Inside: Had enough of toy clutter? Here's the ultimate step-by-step guide to starting a toy rotation that will make your kids happier + support healthy development.
Every afternoon, my living room floor used to look like someone dumped a toy store into a blender and pressed "GO" with the top off.
As I walked through my house and saw that the toy clutter had infiltrated not only the living room but also the dining room, the kids' bedrooms, and every nook and cranny possible, my chest felt tight.
Why can't they put things away when they're done playing?
Why do they have to spread the mess around the whole house?
And why can't Mary Poppins and her clean-up magic be a real thing?
Bonus: As a bonus for joining my weekly newsletter, download a FREE printable toy rotation kit including a step-by-step guide, toy inventory log, and a toy organization cheat sheet.
With a baby on my hip, I'd bend over and pick up a couple toys. Squatting while holding a 25-pound butterball turkey isn't a pleasant sensation, so seeing the toy clutter brought on frustration.
No kids in sight, but every single toy sure was. I tried to take a deep breath, but my nostrils stayed flared and I forgot to exhale.
A couple heads peeked around the corner on the stair landing.
They loped down the stairs, their heads hung. They knew what was coming because at one point, it was happening nearly every day.
A full-fledged mom tantrum brought on by the sight of toys everywhere.
I wasn't proud of how I lost my cool over my kids' toy clutter.
Every time, my toy-clutter-induced tantrums would create a fracture in my relationship with my kids. And if I didn't stop what I was doing to mend the fracture and repair the relationship, the disconnection would lead to less cooperation from my kids and more power struggles the rest of the day.
We couldn't continue like that. I knew I needed to make a change.
It had to be possible for my kids to learn to pick up their toys after they were done – without me nagging them or losing my temper.
But everything I tried failed. And I didn't realize until after my failures that I was missing the big picture.
First, I tried approaching my kids with the patience of June Cleaver and asking them to clean up their mess. Then we learned Daniel Tiger's clean-up song and sang it together. I even tackled our toy room organization, labeling all the containers with pictures of which toys go in them.
All that helped a tiny bit, but the big problem remained: Toys ending up everywhere, me nagging the kids to clean it up, and me needing to supervise the whole process to make sure they didn't get distracted or shove everything in a corner and call it done.
So I researched what the experts say about how to deal with toy clutter, and I realized that I had completely missed the root of the problem.
We didn't need more toy room organization, and I didn't need to grit my teeth and pretend to be June Cleaver or Daniel Tiger.
The real problem? Too many toys.
My reaction to toy clutter wasn't unique. In fact, research shows that clutter can hurt your mental well-being, especially for women. Visual clutter can also increase your levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.
When I stopped to think about it, that made perfect sense. And I realized that's why my preschooler and toddler would just stand there, waiting for me to tell them what to do next.
My kids' not-yet-fully-developed brains were just as overwhelmed by the mess as mine was, if not more. When I asked them to clean up, their brains were stewing in a stress hormone bath. They didn't know where to start.
Even worse than that, I discovered that having too many toys was hurting my kids developmentally.
Because when kids have too many toys, they feel overwhelmed. They end up jumping around from toy to toy without ever getting fully engrossed in playing with one specific thing.
You might be thinking: So what? But it's the experience of being engrossed in one toy that leads to real growth and development for your child.
It's kind of like if you started 10 different books all at once and took turns reading a couple pages from each one. You'd never get fully immersed in any of the books, and you'd struggle to pull any significant life lessons or new knowledge from the reading.
And the clincher for me? I discovered that the average 10-year-old owns 238 toys but plays with just 12 on a daily basis.
Still, it's not like we had a bunch of junky old toys in our home that we just needed to get rid of. With four different kids at different developmental stages and with different tastes, preferences, and personalities, we had a healthy mix of toys.
It was just too much to have it out all at once.
So if a Great Toy Purge wasn't the answer, how could we solve the problem of chronic toy clutter?
Thankfully, I found the one magic solution that would tackle it all at once: toy rotation.
If you haven't heard of it before, toy rotation means periodically switching out the toys your child has available to play with so that only a few toys are out at any one time. Then you store the toys that aren't currently in rotation out of the way, like in a closet, attic, or basement.
When I first came across the idea of toy rotation, I was skeptical. I didn't have time for another project. And I didn't especially feel like dealing with the cries of protest when I told the kids I was putting 75 percent of their toys away.
You can keep your toy rotation system simple and informal, or you can go for a more structured toy checkout system – kind of like a toy library at home. It's completely up to you, so check out the steps below and do what resonates with you.
Below, I've tried to cover all the possible gotchas, so it looks like a lot but you can actually get the whole toy rotation system set up in less than a couple hours – maybe even an hour if you hustle.
Then after the initial setup, it's super quick to rotate toys out. It probably takes me about 15 minutes every two or three weeks to rotate our toys. A small price to pay for an end to the overwhelming toy clutter on my living room floor!
Quick tip: Decluttering expert (and my friend!) Sarah Mueller just opened the doors to her Declutter Your Home course – but only for a couple more days. In this online course you can do in your jammies, you get the powerful step-by-step process Sarah has used to help thousands break free from stressful clutter once and for all.
Before you get knee-deep in toys while setting up your toy rotation system, you'll be thankful to have already gathered a few helpful supplies.
I skipped this step the first time, so I found myself with my toy rotation system all ready to go…but with no way to keep it organized. So I had to interrupt my progress and go on a scavenger hunt for supplies.
Along with the containers, grab a stack of scratch paper and tape or a stapler so you can label the containers when the time comes in a later step.
These won't necessarily be the final containers for your toy rotation system, but they'll be good enough until you figure out what you actually need later on.
Note: If you're the type of person who likes to plan ahead, skip ahead to step 6 for what you'll need for your final toy rotation containers, then come back here to get back on track.
If your child is older than a toddler, you'll likely want to talk to them up front about what you're about to do and why you're doing it.
I made the mistake of skipping this step the first time I started toy rotation. Someone had suggested that I should just hide all the toys while my kids were sleeping, leave a few out, and they would be none the wiser.
Uh…wrong. Kids aren't dummies, and I should have known better. My preschooler peppered me with questions every day afterwards: Where's my horsey? Where'd my princess dress go? Mommy, I can't find the Lincoln Logs!
After I explained what I'd done, I felt silly for not including the kids from the start, so we went back to square one and went through the process together as a family.
After you get everyone on the same page, you'll need to round up all the toys in one place. The good news is this is the last time you'll have to deal with all the toys in one big mess again. Woo!
Pick one room to use as your Official Toy Rotation Headquarters. Then visit every other room in the house and gather up any toys you find to bring them to Headquarters.
Go ahead and include the kids in this step because it's actually pretty fun to root out all the toys hiding throughout the house. Like a toy scavenger hunt!
Trash – This is where broken, unrepairable toys will go. Donate – This is for any toys your child has outgrown or doesn't love. (Optional) Save for later – For example, if you're planning to have another baby one day but don't have any little ones in the baby stage right now, you'd put baby toys in this category.
For the rest of your empty containers, you'll be sorting toys based on how they support your child's growth and development. Your goal will be to end up with several mini-collections of toys. You'll want to make sure those mini-collections have a variety of toys to support different aspects of your child's development.
If that sounds confusing, don't worry – I'll step you through it!
Moving toys – These toys help your child learn to use the big muscle groups of their body, also known as gross motor development. Examples: balls, ride-on toys, tricycles, jump ropes, play tunnels, push toys, balance stepping stones. Pretending toys – Pretend play toys encourage both social/emotional and language development because they help your child act out stories from their mind. Examples: kitchen sets, toy cars and garages, stuffed animals, dolls and dollhouses, dress-up clothes, animal figurines, tea sets, play silks, action figures, puppets. Thinking toys – These toys support a child's cognitive development by fostering things like problem-solving, cause-and-effect reasoning, math skills like counting and patterning, curiosity, and more. These types of toys also tend to teach hand-eye coordination and support fine motor development, which means the ability to make movements using the small muscles in your hands, wrists, and fingers. Examples: LEGOs, Magna-Tiles, bristle blocks, Lincoln Logs, puzzles, nesting cups, stacking blocks, pattern blocks, shape sorters, board games. Creating toys – The process of open-ended creating helps kids relax, focus, feel successful, and learn to express their emotions. When your child uses arts, crafts, and music toys, they're primarily growing social/emotional and fine motor skills. Examples: art supplies, play dough, craft sticks, musical instruments, rain sticks. (Optional) Other toys – Sometimes you won't be sure which category a toy fits into, and that's okay. This doesn't have to be perfect. Go easy on yourself and set up a category for other types of toys you're not sure where to put. Examples: Nerf guns (moving toys or pretending toys?), magic kit (pretending toys or thinking toys?), noisy electronic toys (trash? ha!).
* Thanks to Playful Learning and Green Child magazine for the category inspiration!
The sight of your Official Toy Rotation Headquarters right now might make you hyperventilate, so it's time to fix that.
It's up to you whether you include the kids in this step. Including them will likely make it go slower, but on the flip side, they'll be a part of the process and start to learn the important life lesson of how to declutter toys and anything else.
You'll probably find that you want to go faster during this step because you'll just want to be DONE by this point. But try to resist that urge so you can be intentional and deliberate. Because if you speed through this, you'll still end up with too many toys, and toy rotation will just be a Band-Aid for a little while.
Repeat this step one toy at a time until you have every single toy in a labeled box.
Done? Kick the kids outside to play and lock the room so the kids can't wreak havoc before your toy rotation system is up and running, then move onto the next step.
Random – This is how we roll in our family. I rotate toys whenever the kids are having trouble entertaining themselves independently (i.e. lots of "I'm bored"s) or if the kids specifically ask for fresh toys. For the random approach, you'll want a handful of permanent-ish boxes or plastic containers to hold your final toy collections (more on that in the next step). Some people group their toys into 3 containers, and some people have 10, so it's completely up to you. You can use cardboard boxes, and that's how we started out too. But cardboard boxes may not stand up well over time, and it's hard to see what's inside each one without opening it up. That's why we switched to using these clear, stackable containers. Pro tip: Get stackable containers that will fit wherever you'll be storing your toy collections when not in rotation – like a closet, attic, or basement. Weekly – Pick a day of the week to rotate toys, and get 4 containers to hold your toy collections. Daily – Some parents like to swap out toy collections every day. This typically works best for stay-at-home parents with younger kids because when you give the kids new toys every day, that lets you get away with other important stuff that needs to be done like laundry, dishes, and scrubbing your toddler's "art" off the walls. If daily sounds like the right fit to you, you'll want to get 7 containers – one for each day of the week.
Not sure which way to go? Get 4 containers as a starting point, and you can always add or subtract later.
Now that you have all the toys categorized and your empty containers ready to go, it's time to match toys up for maximum fun and learning (and quiet time so you can play Candy Crush uninterrupted while your kids are busy).
