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June 2007
Authorizers Provide Meaningful and Transparent Oversight
All of these authorizers understand that their major responsibility to the public is to monitor their schools' academic performance and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Beyond carrying out their basic oversight responsibilities as defined in the charter law, these offices have found that ongoing and close monitoring allows them to help schools improve and helps them to make well-informed decisions about whether to renew or revoke a charter.
Each authorizer monitors its schools using a variety of methods. All require some amount of documentation, including annual reports, evidence of legal and regulatory compliance, student assessment results, and nonacademic data, such as student attendance rates and the results of parent satisfaction surveys. They also use site visits to gather additional information about compliance and students' experience in their charter schools. In each of these authorizing offices, both document collection and the site visits are informed by the office's philosophy of charter oversight. Leaders have thought through the appropriate balance between their oversight responsibilities and their duty to respect charter schools' autonomy, and they train their staff members to respect this balance every day in interactions with schools.
Use information and technology to streamline compliance
Charter schools are subject to many regulations imposed by state law.15 Each of these authorizers has found ways to streamline compliance and reporting requirements to make their state's demands more achievable for their schools, which tend to have smaller staffs and fewer leaders. For example, one of the ways these offices collect the information needed to fulfill their oversight responsibilities while respecting schools' autonomy is to be very clear up front about the information they require (such as annual reports) and the form in which they expect to receive it. New school operators know that as charter school leaders, they will be held accountable in ways that traditional district schools are not. For example, if they do not meet the terms of their charter, charter schools face possible closure. Therefore, many of these leaders report that one of the most important things their authorizer can do to help them meet their goals is to communicate their expectations up front. Chicago has found that providing information about accountability requirements early on has an additional benefit. According to Katie Weaver, the director of accountability of the Office of New Schools, "Giving the information to the schools up front really promotes their autonomy. This way they don't have to call us at the last minute to figure out how something is going to work. They can go back to the documentation they received early on and find the information and the contact person they can call to get more information."
Figure 10. Educational Service Provider Agreement (Excerpted From CMU Provider Policies)
Central Michigan University Board of Trustees
[Name of Public School Academy]
Re: [Name of Public School Academy] Educational Service Providers (ESP) Agreement with [Name of ESP]
Ladies & Gentlemen:
In my capacity as legal counsel to [Name of Public School Academy] (the "Academy"), I have represented the Academy in connection with the proposed Educational Service Provide agreement between the Academy and [Name of ESP]. As Academy legal counsel, I have reviewed copies of the following documents:
I have also reviewed other documents, instruments and Academy Board minutes related to the Provider of the Academy which are required or have been requested by the University Board prior to the issuance of the Contract. I have also reviewed the articles of incorporation and bylaws of the Academy, and originals and copies of such other documents, records, and statements of facts as deemed relevant, and I have made such other investigations and inquiries, as I have determined necessary for the purpose of rendering the opinions set fourth herein.
Based upon the foregoing, I am of the opinion that:
In addition, the Agreement does not conflict with any of the provisions of the Contract.
Very truly yours,
Education Service Provider Policies
Staff members in the Massachusetts office have invested a considerable amount of time and thought in revising and improving the materials they give to schools to explain their oversight and monitoring system. The Opening Procedures Handbook is an example of their guidance, rich with detailed information about what schools need to do in order to meet a host of state regulations and requirements. In order to make such guidance more accessible and useful, staff members have included task checklists, due dates, and sidebars with crucial information highlighted. (See fig. 11 for an excerpted checklist.) Written in a straightforward style, the documents avoid heavy use of jargon and frequently refer readers who need more detail about a specific topic to additional sources of information. These sources include written materials as well as contacts within the Massachusetts office who can answer questions about a specific topic.
The Massachusetts office also has produced several documents that explain how it monitors schools to see that they are meeting the terms of their charters. These documents are intended to clarify the schools' responsibilities from the outset. One document gives readers an overview of the entire monitoring process. Organized in a series of action steps, the Guidelines for Writing Charter School Accountability Plans16 takes the reader from the beginning of the process, submitting an application, through writing an accountability plan, submitting annual reports on the school's progress in meeting accountability goals, preparing for annual site visits, and finally applying for charter renewal and participating in a lengthy renewal inspection.
Authorizers in Michigan have considerable oversight responsibilities, in large part because state law requires charter schools to adhere to many of the same regulations and policies that govern traditional district schools. To ease the reporting burden on its schools, the Charter Schools office at CMU commissioned the design of an electronic system to track and maintain information regarding schools' compliance. The Authorizers Oversight Information System (AOIS) allows authorizers and schools access to an online compliance recordkeeping system, provides a daily account of a school's compliance status, and helps track school performance and academic achievement. AOIS is also an electronic filing system, so every document associated with a school is readily available from any location.
Figure 11. Sample From Massachusetts Department of Education Opening Procedures Handbook
Action Items - Governance
Obtain a sufficient number of copies of the Administrative and Governance Guide for each board member and the school leader(s).
Submit Organizational Chart to the Charter School Office.
Complete Board recruitment so that minimum membership requirement (as defined by the bylaws) are met.
Submit a letter requesting approval of new members of the Board of Trustees to the Charter School Office.
