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This product is currently not available online!Sizechart Wash and care Compare products Start comparison Size not available?
The massive, bizarre towers of the Pala group protrude from the stony alpine plateau. Climbing here in the southernmost mountain range of the Dolomites takes strong nerves – and strong material.
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Just like the PALA JACKET, the PALA VEST for men has an athletic cut and has been developed especially for climbing. This lightweight climbing vest stands for freedom of movement, flexibility and protection in alpine terrain. In addition, the adjustable seam ensures an optimal, close fit without slipping. In colder temperatures or wind, the neck is protected by the high collar, which is particularly useful on exposed climbs. The breast pocket has space for a map, cell phone, trail bar or other small items that you may need to access quickly during a long day of climbing.
The PALA VEST uses wind and water-resistant (DWR treated) material to provide sufficient protection against wind and light precipitation. The no-membrane design and fine Merino wool on the inside provide ample breathability. Like the PALA JACKET, the light shell has reinforcements in the shoulder and hip area – precisely where protection from scuffing is needed.
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Tested and recommended by the VDBS
Since summer 2018 ORTOVOX has been expanding its long-term partnership with the Verband Deutscher Berg- und Skiführer (VDBS – German mountain and ski guide association) from emergency equipment into the clothing sector. ORTOVOX is not just a supplier for the VDBS; it is now also working together with the VDBS on project development. Products that we have developed and tested together bear the VDBS logo.
The model is 1.80 m tall and wears size M.
Product features
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- Lightweight
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Media | News | Press Releases | Vermont Public Radio | Webcams
Looking for something to do?? Search our extensive database for up to the minute events and happenings from around Vermont. Check movie listings too!
(Please allow up to 2 business days for your event to be approved.)
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text:
How to Create an End-of-Year Photo Montage Video
4 Free Ways to Create Year-End Family Photo Montage Videos
4 Free Ways to Create Year-End Family Photo Montage Videos
If you're not already bombarded by a mailbox filled with holiday cards, it's only a matter of time before the onslaught begins. If you're looking for a fun way to change things up — or if you've decided to forgo the holiday card altogether this year — an end-of-year photo montage video is the way to go. Rather than selecting one picture to share with family and friends, you can share an entire year — all in a condensed time frame. From a 30-second curated selection of your Facebook photos to lengthier, more produced videos, check out four free services that do virtually all of the work for you in a matter of minutes. Then sit back, relax, and wait for the accolades to come your way!


text:
slide into (one's)/the DMs(redirected from slide into his DMs)
slide into (one's)/the DMs
slang To successfully flirt with someone via direct message (DM) on social media. If you're trying to slide into your crush's DMs, don't use a cheesy pick-up line. A: "I just slid into the DMs and asked her out on a date." B: "Wow, I can't believe that actually worked!"


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GE SmartWater Water Filter & Air Filter Replacements
Refrigerator air and water filters from the GE SmartWater line are on the cutting-edge of filtration technology, helping to ensure only the cleanest tasting water, ice and food are served from your fridge. All GE SmartWater air and water filters we offer are genuine OE and protected by our No Worries Price Match Guarantee, meaning if you see them for less anywhere else, just call us so we can honor the lower price! Find the GE SmartWater air or water filters you need by clicking on the appropriate icon below. For help finding the filter you need, please call 1-800-277-3458.


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The built-in storyline for this afternoon's Louisville-Florida game is the connection between the two head coaches. In 1987, Rick Pitino coached a Providence team, lead by point guard Billy Donovan, to the Final Four by exploiting the new rules-change that created the three-point shot. There are several stories recapping that season, and the tumultuous times leading up to it (including the death of Pitino's infant son), but the connection between Pitino and Donovan is the driving force.
When Pitino arrived in 1986, Donovan was overweight and wanted to transfer to Northeastern or Farfield. "Pitino told his player he would call both schools' coaches (coincidentally, one of whom was Jim Calhoun, who was still coaching at Northeastern). Donovan left Pitino's office, and the coach said a 'Hail Mary and thanked God' he was gone." Neither wanted Donovan, so Pitino was stuck with him.
Under Pitino, Donovan transformed himself and became the leader of the team on the court as they shot their way to the Final Four. After his college career ended, Donovan played sparingly in the NBA and later tried his hand as a stockbroker on Wall Street before eventually becoming an assistant for Pitino at Kentucky. After four years at Kentucky, Donovan got his first head coaching job at Marshall and two years after that he become the head coach at Florida.
While Donovan has two National Championships to Pitino's one, he has never beaten Pitino head-to-head. There's no time quite like the pair's first meeting in the NCAA Tournament to buck that trend.
Pitino, Donovan share Providence bond [MSN]
Pitino and Donovan together again [ESPN]


