not sure. if she had perhaps broken her jaw in her screaming fits, wouldnt she have died from pain? i cant figure out why she wont close it. i just think, maybe broken? but that would be too painful, she would have already died. i cant put any crickets in with her, obviously, so i've resorted to sticking a little (please dont kill me guys, im desperate!!) dish of baby food in the bottom just so she'll get SOME type of food in her poor little body. she does not want to give up, and i dont want her to. i love this little girl so much. if anyone has any ideas, please reply...
im not sure, but CAN you take a satanic to a vet? they are so rare and fragile, i really dont believe you could.
You honestly can take any animal to the vet reguardless if it is fragile or not. There could be an impaction issue which is why she is gaping like she is which can not be known unless x-rays are done. Yes it will be stressfull, but you must look at if death outweighs the stress of finding the issue.lets just say I have a lot of stuff
It looks like there's something stuck in her throat... you need to get her to a vet ASAP before she dehydrates. I'd soak her to get some water into her vent at least... there's definitely something wrong, though. You really need to go as soon as possible... that's not just gaping because she's hot.188.8.131.52 Crested geckos; 1.1 Gargoyle geckos; 1.1 Leopard geckos; 1.1 Fat-tailed geckos; 2.0 Viper geckos; 1.0 male dwarf rabbit; lots of fish
yes, i believe pluto has a vet visit in her future. my poor little girl.


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Striking infrared photo of Beccles Quay features on charity's Christmas card
PUBLISHED: 10:30 17 November 2017 | UPDATED: 11:51 17 November 2017
A talented photographer has volunteered his time to create a special Christmas card for a Beccles charity.
Dermot Wesley Smith from The May Centre - a day centre for adults with disabilities - contacted infrared photographer Adee Tallents last year after seeing some of his striking images printed in the newspaper.
Mr Tallents, 46, from Worlingham, has been taking photos for as long as he can remember, most recently experimenting with infrared technology to capture images that pick up the various colours in the spectrum that are not usually visible to the human eye.
Mr Tallents has also been passing his passion onto his partner Rachel Ross, and the duo arranged to meet with Mr Wesley Smith and the rest of The May Centre team to explain more about the process.
It was there that they agreed to offer up one of their images for a Christmas card to raise money for the day centre, with an icy-looking photo of Beccles Quay taken by Miss Ross chosen.
Mr Wesley Smith said: "We are always looking for snowy pictures to use on our Christmas cards and Adee and Rachel's photos perfectly create that wintry look.
"We met with them and they showed us the sort of work they do and it was brilliant. And they were happy to help without charging us and do it for The May Centre which we are so thankful for."
The Christmas cards, which come in a pack of five with other designs for £2.50, will be available to buy from a stall at Roys in Beccles today and tomorrow, November 17 and 18, and also at the Beccles Christmas light event next Friday, November 24, from a stall in St Michael's Church.
They are also available from the Caxton Club in Goal Lane or from The May Centre itself in Ken Markland Way and Mr Wesley Smith is happy to deliver them.
Proceeds will go towards the running of the centre and trips out for its members.
Mr Tallents and his partner have recently been travelling all over East Anglia taking photos of sites of interest and said it was a "privilege" for them to help the charity.
If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Beccles and Bungay Journal. Click the link in the orange box above for details.