Submit a resume for each of the proposed Board of Trustee members to the Charter School Office.
Submit an original financial disclosure form (for the previous calendar year) for each of the proposed Board of Trustee members to the Charter School Office.
Prepare bylaws.
Self-assess bylaws using the Guidance for Charter School Bylaws checklist (Appendix A).
Obtain Board of Trustee approval of bylaws.
Submit Board of Trustee-approved by laws to the Charter School Office for DOE review.
Action Items - Enrollment Policies and Application for Admission
Self-assess the Enrollment Policy and Application for Admission.
Obtain Board of Trustee approval of Enrollment Policy and Application for Admission.
Submit Board-approved Enrollment Policy and an Application for Admission to the Charter School Office for DOE approval.
Action Item - Management Contract (if applicable)
Submit the Management Contract to the Charter School Office to begin the process of Department of Education Review, as detailed on page 32 of the Administrative and Governance Guide.
Action Items - Student Learning Time
Carefully read MGL Ch. 69 § 1(g), MGL Ch. 71 § 29, and 603 CMR 27.00.
Prepare annual school calendar and student schedule, consistent with 603 CMR 27.00 and the school's charter application.
Obtain Board of Trustee approval of school calendar and schedule.
Submit Board-approved school calendar and sample student schedule to the Charter School Office for review.
The Ferris State University (FSU) charter office adopted the AOIS system in 2003. One of the first documents that FSU-authorized schools receive after they are granted a charter is a copy of the year's "Master Calendar," a comprehensive document that contains every compliance and reporting deadline that the school is expected to meet throughout the year. As one school principal remarked, "This calendar is what keeps us on top of knowing what's coming and when. Otherwise, I'd have to be thinking about it all the time. The master calendar makes it so much easier." Using the AOIS system, schools submit their compliance documentation electronically and receive periodic reminders through an electronic calendar—for example, "In seven days, your board minutes will be due." FSU also reviews monthly bank check registers from each school, and requires a quarterly financial statement. Both are submitted electronically by each school and managed at FSU in the AOIS software. The electronic system enables FSU staff to quickly identify schools that are experiencing academic, financial, or compliance challenges.
With regard to academic performance, FSU also communicated clear expectations for student testing and annual performance goals. It makes extensive use of a Web site provided by the state department of education to track student scores on Michigan Education Assessment Program tests. With up-to-date performance data at their fingertips, FSU staff members monitor student achievement gains at each of their schools and can quickly identify and assist those schools that face academic challenges.
The SUNY Institute-authorized charter schools also receive a master calendar at the beginning of their charter term that provides a deadline for every document and a date for each site visit that is required, by both the SUNY Institute and the New York State Education Department, during the course of the school's charter term. Evidence of compliance with regulatory and legal requirements (pertaining to facilities, enrollment, grades served, open meetings, teacher certification, and NCLB requirements) is reviewed each year in the form of annual reports. The SUNY Institute provides sample reports for schools to follow and collects the majority of documents in hard copy form. Because it shares oversight duties with the New York State Education Department, the SUNY Institute also works to alert its charter schools to issues to which the New York State Education Department pays close attention to, such as fingerprinting of staff, so that when the information is required, the charter schools will be ready.
"Once we have approved a school, it really is our school. We want to work with them. The whole goal is that they are effective. That's why we try to be as transparent as we can from the very beginning, treat schools with respect, and have reciprocity in the relationship to the degree that we can as their authorizer."—Jennifer Sneed, Senior Vice President of the SUNY Charter Schools Institute
Use site visits strategically
While these organizations collect a lot of information regarding performance and compliance through electronic and paper submissions, relying solely on written documentation would not provide them with a comprehensive view of their schools. The majority of these offices also use focused site visits to gather information that is only apparent on-site at the school. The offices differed in the number and timing of visits, but most agreed that the visits were an effective monitoring tool.
The VOA of MN charter office conducts more site visits than many other offices—four per year. Two visits are informal, and two visits are formal in that the reviewers keep to a set protocol and follow up with a written report. According to Justin Testerman of VOA of MN, when he walks into a school for a visit, he is "looking to see if the reality is consistent with the information in the reports and other materials I have been reading." often, he can determine this quickly through observation. Is the student work on the walls regularly updated? Are students engaged and attentive? If the answer to such questions is no, he will bring it to the attention of the school leaders and ask them to explain why there is a discrepancy in information provided in reports and site visit observations.
California's charter division has invested a great deal of staff time in refining its site visit protocols. Because of limitations on the office's travel budget and the great distance between Sacramento and most board-authorized charter schools, schools typically receive one preopening site visit and one additional site visit per year from a member of California's charter division staff. These site visits follow a detailed protocol that has been developed with the help of external consultants. Staff members report that this one visit per year provides them with the information they need to make sound accountability decisions. The division also uses Web-based software to provide a virtual forum for state-authorized charter schools to check in with division staff and access twoway technical assistance.