For example, one toy collection might include a jump rope (moving), Wonder Woman action figures and superhero dress-up clothes (pretending), LEGOs (thinking), and paper and crayons (creating). Side benefit: The kids will start using the toys in new and fresh ways. The jump rope may become Wonder Woman's truth lasso, and the LEGOs may become the new Justice League headquarters.
To start playing toy matchmaker, grab an empty container and pick one sorted toy from each category to add to your fresh new toy collection. Ideally, you'll want to end up with 10-12 toys in each toy collection.
If you have a lot of toys to start with, you might end up adding a couple toys from each category in each toy collection. If you find that you have more than about 10-12 toys in each collection, you may want to split some toys out for another collection. Your goal is to give your child a well-curated collection of a few toys so they can deepen their play experience. If your toy collection has too many toys, you'll end up back where you started with overwhelmed kids and a mess of toy clutter. If your child freaks out at the idea of one of their favorite toys going bye-bye, no need to be a stickler for the rules and cause emotional trauma. If your kid has a favorite toy they play with every day, you can make an exception and leave that one out all the time. Your goal is to fix the toy overwhelm and help your child get the most out of a few toys, and making an exception or two won't undermine that. You may find it helpful (and fun) to try to keep toys along the same theme together. For example, if you have a train set and a Thomas the Train puzzle, those would be great to pair up. That way, when you get the train set out, your child won't beg for the train puzzle (or vice versa) and throw a wrench in your toy rotation system.
When all toys have found their new homes, consider labeling the containers with what's inside. Quick tip: If you got clear plastic containers, sometimes dry-erase markers will work on those.
As a bonus for joining my weekly-ish newsletter, you can download a free printable toy inventory sheet at the end of this post (or with that link right there). This inventory sheet is perfect for jotting down which toys are in each container so that when it comes time to rotate, you can round everything up quickly.
Pick one of the toy collections to start with, then hide the rest of the containers. This is important because if you put the rest of the "not in rotation" containers somewhere your kids can see them, they're going to bug you incessantly to get more toys out.
You might hide the toy containers in a closet, garage, basement, attic, or even under the bed. Just make sure that the kids won't be able to easily get into the toy collections because that will create a big jumbled mess of toys.
Depending on the frequency you chose in step 6, you may want to set yourself a reminder on your phone or whatever calendar you use so you don't forget to rotate the toys when the time comes.
Or you can do what I do: I just rotate toys when the kids seem to be bored with the current set – or when they ask for different toys.
Some folks recommended that I rotate toys while my kids were sleeping so they wouldn't get upset at "losing" the old toys. I did this the first couple times, but I felt like I was trying to pull the wool over my kids' eyes. That wasn't a good fit for us.
My toddler understands the idea of going on vacation, so I explained that the old toys were going on "vacation" and she would see them again soon. After that quick explanation, she had zero problems with toy rotation day. With that said, every kid is different, so go with your gut when it comes to handling the actual toy rotation.
If you're thinking of trying out toy rotation in your home, odds are you have a few questions about how to make it work for you and your kids.
What counts as "one" toy? Is a LEGO set one toy? What's the ideal number of toys to have in each toy rotation box? What if I have more than one child? What about "big" toys like dollhouses and play kitchens? What should I do with old toys my kids don't play with anymore? What if my child asks for a specific toy that's not in rotation? What about when we get an influx of new toys, like for Christmas and birthdays? What's the best way to store the current collection of toys in rotation? How do I know if it's time to rotate toys? What should I do with seasonal or holiday-specific toys? What if my toy rotation boxes don't have many toys for a certain category? What counts as "one" toy? Is a LEGO set one toy?
Yes! One toy could be a LEGO set, or it could be a set of animal figurines for pretend play, or it could be a couple coloring books with a box of crayons.
If you happen to have a lot of one type of toy, like a gabazillion LEGO sets, you might want to divide them up a little so you have LEGOs in a couple different toy rotation boxes. Same goes for play food, dress-up clothes, and so on.
What's the ideal number of toys to have in each toy rotation box?
That will depend on a lot of factors: how many toys you're starting with, how often you plan to rotate toys, whether your kids play with the same toys or are at wildly different stages, and so on.
But in general, 10-12 toys in each toy rotation box seems to provide a good amount of variety without creeping into toy overwhelm territory. This isn't about depriving our kids from enriching play experiences – just about helping them focus and avoid the overwhelm that undermines the best play experience.
Here's an interesting little tidbit about the guideline of 10-12 toys that may set your mind at ease: The average 10-year-old owns 238 toys but plays with just 12 on a daily basis. So even if you put more toys in each toy collection, your child may not be capable of playing with that many toys.
If your kids are in vastly different developmental stages (like a tween and a toddler), you may want to include a few more toys in your toy rotation boxes to make sure you have a variety to meet everyone's interests and needs. So instead of 10-12 toys in each toy collection, you might have 14-16.
We have a 10-year-old, 5-year-old, 3-year-old, and infant, so the baby always gets a few of his own toys in each toy rotation box. But aside from that, the older kids play together well with the same toys. For example, they can spend an hour or more building with Magna-Tiles and using animal figurines for pretend play – It's an aquarium! It's a zoo! It's a rescue ranch for fairy tale animals like the three little pigs!
What about "big" toys like dollhouses and play kitchens?
Shoving a dollhouse into an under-the-bed plastic container ain't gonna happen. So don't stress about hiding the big stuff like that.
You can leave the big toys out all the time and rotate the toys that go with them. For example, you can put the miniature dolls for the dollhouse or the play food for the play kitchen in a toy rotation box.
What's fun is that your kids will get creative about what they use to play with those big toys. My kids have turned LEGO people into dolls for their dollhouse and turned Magna-Tiles, wooden blocks, and sock rolls into "food" for their play kitchen!
What should I do with old toys my kids don't play with anymore?
If you've done your initial toy purge and now you're wondering what to do with old toys, you'll find a few options below.
Just keep in mind that nobody wants broken toys, so if you can't repair a toy, it needs to be recycled or disposed of.
Donate old toys to a charity thrift store like Goodwill. Check with a local nonprofit about whether they accept toy donations. Children's shelters and other nonprofits like the Boys and Girls Club will sometimes accept donated toys. But be sure to check first! It helps no one if you drop off a big batch of run-down old toys when the nonprofit can't make use of them. Swap toys with another family in your neighborhood or with a friend who has kids around your kids' ages. You get "new" toys for your kids, and your friend's kids get "new" toys too. Sell a bunch of toys as a lot on Craigslist, or hold a garage sale to find new homes for them. What if my child asks for a specific toy that's not in rotation?
If the toy is an all-time favorite, think about whether it makes sense to leave it out all the time. You don't want to make a ton of exceptions and undermine the whole point of toy rotation, but it's fine to make an exception for a handful of your child's most favorite toys.
But if you get the feeling your child is just anxious to play with that toy now, you can do what feels right to you: swap the toy out with a similar toy in the current toy collection, swap the whole toy rotation box now, or tell your child to wait until the next day you'll be rotating toys. That last one goes more smoothly if you can tell them the specific day and even show them on a calendar.
What about when we get an influx of new toys, like for Christmas and birthdays?
This is where the free printable toy inventory list will save you a ton of time.
If you've listed the contents of each toy rotation box and marked the toy category, then it's easy to see at a glance where you can squeeze in a new toy to round out a toy collection.
But here's another tradition many families enjoy: the month or so before holidays or birthdays, they go through their toy rotation boxes with their kids and do a mini-toy purge.
To do this, it works best if you do it at the end of a toy rotation. Because that set of toys will be fresh on your kids' minds, you can hold up each toy to the kids before you put it back in the box. Ask them if they're still loving that toy or if they think it would be a better fit for another kid who may not have many toys.
What's the best way to store the current collection of toys in rotation?
Kids (especially the younger ones) do best when they can see everything to choose from. When everything is "put away" and hidden, they may not realize what's available to play with and then have trouble playing independently.
We have a low bookshelf like this for storing the current toys in rotation so they're easy for the kids to see. This also helps with toy clean-up because at the end of the day, the toys all have a home to return to.
But if you don't have a shelf like that, you can easily designate a table, bench, or just a corner of a room to achieve the same effect.
How do I know if it's time to rotate toys?
Your child comes up to you more often to announce, "I'm bored" Your child starts playing with a toy but loses interest quickly Your child asks for television or other screen time more frequently Your child gets into things they know they're not supposed to play with Your child seems clingy and is following you around all day – be sure to rule out sickness or emotional upset as the cause before blaming the current toy rotation box, though!
With that said, if this all happens within a day or two of switching to a new toy rotation box, that could mean that particular collection of toys is either not robust enough to capture your child's imagination or that your child is struggling to figure out how to play with some of the toys in that collection.
For example, suppose you have a toy rotation box that contains a jump rope (moving), puppets (pretending), a puzzle (thinking), and a xylophone (creating). It could be that your child needs practice with the jump rope, would appreciate a story prompt for the puppets, is having trouble fitting the puzzle together, or hasn't figured the xylophone out quite yet – or some combination of more than one issue.
If you suspect that's the case, set a timer for 10 minutes, put your phone away, and plop down to play with your child one-on-one. You'd be surprised how a quick parent-child play session can get your child "un-stuck" and back to playing independently!
What should I do with seasonal or holiday-specific toys?
Consider making a seasonal or holiday-specific toy rotation box or two, and then put those boxes in rotation when the time is right.
For example, you might have a summer toy rotation box that includes sandbox toys, squirt guns, sidewalk chalk, a backyard safari kit, and more. Or for a winter toy rotation box, you might include snowman-making supplies, snow shovels, or spare PVC pipe for making an indoor fort on frigid days.
What if my toy rotation boxes don't have many toys for a certain category?
No worries! If your categories feel a little unbalanced, consider doing a toy swap with a neighbor or friend. This can be a permanent trade of toys or a temporary swap where you send the toys back to their original home after a period of time.
You can also make a note to suggest toys in a certain category when grandparents and extended family ask for Christmas and birthday ideas. Again, this is where those free printable toy inventory sheets at the end of this post will be super useful.
As another option, you can look for a local toy rental service. These services clean and sanitize every toy before sending it your way. Then when the novelty of the new toy wears off, you just send it back.
Download the free kit. Join my weekly-ish newsletter and as a bonus, you'll get the printable! Just click here to download and subscribe. Print the kit. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal so everything holds up during the process of setting up your toy rotation system. Refer to the kit as you set up your toy rotation system, and fill out the inventory logs as you create your final, curated toy collections. Put the inventory logs inside the toy collection boxes. That way, when it's time to round up that collection and put it away, you'll have a list of everything to round up. Huge time-saver!
What tips do you have for a successful toy rotation system? Share in a comment below!
The post Why Your Kids Leave Toys Everywhere + How to Fix It With Toy Rotation appeared first on Happy You, Happy Family.