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The thread that connects the thoughts of St. Isaac the Syrian's second homily is thankfulness to God. How we receive the gifts of God has great significance. One need only think of the story of the ten lepers in the Gospel. Only one returns to give thanks to the Giver for the healing he received. Lack of thanksgiving is akin to dishonesty, St. Isaac states. It shows that one does not grasp the true worth of what one has received and so not worthy themselves of receiving something greater. With the eyes of faith, one must grasp the generosity of the healer, even if the cure is painful. To fail to acknowledge such goodness or generosity or to resist the gift only increase the torment of the affliction. If we receive what the Lord gives us with true gratitude - whether painful or consoling - He will not fail to pour greater graces upon us for our salvation. Lacking such an understanding of things, God's gifts seem small in one's eyes - thus making one a "fool".
In our times of trial and failure we are to remind ourselves of times when we were filled with zeal for the Lord so as to stir our souls in to flame once more and awaken them from their slumber. Likewise we are to remember the falls of the mighty in the spiritual life, so as to encourage us when we have fallen that we might arise with confidence in the Lord.
Why spend so much energy pursuing the things of this world that turn to ash when the Kingdom of God is within you? Be a persecutor of yourself and do not pamper the body. Drive the enemy before you. Be peaceful and do everything you can to maintain your peace. Avoid everything that may distract or agitate and so hinder communion with God. Be diligent in seeking the treasure of the Kingdom that lies within you.


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Dubai-based flydubai has received its membership certificate from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), becoming the latest airline to join from the MENA.
Flydubai successfully completed its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) last year. The audit, which is a pre-requisite for an IATA membership, examined all the operational departments across the airline to ensure that the carrier's internal processes promote — safety, integrity and effectiveness in its management systems.
Ghaith Al-Ghaith, flydubai's CEO, said: "Six years into its operations, flydubai continues to set benchmarks and the IATA membership marks another milestone in our success story. The membership qualification requires discipline and commitment to ensure that the business is running to the highest levels of safety and efficiency."
Since its launch in 2009, flydubai has been challenging the conventions of air travel in the region and has been committed to creating free flows of trade and tourism between the UAE and previously underserved markets. The IATA membership will further strengthen the airline's position as a regional player and provide an opportunity to help set the industry's priorities on key initiatives and drive industry change.
"We are delighted to welcome flydubai to IATA. Having a Middle East-based new model airline as a full member broadens our airline representation and allows us to serve the industry more effectively," said Hussein Dabbas IATA's regional VP, Africa and the Middle East.
"IATA is dedicated to improving the safety of aviation through driving IOSA-registration. As such we are pleased to welcome flydubai into the fold of the IOSA-registered airlines," he added.
flydubai operates a single type fleet of 50 Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft with an average age of 3.4 years. The carrier has built a network of 89 destinations served by more than 1,700 flights a week operating out of Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al-Maktoum International Airport (DWC).
Flydubai becomes latest IATA member from MENA
Flydubai becomes latest IATA member from MENA
Dubai-based flydubai has received its membership certificate from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), becoming the latest airline to join from the MENA.


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ASAP member SACO polled 1,500 UK holidaymakers, and revealed that nearly a quarter of Brits believe there really is 'no place like home' when it comes to holidays, with a pub lunch in the Cotswolds taking the favourite 'happy spot', hiking in the Lake District a close second and eating ice-cream on Brighton Beach third, followed by fish and chips in Padstow Harbour and the white sandy beaches of the Hebrides.
57% of those polled say they are trying to replicate those memories of holidays in the UK for their own children, with Cornwall, the Lake District, the Scottish Highlands and Devon taking the top 4 locations. Must-do activities also included eating a cream tea, playing cards and crabbing.
Two thirds claimed if you could always guarantee the weather they would never go abroad, and enjoyed the relative affordability and being able to take the family dog.