California's preopening site visit mainly addresses the adequacy of the facility: Will it effectively and safely hold students and staff on the first day of school? (See fig. 12 for an excerpt from CDE's preopening site inspection checklist.) Subsequent visits assess the school's progress in governance and organizational management, education performance, fiscal operations, and fulfillment of the terms of the charter. The primary purpose of these visits is to assess the student achievement plan, perform a facility inspection, and review records (e.g., student attendance, financial, personnel). Visits typically involve an interview with the school director, staff, students, parents, and board members, and focus on teaching and learning through observation of classroom instruction. Written reports from the site visits inform the California office's decisions about charter renewal. If the school is having trouble, the frequency of visits generally increases.
Rather than rely on internal staff to conduct site visits, FSU's authorizing office hires four "field representatives"—retired principals, administrators, and district superintendents—to conduct site visits. These field representatives are responsible for four schools each, and they conduct at least six site visits to each of their schools per year, attend at least six meetings of the schools' boards per year, and submit written reports to the FSU authorizing staff with information about the school's climate, classroom instruction, parental involvement, facility conditions, and any concerns that require immediate attention or continued monitoring. In addition, staff members from FSU also visit the school informally, both announced and unannounced. In all, schools see someone from FSU, either a field representative or a full-time staff member, at least 12 times per year, on average. The use of field representatives allows FSU staff members to have a good sense of what is happening in its schools without having to dedicate office staff to constant travel. (See fig. 13 for field representative's job description.)
Figure 12. Excerpt From California Department of Education's Preopening Site Inspection Checklist
|General Considerations
|Facilities are sufficient to accommodate
Estimated student enrollment and to
Carry out the curricular and instruction Program envisioned in the charter.
|__Yes __No
|Site has adequate space for the support services the school intends to provide to Its students (i.e. nurse counselors, tutors, after-school programs, etc).
|__Yes __No
|Facilities include cafeteria or other suitable space for students to eat meals
|__Yes __No
|Building placement is compatible (i.e. music room is not next to library).
|__Yes __No
|Facilities are generally conducive to a learning environment.
|__Yes __No
|Site is away from freeways, railways, Flight patterns, excessive noise, Obnoxious odors, toxic, conditions Electromagnetic fields, earthquake faults, flood zones.
|__Yes __No
|Site has good access and dispersal roads.
|__Yes __No
|Site has separate bus loading, parking areas, and parent drop off areas.
|__Yes __No
|Facilities operation permits and certificates, including evidence of inspection by a structural engineer, fire marshal and occupancy certificates, zoning variances, building permits, etc. have been secured.
|__Yes __No
|Site has good access and dispersal roads.
|__Yes __No
|Facilities are sufficient to accommodate The administrative and business Functions, including the storage of Student and other records, reports, and documents.
|__Yes __No
|Facilities meet requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Including (1) accessible routes from Outside the school to entry and from the school entry to all the other buildings, and (2) stairs, ramps, toilets and signage that meet accessibility standards.
|__Yes __No
|Site and facilities are situated to minimize student contact with adults who do not have appropriate clearances as required by Education Cod Section 44237.
|__Yes __No
|Relocatable facilities are single story and meet local seismic safety requirements.
|__Yes __No
|Site has appropriate security (i.e. fencing, adequate lighting, alarms, etc.).
|__Yes __No
|Facilities are clean, sanitary, and free from conditions that would create a fire or other hazard.
|__Yes __No
|Building Exterior
|Facilities are generally free of chipped Paint, cracked floors, uneven surfaces mold and evidence of leaks.
|__Yes __No
|Sidewalks, driveways, and outdoor play areas are relatively free of crack and uneven surfaces, and are good repair.
|__Yes __No
|Perimeter fences are installed as necessary and are in good repair.
|__Yes __No
|Graffiti or other signs of vandalism to the building are absent.
|__Yes __No
|School exterior needs minimal cosmetic repairs, painting, or additional lighting.
|__Yes __No
|Window and doors are intact and in good repair.
|__Yes __No
|Exterior stairs or handrails are in good repair.
|__Yes __No
|Exits to buildings are free of obstructions.
|__Yes __No
The charter school staff of the mayor's office in Indianapolis also uses external teams for many of its school visits. The authorizing staff members conduct an initial preopening site visit to allow them to get to know the school administration, see the facility, and determine whether the school is in compliance to open. Thereafter, a group of experts (including current and former teachers, administrators, and district superintendents) from the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning at the University of Indianapolis conducts formal site visits to each school annually. The office uses these external teams because staff members have found that schools are more likely to use the improvement- oriented feedback they receive when the schools do not feel they are being targeted by the authorizing staff. Recurring visits by the same team gives schools an incentive to address problems because they know the team will be coming back to see improvements. Authorizing staff also frequently drop in at schools unannounced for informal visits or to pick up paperwork. These visits are helpful for fostering communication, bringing issues to the office staff's attention, and reminding schools of their upcoming deadlines.
Several schools report that their authorizer's site visits, when well structured and announced in advance, serve as a recurring incentive to reflect on school performance and collect information schools themselves will use. Unannounced and less formal site visits also allow school leaders and staff an opportunity to display their accomplishments and ask questions or share their concerns with the authorizing staff.