During progressing,sitemap generation suddenly stopped at 2500 pages.
Pages added to sitemap: 2494 "
I can't understand why this happens.
Because there is no directory such as top.
This site is a dynamic site with cake php and redirecting function of Apache.


Artist / Maker / Manufacturer Smith & Wesson Inc.
Inscription Proper left -- "SMITH & WESSON .455", "5704" Proper right -- "TRADE/ MARK" with S&W logo. top of barrel -- "SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS. U.S.A./ PATENTED OCT.8.1901. DEC.17.1901. FEB.6.1906." On underside of barrel, "B 32564". Base of grip, "B 32564" and proof mark with crown and "II"


Free mortgage brokers are by and large viewed as a superb wellspring of guidance while hunting down the correct mortgage to back or remortgage a property. Autonomous mortgage brokers are not fixing to encouraging customers to utilize specific loan specialists. Rather, they approach all mortgage loan specialists and items accessible available. Notwithstanding free mortgage brokers, there are tied mortgage brokers. Attached brokers are like autonomous brokers be that as it may, rather than approaching all mortgages accessible available they just approach items from a select board of loan specialists. Some mortgage brokers, be that as it may, do not offer free or tied counsel and in this way give a data just benefit.
Data just mortgage brokers do not enable their clients to settle on which mortgage items are most appropriate to their individual conditions or money related circumstance. Rather, data just brokers will typically offer a wide determination of mortgage items and will play out the organization capacities required to process the application after the clients have picked the items without anyone else's input. While this may appear to be abnormal at first, the principle favorable position to the client of such an administration is, to the point that the clients are typically not charged an expense. Clients can consequently profit by utilizing data just mortgage advisor manchester by setting aside some cash. The primary inconvenience, in any case, is that the client may not choose the most fitting mortgage item for their individual circumstance. This can result in the client paying more in intrigue and expenses over the life of the credit than they would for a progressively appropriate item.