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The more connected devices in the house, the more difficult it is to use the usual wired Internet: a computer, smartphone, TV, mobile phone and even a smartwatch. You can give everyone access to cloud resources and simplify synchronization using wireless networks. To do this, just select a good Wi-Fi router for home and install it.
How to Choose It?
The main thing you need to focus on when choosing a router for your home is the area that should be covered by the Wi-Fi network signal, the number of devices that will connect to the router, and the tasks that you will perform on these devices (browsing sites, file downloads, watching videos, playing games, etc.).
Everything is simple here: the router may simply not cover all rooms of your house with a signal, for example, due to a weak transmitter or antennas (and their number). And if you buy a cheap router, then it simply will not be able to work stably when connecting many devices or when watching online videos in high quality, playing online games, etc. As a rule, the more expensive the router, the more load it can withstand and the more stable it works. Which router is it worth choosing for home and what is good about Netgear c6300 review?
The NETGEAR C6300 Wireless Router has four built-in gigabit LAN ports. It has an external form factor and offers a maximum downstream data rate of 680 Mbps. Besides, this router has an 802.11ac Wi-Fi network interface.
The router is equipped with four Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, as well as one USB connector. It works simultaneously in two ranges, and also supports the latest 802.11ac standard, due to which the total throughput reaches 1750 Mbps, the coverage area with a stable signal is significantly increased in comparison with single-band devices. Moreover, the NETGEAR AC1750 (C6300) is equipped with a DOCSIS 3.0 modem, which lets you download content from the Internet via cable at a speed of up to 680 Mbps.
Product identifiers
It is better to choose WPA2 in security settings for those who want to protect their wireless network from hacking. WPS is supported; PIN can be set in the Advanced Wireless Settings tab.
- Brand: NETGEAR;
- Model: AC1750;
- Product code: eBay (ePID)219893641;
- Network connection — wireless Wi-Fi 802.11ac.
Key product features from jons guide:
Additional product features:
- local area network data transfer rate: 100 Mbps;
- data transfer rate: 680 Mbps;
- the number of ports: LAN4.
Firmware update. Each time after authorization, the firmware version is checked on the router's web interface. If there is a new version, it will be offered to upgrade. Sometimes after updating the router may work incorrectly, in this case, the manufacturer recommends resetting it to default ("Backup Settings" — "Restore Factory Default Settings") and set the router up again.
- maximum transfer rate: 122Mbps;
- wireless speed: 680Mbps;
- wireless technology: wireless AC;
- external form factor;
- the number of ports: WAN4.
Netgear С6300 Review
Discussion in 'Official MaxConsole Reviews' started by GaryOPA, Jan 16, 2020.
Discussion in 'Official MaxConsole Reviews' started by GaryOPA, Jan 16, 2020.


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Build a Winning Sales Framework with this easy-to-use PowerPoint template.
Just like many sports teams, an increasing number of sales organizations are using their own sales playbook to build systematic winning habits and processes.
It might be very time-consuming to build it from scratch, so we wanted to help you out and built a template that helps you to get the job done very smoothly.


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To help improve our design thinking skills, our facilitators have let us choose a design challenge, which we will research, prototype, create an experiment, and present. My group has chosen to encourage students to relax, increase community. and help students be themselves throughout the day. We got this particular challenge through interviewing Robert Jones, originally, then refined it through interviewing Maggie Wilcox, Mr. Kunath, AJ Whitney, and Ryan Hackett. Robert feels that lunch is the only time students are able to relax and be themselves, and we have chosen to incorporate this throughout our project. Maggie, however, would prefer a quieter space to work, but she does not like the classrooms because they are too structured and can be distracting. Due to this, she prefers the unstructured art room, a place where she can just paint or do work without worrying about interruptions. Ryan usually spends his enrichment in the lightbox or outside occasionally. For him, group work needs comfortable seating but needs a distraction-free zone for individual work. AJ is working on implementing a cafe, so we talked with him to try and discover the needs and users he identified to choose this idea. We also want to increase community, and knowing that people congregate around food, we want to increase the food students have access to so that student focus and community becomes more prominent. We have started researching and planning as well as receiving feedback. So far, we have interviewed students and teachers, and have redefined our HMW to "How might we encourage students to relax during the school day, build a community though the student body, and show who they really are?" Now, we are setting up our user-centric experiment to test out if our ideas can really work. Check out the post here!
5 thoughts on "Design Thinking Challenge"
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Québec, QC, Canada
Beenox is a video game development studio created in 2000. Located in beautiful Quebec City, Canada, Beenox is a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Publishing Inc., one of the world's top game developers.
The studio is proud to contribute to the development of the Call of Duty video game franchise. Beenox has also contributed to the resounding success of the Skylanders, Spider-Man, and Guitar Hero franchises.
As members of the Beenox family, we feel as if we're part of a group of like-minded people who are great to work with. Our studio is a real open world where it's easy to have discussions with everyone, including our studio co-heads. Here everyone brings their own unique touch to projects that showcase their talent on a global stage.
You could say that video games are in our blood!