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Better Days
|This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to WikiFur style and standards.
For specifics, check the edit history and talk page. Consult the Furry Book of Style for editing help.
|This article needs to be wikified (formatted according to the Furry Book of Style).
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|Better Days
The Black twins, Lucy (left) and Fisk (right), and their mother Sheila (middle).
|Jay Naylor
|Update schedule
|Slice of life, Comedy, Drama
Better Days was a furry webcomic created by Jay Naylor. The comic, which ran from 2003 until 2009, focused on the life and experiences of Fisk Black, an anthropomorphic cat growing up in Georgia. Although popular, the comic received criticism for its portrayal of controversial subjects, including incest and racism. In 2009, Naylor concluded the comic's storyline, and began work on a spin-off entitled Original Life.
Better Days was announced in 2003. Naylor wanted to write about the life of his primary creation, Fisk.[1] Formerly known as a pornographic artist, Better Days would be Naylor's first webcomic.[1] He wanted to create material that was "creative and entertaining without being obscene", and to establish himself as an illustrator and a cartoonist rather than a "furry artist".[2] Better Days focused on a number of controversial issues, including racism[3][4] and incest.[3][4] The art style derived from anime and manga influence.[3][5]
Better Days takes place in Georgia,[4][5] focusing on Fisk, his twin sister Lucy, and their mother Sheila. The twins' father, Jim, died in the Vietnam War.[5] Most of the storylines are character-driven.[6] According to Naylor, the title "[refers] to the future: the result of a lifetime of planning, effort, and just living."[7] Naylor states that Fisk "most personifies my outward attitude", and that the character experienced "phases of arrogance, crassness, naivety, detached bemusement, disregard, and other flaws".[8] Lucy and Sheila were based upon characters created by Mat Sherer for Badly Drawn Kitties. Because of the strong differences between the appearance and personalities of these characters, Naylor states that the use of these characters does not constitute "character theft".[9]
Naylor did not include nudity in Better Days because he did not want to rely on pornography in order to keep readers' interest, and felt that nudity and explicit sex would distract from the story.[10] However, the comic has included violence and non-explicit sexual content.[10]
Better Days portrays African-Americans as hyenas.[3] Naylor chose to use hyenas for characters of African origin because he enjoyed drawing them, and had received compliments about his hyena characters.[11] Naylor's exploration of racism has drawn some criticism, as some readers felt that race should not play into a comic strip featuring anthropomorphic characters.[11] Naylor stated that East African characters would be portrayed as African wild dogs.[12]
Naylor's influences include Phil Hendrie, whose radio program was often referenced within the comic,[13] and Bloom County, which Naylor cites as having influenced his political views.[14] Naylor has also expressed admiration for Calvin and Hobbes[8] and Lackadaisy.[15]
Naylor sells a number of pornographic comics featuring characters from Better Days, and other side projects.[16] Naylor is supported entirely by the sales of his comics.[17]
In 2009, Naylor announced that he was ending Better Days, and would launch a new webcomic entitled Original Life, which would focus on a now-married Fisk and Elizabeth, and their children.[18]
Fisk Black is the main protagonist of the comic and the fraternal twin of Lucy. Fisk was originally rambunctious and sneaky, will play pranks on anyone he can. Accidentally gave blood pressure medicine to Lucy, causing her to go into a "coma". He over time becomes a more good natured person, and honestly admitted that he loved his sister and did not want her to die. After he graduated school, Fisk soon joins military, then becomes assassin for US, same job as Jim. He later meets and reconciles past issues with Nikki at medical tent in the army. Fisk rescues Persia from forced prostitution by LA mob. He dated Beth during military term, but marries Elizabeth and has three children.
Lucy Black is one of the primary characters in the webcomic. She is a black and white anthropomorphic cat who is the fraternal twin of her brother Fisk. Lucky Black is also the name of a similar character in the webcomic Badly Drawn Kitties by Mat Sherer, who is credited with created the character of Lucy. At one time, the characters were intended to be the same character, the artists being friends and sharing the character. There had since been a falling out, sometime around chapter 13 and 14 of Better Days, and Mat and Jay's Lucy character's became two different ones, one for Better Days, and one for BDK. Fisk was a Better Days character that crossed over to Badly Drawn Kitties several times. Since Jay and Mat's falling out, Fisk has been removed from the BDK cast and comic, explained off as being killed overseas.
A black cat with white hair, Lucy, alongside Fisk, is one of the main characters of the strip, with many of the chapters following her life and maturity into adulthood. Lucy is strongly attached emotionally to her twin brother and has even been involved in an incestous relationship with him, before coming to terms with it and eventually getting together with a rabbit named Tommy, who, at the time, was her roommate's boyfriend. Lucy currently works at a public radio station, where she reports the news.
Bethany "Beth" is a major secondary character in better days and on again off again sexual interest of Fisk. She is an anthromorphic white cat with long black hair and blue eyes. She was introduced when Lucy entered college as a goth girl who preferred to be single due to the fact her first boyfriend died only three months after they started dating and she had fallen in love with him. When she met Fisk when he came to visit, she began to show emotions for him, which only escalated as the comics continued. She began seeing people again and went into polyamourous relationships. She had at least three lovers, but she showed more emotions for Fisk than any other. In chapter 19 she began seeing Tommy's best friend Aron.
While in New York to show artwork, she asked Fisk to stay with her, to which at the time he agreed to with a kiss. After Fisk got a job with the covert government agency, their sexual relationship ended. When Fisk began seeing Elizabeth again, Beth stayed with Aron and purchased a boat in Florida. They lived in that boat until Original Life. Beth has a near unlimited supply of money from her family fortune, yet still had a job in a sex toy shop during college and had two chapters of better days as well as a storyline in original life. She has also been the focus of many of Jay Naylor's adult comics
- Main article: Storyline of Better Days
- Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Fisk displays strong political viewpoints from an early age. These views lead to conflict between his teacher, Mrs. Bedbutter, and Sheila, when Fisk is given bad grades for a series of patriotic essays.[4][19] Sheila goes on a date with Principal Longfellow, who claims to have been a Vietnam vet who served with Jim, and that he had cheated on her while serving in the war.[20] Sheila calls Jim's former commanding officer, Robert Kelso, to inquire about Longfellow's claims, and learns that Longfellow lied about serving in her husband's unit, and was discharged for aggressive fraternization and other issues.[21] When she confronts him about this, Longfellow rapes her, resulting in Fisk knocking him unconscious with a baseball bat.[20] Longfellow is later assassinated by members of his former unit.[3][4]
Fisk loses his virginity at age 10 to Nikki, an 11-year-old hyena.[4][22] Nikki's father is wanted by the FBI for murder and rape, and her sexual induction of Fisk had been the result of sexual abuse at the hands of her father.[4][22] At Lucy's insistence, Fisk asks his sister's friend Elizabeth, out on a date, after Lucy threatens to tell their mother "what really happened to her lawn gnome".[23] Although Fisk soon falls for Elizabeth, she learns that he had only gone out with her because Lucy had pressured him to.[23]
After Lucy learns that a boy in school had only dated her in an attempt to sleep with Sheila,[24] Fisk attempts to comfort Lucy, and they begin an incestuous relationship.[3][4] When Fisk reaches college age, he decides to join the army.[25] While attending college, Lucy begins a relationship with Tommy, the boyfriend of one of her roommates, Rachel, who has been unsuspectingly cheated on for years.[26] When Fisk is injured in training, he reunites with Nikki, who has since become a nurse.[27] Fisk fights in the Gulf War,[28] and takes over his father's former job as an undercover CIA agent.[29] When Fisk's cousin, Persia, disappears, he tracks her down, learning that she had left her job as a model to become a pornographic film actress, and was forced into prostitution by mobsters.[30] After a violent confrontation with the mobsters, Persia stays in Fisk's apartment until she can get back on her feet.[30] After a series of bad relationships, Elizabeth is still in love with Fisk,[30] and reveals her feelings to him, leading the two to resume dating.[31] They marry, and decide to have children.[31]
Although Naylor's artwork has been praised,[5] Better Days has received criticism for its political views and approach to controversial subject matter.[3][4] Crush! Yiff! Destroy! wrote that "the normal story-telling and humorous functions of the comic take a backseat to political diatribes and the characters are only there to serve as mouth-piece's for the author's opinions rather than as characters in their own right."[3] The Webcomic Overlook called it "the red-headed stepchild of a genre that's already a red-headed stepchild."[4]
Better Days receives 15,223 unique visitors per month,[32] and is the most-subscribed webcomic on The Belfry Webcomics Index.[33] On October 30, 2005, Better Days appeared as a "awful link of the day" on the comedy website Something Awful.[34] Naylor stated that he received favorable responses from visitors who discovered his website through Something Awful.[34]
In 2006, the character of Jessica was used to promote the Sacred Fools Theater Company's run of the play Poona the Fuckdog (And Other Plays For Children).[35][36]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Naylor, Jay January 5, 2003. So, I got this here LiveJournal thing... LiveJournal. Retrieved on 19 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay June 11, 2004. The Way of Things to Come. LiveJournal. Retrieved on 23 March 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 The New Meat 2004. Better Days. Crush! Yiff! Destroy!. Retrieved on 19 March 2010.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 El Santo June 22, 2008. Better Days. The Webcomic Overlook. Retrieved on 19 March 2010.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Full Reviews of Better Days. Master Zen Dao Meow. Retrieved on 19 March 2010.
- ↑ Theater of the Mind. LiveJournal (March 13, 2006). Retrieved on 23 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay January 3, 2007. 2007. LiveJournal. Retrieved on 21 March 2010.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Naylor, Jay March 22, 2003. My Own Hobbes. Live Journal. Retrieved on 23 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay 2004-03-11. We Hate Jay!. LiveJournal. Retrieved on 21 March 2010.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Naylor, Jay September 6, 2005. Sex and Violence. Retrieved on 23 March 2010.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Naylor, Jay November 2, 2005. "Better Days" is for Grown Ups. LiveJournal. Retrieved on 19 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay June 17, 2005. Rage Against the Durr. LiveJournal. Retrieved on 23 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay June 23, 2006. Hornblower and the Rabid Lesbian Sea Squid. LiveJournal. Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay March 5, 2003. Do You Really Want to Know?. LiveJournal. Retrieved on 23 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay July 21, 2006. General Site Update. LiveJournal. Retrieved on 23 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay. Adult Catalog. Retrieved on 21 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay October 29, 2005. Settling In. LiveJournal. Retrieved on 21 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay April 29, 2009. Original Life. LiveJournal. Retrieved on 19 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay July–August 2003. Chapter 4: "The Bedbutter Chronicles". Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Naylor, Jay August–October 2003. Chapter 5: "Predators". Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay July 27, 2005. The Hippy Encyclopedia. LiveJournal. Retrieved on 23 March 2010.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Naylor, Jay October–December 2003. Chapter 6: "Tough Love". Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Naylor, Jay January–April 2004. Chapter 7: "Of Mice and Idiots". Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay May–July 2004. Chapter 9: "Lucy's Mom". Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay October 2005 – January 2006. Chapter 13 "Thicker Than Water". Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay January–June 2006. Chapter 14 "All the Wrong Places". Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay June–July 2006. Chapter 15 "Reconciliation". Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay November 2006 – March 2007. Chapter 17 "Trial by Fire". Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay March–May 2008. Chapter 21 "Father's Footsteps". Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 Naylor, Jay August–December 2008. Chapter 23 "Persia". Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 Naylor, Jay April–May 2009. Chapter 25 "Better Days". Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ Site profile for jaynaylor.com. Complete.com. Retrieved on 19 March 2010.
- ↑ Most Subscribed. The Belfry Webcomics Index. Retrieved on 19 March 2010.
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Naylor, Jay October 31, 2005. With "Enemies" Like These.... LiveJournal. Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ Naylor, Jay February 27, 2006. Poona This Way Comes. LiveJournal. Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
- ↑ Program information for Poona the Fuckdog. Sacred Fools (2006). Retrieved on 20 March 2010.
External links[edit]
- Better Days home page
- Wikia project
- Enter The Dream collection of reviews about Better Days
- Better Days, in Russian
- Better Days ВКонтакте, in Russian
- Review of Better Days, Webcomic Overlook
|Some of this page is derived from Wikipedia. The original article was at Better Days (webcomic), but has since been deleted or merged. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WikiFur, the text of Wikipedia is available under CC-BY-SA and the GFDL.