Adventist Health Portland recognizes the healing benefits of reflection and meditation. That's why we provide locations dedicated to contemplative moments for patients, visitors, team members and others.
The Meditation Chapel is located on the first floor of the medical center near the front entrance. The chapel features quiet music, adjustable lighting and a full wall mural designed to provide comfort.
The chapel is always open to anyone in need.
The Meditation Garden, located between the main hospital building and Professional Building 1, is available to anyone in need of quiet moments or healing peace.
The garden was dedicated in 1998. Volunteers from the medical center's Volunteer Auxiliary provided funds for flowers, fountain, trees, tables and other furnishings. Generous donors contributed plants and shrubs. Members of a Garden Club volunteer for caretaking.
If you would like to join others who have generously supported the Meditation Garden and Chapel projects, please send gifts to AMC Garden & Chapel Project, Philanthropy Services, 10123 SE Market Street, Portland, OR, 97216, or call 503-251-6197.


Yuram Abdullah Weiler is a former engineer educated in mathematics turned writer and political critic who has written over 130 articles on Islam, social justice, economics, and politics focusing on the Middle East and U.S. policies. His work has appeared on Tehran Times, Mehr News, Press TV, Iran Daily, IRIB, Fars News, Palestine Chronicle, Salem-News, Khabar Online, Imam Reza Network, Habilian Association, Shiite News, Countercurrents, Uruknet, Turkish Weekly, and Hezbollah. In addition, he has frequently appeared as a guest commentator on Press TV, Al Etejah, and Alalam. A dissenting voice from the "Belly of the Beast", he currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA.


Amid some internal grumbling over their party's election defeat in the race for President, House Democrats will vote today on Capitol Hill on their leadership for 2017, as Nancy Pelosi faces a rare challenge from within, by Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio.
Ryan and his supporters are making a familiar argument - their party lost in November, their leaders have been around for a long time, and they should be held responsible for the failure at the ballot box.
"Tim represents a new generation of leaders who are ready to make real change," said Rep. Seth Moulton, a freshman from Massachusetts, one Ryan backer who said it's time for something new for Democrats.
"I have great respect for Leader Pelosi and for all that she's done for our caucus, our party and the American people," said Rep. Kathleen Rice, a first term Democrat from New York.
"I also believe the results of this election demand that we look honestly and critically at ourselves," Rice added.
"We need a new direction and message in order to retake the majority in the House," argues Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR), who was first elected in 2008.
While the statements sound good for Ryan, the numbers don't - as Pelosi is favored to stay in her leadership post that she has held since 2003.
In recent days, Pelosi has not focused on Ryan, but rather on bringing in younger Democrats to spots inside her leadership team, as she has taken aim at the President-Elect and the GOP.
"We have all been shaken by the election of Donald Trump and by what it means for the American people whom it is our honor and responsibility to champion," Pelosi wrote fellow Democrats before a Thanksgiving break.
"I am energized by the enthusiasm of Members and our outside allies who see the opportunities that lie ahead," Pelosi wrote in another letter, where she name-checked a number of her colleagues.
In the halls, few believe that Pelosi is in any trouble, even as Ryan has said he is in "striking distance."
"I applaud him (Ryan) for his courage to run," said Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN), a more moderate Democrat who has steadfastly refused to support Pelosi.
Those votes by Cooper have often been lonely protest votes on the House floor against Pelosi, and they may amount to exactly that in the House Democratic Caucus again on Wednesday.
But this is a secret ballot, and if there is one truth about these type of leadership elections in the Congress, colleagues tell you they will vote for you - and then they don't.


text:
Dynamic Tensions: A Research Network for Theatre, Performance, Sport, and Physical Culture
As part of the AHRC-funded research leadership fellowship Dynamic Tensions: New Masculinities in the Performance of Fitness, this interdisciplinary research network aims to bring together researchers and practitioners from theatre and performance studies engaging with practices of sport and physical culture, with scholars, athletes, and researchers in sports studies (which may include kinesiology, sociology and sport, and physical education) interested in artistic and performative methods.
Historically, cultural performance and sport have been deeply imbricated. Sport has been represented onstage throughout theatre history, from the metaphorical language of athletics woven through Aeschylus' Oresteia (see Pritchard 2013) to Orlando's bout with Charles the Wrestler in Shakespeare's As You Like It. Sport too, comes to draw on the language and vocabulary of dramatic writing when describing a match or event, and the high drama of the sporting event has proven a fertile ground for dramatic writers to explore other issues of race, gender, and class, as in the plays of John Godber, Kristoffer Diaz's The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, Greg McGee's Foreskin's Lament, Roy William's Sucker Punch, and Charlotte Josephine's Bitch Boxer. Furthermore, British and North American theatre has a rich tradition of physical culture and sport presented as spectacle on the music hall or vaudeville stage, from the Victorian period to the end of the Second World War. Sport has been deeply influential for practitioners of performance training including Jacques Lecoq, Jerzy Grotowski, and Keith Johnstone. More recently, a growing number of artists today have been, in Jennifer Doyle's words, 'mak[ing] work that has something to say about physical practice, sport, and play—work that is feminist, anticolonial and queer' (Doyle and Getsy, 2014). Such works as might fall into Doyle's 'Athletic Turn' include Cassil's Becoming an Image, PanicLab's Rite of Spring and Theseus Beefcake, or Amber Hawk Swanson's durational CrossFit performances. Sport, and theatre, are both representations of life, and yet at the same time deeply material events with real effects. Hence, the Haudenosaunee First Nations name for the game of lacrosse, 'Little Brother of War.'
This research network aims to build upon this fertile ground by consolidating, disseminating, and promoting interdisciplinary research in performance and sport. In particular, it aims to encourage innovative and especially embodied research methods into this interdisciplinary area, and to challenge the disciplinary boundaries around sport studies and performance studies.
How might research methods from theatre and performance studies be used to understand practices of sport and physical culture, and vice versa?
How might ethnography—so prominent in sociology of sport—work with artistic research/Practice-as-Research in theatre and performance?
How can theatre and performance challenge or queer normative representations of bodies and subjects constructed by sporting practices, especially as they intersect with gendered, sexual, racial, and class-based identities?
How can new technologies of data gathering (fitness trackers, for example) form the basis of artistic practice as/and research, and how might artistic methods challenge notions of the quantifiability of the body?
And how can interdisciplinary research in theatre and performance and sports studies intervene in the individual economies of art, sport, theatre and performance, questioning existing ideas of labour, commodity, and value?
The following initial events are currently planned for the Dynamic Tensions Research Network:
Early 2017 (TBC): Defiant Embodiments in Theatre, Sport, and Performance(One-Day Symposium, in conjunction with the Theatre and Performance Research Association Performance and the Body Working Group) (Brunel University London)
June 2017: Research Seminar (London, UK)
October 2017: Performance(s) (London, UK)
January 2018: Research Seminar (Location TBC)
15th Oct 2016 11th May 2020 broderickchowEventsNetwork, Performance
Next Post Press Release: AHRC Funded Project on Physical Culture, Fitness, and the Construction of Masculinities

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Nowadays, we need to take part in many parties, so evening dresses become the essential dresses in our wardrobes. From our dresses, you can find classic prom dresses, a-line prom dresses and halter prom dresses. We also have other styles like beading prom dresses. Anyhow, you can possess your own favorite evening dress.