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The State of Texas, home of ten gallon hats, creationism, and iconoclasts, has done something really interesting. It passed a law preventing educational testing lobbying groups from making political contributions to state politicians. If this law holds up, it is the first step on a very good path. The only thing they left out is . . . all of the other lobbying groups.
The constitution guarantees the right of citizens, individually or in groups, to petition their representatives. It does not give them the right to bribe them.


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I feel neglected.
My bed isn't being made for me twice a day, with chocolates left on my pillow. No buffet breakfast. No entertainment at 9:00 PM. No more trying to decide on which of 7 or 8 entrees to have for dinner. I even have to make my own coffee.
I want to go back!
That's Winnie, Eileen, and I (diving to get into the picture - 20 seconds just isn't enough on those self-timers) just chillin' on deck. Chillin' we were as it was very windy and quite chilly that day. We grabbed those woolen throws they had out on deck and just watched the clouds go by. Yes, we could get VERY used to this life!
I brought this Chocolate Soccer Ball home for my BOSS, who I sincerely hope appreciates the effort. It's not solid, therefore can be easily destroyed by heat, bumping, or objects squashing it during it's many travels. I got it in Helsinki, Finland and carried it VERY gingerly all the way home, in my carry-on. It made it relatively unscaved, all but a small quarter sized indent. Not bad, considering. I'm sure he'll look at it, crunch it with one fist, and gobble it up in 20 seconds flat. But, then again, that's what's supposed to happen!
Our cabin stewardess, Kartini, made these KOOL towel animals every day. VERY creative. This bat was one of her better creations.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
2 comments:
- Jane said...
Glad you're back and looks like you had a marvelous time! Pictures are great...
- August 23, 2007 at 3:25 PM
- jenifleur said...
We miss you! Hope to see you soon.
- September 24, 2007 at 11:54 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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"What I've seen over and over again in my work as an environmentalist is environmental injustice," Cape Fear Riverkeeper Kemp Burdette explained. "Whether it's where we put landfills, or hazardous material incinerators, or build factory farms or cement plants or fertilizer plants, the people who are most likely to face disproportionate negative impacts from these facilities are low-income people of color, with a very limited political voice and little ability to fight this injustice. We can't let GenX be another example of environmental injustice in our community."
So began last week's Water Wednesday forum, held at the Coastline Convention Center. The topic for discussion: "Are We Communicating?" The answer, despite widespread local media coverage, still seems to be "not really." The general consensus from both the speakers and the people asking questions was our elected officials are not communicating information the general public needs to answer a basic question: "Can we drink the water?" Instead, they pass the buck to higher governmental entities, like the EPA and DEQ, who move with the glacial pace expected of federal operations. All governments are sometimes inexpedient, as Thoreau reminds us, but what was said in the meeting boils down to: We need action now.
According to former mayor Harper Peterson's opening remarks, there are people in our community who don't have subscriptions to the StarNews, or access to the Internet or Facebook—some who don't even have televisions, computers or smartphones. Some might not even speak English to the extent necessary to fully understand. Have they received updated, factual, pertinent information? Can they make an informed choice about giving their families tap water?
"Everyone has a right to clean water," Peterson noted, "and to have as much information as any and everybody else in the community."
Deborah Dicks Maxwell, president of the NHC NAACP, and district director for six counties (five of which are affected by GenX), stepped up to the microphone. Lack of communication from noted officials is high, and she made the point that when elected officials run for office, they use every method of communication possible: mailing lists, robo-calls, radio ads. Yet, contaminated water of their constituents hasn't received as much attention. "It's a shame and disservice," Maxwell continued. "Talk to your neighbors; ask them, 'Do you know what's going on?'"
Maxwell agreed with Burdette's assessment that it's been an ongoing problem within minority communities in this country for a long time. The difference now: It's happening to the entire region. "We can't ignore it," she said. She noted a community right over the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, beside of Leland: Navassa. Primarily African-American, located in Brunswick County, it contains five EPA superfund sites. "I hope we never forget where the rest of the stuff is going. Do not let it go into another community," she warned. "It must be disposed of properly."
Rev. Robert Campbell, the pastor of New Beginning Christian Church in Wrightsboro, asked, "Where is the action that goes with the alarm?" If this was truly serious, he said, our elected officials would promulgate the information with greater force and emphasis. He spoke of the difficulties communicating the threat to his congregation when he still had many questions himself. "We need everyday answers," he said, to help the common layman answer: Is it OK to boil the water? (No.) How about filtering it? (No, again.) Can he bathe in it? (Yes, the chemical is not lipophilic enough to absorb through the skin.) He's still washing his dishes in it—would adding bleach to the dishwasher help? (Afraid not.)
A Spanish interpreter was present to translate the information being discussed, but Peterson mentioned most of the Hispanic population in Wilmington (around 9 percent of the 220,000 people in our city) weren't at the meeting because they were afraid to come downtown at night. The Centro Hispano at UNCW has been working to help disseminate necessary information, he added.
Take time to talk to people in line at a grocery store, as Maxwell recommended. Six simple words could make all the difference: "Do you know what's going on?" As Delthea Simmons, cofounder of the Wilmington Progressive Coalition, put it, we can view it as a crisis or an opportunity to come together. "We need to get the word out," she urged. At a time when information can be sent to far corners of the earth in an instant, we still need to talk with our neighbors right beside us.
1 Comment
maybe mr. Peterson should have done a better job at being mayor. how could this have been dumped for so long and no one noticed. wasn't he mayor for a while.
maybe its time you guys started to call a spade a spade