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- Home
- About Us
- Who We Help
- Locations
- Supporting Devereux
- Prevention
- Careers
Have you heard the news?
Devereux has increased our DSP hourly starting rate to $14.50!!!!
Come Work at our Northampton Group Home and Receive a $1000 Sign On BONUS!!!!!
Are you interested in making an impact on the lives of individuals with intellectual/developmental/behavioral health disabilities? Do you enjoy helping others strive to their full potential?
If you answered YES to either of these questions, then consider joining our Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health team!
Being a Direct Support Professional has its Advantages
As a Direct Support Professional at Devereux, you will work with other dedicated professionals who share your passion for helping individuals in need.
We offer: A comprehensive benefit package, paid training, student tuition assistance, and opportunity for internal growth.
As a Direct Support Professional, you will:
Actively assist our individuals with their individualized plans for daily living.
Ensure our individuals are safe, healthy, and living in a clean environment.
Assist with the planning, implementation, and documentation of programs designed to meet the social, emotional, physical, and personal needs.
Plan and participate in community outings.
Shop for the home's necessities such as food, clothing, and household items.
Schedule and transport our individuals to doctor's appointments, shopping trips, and day programs/schools.
Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health New Jersey provides programs and services for adults with intellectual/developmental/behavioral health disabilities. Located in Manchester, NJ , this position is responsible for the following: Assisting individuals with their daily living, administering medication, adhering to implemented Behavioral Support Plans, medical appointments, household maintenance, electronic documentation, but most of all, assisting our individuals in maximizing their full potential.
Keywords : Developmental Disabilities, Intellectual Disabilities, Autism, Direct Support, Community Based, Day Programs, Vocational Programs, Mental Health Technician, Residential Counselor, Direct Care, CNA, Certified Nursing Assistant, HHA, Home Health Aide, Personal Assistant, Home Health, Care Giver, Caregiver, DCP, Direct Care Professional, DSP, And Direct Support Professional
The IDEAL candidate will ...
Be 18 years of age or older (required)
Have a minimum of a High School Diploma/GED
Have valid driver's license
Experience with the developmentally disabled or as a caretaker is preferred but not required
Be empathetic and have a team approach to care for our individuals
Have excellent written and verbal communication skills
Be energetic, creative, and have a sense of humor
Be able to attend ten days of paid in-house orientation on weekdays
Be able to lift up to 50+ pounds and perform Safe and Positive Approaches
Have a high level of comfort with hands on hygiene care (including diapering and showering)
Interested in this role?
Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health is currently scheduling interviews for full time and part time shifts available. Please apply to this ad to be considered for an interview or come by our hiring event, with your resume.
Company Overview
About Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health
Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health is one of the largest and most advanced behavioral healthcare organizations in the country. Informed by the latest advancements in science and medicine, we combine evidence-based interventions with compassionate family engagement to help change lives. We were founded in 1912 by special education pioneer, Helena Devereux. Today, Devereux is a national nonprofit partner for individuals, families, schools and communities, serving many of the most vulnerable members of our society in areas of autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, specialty mental health, and child welfare.
Our Mission: Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health changes lives – by unlocking and nurturing human potential for people living with emotional, behavioral or cognitive differences.
We employ more than 7,500 staff and operate 15 centers in 13 states. We offer a comprehensive national network of clinical, therapeutic, educational, and employment programs and services that positively impact the lives of tens of thousands of children, adults and their families every year.
Our Culture, Our Expectations
At Devereux, we strive to incorporate servant leadership into our culture and every aspect of our organizational framework; from the delivery of quality services to individuals served, their families, and other stakeholders to the development and empowerment of our employees. We offer challenging and exciting work, and our supportive team environment creates an empowering and positive atmosphere. To be successful in our work environment, you will put the needs of others first, and will feel called to serve, and called to lead.
Competitive Salary and Benefits
In addition to a competitive salary, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health provides a comprehensive health and welfare program to eligible full-time employees, family members and domestic partners. Our benefit programs include medical (including telemedicine - medical care via phone, web, app), dental, prescription drug, preventative care, mental health services and an employee assistance / work-life balance program. In addition, we offer tuition assistance, generous time-off, a 403(b) retirement plan with matching benefit, and voluntary/employee paid supplemental life and accident coverage.
Visit benefits.devereux.org to see why we are a great place to work!
The employment policies of Devereux are to recruit and hire qualified employees without discrimination because of race, religion, creed, color, age, sex, marital status, national origin, citizenship status, ancestry, disability, veteran status, communication ability, gender identity or expression or sexual orientation and to treat them equally with respect to compensation and opportunities for advancement - including upgrading, promotion and transfer - consistent with individual skills and the needs of Devereux.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will consider applicants for this position without regard to any category protected by applicable federal, state or local law, including but not limited to race, religion, sex, color, age, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, national origin, marital status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status or uniform service member status.
Devereux is a drug-free workplace, drug screening required. EOE
Posted Date 2 months ago (1/6/2020 9:13 AM)
Requisition ID 2020-9733
Category Direct Care
Position Type Full-Time or Part-Time


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Everything in Lohan perspective
Earlier today, Michael K at Dlisted posted these photos of Debbie Harry and Lindsay Lohan. Harry was horrifyingly mistaken for Lohan. Debbie Harry, by the way, is 66. Lindsay Lohan is 25.
And then there's Tara Reid...
There was a time when it couldn't get worse than Tara Reid. There was a time when she'd f-cked up her body so badly I compared her face to someone who'd had a stroke. But check out Tara in Sydney today promoting American Reunion. When evaluated on its own, sure, totally, that sh-t is still a mess. But now that you've been looking at Lindsay Lohan day in and day out, comparatively... Reid is the sh-t to Lohan's diarrhoea, non?
Here's Lohan with her sister Ali at the airport yesterday. If you didn't know better, that would be a fried out mom and her teenage daughter, right?
You know why it is that we have to keep saying it? It's because they're not saying it. Matt Lauer's not saying it. The journalists aren't saying it. In their world, if they don't say it, it means it's not true. It means she's recovered, it means it's all been wiped clean, it means they get to continue living in pretend...
And how is that ever considered change???
Asadorian-Mejia/Splash, Lisa Maree Williams/Getty


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This site is dedicated to the support of Oklahoma high school wrestling. It is not affiliated with any State or Private organization,
but is staffed with volunteers with a common love of Oklahoma wrestling. We make no promises as to the accuracy of the scores and results sent in to us.
If there are errors, please notify us as soon as possible and we will fix them immediately.
The views expressed are our own and based on the best inforation that we have at that time. They are not intended to be disrespectful of any team or wrestler.
|Copyright © 1998 Jerry Scott


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Utica-Rochester Friendly Bonspiel (mixed)Inactive
A one-day total stones event between Utica and Rochester. The highest total combined team stones determine the winner. The event is played at Rochester and Utica, alternating sites each year; host club plays first stone of the first end. Each team curls two 6-end games; ties are not played off. Trophy presentations: Utica-Rochester Friendly Cup (winner), "The Monkey" (runner-up).
Previous winners2015: Utica (at Rochester)
2014: Utica (at Utica)
2013: Rochester (at Rochester)
2012: Utica (at Utica)
2011: Utica (at Rochester)
2010: Utica (at Utica)
2009: Rochester (at Rochester)
2008: Utica (at Utica)
2007: Rochester (at Rochester)
2006: Utica (at Utica)
2005: Utica (at Rochester)
2004: Utica (at Utica)
General Mixed Rules
Standing Utica Rochester Friendly Rules
- This is a one-day total points event between Utica and Rochester. The highest total combined team points determine the winner.
- The event is played at alternating sites each year between Utica and Rochester.
- Each team will curl two 6-end games.
- Ties will not be played off.
- When hosted in Utica, Rochester plays last stone of the first end (as courtesy), Utica plays red stones.
- Trophy presentations:
- Utica-Rochester Friendly Cup, winner.
- "The Monkey," runner-up.


text:
Welcome to NEUROSURGERY://ON-CALL® featuring neurosurgical information for patients and the health care professional. NEUROSURGERY://ON-CALL® is presented by the
American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS).
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of
disorders or injuries to the brain, spinal cord or peripheral nerves (such as nerves in the hands or feet).
Visit the Web sites of each organization for detailed information about the variety of conditions
neurosurgeons treat, and for a wealth of professional information about the specialty of neurosurgery.
Information on AANS/CNS Subspecialty Sections can also be
conveniently accessed from here, or from the AANS or CNS Web sites.


text:
|Former NFL receiver Chad Johnson turned himself in to Florida authorities Monday after a warrant was issued for his arrest on an alleged probation violation. (Broward Sheriff's Office)
NFL.com confirmed last Thursday that a warrant was issued for the arrest of former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson after he allegedly violated several terms of his probation. On Monday, Johnson turned himself in.
The Broward Sheriff's office told NFL.com that Johnson turned himself in at the courthouse Monday. Court documents confirm that Johnson indeed was arrested
Johnson then was booked into a Broward County jail and later relased after posting bail, which had been set at $1,000. The Los Angeles Times reported Johnson's next hearing is set for June 3.
The sheriff's office confirmed last week that Johnson failed to meet with probation specialists on Feb. 15 and March 15. Johnson also failed to show proof of enrollment and completion of the "Batterers Intervention Program." The probation stemmed from when Johnson was charged with domestic battery on his then-wife, Evelyn Lozada, on Aug. 11, 2012.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.