Approach oversight with a sense of purpose and respect for schools' autonomy
Each of these authorizers has carefully developed a point of view about how to balance adequate oversight with respect for schools' autonomy. Their approaches are different, but each office has an oversight philosophy that promotes the development of a monitoring process that is thorough but also safeguards schools' freedom to experiment with new approaches to governance, curriculum, and instruction. Having a philosophy about how to manage the monitoring-autonomy balance also has allowed these offices to develop their own approaches to another complex factor that is inherent in the authorizer's role: how to balance staff members' natural desire to offer support with the need to maintain their role as objective evaluators.
At FSU, staff members are so aware of the need to maintain this balance that they regularly refer to it as "The Line," which is their way of describing the border between adequate oversight and infringing upon schools' autonomy as well as between providing necessary assistance to schools versus running the schools' day-to-day operations. This "line" comes up during every staff meeting and is a part of every policy decision in the office. Before providing assistance, for example, staff members ask themselves whether they are setting a precedent: Is this something they should do for the school or is this something the school should do for itself? Staff members acknowledge that the line differs with every school; those that run into trouble receive more assistance and greater oversight from the authorizer, while those that are doing well require less. Staff members believe that this balance between oversight and autonomy in every policy decision and in their relationship with each individual school helps FSU maintain a strong and healthy authorizing relationship with its schools.
Figure 13. Ferris State University Field Representative Job Description
|Charter Schools Office Field Representative(s)
|January 2, 2003
|Charter Schools
|At Will
|Part Time
SUMMARY OF FUNCTION: Represent the Ferris State University Charter Schools Office to public school academies authorized by Ferris State University's Boar of Trustees. Field Representative(s) will attend academy board of directors meetings, visit observe academy classrooms and administrative operations and submit written reports to the Charter Schools Office.
CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES include the following . Other duties may be assigned.
- During the fiscal year, attend at least six (6) board of director's meetings for each assigned academy.
- Submit a written summary report of each board of directors meeting attended within five (5) days of the meeting.
- During the academic year (September - June), make at least six (6) visits to each assigned academy and observe the instructional process and/or administrative procedures.
- Submit a written summary report of each visit within five (5) days of the visit.
- Immediately report to the Charter Schools Office any activity, that the Field Representatives believes, may be illegal, inappropriate, a safety hazard, or other, unusual circumstance. Such a report should be made by telephone, fax, or e-mail, without delay. A written summery of the circumstances prompting the report is to be submitted within five (5) days.
- Attend scheduled Field Representative meetings with the Charter Schools Office Staff.
- Attend FSU Board of Trustees meetings when requested
- Attend workshops and other training related to charter schools.
III. RESPONSIBILITIES: Reports directly to the Director of Charter Schools. Responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of designated information. Performs all duties in compliance with applicable University policies and procedures and state and federal requirements.
IV. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, abilities and skills may be considered. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Minimum: Bachelors degree in education.
Preferred: Masters degree in education or related field.
Ability to:
- Make sound decisions within parameters of authority.
- Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
- Be tactful and courteous at all times.
- Handle confidential material.
- Attend meeting in inner-city areas at night.
Work Experience
Minimum: Three years of classroom teaching experience and demonstrated experience with managerial and organizational responsibilities in K-12 education.
This description is intended to indicate the kinds of tasks and levels of work difficulty that will be required of this position. It is not intended to limit or in any way to modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct and control the work of employees under his/her supervision. The use of a particular illustration shall not be used to exclude non-listed duties of similar kind or level of difficulty.
At the Massachusetts Charter School Office, staff members face a similar struggle to preserve their objectivity as authorizers and not step into too much of a supportive role with schools. Schools frequently call individual staff members for help with everything from filling out the application to selecting an external auditor. When faced with such questions, Director Mary Street advises staff members to resist the urge to offer advice. As she defines it, their role is to "hold a mirror up to the schools." That is, all of their monitoring processes are designed to help schools see their own strengths and weaknesses, but not to offer them specific advice about how they should respond to these challenges. Therefore, to do their job well, staff members need to focus on improving these processes so they can provide the schools with the most accurate "mirror" possible. According to Street, offering specific advice not only compromises her staff's role as evaluators, but also means her office could be held accountable down the line for decisions that the schools make because of her staff's advice.
In Chicago, charter schools themselves are very definitive about the kind of assistance they request from their authorizer. Beatriz Rendon, executive director of the Department of New School Support in Chicago, offers this analysis: "As a group, the charter schools in Chicago are very aware of their autonomy." According to Rendon, several of the schools have expressed concerns that the most recent staff reorganization in her office might lead to a loss of independence on the part of the schools. "They were really afraid," she reports, "that we would come in and start telling them you have to do this kind of curriculum; you have to do this professional development." As a result of this climate, charter schools in Chicago are less likely to turn to CPS for advice about their school programs and more likely to ask about compliance issues. The majority of the phone calls the charter office receives are inquiries about issues such as funding, facilities, or special education requirements. Rarely does a school call to ask for advice or feedback related to the school's educational program.