text:
Assistant, Current Programming at Lionsgate
Administrative Assistant at Sony Pictures International Productions
Executive Assistant to CEO of Production Company
Browsing: Nick Kroll
8 - THE JOB MARKET (DB)
Seeking Interns for Summer/Fall for Boutique Production Company
Ideal candidate has an interest in scripted development and producing, A+ communication skills, and loves to make spreadsheets look pretty.
4 - INDUSTRY NEWS
Film Independent Spirit Awards Tap Nick Kroll & John Mulaney to Host
Oh, Hello on Broadway stars Nick Kroll and John Mulaney have booked hosting duties at next month's Film Independent Spirit Awards. The event will air live on IFC on February 25.
Sing — Official Trailer #3 (Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson)
Buster Moon, a dapper Koala, presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times. Buster is an eternal optimist—and a bit of a scoundrel—who loves his theater above all and will do anything to preserve it. Now facing the crumbling of his life's ambition, he has one final chance to restore his fading jewel to its former glory by producing the world's greatest singing competition.
Anya Crittenton
Loving – Official Trailer (Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton, Michael Shannon)
Loving celebrates the real-life interracial couple, Richard and Mildred Loving (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), who married and spent nine years fighting for the right to live as a family in their hometown. Their civil rights case, Loving v. Virginia, went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 1967 reaffirmed the very foundation of the right to marry.
Sausage Party — Extended TV Spot #2 – Inside A Bun (Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill)
An animated movie about one sausage's quest to discover the truth about his existence.
A koala named Buster recruits his best friend to help him drum up business for his theater by hosting a singing competition.
Joshy — Official Trailer (Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally, Nick Kroll)
Josh treats what would have been his bachelor party as an opportunity to reconnect with his friends
Sausage Party — Official Green Band Trailer (Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill)
One sausage leads a group of supermarket products on a quest to discover the truth about their existence and what really happens when they become chosen to leave the grocery store.
"Sausage Party" Gives A Whole New Meaning To The Term 'Food Porn'
There was enough of the movie screened at SXSW to tell you that this is breaking some major ground when it comes to R-rated, nasty-as-they-wannabe animation.
{SXSW} My Blind Brother Review: A Cynical, Yet Heartfelt Story Of Sibling Rivalry
My Blind Brother isn't the most phenomenal film about sibling rivalry, but it certainly adds its own twist that makes it distinct and unlike any film about brotherly love.
Sausage Party – Red Band Trailer (Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader)
One sausage decides to lead a group of supermarket products on a quest to discover the truth about their existence and what really happens when they become chosen to leave the grocery store.
Your Guide To The Sundance Film Festival 2016: U.S. Dramatic Competition
With Sundance just around the corner, we're bringing you our picks for what's worth watching at the festival. In the category of U.S. Dramatic Competition, the festival features domestic narrative films from up and coming filmmakers. Here's a few of those films that caught our attention.
ADULT BEGINNERS — TRAILER (Nick Kroll, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale)
A young, narcissistic entrepreneur crashes and burns on the eve of his company's big launch. With his entire life in total disarray, he leaves Manhattan to move in with his estranged pregnant sister, brother-in-law and 3-year-old nephew in the suburbs – only to become their nanny.
Adam Scott, Nick Kroll and Jenny Slate Dive Into "My Blind Brother"
Adam Scott, Nick Kroll and Jenny Slate will star in the upcoming dramedy.
THE HOUSE (SALES)
Logline: After blowing their daughter's college fund, and desperate for cash, a married couple team with their neighbors to open an illegal casino in the suburbs in an attempt to raise the money back.
Sundance 2015: Our Top 10 Most Anticipated Premieres
A breakdown of our Top 10 choices for Sundance Premiers–includes pictures and clips!
Foursome Join the Quest For Fun in "Vacation" Sequel
Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo will reprise their roles as the heads of the Griswold clan.
Five Comedians Join Voice Cast Of "Captain Underpants"
Animated DreamWorks comedy sets its principal cast.
ADULT BEGINNERS (SALES)
Logline: A young, narcissistic entrepreneur crashes and burns on the eve of the company's launch. He leaves Manhattan to move in with his estranged, pregnant sister and his brother-in-law and his 3-year-old nephew, only to end up becoming their nanny.
CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS (SALES)
Logline: Story follows the adventures of two fourth graders and their accidental superhero creation, Captain Underpants.
SAUSAGE PARTY (SALES)
Logline: Follows a group of sausages in a supermarket who want to be sold, but get lost one night browsing the store, and now need to make it back to the right aisle before the fourth of July, or never be sold.
VACATION (REBOOT) (SALES)
Logline: Story centers on on Rusty Griswold, the son of Clark Griswold, who is now a father in his own right and takes his family on a road trip vacation.
Paradigm Drama entertainment careers Action ICM Partners Gersh Agency APA TB Talks TV UTA Thriller Based on Book careers Sci-Fi CAA JOBS Adventure job career Comedy Horror WME entertainment jobs ENTERTAINMENT TV Reviews


But to paraphrase that Rolling Stones oldie, you just might find out that you get what you need.
One of the biggest challenges for me is music. I have written in this blog on several occasions about my experiences hearing music with my implant. I could hear the true notes of simple tunes like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with a week or so of practicing but a complex piece of music sung by a choir still sounds very Darth Vader-like.
So when my audiologist asked if I would like to participate in a research project for music therapy, I jumped at the chance. Here was the opportunity I was waiting for. I would devote 30 minutes every day for a month listening to and trying to identify specific musical sounds. It would be a great success and I would start to enjoy music once again.
Ah. It did not quite happen that way. Let me tell you a bit about the therapy itself. The patterns are atonal so you cannot easily memorize them. And as with all learning, they become more difficult as you go through the sections – nine in all, with several tasks in each one. For each task, you are presented with two patterns, each slightly different and played within a larger selection of music. The test is to identify when you hear one of the two patterns. Seemed easy enough. Not!
For one thing, the notes I heard with my implant did not always correspond with the placement of the notes on the screen. I know music. Before I lost most of my hearing, I played piano and violin and sang in the choir and glee club. I can read music and my brain still retains the musical memory so I know what it should sound like. The patterns in this therapy program appeared as notes on a staff (well, a seven line one) and I could hear in my mind what the sound should be. What I actually heard surprised me. In many cases instead of hearing notes that on the computer screen went up the scale, I heard them going down or vice versa. Very odd.
Eventually after much practice, I was able to hear some of the patterns as they should sound but there were still several that defeated me, so I just listened for what I actually heard rather than what I thought I should hear and was able to move through the sections reasonably quickly.
Then I hit section nine, the final section. Two weeks into my therapy month I hit section nine, task one. At the end of the month I was still on section nine, task one! I just could not get enough correct answers to move forward and the program doesn't allow you to skip. I made sure I had a glass of wine at the ready each day after I finished the required half-hour. I would check the clock and stop at precisely 30 minutes. It was extremely frustrating, but I finally completed the requisite four weeks this past weekend and on Tuesday went back for my post test.
When I had my initial appointment a month ago, I was told that the researchers were finding that this therapy had a positive side effect.There may be a connection between music and speech. Many participants discovered that their ability to understand speech improved over the month. And my test results showed that as well. My ability to understand bits of speech in a noisy environment almost doubled from the first test a month ago.
A couple of weeks ago I was at a meeting of about 20 people. I was trying out a new personal F/M system that augments the sounds I get from my hearing-aided left ear and decided to sit at the back of the room for this meeting just to see how good the F/M was. I have NEVER sat at the back of the room for anything. I was always placed at the front in school and while I heard the teacher when she faced me, never got the benefit of being one of the 'disruptive kids' who had so much more fun in the back. Well, I heard just about everything at this meeting. My new F/M undoubtedly helped but I have a feeling that the dreaded section nine, task one played a key role as well.
I need to understand speech better. The more I understand, the less tired I am and the more I can participate in life. I can still hear some music with my hearing-aided ear even if I can't get the full power and scope. So while it was a drag at the time, I really did get what I needed from this therapy.
And a PS. I saw a different researcher for my post test. She explained that cochlear implants are designed for speech, not music and music involves a totally different signal. There is rhythm, there are dynamics but most especially there is pitch. Speech generally covers a frequency range from 250 to 8,000 hertz. Music goes up to 16,000 hertz. Clearly there are some missing pieces and this helps to explain why I hear a range of notes that go down when the screen tells me they are going up. The brain is not getting the right signal and cannot accurately process what it hears. The research continues.