text:
Milk Allergy
About Milk Allergy
Allergy to milk is sometimes confused with lactose intolerance, because both can cause problems after drinking milk — but they are very different and unrelated.
Lactose intolerance is annoying and can cause discomfort, but it is not life threatening. Milk allergy, though, can cause someone to become suddenly and severely ill, and can be life threatening. That's why milk and other dairy products must be completely avoided if your child has a milk allergy.
Milk allergy is the most common food allergy in young kids, affecting about 2%–3% of those younger than 3 years old. Many kids outgrow it, but some remain allergic for a lifetime.
A milk allergy can cause a range of symptoms, from mild to severe. If your child has been diagnosed with a milk allergy, keep two epinephrine auto-injectors available in case of a severe reaction. An epinephrine auto-injector is a prescription medicine that comes in an easy-to-carry container about the size of a large marker. It's simple to use. Your doctor will show you how to use it. Kids who are old enough can be taught how to give themselves the injection.
The doctor can also give you an allergy action plan, which helps you prepare for, recognize, and treat an allergic reaction. Communicate emergency plans with anyone who will be taking care of your child, including relatives and school officials. Also consider having your child wear a medical alert bracelet.
What Happens in a Milk Allergy
When someone is allergic to milk, the body's immune system, which normally fights infections, overreacts to proteins in the milk. Every time the person drinks or eats milk or other dairy products, the body thinks these proteins are harmful invaders.
The immune system responds by working very hard to fight off the invader. This causes an allergic reaction, which releases chemicals like histamine in the body. The release of these chemicals can cause someone to have symptoms like:
- wheezing
- trouble breathing
- coughing
- hoarseness
- throat tightness
- stomachache
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- itchy, watery, or swollen eyes
- hives
- red spots
- swelling
- a drop in blood pressure, causing lightheadedness or loss of consciousness
Allergic reactions to milk can vary. Sometimes the same person can react differently at different times. Some reactions to milk are mild and involve only one system of the body, like hives on the skin. But, even when someone has had only a mild reaction in the past, the next reaction can be severe.
Anaphylaxis Is a Life-Threatening Reaction
Milk allergies can cause a severe reaction called anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis can begin with some of the same symptoms as a less severe reaction, but then can quickly get worse. The person may have trouble breathing or pass out. More than one part of the body might be involved. If it isn't treated, anaphylaxis can be life threatening.
Every second counts in an allergic reaction. If your child starts having serious allergic symptoms, like swelling of the mouth or throat or difficulty breathing, give the epinephrine auto-injector right away. Also give the epinephrine auto-injector right away if your child's symptoms involve two different parts of the body, like hives with vomiting. Then call 911 or take your child to the emergency room. Your child needs to be under medical supervision because even if the worst seems to have passed, a second wave of serious symptoms can happen.
Keep Allergy Medications Handy
Notify your child's school if your child has a severe milk allergy. You should agree upon a plan in case of a serious reaction and two epinephrine auto-injectors must be available at all times. If your child is old enough to carry the epinephrine, it should not be in a locker, but in a purse or backpack that's with your child at all times.
Your child's allergy plan also could include giving an over-the-counter antihistamine for milder allergy symptoms. But the antihistamine should be given after the epinephrine in the case of a serious, life-threatening reaction.
Milk Allergy Safety Tips
To prevent allergic reactions to milk, your child must avoid any foods that contain milk, milk products, or milk proteins. Read food labels to see if a food contains milk.
Milk may be found in unexpected places, such as processed meats, canned tuna, and baked goods, so it's important to read labels on all foods, even ones that are not dairy foods. Words like casein, whey, and lacto- mean the product contains milk. For detailed information about foods to avoid, visit Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE).
Even if a food is labeled "milk-free" or "nondairy," it could still contain allergy-causing milk proteins. Manufacturers of foods sold in the United States must state in understandable language whether foods contain any of the top eight most common allergens, including milk. The label should list "milk" in the ingredient list or say "Contains milk" after the list.
Some foods look OK from the ingredient list, but while being made they can come in contact with a food your child is allergic to. This is called cross-contamination. Look for advisory statements such as "May contain milk," "Processed in a facility that also processes milk," or "Manufactured on equipment also used for milk." These are cross-contamination warnings, but manufacturers are not required to list them.
Since products without precautionary statements also might be cross-contaminated and the company simply chose not to label for it, it is always best to contact the company to see if the product could contain milk. You might be able to get this information from the company's website or by emailing a company representative.
Food makers sometimes change ingredients, so ingredients in a new package may be different from ingredients in an older package. So, labels should be checked every time.
Milk Alternatives
Milk from other animals (such as sheep, goats, and buffalo) are not good alternatives for those with cow milk allergy because the proteins are similar. Sometimes, people with an allergy to cow's milk are also allergic to soy milk.
But many other milk-free alternatives are available, including ones that are fortified with calcium and vitamin D. The allergist can tell you which milk substitute is best for your child. Some options are:
- rice milk
- almond milk
- coconut milk
- oat milk
- hemp milk
Eating Away From Home
Cross-contamination often happens in restaurants, where many people often accidentally consume milk products. This happens when milk or milk products get into a food product because the staff used the same surfaces and utensils (like knives, cutting boards, or pans) to prepare both dairy products and other foods. This is particularly common in fast-food restaurants, so some people find it safer to avoid these restaurants altogether.
Buffet-style restaurants also pose a cross-contamination risk, with cheeses and salad dressings dripping over non-dairy food platters. When eating at restaurants, it may be best to avoid fried foods or foods with batter on them. Even if the batter doesn't contain milk products, the oil used to fry the foods might have been used to fry something else that contains milk.
When your child eats in a restaurant or at a friend's house, find out how foods are cooked and exactly what's in them. It can be hard to ask a lot of questions about cooking methods, and to trust the information you get. If you can't be certain that a food is milk-free, it's best to bring safe food from home.
Also talk to the staff at school about cross-contamination risks for foods in the cafeteria. It may be best to pack lunches at home so you can control what's in them.
If your child will be eating at a restaurant, take these precautions:
- Tell the restaurant wait staff that your child has a milk allergy.
- Carry a personalized "chef card" for your child, which can be given to the kitchen staff. The card details your child's allergies for food preparers. Food allergy websites provide printable chef card forms in many different languages.
- Don't eat at a restaurant if the manager or owner seems uncomfortable about your requests for a safe meal.
It can be overwhelming to find out your child has a milk allergy. But you can keep your child safe by learning about the allergy, making changes to your child's diet, and being well-prepared.


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Having a (Viennese) Ball: The 17th Annual Viennese Opera Ball waltzed away with the title of "best gala of the season."
Around Town
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The 17th Annual Viennese Opera Ball waltzed away with the title of "best gala of the season" Saturday after sharing Austria's rich music and cultural traditions in the sumptuous setting of the National Gallery, whilst still raising $86,701 for charity.
At $500 a ticket, the gala wasn't cheap but the new beneficiaries — the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and Bruyère Continuing Care — helped sell out 300 tickets. The OrKidstra music program also benefits from the proceeds.
This year saw the debut of the Viennese Ball Orchestra led by Gary Morton. Heart surgeon and tenor Fraser Rubens together with soprano Ania Hejnar delivered a standing ovation-performance while young singer Stephanie LaRochelle wowed the room as well.
Returning as event chair was Frequentis Canada president Jim Hall, who paid special tribute to the late Louis Mrak, a long-time supporter and the founder of Mark Motors.
Also back was title sponsor RBC. The bank's regional president, Jeff Boyd, was seen proudly waltzing with his youngest daughter, Madeline, 16. She was one of 28 debutantes and cavaliers from 12 schools across the region who spent their Sunday afternoons learning the polonaise and quadrille dance numbers.
The teens made it look easy during their demonstrations but the end result wasn't as graceful for the dozens of guests who got pulled up onto the dance floor for a mini lesson from Fred Astaire Dance Studio's Melissa Krulick.
In no need of instruction were Austrian Ambassador Arno Riedel and his wife, Loretta. They were spotted dancing through the evening, as were Westin Hotel GM John Jarvis and his spouse, Françoise Gagnon, and their fellow honorary co-chairs, Senator Vern White and his wife, Sari.
White had been a little nervous about coming to the Viennese ball, knowing it would be entirely different from the galas he's used to attending. "For sure we'll come back," White said late in the night. "We're just trying to plan our dance lessons, that's how much fun it was."
Well-known entrepreneur Terry Matthews appeared to be having a blast cheerfully bumping up against former Mitel CEO Don Smith as they waltzed with their respective dance partners. Around Town also got a kick out of Allen-Vanguard chairman David Luxton, seen puffing away on a cigar before snuffing it out on his skin. My shock passed as I realized it was one of those fake electronic cigars.
The three-course dinner from Thyme & Again was followed by continued dancing late into the night. Cutting a rug to the Stones' (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction was former Liberal cabinet minister David Collenette while his wife, Penny, slipped off her heels and boogied along.
Nobody was more deserving of a glass of the driest wine than the cast and crew behind the aquatic-themed Metamorphoses, which opened Friday at the National Arts Centre.
Around Town caught up with the stars of the dazzling show at a reception in Le Salon. There, actor Alix Sideris was seen with her hair still damp from thrashing around in the two pools of water that the play is staged around.
"I loved it," Sideris said of the experience. The water in the large, shallow pool gets cold after awhile but the smaller, deeper pool "is quite lovely," she explained. "It feels like a womb."
In the play, Sideris shares a steamy sex scene with her real-life partner, Andy Massingham. It was hard not to ask them about the "after-hours work" required to get the scene right.
"Practise makes perfect," Sideris quipped while Massingham chimed in: "Late-night rehearsals."
Metamorphoses is the first play directed by Jillian Keiley in her new role as artistic director of NAC English Theatre. There to support her was long-time friend and fellow Newfoundlander Allan Hawco, star of CBC TV's Republic of Doyle.
"I thought it was spectacular," Hawco said of the show. "Jill has an imagination like nobody else."
Also spotted was veteran Ottawa actor John Koensgen, who's soon to appear in Third Wall Theatre's God of Carnage. He was the fight director in Metamorphoses and helped the actors work out such challenging details as falling face-down in water and executing drowning attacks within the constraints of a small pool.
Lawyers traded in their court gowns and white tabs for party gowns and bow ties to attend the County of Carleton Law Association's 125th Anniversary Gala, recently held at the National Gallery.
High-ranking judges and accomplished attorneys were seen mingling in the Water Court Foyer before being led by a piper into the scenic Great Hall for a night of dinner and dancing.
The birthday bash served "as an opportunity for the legal community, and also the community at large, to recognize the contributions that the legal profession makes to bettering people's lives," CCLA executive director Rick Haga told Around Town.
The association has been giving back through initiatives like the Law Day Fun Run, which raises thousands of dollars for charity, and the Lawyers' Play, which has become the biggest fundraiser for the GCTC.
The gala was co-MCed by CCLA president Jaye Hooper, a partner at Williams McEnery, and president-elect Ian McBride, founding partner of Doucet McBride.
Superior Court Regional Senior Justice Charles Hackland was sighted in the 380-person crowd. So were Ontario Court Associate Chief Justice Peter Griffiths; Regional Senior Justice Lise Maisonneuve (she will assume Griffiths' position in July); Justice David Wake, a former associate chief judge; and Justice Brian W. Lennox, the former chief judge who's currently executive director of the National Judicial Institute.
On Saturday, Around Town dropped into Le Café to meet the Toronto couple whose passion for and generous support of ballet made it possible for the National Ballet of Canada to perform Romeo and Juliet at the National Arts Centre.
Jerry and Joan Lozinski arrived to the restaurant with their Ottawa friends Larry and Margaret Dickenson before dinning with married principal dancers Heather Ogden and Guillame Côté and others.
Joan told Around Town she was thrilled their ongoing financial support is helping the dance company reach a new audience. "We're very proud of them," she added. "They dance so beautifully."