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This offering is for single plants of this variety. These are growing in 2 inch containers.
Also known as Virginia Sweetspire or Virginia Willow. Grows to 6 feet in height, with a spread of 8 to 10 feet. A very showy and colorful shrub in spring and fall. Perfect white, lightly fragrant flowers appear in May or June, depending on geographical areas. These are born on previous season's wood, so pruning should be done only after flowering. In the fall, dark green leaves change to a spectacular florescent red, which can hang on all winter with temperatures above 20°F. Widely used as a screen in mass plantings, space 8 feet apart. As a native plant, it is found along moist stream banks, but it has good drought tolerance also. There are many cultivars of Itea, but Henry's Garnet is thought to be the best for vivid fall color. Growth rate medium fast with adequate moisture. Zone: 5-9, Height: 6 Feet, Spread: 8-10 Feet
- Item #: GSP-HenrysGarnetItea12020


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Women who date sexist men often become sexist themselves, new research suggests.
A study, led by social psychologist Matthew Hammond from the University of Illinois, examined more than 1000 couples in North America and New Zealand.
It involved couples aged 17-48 who had been together for an average of almost three years.
A man's attitude toward sexism was found to play a "distinct and unique role" in shaping his partner's views. It can take less than a year for the influence to show, the research found.
Women in the study were asked to categorise their own sexism and their other half's sexism.
There were two types used in the study: hostile and benevolent.
Hostile sexism is the belief that women are not equal to men. Benevolent sexism is the belief women are less competent and in need of protection. It is typified by paternal behaviour, from encouraging smiles to holding doors open.
Researchers found that women who were with benevolently sexist men started to adopt their anti-feminist views - and support for those views increased over time.
Hammond said benevolent sexism appealed to some women because it reinforced their traditional outlook.
But the professor added: "These beliefs that seem romantic or chivalrous actually legitimise discrimination toward women who do not want to have a traditional relationship role."
The study also found that women who dated men who they did not perceive as being sexist began to value and endorse gender equality to a higher degree.
In previous research Hammond found when male partners exhibited benevolent sexism while helping female partners achieve a goal - in fitness, work, or school - the women felt less competent in their abilities.