This weekend Hublot Chairman Jean-Claude Biver wowed onlookers with a speech at the 61st International Congress of the Union Internationale des Concierges d'Hôtels (UICH) "Clefs d'Or" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Yesterday evening Biver spoke at the event, which regroups the concierges of the most prestigious palaces and hotels around the world. Over 500 "Clefs d'Or" concierges attended to the congress and listened to Mr Biver speak on the topic of Excellence & Innovation, which ended with a standing ovation!
Biver, who resuscitated Hublot from the point of bankruptcy and transformed it into one of the most powerful Swiss haute horlogerie manufactures and luxury brands in the world, was undoubtedly a captivating speaker. Indeed, Emmanuel Vrettos, President of the UICH, described Biver's speech as "truly inspiring". We don't doubt it!
Check out our gallery for more photos from the event!


text:
Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles
Billing & Financial Reporting
Communications & Creative
Online Training Support
We have years of combined experience in fundamental fields. We pride ourselves on recruiting team members with not only talent and entrepreneurial spirit, but also those who are passionate about the work nonprofit organizations do for our community. We know you are working hard to instill change in our community, and we want to help you reach your goals.
Marsha Alston
Dr. Andrew Pitts
Larry Olsen
Lesa Stellke
Jack Stiegelmar
Key Leadership
Matt Vanauken
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer
Matt brings more than 20 years of multi-unit and executive leadership and management experience to Developmental Pathways. He has a bachelor's degree of Business Administration and Management from the University of Phoenix and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Healthcare Management from Western Governors' University. Matt currently is a Governor-appointed member and 2019 President of the Colorado State Board of Health, and he is a senate-appointed member of the Healthcare Policy and Financing's Medicaid Provider Rates and Review Advisory Committee. Matt also serves as the President of the Colorado Coalition of Developmental Disabilities and is on the Executive Committee for the Alliance Association. Matt is a former chairperson for the El Paso County Human Services Advisory Committee, and former board member for the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Matt is also an active participant in the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR). Previously, he worked as the Director for Children, Youth and Families for Jefferson County Human Services, Vice President of Operations for Hard Rock Café, and Vice President of Operations for Olive Garden. Matt lives in Colorado Springs with his amazing wife and two beautiful children.
Erica Kitzman
Vice President of People Strategies
Erica joined the NMSC team in February 2014 and has responsibility for leading the human resources, learning and development, communications and project management teams. Prior, she worked in Human Resources at Qdoba Restaurant Corporation for 11 years, serving as an HR Director for the last seven years. She began her career in Human Resources with Wild Oats Markets, where she served as an HR Coordinator, Regional HR Manager and National Recruiting Manager for six years. Erica holds a B.A. in Psychology from CU-Denver and has expertise in partnering with teams on needs analysis, set-up, and execution of integrated human resources and training strategies and functions that help organizations attract, select, engage and retain the best talent.
Karen Flores
Vice President of Finance, Accounting and Billing
Karen graduated from Metropolitan State University, Denver and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. Karen joined NMSC in February 2011 as the Finance Director and has since been promoted to Vice President. She provides leadership direction and support in the areas of Finance and Business Services for NMSC. She has over 20 years of experience in various industries including healthcare, telecommunications and asset portfolio management including the most recent 11 years in the nonprofit arena. Karen currently serves on the Finance Committee for Developmental Pathways and affiliated organizations. She also serves on the Finance Committee for Community Housing Development Association (CHDA).
LET US WORK FOR YOU.
325 Inverness Drive South
325 Inverness Drive South Englewood, CO 80112 T: 303.858.2204
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Copyright (DMCA) Policy


There are hundreds of backpack options out there – some made in the U.S. and many more made internationally. Whether you need one for day hiking, camping, skiing, or some serious alpine adventures, the options are virtually endless. We set out to help you make sense of it all. We did the research to find the best backpacks that are made right here in the USA. Check out our findings below, along with the factors we considered in our research and a helpful diagram on choosing the right pack size for you.
Overall, we found several manufacturers making super high quality backpacks all around America. After evaluating each one of them against our criteria, we ended up with five backpacks that we consider to be best in class. These manufacturers are making the highest quality packs all over the U.S., all the way from Maine out to Oregon and Washington. We've outlined each one below along with a much more in-depth analysis as to why we liked each one and the factors we considered in our research.
Check out some additional details for each of our top picks, along with what we liked and didn't like about each one.
A lot of people don't need a crazy nice alpine back like the CiloGear below, which is why we searched for a hiking backpack that is super versatile, affordable, and shines in terms of overall quality. That's when we found the ULA Ohm 2.0. This pack stood out among the competition for its light weight, strength, comfort, and weight distribution – all qualities (along with customer service) that ULA's Chris McMaster says their customers love most about them. Starting with weight and strength, this pack is made from the newly developed ULA 210 Robic fabric, which is some of the strongest materials ounce-for-ounce we've seen on the market (even they say so too – talk about confidence). Sewing their packs in the U.S. helps them make innovations like this Robic fabric and introduce new ideas quickly, says McMaster – they can "control the production and keep things simple." Moving on to comfort and weight distribution (which go hand-in-hand), the shoulder straps, hip belt, and other straps are all well padded and comfortable. The hip belt fits nicely on a lot of different body frames and stays steady while on the trail, helping keep weight off of your shoulders, which is particularly harmful on long hikes. The compression system on the Ohm 2.0 works really well, easily compressing gear vertically, horizontally, and over the top. Overall, you can't go wrong with the Ohm 2.0 as your go-to pack for everything from beginner to slightly advanced trips.
Handmade in Colorado, the Rover Pack from Topo Designs is the perfect combination of simple and functional, while still maintaining a high degree of comfort. In terms of the construction of the pack, the base is made from 1000D Cordura (which is very durable), and the outer cloth is lightweight and water resistant. The shoulder straps are very comfortable as well, even when the pack is loaded to the top with gear. It has a couple of exterior zipped pockets for easy access to some smaller items, along with a couple of side pockets for water bottles or other gear. It has a drawstring closure and an over-the-top flap with some plastic buckles, which we found to be more than enough to keep your gear safe and dry. If you need to bring a laptop with you, the Rover Pack also has a laptop sleeve that comfortably fits most 15-inch laptops. Overall, this pack is a great rucksack or day pack option for a short trip or hike. Dimensions: 11″w x 18″h x 5″d. Holds 990 cubic inches (16.2 L).
This 45L WorkSack pack from CiloGear is made for serious alpine climbers. Made in their factory in Portland, Oregon, this backpack has been voted #1 by the American Alpine Institute and several other well-renowned climbing and hiking authorities, and for good reason. It's very light, but has some serious strength to carry the heaviest gear and last for a long time. In terms of weight, the designers of the pack followed the Gu rule: if it weighs more than a pack of Gu, then it doesn't make the cut. That essentially means that they don't use any heavy components in the pack construction. The comfort level is off the charts too, even when the pack is completely full – this pack is made for alpine climbers who are doing the hardest routes. The 45L WorkSack comes with a removable aluminum stay and framesheet, hip belt, sternum belt, strap set, and bivy pad. It comes in seven different colors and three different sizes, which you can choose depending on your torso size (sizing chart on their site). Weighs a total of 4.1 lbs with all components intact.
The K² 3500 pack from Exo Mountain Gear is a total behemoth of a pack. The price tag is higher than other typical hunting packs, but the quality is out of this world, which we believe makes it worth it. The material, 500d Cordura and 420d Diamond Ripstop, is some of the most heavy duty fabric on the market. The K² 3500 has 14 different compression straps to secure gear inside and secure additional gear, game bags, or anything else to the exterior of the pack. The pockets on each side have a couple of different benefits we really liked. First, the full length side pockets make it super easy to carry a tripod, rifle, spotting scope, tent poles, or other lengthy items. Second, all of the pockets have elastic entry (vs. traditional zippers), which make them really quiet and easy to access. The pack features a K² Titanium frame, which is pretty rigid vertically (good for you), and moves with you horizontally (also good) so it doesn't jerk you all over the place as you're hiking. The frame also features a meat hauling load shelf, something you won't find on traditional packs. Overall, this is the perfect "do-it-all" pack for your next hunting trip and trips for years to come.
The Raven pack from Free Range is built with ski touring in mind and stood out from the crowd because of its light weight, easy access, and durability. It comes in at just 21 oz and carries 25 liters worth of gear. The lightweight material doesn't mean they sacrifice on durability, though. The Raven pack can take the harsh terrain and weather with the best of them. The back panel of the pack is the only large access point to the main compartment of the pack, so there is no risk of losing your main gear in the event of a nasty fall. There is also a small quick access pocket on the top of the pack. The front of the backpack features a diagonal ski carry, which we found you can easily clip any skis into in seconds. For any ski mountaineers out there, you can't go wrong with the Free Range Raven pack.
It's important to know that your torso size, not your height, determines the pack size you need. Check out the diagram and instructions below from our friends at Hyperlite to figure out the pack size for you. Make sure to grab a friend to help you measure!
Strength is super important when it comes to choosing the right hiking pack. The material has to be able to handle all different types of gear. We tested several packs and also looked at other independent studies to gauge durability, longevity, and likelihood of tearing. Any packs that failed those tests did not make our list.
The weight of your pack can make or break your trip, which is why you saw so many lightweight packs on our list. We looked at what the total weight of the pack, as well as all of the removable and addable components for each, which can sneakily add a lot of weight to the final product.
Strap padding – on the shoulder straps, hip belt, and other straps.
Hip belt fit – super important for weight distribution, as you want most of it off your shoulders.
Back padding – material, thickness, and option to be removed.
Camping backpacks these days come with all sorts of features. We made sure that these features were a valuable addition to the pack as we were considering all of them. Below are a few of the common feature categories that appeared in our research consistently.
Pockets – location, size, material, etc.
The compression system on a pack is important to help you secure your gear and potentially attach anything externally to your pack. Each pack generally comes with three types of compression straps – vertical (from the top of the pack down), horizontal (along each side of the pack), and over the top (typically to secure the main compartment).
You need to keep your clothes, food, sleeping bag, and other gear safe and dry when you're camping or hiking, which is why water resistance is super important. We made sure each pack we chose stands up to the test, whether it's rain, wind, snow, or some other weather event that you encounter on your next adventure.
Last but certainly not least, we made sure that each hiking backpack we chose lived up to our standards for price and quality. After all, we want to make sure you're getting the best backpack for the money. We weeded out several products where we felt like the quality didn't live up to the price.
Mike is our head researcher and reviews tools, sporting equipment, and a variety of other products.