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Ang lives with Husband and two kitties, Charm and Luna, in a house not too far from Århus. Apart from drinking tea, she enjoys baking, especially biscuits, reading and jigsaw puzzles. She has recently acquired an interest in cross-stitch and started a rather large project. It remains to be seen whether she has actually bitten off more than she can chew…
Ang prefers black teas and the darker sorts of oolongs. She has to be in the mood for green and white, and she enjoys, but knows little to nothing about, pu-erh.
Her preferences with black teas are the Chinese ones, particularly from Fujian, but also Keemun and just about anything smoky. She occasionally enjoys Yunnans but they're not favourites. She has taken some time to research Ceylon teas, complete with reference map, and has recently developed some interest in teas from Africa.
She is sceptical about Indian blacks as she generally finds them too astringent and too easy to get wrong. She doesn't really care for Darjeelings at all. Very high-grown teas are often not favoured.
She likes flavoured teas as well, particularly fruit flavoured ones, but also had an obsession with finding the Perfect Vanilla Flavoured Black and can happily report that this reclusive beast has been spotted in a local teashop near where she works. Any and all vanilla flavoured teas are still highly attractive to her, though. Also nuts and caramel or toffee. Not so much chocolate. It's a texture thing.
However, she thinks Earl Grey is generally kind of boring. Cinnamon and ginger are also not really a hit, and she's not very fond of chais. Evil hibiscus is evil. Even in small amounts, and yes, Ang can usually detect hibiscus, mostly by way of the metallic flavour of blood it has.
Ang is not super impressed with rooibos or honeybush on their own. She doesn't care for either, really, but when they are flavoured, they go usually go down a treat.
Ang used to have a Standard Panel of teas that she tried to always have on hand. She put a lot of thought into defining it and decided what should go on it. It was a great idea on paper, but in practise has been discovered to not really work as well.
Ang tries her best to make a post on Steepster several times a week. She tends to write her posts in advance in a word doc (The Queue) and posting from there. This, she feels, helps her to maintain regularity and stops her from making five posts in three days and then going three weeks without posting anything at all.
Angrboda is almost always open to swapping. Just ask her. Due to the nature of the queue, however, and the fact that it's some 24 pages long at the moment, it may take a good while from she receives your parcel and until she actually posts about it.
The Formalities
Contact Angrboda by email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Contact Ang on IM on Google chat
Find Ang on…
Steam: Iarnvidia (Or Angrboda. She changed her display name and now is not certain which one to search for. She uses the same picture though, so she is easily recognised)
Goodreads: Angrboda
Livejournal: See website.
Dreamwidth: Ask her
Bio last updated February 2014