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Ph.D. in Kinesiology, emphasis in Motor Neuroscience
Motor Neurosciences prepares students for teaching and research careers in motor behavior.
Laboratories support the motor behavior programs with emphases in Motor Control, Motor Learning and Child Movement. These laboratories provide the most modern facilities. The laboratories use technologies that allow online data collection and processing, sophisticated presentation of auditory and visual stimuli and the opportunity to use human and animal research models. In addition to work conducted in the laboratories, supplemental experiences are available in electrical engineering (robotics), computer science (artificial intelligence), industrial engineering (human factors) and psychology.
The Ph.D. in Motor Neuroscience trains students for post-doctoral appointments and positions in universities, industry, the military, and research institutes. The program is experimentally oriented and is specifically designed to provide students with a thorough foundation in the theoretical processes that assist the performance and learning of perceptual-motor skills. Emphases in motor learning, motor control, and motor development are offered. Specific areas of research correspond to those listed for the motor behavior faculty. A member of the graduate faculty to be admitted must accept students. Students must contact the faculty member directly.
We will only review COMPLETE applications. A COMPLETE application includes:
- Apply Texas application
- Transcripts from all institutions of higher education that you have attended
- Three letters of recommendation (at least one must be from a prior professor who can attest to your academic abilities)
- Statement of purpose
- Your current resume
Program Details
Degree: Ph.D. in Kinesiology
Emphasis: Motor Neuroscience
Credit Hours: 67 hours
Delivery: Traditional
Student Testimonial
The motor neuroscience program offers hands-on research opportunities the very first semester you arrive on campus. As you progress through your coursework, you are able to bridge knowledge gained in the classroom as you test and apply theories in experimental settings. These experiences help to cultivate your own research interests as you establish yourself as an independent researcher.
Texas A&M University is known for its excellence and dedication to research. The top reason I chose this program is because of the opportunities which are provided to graduate students. The availability of research funding and hand-on laboratory experience coupled with quality mentors and professors amongst the best in the field are invaluable for a student looking to grow and establish their own research interests.
Research Experience Requirement
Prior to scheduling the dissertation proposal meeting, each student will: (a) have presented, as sole or first author, at least one presentation at a state, regional, or national conference; and (b) will be an author on at least one research paper submitted to a peer-reviewed national or international journal. In addition, dissertations will not be signed by the department head until the student has submitted as first author a manuscript (or manuscripts) of the study to a national or international refereed journal (or journals).
Minimum Hour Requirement
The Ph.D. requires a minimum of 67 hours beyond a master's or 96 hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. Depending on the preparation and experience, doctoral students may be required to complete undergraduate or graduate leveling work in addition to the minimum Ph.D. requirements.
Suggested Prerequisites or Competency
Refer to the Texas A&M University Undergraduate Catalog for the content of the courses listed below. Competency in the content of the course is required rather than the specific course. HLKN's Office of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the graduate committee chair or temporary advisor, will be happy to review transcripts of potential graduate students.
Frequently Asked Questions
I still have further questions—who can I contact to help me answer those?
Please feel free to contact the Graduate Advising Office in 335 Blocker. Our office hours are Monday-Friday 8:00a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We can be reached at (979) 862-4052 (Tyler Fadal) or (979) 458-2673 (Carmen Hoffmann). You can e-mail us at firstname.lastname@example.com. Our mailing address is 4243 TAMU; College Station, TX 77843-4243.
What are the typical program costs?
The following website can help you estimate the cost of the program, including current costs of tuition and fees: Click here for the cost of attendance estimator
Please note, you must update the program hours.
Can you guide me through the application process?
Completed Application: A completed Apply Texas application. Apply online at www.applytexas.org. The name on your application must match your name as it appears in your passport. Application Fee: A non-refundable $50 application fee for domestic applicants and $75 application fee for international applicants. The application fee may be paid by check, money order or approved credit card. Applicants who wish to pay by credit card may do so as part of the online application. If you are unable to pay the fee online, you may call the Graduate Admissions Office at 979-845-1060. Official Transcripts and Records: Submit official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended. NOTE: You do not need to submit an official transcript from Texas A&M University. For information on submitting official transcripts to Texas A&M University, please visit their website.
How to Apply: Master's Application Information | Doctoral Application Information
I live out of state. Do you accept out-of-state applicants?
Yes, we accept in-state and out-of-state applicants.
Is there any opportunity for financial assistance?
Yes, there are opportunities for financial assistance through the following offices: Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
Is the GRE required?
Yes, the GRE is required.