11/13/18: Complete. 276th Street between US-31 and just east of Webster Pit Road is now open to traffic.
The project will take place along 276th St. from US 31 to Gwinn Rd. in Jackson Township.
The purpose of the project is to rehabilitate 276th St. east of US 31, from US 31 to Gwinn Rd., a distance of 4.5 miles. The scope is to widen the narrow lanes and add 3' paved shoulders. Side drainage ditches will also be improved.
To increase roadway width for increased traffic as well as improve drainage.
This project will be funded with 80% Federal Aid and 20% Local funds.


Carson Wentz's AO1 Foundation food truck will hit the city of Philadelphia for the first time Friday night, and it will do so with one charitable catch.
Its food will be free.
The 25-foot-truck, announced as "Thy Kingdom Crumb" at the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback's inaugural charity softball game this summer, will launch from 6-8 p.m. And thanks to Wentz's mission for it to be "a source of love, dignity" and unconditional service, all of its food will be available at no cost.
Founded as a vessel to share "the gospel of Jesus Christ," which Wentz has repeatedly proclaimed since joining the NFL, the program is just the latest venture of the quarterback's AO1 Foundation. At the softball game in June, for example, he raised more than $850,000 to couple with his own $500,000 donation toward the construction of a shelter and sports complex in Haiti, the site of Eagles-attended mission trips the last two years.
Our teams are training, praying & getting ready!!
Bimbo Bakeries, @LibertyCocaCola and New Jersey's @RastelliMarket have donated food/beverages for the launch of Carson Wentz's @AO1Foundation food truck, per Carson's brother, Zach. All food will be given out for free in Philly.
Wentz and the defending Super Bowl-champion Eagles will kick off their 2018 season on Sept. 6, six days after the truck's debut in Philadelphia.


Here is a list of items which might affect "Applying Configuration" screen to hang for substantial amount of time.
1) Are antivirus exclusions put in place for ProfileUnity?
2) Are there any 3rd Party printer/spooler management software?
3) Are there any "User Defined Scripts" launched after ProfileUnity configuration execution?
4) Are there any Application Launcher rules which are not set to run "Asynchronously"?
5) Are there any hung applications (check windows event viewer) timing out or throwing an error?
How to launch PowerShell scripts with ProfileUnity?


text:
How an Online Marketplace Tackles Illiquidity in CRE Investments
in Management
The illiquid nature of private real estate investments is one of the biggest challenges for both sponsors and investors. One firm that's hoping to change that is Realto Inc., which has built a web-based marketplace aimed at providing a method for secondary trading of illiquid real estate and alternative securities.
The Overland Park, Kan.-based company is attempting to improve the difficult and time-consuming process of trading in-and-out of private real estate, making it easier and more lucrative for broker-dealers, wealth managers and investors. Currently, the platform allows investors in non-listed REITs to have a secondary liquidity event, and it will soon accept investors in any type of fund structure.
Related: Non-Traded REITs Continue to Grab Record Capital Inflows
"For so long, the secondary liquidity marketplace has been unregulated and unfair, with vulture funds trying to take advantage of frustrated investors by making deeply discounted mini-tender offers—25 percent to 30 percent less than they're worth," says Don Hancock, CEO of Moloney Securities, a St. Louis-based broker-dealer that leverages Realto's platform to sell shares of non-traded REITs. "But now investors can set their own price and find a buyer in an open marketplace. It's disruptive technology that we've been waiting for."
Billions in pent-up demand
Whether an investment vehicle is structured as a non-listed REIT, a fund or a single-asset LLC, sponsors struggle to soothe investor concerns regarding lack of liquidity, and this often ends up dissuading investors from what can be lucrative investment opportunities. In the past, daily liquidity opportunities and transparency did not exist in the secondary trading of real estate and other illiquid securities.
Related: Non-Traded REITs Have Gotten a Bad Rap for Lack of Transparency. Can They Be Trusted?
"The biggest fundraising hurdle and biggest frustration for investors is the uncertainty of the hold period and/or exit strategy," says Realto's CEO and Co-Founder Brian King. "Many of these non-listed REITs are seven to 10 years old and nowhere close to an exit."
Historically, investors who didn't want to (or couldn't) wait for a liquidity event such as an IPO or portfolio sale had only two options: redeeming their shares/investment through the issuer or off-loading their interests through a mini-tender (tender offers for less than five percent of a company's stock). Neither option is ideal.
Because most non-traded REITs have annual redemption limits, investors usually end up on a waiting list. Non-traded REITs have billions of dollars in their redemption queues, and that doesn't even include investors looking to sell their interest in private funds or LLCs.
"We're aware of one sponsor with $130 million of investor requests in its redemption queue and no way to fill them," King notes.
While there's nothing inherently wrong with mini tenders, many investment firms make a practice of preying on retail investors who are aren't aware that they have another option now. The problem is so prevalent that the SEC provides specific guidance to investors on their website, warning them that these offers catch investors off guard.
"Many investors who hear about mini-tender offers surrender their securities without investigating the offer, assuming that the price offered includes the premium usually present in larger, traditional tender offers," according to the SEC website. "But they later learn that they cannot withdraw from the offer and may end up selling their securities at below-market prices."
According to King, "Investors aren't looking for a secondary market for these assets because it hasn't existed. When you're creating something that hasn't existed before, the number one hurdle you have is creating the awareness and letting people know that there are other alternatives."
Building relationships with broker-dealers
Unlike crowdfunding companies, Realto focuses on secondary transactions vs. primary transactions. "We're not necessarily helping somebody raise money for any particular building or fund, but a sponsor could use our platform to allow secondary transactions in that fund," King says. "There's literally trillions of dollars of opportunity for that."
Realto received broker-dealer approval from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority last November, allowing it to go live with its first trade: Class B restricted shares of Phillips Edison & Co. The Cincinnati-based company, one of the largest owners and managers of grocery-anchored centers, completed a $478 million IPO in July 2021.
Earlier this year, Realto's platform earned Alternative Trading System (ATS) designation from the SEC. As an ATS, the company can now allow additional order requests and two-sided quotes.
After successfully closing its latest venture round in May—$4.5 million led by Firebrand Ventures with investments from KCRise Fund and other key contributors—Realto plans to open its platform to private real estate investments. The company is taking a traditional approach rather than tokenizing it or utilizing blockchain, according to King.
The influx of funds will allow Realto to expand its team of software engineers. "Technology is the lifeblood of the Realto platform, and we are focused on expanding this team," King says.
The firm is also looking to add headcount to operations, legal, compliance and sales. Its sales team is responsible for building relationships with broker-dealers and real estate sponsors to create a constant flow of supply on the sell side.
Many broker-dealers that have bought shares of non-listed REITs need a way to shift these investments off their books, says Moloney Securities' Hancock. And it's not uncommon for brokers-deals to be stuck with hundreds, if not thousands, of orphaned accounts that a secondary liquidity event would solve.
"Our desire is to work with broker-dealers—we're not trying to take business away from them," King says, adding that the firm created a tool called Advisor View specifically so brokers and broker-dealer firms would have visibility and transparency into their transactions.
Given the pent-up demand on the sell side, as well as the buy side, it's reasonable to wonder why no one has tackled the issue of providing secondary trading of illiquid real estate and alternative securities before now.
"I think it's just been too tedious for somebody to try to accomplish," says King. "But when you can leverage technology, it's very, very scalable."
Previously, the exchange of securities has been very paper-dependent and usually required medallion stamps, which guarantee that an authorized signature to transfer securities is authentic. The entire process was cumbersome and lengthy; investors had to wait 10 to 12 weeks to get their money.
Through technology, Realto has been able to steer around these roadblocks. Its platform is fully electronic, allowing both buyers and sellers to set up accounts online and use e-signatures to transact. The company was able to establish its own automated, centralized clearing mechanism that executes and settles trades in three days.
By leveraging technology, Realto has also been able to reduce the transaction fees that sellers have traditionally incurred. The firm charges a 2.9 percent transaction fee to the seller, significantly less than the 6.0 to 12 percent that buyers and sellers are used to.
Realto has developed software integrations (APIs) that connect and interface with several broker-dealer organizations. Moreover, it has already established relationships with the two primary transfer agents in the industry and will roll out APIs with them so real estate investors can simply click a button within the transfer agents' platforms to sell.
"It's something that we couldn't offer to our clients before, so it's a win for us," Hancock says.
90+ Beauty Affiliate Programs For Makeup And Beauty Bloggers
20% Nasdaq Gain Doesn't Equal A Bull Market – Validea's Guru Investor Blog
20% Nasdaq Gain Doesn't Equal A Bull Market – Validea's Guru Investor Blog
Five Things for Clients to Consider When Moving
Investing Seemed Easy Last Year, But Not Anymore – Validea's Guru Investor Blog
© 2022 Wealth News Hubb All rights reserved.