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Forms Jobs
Instructions: Return the completed application to the False Alarm Reduction Unit (FARU) by fax or mail. Please keep this page for your reference. Your Alarm Permit will be a bright yellow post card. Your Permit number will be located on the mailing label. Keep the Alarm Permit with your records. Contact the FARU if you do not receive your Alarm Permit within two weeks of submitting an application.
Police and Fire expend valuable resources responding to "false" alarms. In an effort to recover a portion of the costs, the City Council enacted a Police and a Fire Alarm Ordinance in December 2002. Both Ordinances became effective April 1, 2003. All alarm systems in the city must be registered by applying for an Alarm Permit. This includes residential, business, and commercial alarms (monitored and non-monitored alarms). There is no fee to register the alarm.
See Geo-Data Explorer to verify if your address is within the city limits of Winston-Salem, NC.
*Each Alarm Ordinance allows three (3) false alarms during a 12-month tracking period. A 12-month tracking begins with a first false alarm response. False police and fire alarms track separately. For registered alarm sites, the false alarm count resets to zero at the end of a 12-month tracking.
4-5 alarms
= $ 50 each
6-7 alarms
= $100 each
8-9 alarms
10 and up
Police No Response to Burglar Alarms: After Nine (9) false police alarms in a 12-month tracking require the alarm site placed on "No Police Response to Burglar Alarms only." Police will always respond to holdup, panic, and duress alarms.
Reinstate Police Response to Burglar Alarms: (1.) Schedule an alarm system inspection by a licensed alarm technician; (2.) Fax or mail a copy of the inspection to the False Alarm Reduction Unit; (3.) Pay all civil penalties associated with the false alarm violations. If reinstatement at a registered alarm site is after the 12-month tracking period, the false alarm count resets to zero; if reinstatement is within the 12-month tracking, the false alarm count does not reset to zero. Consequently, 10+ false alarms in a 12-month tracking are $500 each. In addition, if a 10th false burglar alarm occurs during the 12-month tracking, the burglar alarm site is again placed on "No Police Response to Burglar Alarms only." Reinstatement is required.
ALARM PERMITS ARE NOT TRANSFERABLE. If ownership of an alarm system transfers through sale of the property, etc., notify the FARU within 10 business days. Submit an Alarm Permit Application to the False Alarm Reduction Unit within 10 business days of alarm installation date or acquisition of alarm property. An alarm owner may not install, maintain, or use an audible alarm system which sounds for more than 20 minutes. This does not apply to fire alarms.
The FARU must receive a written appeal for a review of a false alarm ruling within 10 business days. Failure to send a written appeal within ten business days shall constitute a waiver of the right to appeal. A written appeal shall include the following: Alarm user name; Alarm location address; Date and time of the false alarm; Alarm permit number; and Documentation the alarm was not false THERE IS NO APPEAL FOR NON-REGISTRATION (NO ALARM PERMIT). Alarm Permit Applications must be submitted within 10 business days of alarm system installation/ownership. Awareness of alarm regulation is best communicated by your alarm company. If you were not aware of alarm regulation, contact your alarm company to inquire about their notification practices. Alarm regulation prevails across the United States. The City of Winston-Salem informed the NC Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NCBFAA) of the date of regulation. The city continues awareness about alarm registration via the Journal, The Chronicle, Que Pasa, TV-13's Bulletin Board, and this web site.
Update key holders and telephone numbers with your alarm monitoring company and the False Alarm Reduction Unit.
• Instruct alarm users/key holders on proper operation of the alarm system to include arming and disarming the system, and how to cancel "false" burglar alarm activations via the alarm monitoring company before police arrive.
Alarm System Permit online application
*You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files.
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The Aspen Institute's Project Play report calls for systems change and goes on the record to endorse playability.
The Aspen Institute's Project Play report, an eight-point, cross-sector plan aimed at ensuring every child has access to sports has just been released. The report offers 'an ambitious plan to reimagine organized youth sports, prioritizing health and inclusion, while recognizing the benefits of unstructured play.'
In support of the plan, KaBOOM! President James Siegal released the following statement:
"One of the major barriers to play and sports is that there are not enough places for kids to play. To ensure play is accessible to all kids, especially the 16 million growing up in poverty in America, cities need to reimagine public spaces and create opportunities for play everywhere. This idea of playability – the extent to which cities make it easier for kids to get balanced and active play – is one solution KaBOOM! is working towards that was recognized in the Aspen Institute's Project Play report as a small-scale effort that can yield big results. To achieve this, everyone from parents to city leaders and changemakers across all sectors must work collectively to make our communities more family-friendly and filled with play to get our kids actively playing more.
'In addition to building playgrounds,' the report states, 'KaBOOM! is helping cities integrate play into routine spaces like sidewalks and bus stops.'
One example of this is the Let's Play Mini Pitch grants we have just launched in partnership with the U.S. Soccer Foundation. Together, we are awarding deserving communities new mini soccer fields that will transform formerly unplayable urban spaces like parking lots and alleyways to serve the dual purpose of enhancing city offerings and bringing the game of soccer to kids who might otherwise never have had the chance to play.
As the Aspen Institute of Sports & Society Program's incredible work showcases, play is no longer a nice to have for kids, it is a need to have, and the report's actionable solutions remind us that we must continue our efforts to promote and protect our children's right to play. By making safe, fun play a priority in our communities, all kids in America will be able to live the healthy and happy lives they deserve."
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and KaBOOM! are working together to help kids get the balanced and active play they need to thrive. Rhian Evans Allvin, executive director of NAEYC, and Darell Hammond, founder and CEO of KaBOOM!, discuss the importance of play in education and the positive impact it has on communities.
Why is play important to education?
Rhian Evans Allvin: Neuroscience has confirmed that learning begins at birth and the period from birth to age five includes rapid brain development–setting the foundation for cognitive, social/emotional, language and fine and gross motor skills. In order to achieve the academic excellence and equity that is essential–we must invest in our young children during this window of explosive development.
Young children engage in various kinds of play, such as physical play, object play, pretend or dramatic play, constructive play, and games with rules. Play gives them opportunities to develop physical competence and enjoyment of the outdoors, understand and make sense of their world, interact with others, express and control emotions, develop their symbolic and problem-solving abilities, and practice emerging skills. Research shows the links between play and foundational capacities such as memory, self-regulation, oral language abilities, social skills, and success in school.
Children of all ages love to play. From infancy, children act on the world around them for the pleasure of seeing what hap¬pens; for example, repeatedly dropping a spoon on the floor or pulling the cat's tail. Around age two, children begin to demonstrate symbolic use of objects–for instance, picking up a shell and pre¬tending to drink as from a cup–at least when they have had opportunities to observe others engaging in such make-believe behavior.
From such beginnings, children begin to engage in more mature forms of dramatic play, in which by the age of 3–5 they may act out specific roles, interact with one another in their roles, and plan how the play will go. Such play is influential in developing self-regulation, as children are highly motivated to stick to the roles and rules of the play, and thus grow in the ability to inhibit their impulses, act in coordination with others, and make plans. High-level dramatic play produces documented cognitive, social, and emotional ben¬efits.
Darell Hammond: As global competition increases, it is imperative that children develop a skill-set relevant to today's workforce and are able to approach challenges with creative solutions to successfully navigate our complex, ever-changing world. Critical thinking and collaboration are integral to the jobs of the future, and balanced and active play helps kids develop these 21st century skills.
Unfortunately, however, play is disappearing in our schools. A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that 30 percent of children surveyed had little to no recess in their school day. That's nearly one in three kids. At KaBOOM!, we believe play should be part of a well-rounded school day. That is, kids need to read, write, do math, as well as practice problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity. We know play also helps children adjust to the school setting, enhances their learning readiness, and indirectly contributes to children learning more hard skills in school by mitigating behavioral problems and increasing academic engagement.
We are thrilled to partner with NAEYC, to raise awareness about the importance of play in early childhood education. As part of this commitment, we are granting Imagination Playgrounds to 10 NAEYC member sites. This unique and innovative play product will help transform regular classrooms into playspaces that encourage learning, social development, critical thinking, movement, and fun!
How does play benefit kids?
Rhian: We see a wonderful interplay of domains as children play–they demonstrate their approaches to learning, they can engage with others in a social relationship, they attempt things that are challenging, yet achievable–which enhances their self-esteem. Children express emotions as they play. There's also an integration of math, literacy, science, and other academic areas as children play–constructing, classifying, sorting, seriating, quantifying, and practicing other skills. Physical play supports the development of gross and fine motor skills. Who knew that a classic game of Simon Says is actually building the same inhibitory control that is needed to follow academic instructions later in school? Research now demonstrates the development of self-regulation or executive function in sociodramatic (imaginative, pretend) play leads to higher achievement–a very important benefit!
Darell: At KaBOOM!, we believe that the well-being of society begins with the well-being of children. This is why we're such big advocates of balanced and active play, which is essential–and elemental–to enable children to thrive.
Just as a healthy diet balances proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and other nutrients, a balanced "play diet" should include a mix of all kinds of play, because different types have different benefits. For example, play-dough creations, blocks, and make-believe spark the imagination and teach problem-solving skills. Running, jumping, and climbing get legs moving and hearts pumping. And exploring playgrounds with families or playing hide-and-seek with friends helps kids learn to work together, collaborate, and share. A balance of play means active minds, active bodies, and active together to realize all of play's benefits.
What impact can play have on cities?
Darell: Across the United States, cities and communities are engaged in a fierce contest for the future. They are competing for businesses, economic development, and jobs. They are competing for residents–for families who will breathe energy and enterprise into their neighborhoods. The fact is, for communities to thrive, they need to ensure that all of their residents are happy, healthy, and contributing to their community's overall vitality. One essential ingredient in the recipe is a renewed commitment to fostering family-friendly, kid-friendly environments that allow young people to get their bodies moving and their minds engaged no matter where they are.
All families deserve to live in a safe community with ample job opportunities, great schools and abundant opportunities to play, but we currently have inequitable distribution of services, resources, and opportunities for low-income families. This inequity serves to perpetuate the cycle of poverty that threatens our nation's economic future. Creating kid-friendly, family-friendly cities filled with play is a competitive advantage for cities to attract and retain residents, and it directly impacts the kids that need it most.
Rhian: The provision of family-friendly, kid-friendly environments is a hallmark of sustainable communities. All families want to live in areas where there are many opportunities for children to play outdoors in areas that are safe and conducive to big body play, using their imaginations and equipment that is tailored to their needs. That's the kind of community I want to live in–and fortunately I do!
Play is disappearing in schools. Schools are cutting back on recess and even eliminating it altogether to focus on classroom instruction. As TODAY recently reported, this is the case for about 23 elementary schools in Orange County, Florida, which has led parents to take a stand for their kids' right to play.
At KaBOOM!, we believe play should be part of a well-rounded school day. That is, kids need to read, write, do math and practice problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity—all of which are skills fostered through play and are essential outcomes promoted by Common Core standards. From helping kids adjust to the school setting to enhancing their learning readiness, behavior, and 21st century skills, play enhances a child's education.
Studies show play may also increase children's capacity to store new information, as their cognitive capacity is enhanced when they are offered drastic changes in activity. A 2010 study published in the Journal of School Health concluded that recess "serves a necessary break from the rigors of concentrated, academic challenges in the classroom." According to evaluation findings on Playworks from Mathematica Policy Research and Stanford University, strengthening recess transforms the school environment, paving the way for more focus on learning.
Innovative communities across the country are taking steps to incorporate play citywide because they understand it is critical to a great education. Chicago is rebuilding 300 school playgrounds and, alongside additional instruction time for students, guaranteeing 45 minutes every school day for children to play before returning to the classroom ready to learn. Nashville also believes increased play can help boost youth academic achievement, health and socialization. As a result, Mayor Karl Dean has initiated joint use agreements to open school playgrounds to the public after school hours, on weekends and during the summer.
Play and learning shouldn't be viewed as opposing principles, because in fact, play and learning go hand-in-hand. We applaud the efforts and actions taken by parents, schools and communities around the country, and encourage others to implement holistic instruction, which includes play. By equipping kids with the 21st century skills they need to thrive, we are also ensuring our nation's future well-being and prosperity.
Do you think schools should include time for play? Let us know what you think on Twitter (twitter.com/kaboom) using the hashtag #playmatters.
Kids need balanced and active play to thrive.
Originally posted 12/8/2014 on the NetImpact.org blog.
At this year's Net Impact Conference, I participated in a session - Good at Doing Good - that explored what makes a nonprofit a successful, high-impact organization able to create and sustain lasting social change. As founder and CEO of KaBOOM! - the national nonprofit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all kids - I am proud of the impact we've had building more than 2,500 playgrounds in 18 years in communities all across the country. However, we at KaBOOM! also recognize that we cannot scale our organization to build enough playgrounds to address this challenge at the scale it exists in society, particularly for the 14.7 million American kids growing up in poverty.
Over the past two years, we've set a course to scale our impact without scaling the size of our organization in an unsustainable way. We are seeking outsized social returns by pursuing an influence strategy aimed at community-wide change that complements our direct impact work building playgrounds with low-income communities. In particular, we are focusing on driving cities to create kid-friendly, family-friendly communities that benefit all kids. Cities are critical to achieving society-level scale because most play-related infrastructure investments, policies, and programming happen at the local level and because cities, as the government of last resort, are becoming hotbeds of innovation to solve intractable social problems.
To drive change at the city level, we have positioned ourselves as standard - setters, not policy advocates. In other words, we are not pushing a policy agenda on cities, but rather creating a national platform for cities to implement their own big ideas for using play as a solution to their pressing challenges. Playability - the extent to which cities make it easy for all kids to get balanced and active play - can take many forms and address many challenges. For example, Brownsville, Texas, is bringing play opportunities to low-income neighborhoods in order to improve economic prospects in struggling neighborhoods. Meanwhile, Spartanburg, South Carolina, is planning to harness its under-utilized waterways as a competitive advantage to attract and retain families of all income levels who want abundant opportunities to play.