Staff members at SUNY Institute say they are very conscious of the dilemma of finding the right balance between providing oversight versus going too far and impinging on a school's autonomy. With every report, piece of documentation, and site visit they require of their schools, the SUNY Institute staff members ask themselves, "Is this [information] convenient for us, or is it good for the school?" Over the years they have been tempted to increase their compliance requirements and lengthen their site visit protocol in order to gather additional information about their schools' day-to-day operations, but they have tried to resist this temptation by consistently revisiting the purposes of their oversight: to ensure that schools are meeting their performance, regulatory, and legal obligations and to provide information that the schools can use to help themselves improve.
All of these authorizers require different levels of reporting about the schools' financial condition. At one end of the spectrum, officials in the California charter division require schools to submit a preliminary budget, two interim budgets, and annual audits. other offices require a bit more reporting: the SUNY Institute-authorized schools must submit evidence of fiscal compliance periodically throughout the term of their charter (including a five-year projected budget, one-year cash flow projection, annual audits, and quarterly financial statements). Requirements in Indianapolis are similar: Schools are required to submit quarterly financial reports to the mayor's office and conduct an annual audit. Staff members in the mayor's office review these data closely to determine whether or not the school is financially sound. FSU monitors schools even more frequently and closely. Staff members there review monthly check registries from each school and require quarterly financial statements and annual budgets and audits. At 36 months into their charter term, schools also must submit a statement regarding their assets and liabilities. In order to reduce the reporting burden that this could potentially place on schools, staff members at FSU have focused their efforts on developing an electronic reporting system that allows schools to submit all required documents automatically.


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Mr. Palmer of VT stated on a thread a couple months back that anyone who said he could stop swarming was either a lier or a fool. He is a respected authority here on the forums. So, the statement must be true. Since I'm one of those persons who claims to stop swarming, I must be one or the other.
I'm not a lier. Learned as youngster that if one conducts himself in manner that he not ashamed of, there is never a reason to lie. Not many among us that can say truthfully that we didn't tell our parents a fib in our rebellious teen years.
That leaves a fool. After reflecting on that question for some time, I think I might qualify as a fool. I have a history of poor investments in marriage, business, and personal health. My beekeeping time has poor judgements in all of those categories. When I had a reliable swarm prevention system, abandoned my original objective of supplemental retirement income. Thought other beekeepers ought to know about it. Very naive! Not only did they not want know about it, they were quite abusive about telling me so. But I persist. Foolish, no?

subset: commoncrawl


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I was recently out with my grandparents at a outdoor supply store and saw they had
In the first pic the one on the far right is 36"i forgot what the others are.
My Question which one of these would be the right one and/or are they correct?
(Sorry if my picture are too big let me kno if/how I need to change them)


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Living a healthy and active life takes a lot of extra work as a parent. But with the help of an arsenal of gadgets and apps I've found it's possible to gain an advantage in this daily battle. I am a parent of three girls all under the age of six which means my attention is split between a barrage of demands. It's hard to be a good parent, involved father, and physical fitness book-keeper at the same time. These specific tasks are not mutually exclusive but I figured that there were tools to make the overall process more efficient.
My goal was to find a way to track what went into my body and track the calories I was able to burn off throughout the day. The experiment that I was going to run was to test the popular hypothesis that the best way to influence dietary change is to be aware of what you're eating and in what quantities. So I needed to find a way to easily track my intake and the second half of the plan was to monitor my activity. So I did what any other person would do in my situation. I took the advice of fitness celebrities and random people on the internet. Continue Reading "Tech That Helps Me With Healthy Living" »


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Finding the positive in tragedy
Posted 05 May 2012 - 12:10 AM
I am 27 weeks pregnant with g/g twins for a single mother (1st time surro). Unfortunately and unexpectedly, the mother died when I was only about two months along. She had surgery on her foot, caught a simple bacterial skin infection that her doctor did not properly treat, and died a few days later. It was truly devastating, however, her family has been so supportive and uplifting through it all. Her younger sister will become the new mother of these little angels. My poor agency is scrambling to get the legal aspects of this situation ironed out.
In the mean time, with the exception of extreme nausea until 20 weeks, things in the pregnancy have gone well. On April 26th I went in for my monthly ultrasound. The babies looked so great! My cervical length did not. I had gone from 3.5 to .9. I was immediately admitted and discovered I had been having contractions. Next they started me on Procardia, an IV of mag sulfate and indocin. I am dialated to a loose 1 and 80% effaced. I felt terrible on the mag, but was only on it for a day thankfully. I'm also off of the indocin. I'm very happy to be unhooked from everything and allowed to shower and use the restroom!
So now we wait. I have uterine irritability and typically get one strong contraction an hour. Today I had some menstrual like cramps for an hour, but they subsided. I've been told I'll be here until I deliver which feels overwhelming since I have 9 and 5 year old boys at home, and a hubby I miss terribly. I can handle the boredom, it's the loneliness of missing my family that's been the hardest.
My goal is to hang on as long as possible so I can give this family healthy girls that will carry on their mother's legacy. So....anyone on hospital bed rest for possibly months? Anyone ever had an IP pass away? Tell me your stories or ask me any questions. I'm an open book!
Posted 05 May 2012 - 04:55 AM
Posted 05 May 2012 - 06:19 AM
I am so sorry for the loss of your IM. That has to be the worst fear of every surrogate. However, she is living on through you, or within you! Her family will have two little ones that will look like and remind them of her every single day. It's not the same, but sometimes a comfort.