text:
Q: Deserialize XML with list of elements where some are xsi:nil="true" When I deserialize the XML below, from a third-party, my objects are always null.
XML
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<OrderImport xmlns:i="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
  <Reply i:nil="true">
  </Reply>
  <ReplyStatus i:nil="true">
    <DebugInfo>
    </DebugInfo>
    <PerformanceLogInfo>
    </PerformanceLogInfo>
  </ReplyStatus>
  <Reply>
    <OrderNumber>4063286</OrderNumber>
  </Reply>
  <ReplyStatus>
    <Result>0</Result>
    <Message>
    </Message>
  </ReplyStatus>
</OrderImport>

C# Class
[XmlRoot(ElementName = "OrderImport")]
public class OrderImport
{
    [XmlElement(ElementName = "Reply")]
    public List<Reply> Reply { get; set; }
    [XmlElement(ElementName = "ReplyStatus")]
    public List<ReplyStatus> ReplyStatus { get; set; }
    [XmlAttribute(AttributeName = "i", Namespace = "http://www.w3.org/2000/xmlns/")]
    public string I { get; set; }
}

[XmlRoot(ElementName= "Reply")]
public class Reply
{
    [XmlAttribute(AttributeName = "nil", Namespace = "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance")]
    public string Nil { get; set; }
    [XmlElement(ElementName = "OrderNumber")]
    public string OrderNumber { get; set; }
}

[XmlRoot(ElementName = "ReplyStatus")]
public class ReplyStatus
{
    [XmlElement(ElementName = "DebugInfo")]
    public string DebugInfo { get; set; }
    [XmlElement(ElementName = "PerformanceLogInfo")]
    public string PerformanceLogInfo { get; set; }
    [XmlAttribute(AttributeName = "nil", Namespace = "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance")]
    public string Nil { get; set; }
    [XmlElement(ElementName = "Result")]
    public string Result { get; set; }
    [XmlElement(ElementName = "Message")]
    public string Message { get; set; }
}

I believe the problem has to do with the first occurrence of the objects Reply and ReplyStatus being null.
I'm trying to deserialize like so
httpResponseMessage.Content.ReadAsAsync<OrderImport>().Result;

However, I've found that if I deserialize like this it works just fine
stringres = httpResponseMessage.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().Result;
using (var stringreader = new StringReader(stringres))
                {
                    var result = (OrderImport)xmlSerializer.Deserialize(stringreader);

                }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
All posts tagged "usa basketball"
FIBA7 months ago
USA ends Mali's historic run win 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup Gold Medal
The United States of America are back on top of the FIBA U19 World Cup. Two years after finishing a record low, third-place in Cairo Egypt...
Canada vs. USA focal point of loaded Pre-FIBA World Cup series
Canada's senior's men's basketball team will take on the United States of America, Australia, New Zealand and Nigeria in a loaded preseason FIBA World Cup schedule....
FIBA3 years ago
USA Leader Carmelo Lowers The Boom On Australia
Australia looked to put Team USA down under last night, but they forgot about the karmic, calming presence of Carmelo Anthony. The Boomers were booming early...
2013 FIBA U19 MVP Aaron Gordon Throws Down Hard Alley-oop In Gold Medal Game
Aaron Gordon can now add FIBA U19 MVP to his growing list of accolades. The Arizona signee came off the bench in nine games to earn...
USA Continues dominance over Canada at 2013 FIBA U19 World Championships with convincing 109-67 Quarter-Finals victory
(BasketballBuzz) – Canada's Junior Men's National Team faced the difficult task of having to go through the number one ranked team in the World in the...
FIBA10 years ago
US to play Spain in tuneup for Turkey 2010 basketball worlds
The United States will prepare for the basketball world championships with an exhibition game against Spain in an August rematch of the Beijing Olympic final. Governing...


text:
In 2017, Jones' first football season at the school, Troy football's coffers bulged.
The Trojans pulled in $9.5 million in football revenue, their most in the last 15 years. The previous record was $8.7 million from 2016.
That, and the full athletic department's $32.6 million, are due to licensing, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, fundraising and game guarantees, Jones said.
"There are levels that have never been attained or haven't been attained in a long time. That's a credit to all of our fans," Jones said. "We're going to need each and every one of you to continue that momentum."
The Trojans set attendance records in football, men's and women's basketball, softball and baseball since Jones arrived, the school said.
Troy's ticket revenue has increased 33 percent and its donations have improved 39 percent.
All that pot together, we have to continue to move the needle," Jones said. "We've done that, and we have goals we need to meet, but there is no cap on it outside of what we think we can do."
As far as wins and losses, yes, Troy plans to improve there, too.
"We will compete for championships," Jones said. "We will do it with honor. We will do it with integrity. We will do it the right way."