Investments in play will not be successful unless they lead to widespread behavior change. To inspire cities to generate solutions that overcome behavioral bottlenecks that keep kids from getting the play they need to thrive, we partnered with ideas42, a nonprofit that uses behavioral science to solve large-scale social problems. Among the findings from ideas42, we learned that cities need to put play everywhere, integrating play into dead time and dead space. In addition to playgrounds, we are encouraging cities to reimagine how everything from sidewalks and bus stops to grocery stores and health clinics can be filled with play, making it easier for families to prioritize play for their kids. These are places where low-income families are already spending significant, often frustrating time together. By embedding play everywhere, cities can turn these moments of frustration into moments of play-filled joy.
All families deserve to live in a safe community with ample job opportunities, great schools, and abundant opportunities to play, but we currently have inequitable distribution of services, resources, and opportunities for low-income families. This inequity serves to perpetuate the cycle of poverty that threatens our nation's economic future. As we inspire cities to embrace Playability and implement Play Everywhere ideas, we need to ensure that play is used to address inequity, not exacerbate it. As walking and biking have taken off in cities across the country, they have tended to benefit those with means. For example, of the 70-plus miles of bike lanes in our hometown of Washington, DC, zero are in Anacostia, the part of the city with the highest concentration of poverty and kids in poverty. Consistent with our mission, it is our responsibility to ensure that cities do not follow a similar path when it comes to play.
Driven by our mission to improve the lives of kids growing up in poverty, we are impatient by nature. Our goal is to make societal change happen in the next decade, not the generations it has taken to gain traction on walking and biking. To get there, Playability requires a different approach to philanthropic partnership.
Partnerships of this kind are not easy, especially because the business of philanthropy is so risk-averse. It is easier to stick to what you know and do well, even if it cannot achieve scale. It is safer to fund small, tangible projects than to provide significant flexible resources that have the potential to achieve society-level change.
At KaBOOM!, we are fortunate to have partners that do not shy away from a challenge and encourage us not to rest on past success. We invite others to join us to ensure that all kids get the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive.
On November 6, KaBOOM! is building its fifth playground in partnership with the Tampa Bay Rays, the first Major League Baseball franchise to build playgrounds with us! The entire Rays front office will once again join us as volunteers on the build.
To celebrate our fifth playground project with the Rays, Raymond, the team's lovable mascot, shared some of his favorite places to play! Just like KaBOOM!, Raymond knows kids and families love to play everywhere—in addition to the playground and the baseball diamond! We call that playability, the extent to which a city makes it easy for all kids to get balanced and active play.
Should be a nice weekend to be outside. I'm already cruising! The #playability never stops. @kaboom pic.twitter.com/VVRuxCX80X
— Raymond (@RaysRaymond) October 31, 2014
My #Rays pals build their 5th @kaboom playground in exactly a week. Here's to #playability at a past site. #tbt pic.twitter.com/swqMLsIpjc
— Raymond (@RaysRaymond) October 30, 2014
Let's just say that I'm hooked on ... playing. Why not? #playability @kaboom pic.twitter.com/gCqT7F9xq8
— Raymond (@RaysRaymond) October 13, 2014
Who's got 6 fingers, 2 thumbs, and is ready to get out and play this weekend? This guy! @kaboom #playability pic.twitter.com/r7wfRA9vfE
— Raymond (@RaysRaymond) October 10, 2014
My #Rays will build another @kaboom playground next month, but play should be everywhere! Who's with me? #playability pic.twitter.com/RdxUJLyj1Z
— Raymond (@RaysRaymond) October 8, 2014
The Rays initiative to get involved with KaBOOM! stems from the organization sharing a core belief with KaBOOM! that children need a place to play every day in order to be active and healthy. A lack of play can have profound consequences for kids physically, socially, and cognitively.
Over the past five years, the Rays and KaBOOM! have built playgrounds with the Camp Cristina YMCA, James B. Sanderlin Family Center, Layla's House YMCA, Citizen's Alliance for Progress, and Team Success: A School of Excellence. Take a look back at these playground builds!
[Originally posted on The Huffington Post]
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his administration are part of a growing number of city leaders across the country who recognize the importance of play in creating vibrant communities. Young adults have flocked to active cities like Chicago that have created walkable and bikable communities. Chicago understands that to keep these adults once they become parents, it must prioritize playability — ensuring a kid and family friendly community that not only gives kids the active and balanced play they need to thrive, but also retains residents and supports local businesses.
Play matters to child development — it's a muscle-builder, brain-expander and friend-maker. And for kids who face extreme adversity — depravation, neglect, abuse, exposure to violence — play can protect against toxic stress, which hinders healthy brain development. That is why I applaud Chicago for committing to the ambitious goal of ensuring that all kids in Chicago live within a seven-minute walk to a park or playground. Chicago has also extended the school day to bring back recess, physical education, and the arts. City leaders are working in tandem with community groups and the private sector to ensure that the play needs of all Chicagoans are met, in all neighborhoods.
Leading cities are also innovating to push the play boundaries beyond the schoolyard and the playground, enabling play to happen everywhere. Consider how Baltimore replaced a traditional bus stop shelter with giant climbable letters that spell BUS, turning an everyday space normally associated with waiting and frustration into a joyful play space that kids love and parents value. In Chicago, the city is experimenting with People Spots — temporary, pop-up parklets adjacent to sidewalks, typically within existing parking lanes. By expanding the sidewalks, they create seasonal space for outdoor gatherings and family playtime. As a placemaking tool, People Spots increase foot, bike and stroller traffic. As a result, local store owners report a 10–20% increase in revenue, according to metroplanning.org, just one example of the economic benefits of playability. By reclaiming public space for kids and families, and integrating play into their daily lives, Chicago and other leading cities are making it easier for kids to get the play they need and setting them on a healthy and successful path.
That's why on October 23 and 24, KaBOOM!, with the generous support of Humana Inc. and the Humana Foundation, will host its Playful City USA Leaders Summit in Chicago. A dozen teams from cities across the country — from San Francisco to Spartanburg, SC, and from Pittsburgh to Providence — will join the host city's team to build momentum for their bold goals and big ideas for transforming their communities into kid and family friendly cities filled with play.
Ben Hecht, CEO of Living Cities, who will be participating in the Playful City USA Leaders Summit, agrees that play has a role in thinking about urban development differently. Play is no longer an individual responsibility, he says. It is a societal and community responsibility.
Mayor Emanuel and the City of Chicago, along with other cities heading to the Summit, are demonstrating that playable cities are the cities of the future.
Enjoy this guest post from our friends at Doozy, a life-sized board game that inspires people to get outside and create their own play, about the importance of creative and imaginative play!
When did you last play a game - at a social event, on the bus, at work? Now really think, when did you last let yourself go, make things up and build creatively with others? We want the latter to be more than a distant memory. The harsh reality is that people are spending, on average, more than 7 hours a day in front of a screen, and most play and entertainment now involves a screen too.
Our mission is to inspire people to get outside and create their own play through the framework of a life-sized board game. Doozy lets you be your own game piece and flex your creative muscles as you hop from space to space completing challenges with other players.
So how does it work? You take the circular spaces and create any closed loop of your choice (the goal is to get back to the start). You roll the die, go to the next space of that color, draw a card, and you do what it tells you to do. The card challenges might ask you to grab a partner and "wheelbarrow" around the board, switch shoes with someone, or even act like a taco!
But what really sets Doozy apart is that you have the power to change the size of the board, the rules of the game, and the challenges that fuel it. We trust you to bring your own quirks and ideas to Doozy and customize it to your playful needs. As players become co-creators and invest themselves in the game, they inherently internalize Doozy's larger message and make more time for play in their daily routine, high fiving co-workers, getting outside for lunch, and being that much more playful.
When we introduce Doozy, we use the word framework because ultimately it's not about the game itself but rather the idea that Doozy can be a bridge; a bridge between the prescribed play of a digital age and the kick-the-can, baseball-meets-freeze tag experiences we had growing up; a bridge between caring adults and children, bosses and employees, new friends and old. The idea that players are creators is reinforced by the rewards of our current Kickstarter campaign, where you can simply take the idea and run with it, download and print the cards, make the spaces, or have it all manufactured and delivered to your doorstep. Because ultimately, we won't be the ones to design Doozy 2.0 – you will!
We want to spark a movement but we can't do it alone. Let's set an example so this generation of kids grows up with the balanced and active play they need to thrive. We want to see kids growing up differently: talking with that other person in the elevator, moving their phones a little further away from their bed, and spending more time playing than in front of the TV. With your help, we can bring play back for kids and adults!
The Wall Street Journal recently examined how cities are looking to reverse the trend of young families moving to the suburbs as their children get older. The article – "Cities Want Young Families to Play and Stay" by Anne Marie Chaker – does a wonderful job of illustrating how innovative communities are using play to attract and retain young families. Chaker discusses the role of the creative class in the growth of cities:
"About a decade ago, the so-called creative class of 20somethings fueled the revival of urban centers by settling in downtown areas mixing condos and coffee shops. Now, as millennials and other urbanites have children, their needs are changing. Cities want to hold on to them by becoming more "playable," for both children and adults."
The article provides the statistics and reasons regarding the trend but also notes that there is hope for its reversal:
"As children age, families are less likely to live in cities; 42% of married couples whose youngest child is less than one year old live in city centers, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by Joe Cortright, principal economist for Impresa Inc., a consulting firm based in Portland, Ore. That figure drops to 28% when the youngest reaches age 10.
The main culprits: concerns about safety, the lure of more space and the poor perception of urban schools, according to a 2008 report published by CEOs for Cities, a national network of over 600 urban leaders. But, the report adds, "cities are becoming more vibrant and livable."
At KaBOOM!, we couldn't agree more that play is the answer to retaining young families. So much so that we've coined a word to describe the extent to which a city makes it easy for all kids to get balanced and active play. We call this playability.
We understand for communities to thrive, they need to ensure that all of their residents are happy, healthy, and contributing to their community's overall vitality. One essential ingredient in the recipe is a renewed commitment to fostering family-friendly, kid-friendly environments that allow young people to get their bodies moving and their minds engaged no matter where they are. When cities make a commitment to playability, they are not just contributing to the wellness of their communities. They are strengthening the competiveness of their economies— sustainably, cost-effectively, and playfully.
The Wall Street Journal article supports this assertion:
"Cities have every reason to want professionals to stick around. As people age and have children, their value to communities grows, both in spending power and taxable income, says Candace Damon, vice chairman with HR&A Advisors, an urban-development consulting firm based in New York. Average income for householders from ages 35 to 44 is 28% higher than for those ages 25 to 34, according to Census Bureau data.
As people age and have children, Ms. Damon adds, they also tend to care more about their community. "People don't get civically engaged until they are relatively settled in their personal lives," she says. "They care about schools, they worry about potholes and the ambulance going too fast." If cities don't retain that 30-and-up demographic, "then you don't have people who are going to care and ensure they remain good places to live."
Kids and parents are calling out for play everywhere. People don't just want great parks and playgrounds; they want a complete reimagining of what our urban spaces and places look like—from sidewalks to bus stops and parking lots. KaBOOM! urges cities across the country to answer this call.
Congratulations to the cities of Chicago, Oklahoma City, Baltimore, and Phoenix for prioritizing play in their communities and being highlighted in the article. To find out what other cities are doing to become more playable visit playfulcityusa.org.
What is your city doing to create a more fun and playful environment? Share your comments below or join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #playability.
At KaBOOM!, we believe that the well-being of society begins with the well-being of children. This is why we're such big advocates of balanced and active play, which is essential to enable children to thrive. Yet, as Gretchen Reynolds writes in a recent article "This Is Our Youth" for The New York Times Wellness blog, far too many of today's children are not getting the play they need to thrive.
A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that America's kids, across all ethnic groups and socioeconomic circumstances, are becoming less healthy with every passing year. Only 42 percent of the children who participated in the study were as fit as they should have been given their age, and kids' average fitness has declined by about 10 percent since 2004.
Unfortunately, this is not entirely surprising: today's children play less than any previous generation. Declining recess, a lack of safe places to play, overly-structured schedules, too much focus on one activity, and too much screen time have all replaced balanced and active play.
Janet Fulton, a lead CDC epidemiologist who oversaw the new study, says that "kids who are less fit when they're young are likely to be less healthy when they're adults." In other words, the play deficit threatens to create a vicious cycle from childhood through adulthood.
Reynolds writes in her article: "The finding raises troubling questions about the future health and longevity of our children and suggests that parents and other authority figures need to find better ways to get our youth moving."
Solving this urgent problem requires engaged, caring adults. "Inactivity is a family issue," notes Dr. Gordon Blackburn of the Cleveland Clinic. "If parents aren't active, kids won't be." But, on the positive side, "If it's fun, kids will keep doing it."
Behaviors take root in the context of relationships, and families are arguably the most important relationship for driving healthy behaviors. Along with fostering improved health, adults can unleash kids' creativity and encourage them to take on age-appropriate challenges through play.
Ultimately, no matter their beginnings or background, all kids need balanced and active play. Caring, engaged adults are essential to ensuring kids get the play they need to thrive.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup final is quickly approaching. Over the last few weeks, world-class players from 32 countries met in Brazil in the hopes of winning one of the most esteemed competitions in sports. For many, watching the World Cup is a family affair and parents may wonder whether it's a good idea to get their kids involved in sports at an early age. That's a great idea – running and kicking get legs moving and hearts pumping! Just remember: balanced and active play is essential for kids to thrive.
As David Epstein writes in The New York Times, "we should urge kids to avoid hyper-specialization and instead sample a variety of sports through at least age 12." At KaBOOM!, we define balanced and active play as developing active minds, active bodies, and being active together to realize all of play's benefits. Just as a healthy diet balances proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and other nutrients, a balanced "play diet" should include a mix of all kinds of play, because different types have different benefits.
For example, by playing sports like soccer, a child fulfills the active body aspect of balanced and active play and develops teamwork (active together) but there is little development of the child's mind since rules are imposed. On the other hand, children who engage in unstructured playground and street games tend to build off loosely established rules and invent their own as they go. For instance, part of the appeal of skateboarding is its spirit of invention, imagination, and self-expression – all of which are crucial to the holistic development of a child and fulfilling the active mind aspect of balanced and active play.
Every child should have the opportunity to various forms of play in order to realize all of its benefits. Because play — in all of its forms — is a powerful thing. From addressing obesity, and improving mental health and wellness, to building a creative and successful workforce – balanced and active play lays the foundation for a skilled, healthy, resilient, and successful society.
Tell us how you ensure the kids in your life get the balanced and active play they need to thrive! Leave a comment below.