I wish you the best. Rent a LOT of movies
Posted 05 May 2012 - 08:30 AM
Posted 05 May 2012 - 08:45 AM
I'm glad you are staying strong and optimistic. I'm very thankful that the family stepping up and they have halted the labor.
I'm an IF and I am (sadly) in the process of making funeral arrangements. Our GS went into labor at 23 weeks.
Perhaps your IM and our children will be together in Heaven.
Stay strong - keep your chin up
Keep us posted.
Posted 05 May 2012 - 11:29 AM
I've never experienced bedrest. I can only imagine the loneliness being apart from loved ones for an extended time. I hope you are able keep those precious angels growing a bit longer.
Posted 05 May 2012 - 11:50 AM
Posted 05 May 2012 - 12:04 PM
Posted 05 May 2012 - 01:47 PM
Posted 05 May 2012 - 01:55 PM
Posted 05 May 2012 - 09:27 PM
Hang in there!! Will be thinking about you!
Posted 05 May 2012 - 10:26 PM
Posted 06 May 2012 - 05:45 PM
Posted 06 May 2012 - 06:21 PM
OMG how horrible! I'm so sorry about your IM. Thankfully her family is stepping up knowing what her wishes were. And you poor thing being on bedrest with a hubby and little ones at home. I've never been placed on bedrest but I'm sure it gets boring. Do you have a kindle?
Posted 06 May 2012 - 06:25 PM
OMG how horrible! I'm so sorry about your IM. Thankfully her family is stepping up knowing what her wishes were. And you poor thing being on bedrest with a hubby and little ones at home. I've never been placed on bedrest but I'm sure it gets boring. Do you have a kindle?
The new IM surprised me with an iPad and told me to think of it as bribery to keep these little girls in as long as possible. It's been so nice to have! I've been able to Skype or do Facetime with my family on the days they.can't visit.
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I heard that here are german Fetts aswell.
As I am a german TDH member too, I am looking for the correct paints used for the ESB helmet. I doubt to get the colors listed in Rogue Studios´ List over here in germany so maybe someone based in germany can help out?
I wanna go for my helmet by layered technique incl. fluid masking using rattlecan colors.
If there´s no chance to get the correct colors over here maybe someone from US can make me an offer for sending the correct rattlecan colors incl. shipping? That would be very nice!
Hope to get feedback from german members and US members as well.
Thanks a lot!


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Pregnancy Prevention Program in Acne Drug Users Ineffective »
"Women who receive the potent teratogen isotretinoin for acne control have inadequate adherence to pregnancy prevention, according to a study published online April 25 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
"The current is"...
Read the Pregnancy Prevention Program in Acne Drug Users Ineffective article »
(drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol/levomefolate calcium tablets and levomefolate calcium tablets)
Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular events from combination oral contraceptives (COC) use. This risk increases with age, particularly in women over 35 years of age, and with the number of cigarettes smoked. For this reason, COCs should not be used by women who are over 35 years of age and smoke [see CONTRAINDICATIONS].
Safyral (drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol/levomefolate calcium tablets and levomefolate calcium tablets) provides an oral contraceptive regimen consisting of 28 film-coated tablets that contain the active ingredients specified for each tablet below:
- 21 orange tablets each containing 3 mg DRSP, 0.03 mg EE as betadex clathrate, and 0.451 mg levomefolate calcium
- 7 light orange tablets each containing 0.451 mg levomefolate calcium
The inactive ingredients in the orange tablets are lactose monohydrate NF, microcrystalline cellulose NF, croscarmellose sodium NF, hydroxypropyl cellulose USP, magnesium stearate NF, hypromellose USP, titanium dioxide USP, talc USP, polyethylene glycol NF, ferric oxide pigment, yellow NF, and ferric oxide pigment, red NF. The light orange film-coated tablets contain 0.451 mg of levomefolate calcium. The inactive ingredients in the light orange tablets are lactose monohydrate NF, microcrystalline cellulose NF, croscarmellose sodium NF, hydroxypropyl cellulose NF, magnesium stearate NF, hypromellose USP, titanium dioxide USP, talc USP, polyethylene glycol NF and ferric oxide pigment, yellow NF, and ferric oxide pigment, red NF.
Drospirenone (6R,7R,8R,9S,10R,13S,14S,15S,16S,17S)-1,3',4',6,6a,7,8,9,10,11,12,13, 14,15,15a,16-hexadecahydro10,13-dimethylspiro-[17H-dicyclopropa-[6,7:15,16] cyclopenta[a]phenanthrene-17,2'(5H)-furan]-3,5'(2H)-dione) is a synthetic progestational compound and has a molecular weight of 366.5 and a molecular formula of C24H30O3.
Ethinyl estradiol (19-nor-17α-pregna 1,3,5(10)-triene-20-yne-3,17-diol) is a synthetic estrogenic compound and has a molecular weight of 296.4 and a molecular formula of C20H24O2.