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About 40% of asthma sufferers in Northern Ireland are underestimating the seriousness of their condition and the risk of having a potentially fatal attack, according to Asthma UK. According to the charity, 182,000 people in Northern Ireland suffer from asthma, and every year more than 20 people in Northern Ireland die from asthma while more than 1,700 people are hospitalised.
Joan O'Hagan, director of Asthma UK Northern Ireland, said: "It's extremely worrying that many people with asthma in Northern Ireland do not realise their own risk of ending up in hospital." The charity says asthma attacks and hospital admissions could be prevented if people took their medication and had regular consultations with their GP or asthma nurse.
Speaking on World Asthma Day, sufferer Steven-James Stothers, 23, told the BBC there was not enough awareness of the risks associated with the condition. "During my late teenage years I rebelled against taking my medication because I wanted to fit in with my friends," he said.
"Throughout that time I was in hospital at least once a month after having an attack but then I realised I needed my inhalers to keep healthy. I'd encourage everyone with asthma to avoid attacks, because having one is one of the most frightening experiences you can have."
Asthma UK Northern Ireland said people with asthma could find out their risk of having an attack by taking the Triple A Test, which assesses the factors linked to an increased or highly increased risk of an asthma attack.
Medical Specialists Pharmacy provides online consultations for asthma sufferers and so can help you to control your asthma and provide both blue (relievers) inhalers such as Ventolin and Salbutamol, and brown (preventers) inhalers such as Qvar Beclomethasone, Qvar Easi-Breathe, and Pulvinal Beclomethasone.


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Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Clinic
We provide a specialized multidisciplinary clinic for paediatric patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia
The following patients should be referred to this clinic:
- Children up to 18 years of age with established PCD
- Children with suspected PCD suggested by the following findings:
- Dextrocardia with respiratory symptoms
- Triad of chronic ear infections, sinusitis and lower airways disease
- Bronchiectasis of unknown etiology
- Chronic draining ears with chronic lower respiratory tract symptoms
- Unexplained neonatal respiratory syndrome (eg. collapsed lung, pneumonia, wet lung) in the term newborn with subsequent ear, sinus and/or lung problems
- Respiratory symptoms and sibling with PCD
How to make a referral
- All patients require a referral to visit our clinic.
- If you are a health-care professional, log in to eCHN to submit your referral. From your eCHN account, you will be seamlessly connected to SickKids e-referral platform, EpicCare Link.
- Learn more about our referral process.
- For urgent referrals only (same day referrals), contact eCHN's Helpdesk directly 416-813-7998 or 1-877-252-9900, or by email at email@example.com. On weekends and after 6 p.m. on weekdays, please contact the Fellow on call via SickKids Locating at 416-813-1500.