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At some point, Tokyoflash watches will lose their charm altogether on account of oversaturation in an already niche market. Until then, we can admire their Hanko watch, which I can't seem to pull my eyes away from.
Maybe it's the fact that the watch face is vaguely reminiscent of Space Invaders. Maybe it's the not-too-crazy, not-too-boring design. Or maybe its the bright colours calling out to my ADHD-addled mind. Either way, I like it. And it's only $US100 too, which isn't shabby by Tokyoflash standards. [Tokyoflash via Geekologie]


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Electric Vehicle's invade Logan County on annual road trip
Album 3
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[June 27, 2014]
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Pictures by Nila Smith
Left to right is a group shot with Mini Abe:
Heineman, Snyder, Eaton Plant Manager Vladimir Salazar and Keener.
Bill Thomas knows he can count on Lincoln Daily News when he needs a
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IRA guru Ed Slott says that a recent study confirming that most people who are subject to required minimum IRA distributions after age 70 ½ are taking them, and not much more, fails to underscore the two reasons why that is: fear of running out of money and taxes.
The recently released survey, "IRA Withdrawals: How Much and When?" by the Employee Benefit Research Institute in Washington found that in the EBRI IRA Database, just under 21% of traditional and Roth IRA accounts had a withdrawal in 2012.
However, EBRI says that the overall IRA withdrawal percentage was largely driven by activity among traditional IRAs owned by individuals ages 70½ or older, a point at which the individuals are required by federal law to take distributions from these accounts.
For those at or above the required minimum distribution age of 70½, "the withdrawal rates at the median (midpoint) appeared close to the amount that is required to be withdrawn, though some were significantly more," the study found. "In contrast, among individuals under age 60, 10% or fewer had a withdrawal."
The EBRI IRA Database, an ongoing project that collects data from multiple IRA plan administrators, for 2012 contains information on 25.3 million accounts owned by 19.9 million unique individuals, with total assets of $2.09 trillion.
In its study, EBRI said that only withdrawals by individuals owning either traditional or Roth IRAs in the database were examined, a total of 17.7 million individuals with $1.97 trillion in assets.
The study found that for those at or above the required minimum distribution age of 70-½, the withdrawal rates at the median appeared close to the amount that is required to be withdrawn, though some were significantly more. In contrast, among individuals under age 60, 10% or fewer had a withdrawal, the study found.
When looking at the distribution of the withdrawal rates for those ages 70 or older, the study says that "the median of the three-year average withdrawal rates also show that most individuals are withdrawing at a rate that is likely to be able to sustain some level of post-retirement income from IRAs throughout their retirement years."
Furthermore, looking at withdrawal patterns over the 2010–2012 period, the EBRI analysis "suggests that the initial withdrawal rate for those in this age group appears to be at a level that these individuals are likely to continue to take."
Slott told ThinkAdvisor in an email message that retirees are likely holding back on withdrawing more because "the less they take, the longer it lasts," but also because required minimum distributions increase taxes as well as income, which "can cause even higher taxes by triggering the loss of tax benefits like exemptions, credits and deductions, which get phased out as income increases." For example, Slott says that "the higher your income, the less benefit you get from medical deductions."
Craig Copeland, EBRI senior research associate and author of the report, noted in a release that the integration of IRA data with data from employment-based defined contribution retirement accounts that is currently underway as part of initiatives associated with EBRI's Center for Research on Retirement Income "will allow for a better picture of what individuals who may have multiple retirement accounts do as they age through retirement."
Among other findings in the EBRI analysis:
Just under 21% of all traditional and Roth IRA accounts together had a withdrawal in 2012, including 24.3% of traditional accounts and 3.6% of Roth accounts.
By age, 65.4% of the individuals taking a withdrawal were ages 65 or older, and just over half (51.1%) were age 71 or older, while just 11.5% were younger than age 50. For traditional IRA owners taking a withdrawal, the age distribution followed the overall age distribution, with 67.6% age 65 or older and 53.1% age 71 or older.
In contrast, among Roth IRA owners who took a withdrawal, 44.0% were younger than 50 and only 9.8% were 71 or older. Among Roth owners who took a withdrawal, 35.6% had a balance of less than $10,000.
Related on ThinkAdvisor:


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I am a professional musician, and have been involved in the performing, teaching, collecting and publishing of Scottish traditional music for thirty years. In 2017 I was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame. I feel I inspire people around the world with an infectious way of transmitting music.
As well as informing people of my teaching activities, this website provides resources for the learning of traditional music, with tunes in various formats, tutorials, articles and downloads. Visiting my on-line store introduces you to the growing catalogue of my books, while the forum allows discussion of music with like-minded enthusiasts.


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U.S. Beach Teams Competing in Mexico and France
Kristina Harter, Communications Intern, Phone: (719) 228-6800, Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
USAV Facebook - @USA_Volleyball - @USAV Beach
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 4, 2013) – A total of four U.S. men's and women's beach volleyball teams are set to compete in the fourth leg of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit from June 6-10 in Toluca, Mexico, while one women's team will represent the U.S. at a three-day FIVB exhibition event that kicks off June 5 in Lille, France.
The U.S. beach volleyball teams of Summer Ross (San Diego, Calif.) and Heather Hughes (Fallbrook, Calif.), along with Emily Day (Torrance, Calif.) and Whitney Pavlik (Laguna Beach, Calif.) are featured among some of the top competition in the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit women's division.
Pavlik charted two silver finishes in the first three NORCECA events of 2013, while Ross captured a silver at Dominican Republic and bronze at Guatemala.
Notable rankings and experience are also offered by the U.S. men's teams of Brad Keenan (Westminster, Calif.) and John Mayer (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), and Stafford Slick (Andover, Minn.) and Casey Jennings (Las Vegas, Nev.). Keenan and Mayer finished second in the Dominican Republic, Mayer and Slick finished fourth in Guatemala, while Jennings and Slick finished fourth in the Cayman Islands.
The two U.S. men's teams will join 13 other pairs for the fourth stop of the year while the two U.S. women's team will be among 12 other duos.
The U.S. women's team of Lauren Fendrick (Carlsbad, Ind.) and Brittany Hochevar (Fowler, Colo.) will be one of four teams competing in France's FIVB exhibition event next weekend. Japan, Canada and Brazil are the other three countries that will send teams to compete.
Both events will begin with pool play and progress to the championship. The FIVB exhibition event finals are set for Sunday in France, while the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit semifinals will begin following pool play.