Levomefolate calcium (N-[4-[[(2-amino-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydro-5-methyl-4-oxo-(6S)-pteridinyl)methyl]amino]benzoyl]L-glutamic acid, calcium salt) is a synthetic calcium salt of L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate (L-5-methyl-THF), which is a metabolite of vitamin B9 and has a molecular weight of 497.5 and a molecular formula of C20H23CaN7O6.
The structural formulas are as follows:
What are the possible side effects of this medication (Beyaz, Safyral)?
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Stop using birth control pills and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:
- sudden numbness or weakness, sudden and severe headache, confusion, problems with vision or speech;
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What are the precautions when taking drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol/levomefolate calcium tablets and levomefolate (Safyral)?
See also Warning section.
Before taking this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to drospirenone, ethinyl estradiol, or folate supplements; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details.
Before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: adrenal gland problems, blood clots (for example, in the legs, eyes, lungs), blood clotting disorders (such as protein C or protein S deficiency), high blood pressure, high cholesterol or triglyceride (blood fat) levels, abnormal breast exam, cancer (especially endometrial or breast cancer), depression, diabetes, gallbladder problems,...
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text:
Was able to peak in on three of the hives today and they are still alive.
Didn't bother the Nuc because of how strong they have been.
If in-Accurateweather's predictions are close, the multiple days in a row of freezing temps are almost over.
I am in envy, Allen. We hit 40 today with rain and fog. Based on how loud the humming is coming from the hives I would say they are doing well.
Today temps got into the 50's and the girls were out flying, it sure felt good.
I know the nice temps in February are welcomed but we will pay for it in the end.
Brian Cardinal
Zone 5a, Practicing non-intervention beekeeping
I have a large silver maple out back and the buds at the top are starting to open. Looks like the top buds are three times the size of the buds toward the bottom. Seems a little early to me ,still waiting for the robins to show up.
We noticed a lot of hives the populations dwindled to the point it appears they could not generate enough numbers to keep warm, and then could not move to stores. Don't know if the queens could not get mated properly or they shut down brood very early and just didn't have enough young bees going into winter.
We also had problems with robbing in the fall. I will say this, my nucs with Carniolan queens from Tim Service, made it through the winter, despite being robbed heavy at times.
Checked my last surviving hive today and it I'd dead. I lost all four of my hives this winter. I had 2 full size hives and 2 nucs. On the bright side, I now have lots of drawn comb.
My neighborhood has tons of silver maples. Last winter, my first winter with bees, they really benefitted from the maples. Im hoping for a nice boost again this year. Looking forward to a warm day when Im off work to check stores and get an idea how my NUC is doing. It still has a pulse.
I hope it warms up soon. Not just for the bees but for me too. I'm ready for a spring. I lost few so far 4 or 5 out o f twenty. No sign of nosema according to my microscope samples. I think they just must not have been strong enough. As of yesterday they were looking good buzzing around. Now new losses. I am excited for the upcoming year.
I stopped in at my friend's house yesterday afternoon. He has 5 hives in Northampton County, PA and another 10 in New Jersey right where I-78 crosses the Delaware River. He was telling me that his bees were out flying this past Saturday. I live only about 15 miles from him. He is on the southern side of the Blue Mountain and I'm on the Northern side. The difference in temperature in those 15 miles was 12 degrees. While his bees enjoyed a nice 50 degree day, mine were all snuggled up inside.
The weather outlook for the next 10 days does not look good for the Pocono Mts. area. Two of those days are calling for highs of 42 and the rest are in the 20's and 30's. I checked on my 4 hives yesterday....some loud humming going on.
I did a quick check Friday afternoon of 2 hives at home and one is looking GREAT (cluster was about 10-12" diameter in a single, 7 frame deep box with some capped stores on top of the frames) while the other seems to have a smaller cluster than I'd like to see. There were a ton of bees dead on the bottom board which I didn't like to see. I think ventilation was an issue. I didn't know that the hole on the bottom was clogged leaving next to no air coming in other than the reduced entrance on top. So we'll see how things are in a month or so.
delber....are you using IPM bottoms? I'm using them with the mite tray in all the way and popsicle sticks below and above the inner cover. The popsicle sticks give a 1/8th gap for perfect ventilation. I've had very few dead bees this winter.
I'm actually using solid bottoms that I drilled a hole in and put 1/8" hardware cloth over to give ventilation. I'm using upper entrances so if I don't have a hole in the bottom water can build up and drown the bees. The hole was blocked with a couple dead (moldy) bees. I hadn't checked this hive really except popping the top since about October or so. I think the mountain camp method may be messing up things. I am seeing now that the sugar is awfully wet on top. Last year I wrapped the hives so once I put the sugar on I never went in until I was unwrapping them. It may be that the moisture is coming in from the sides, but if the cluster is putting off this much moisture I'm amazed!!! I did spray the sugar slightly near the entrance so that it didn't roll and close the hive off, but I'm still surprised that it's SOOO wet. I think this may be the reason for all of the dead bees. It may be that the sugar dripped back into the hive on top of the bees. That could be what did all of them in. For now there's a cluster there still, but it is small. So we'll see how they pull through.