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Dr. Holms Restaurant
A lively restaurant: Dr. Holms restaurant is at the centre of the hotel in terms of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tasteful décor and art on the walls makes this space a soulful experience. Here you will smell freshly baked bread rolls for breakfast, while cocktails are mixed by the table in the evening. Welcome to a lively restaurant that has been with the hotel from the very beginning. Dr. Holms restaurant can be divided into smaller sections with the use of glass walls, if you prefer a more private dining experience.
Monday to Friday: 07:00 – 9:30
Saturday: 07:00- 10:00
Sunday: 07:00- 10:30


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If you don't want to hear about the President and First Lady's anniversary date night then you might be a racist. Or something like that. From Mark Silva:
That a simple date at a relatively modestly priced Washington restaurant to celebrate a wedding anniversary – the first for the first couple in the White House – could generate as much venom as it has in these e-pages (see the comments below) on a Sunday suggests something deeply troubling about the American mood.
Silva notes Afghanistan and the cost to the public as raising ire, but then mentions (you knew it was coming) racism.
Unfortunately, and this is the most troubling footnote of today's run of criticism for the Obamas' night out, much of it is clearly inspired by something that the former president, Jimmy Carter, identified in his recent characterization of some of the most extreme criticism aimed at Obama during recent months: The inability of a lot of people to accept a black man as president.
In my column at Townhall I explain some alternate reasons many Americans are tired of hearing about the First Couple's date nights.


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Brasserie Meys is not really a pig out spot. It is a typical Dutch lunch place with a nice terrace and a broad selection of big salads and sandwiches. Everything is remarkably fresh and some is even quite healthy.
However, they also serve French Fries (€3.50) and Kwekkeboom Kroketten (€8). I ordered the French fries for my small son, who only eats French fries when we are out, but ate quite a lot myself, because they were really tasty. They are big fries, prepared perfectly, very crispy from the outside and soft inside. The (Belgian-style) mayo was also very tasty. Meat Croquettes come in different forms and Kwekkeboom is one of the most upscale brands. They are bigger and meatier than regular croquettes, but also more expensive. Most importantly, they were delicious.
While not the place to pig out, the fries and croquettes here are very tasty, if expensive.


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Coronavirus and events
Due to the current situation, many in-person events planned until the end of July will either be cancelled or moved back until later in the year. If you have already booked for an event, you will receive an email with further information. Online events and webinars will go ahead as planned.
SDG Masterclass: Reimagine the cities we live in
For this event, we focus on SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and the role played by business in the changes ahead for the future of cities. Our subject for this evening event echoes our mission: to be a force for positive change in the world.
Reimagine the cities we live in is on Wednesday 18 September at RSM's Woudestein campus in Rotterdam, and the event takes the form of a masterclass, with two presentations, followed by an informal networking reception.
Two angles will be presented by RSM academics and an expert practitioner. Their presentations will be followed by a Q&A session – so you can join the discussion.
Cities are home to more than half of the world's population, and that looks set to increase to two-thirds of the global population over the next 30 years. How should cities evolve and develop in order to achieve this Goal? What current developments are breaking new ground – and how can business play a role?
Presentation 1 – Research for cities of the future
RSM academics Dr Marcel van Oosterhout and Dr Pieter van den Berg describe their work on a project to test, implement and accelerate the smart city model across Europe. RUGGEDISED is a smart city project funded under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, with research going on in Rotterdam, Glasgow and Umeå, and in Brno, Gdansk and Parma. In these six cities, businesses and research work together to demonstrate how to combine ICT, e-mobility and energy technology.
Presentation 2 - Resilient cities
Arnoud Molenaar, Chief Resilience Officer, City of Rotterdam
Rotterdam is known throughout the world as a city that shows vision, courage, and perseverance; as a strong, assertive, and resilient city.In order to maintain this level of resilience in the future, we will factor in the opportunities and risks of new developments. Resilience is the new robust. A resilient city is a city that is able to recover quickly from an incident, crisis or setback, and to come out stronger. To a delta and port city like Rotterdam, resilience is, therefore, of essential importance.
Arnoud Molenaar, Chief Resilience Officer, will explain everything about Resilience and show you how to get ready for the 21st century!
The event is free, but spaces are limited, so we ask that you register your details to confirm your attendance!
Wednesday 18 September
• 18:30 Registration
• 19:00 Masterclass
• 20:30 Networking drinks
We look forward to seeing you in September!