Always remember that it's not the cold that will kill your bees, it's the moisture. That is, no doubt, why your bees are dying. You may want to consider converting to the IPM bottoms. You can even convert your existing bottoms to a screened bottom by cutting out the center and adding #5 hardware cloth. Your hives need to breath and if the dead bees are clogging your vent holes, it is defeating the purpose. If the holes are clogged, you won't have any air flow through the hives and will have a dead air space which is a prime factor for mold. Plus, as you stated, you are using top entrances rather than a bottom entrance which also limits any air intake on the bottom.
I haven't been able to look inside my hives since early December because of the cold, but I am seeing very few dead bees around the entrances. Before December, I started to notice some mold forming on the underside of the inner covers. That is when I inserted the popsicle sticks. We have had some very cold temps here with whole weeks in the single digits to teens as highs for the day, but the bees are doing well.
Recommend that on the very next day that you can get into your hives that you slightly raise your inner and outer covers. If you can't change your bottoms, add a popsicle stick between the rear corners of your bottom board and lower brood chamber. This will raise it slightly enough to generate air flow. See if this rectifies your problem.
Spring is in sight. You'd hate to lose your colonies so close to the finish line.
Last edited by MaydayMalone; 02-20-2013 at 08:28 AM.
Thanks for your thoughts Mayday. I will seek to do something like this soon. It may be next year also that I won't use the mountain camp method as it seems that this has been the issue for me. (at least not until late in the winter when I know they're low on stores) I do have to agree with you about your conclusion though. I do think it was moisture that did them in. There was another hive that died early fall and I think this was the same reason. Man that's a stinky way to learn!!! I hate to loose good hives!!!
Well, my NUC with the small cluster finally gave up the ghost this week. I checked on them today. I made up the NUC much too late in the season and knew I would be lucky to get them through. This year all NUCs I plan to overwinter will be made in the Summer, no later than early July to give them time to strengthen up.
My two hives at home are still alive, will check on my other two at my brother's place tomorrow.
Another sad discovery.
The Nuc is dead.
While going through the supers I noticed there appeared to be two clusters. One in the third (top) deep and one in the middle deep.
It looked strong earlier this month and had food. They even had some sugar left on top of the inner cover.
This is a four frame Nuc with three deeps and now have 12 additional frames of comb and capped honey for Spring.
50% loss so far.


text:
Non-Contributory Plan With Guaranteed Benefits
For ERS Tier 2 Members
(Sections 75-d and 75-e)
Prior to Retirement
The death benefit is equal to your salary multiplied by your years of service, not to exceed three years of salary. For example, if you die after one year of service, your beneficiary would receive a benefit equal to one year of your salary; if you die after two years, your beneficiary would receive a benefit equal to two years of your salary; and if you die after three or more years of service, your beneficiary would receive a benefit equal to three years of your salary. The salary is limited by Section 130 of the Civil Service Law.
If you are in service at age 61, your death benefit will be reduced by 4 percent and will be further reduced by 4 percent each year you continue to be in service, up to age 70. It will not be reduced below 60 percent of the ordinary death benefit payable.
If you joined before January 1, 2001, chose a different death benefit, and die while in active service, your beneficiary will be paid the greater of the two death benefits.
If you are a vested member with at least ten years of credited service, have not retired and you die more than one year after leaving public employment, 50 percent of the death benefit may still be payable. This benefit is also payable if you die within one year of leaving covered service but were gainfully employed during that time.
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There is a post-retirement death benefit if you:
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The post-retirement death benefit is calculated at retirement. During your first year of retirement, the benefit is 50 percent of the ordinary death benefit payable at retirement; during your second year of retirement, the benefit is 25 percent. During your third year and thereafter, the benefit will be 10 percent of the ordinary death benefit that would have been payable at age 60, if any, or at retirement, whichever was earlier.
Retirement at age 62 with a salary of $30,000
|$30,000 × 3
|= $90,000
|(reduction for working after age 60)
|− 7,200
|(ordinary death benefit at retirement)
|= $82,800
1st year of retirement (50 percent of ordinary death benefit): $41,400
2nd year of retirement (25 percent of ordinary death benefit): $20,700
After 2nd year of retirement (10 percent of benefit at age 60): $9,000


text:
Units of Study
EUST4011 - European Studies Honours A
Semester 1, 2014 | Credit Points: 12
Coordinator: Peter Morgan
The Honours program in European Studies consists of:
1. a thesis written under the supervision of one or more members of academic staff
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The thesis should be of 18000 - 20000 words in length. Each seminar requires 6000 - 8000 words of written work or its equivalent.
The thesis is worth 60% of the final Honours mark and each of the seminars is worth 20%.
Students should consult with the Director of European Studies, Professor Morgan, regarding seminar offerings in 2014 For more information, contact Prof Peter Morgan, Director of European Studies.
A thesis of 18000 - 12000 words and 6000 - 8000 words of written work or its equivalent for each seminar.
Two seminars, each seminar meets weekly for 2 hours for one semester
A credit average or above in 48 senior credit points in European Studies, including completion of the major.
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text: Working in a commercial apiary and have just ventured into queen rearing on a small scale (70 nucs/week) to meet our needs for pollination and honey hives. We have 210 nucs split into a 3 week rotation and we generally run between 65-80 percent success on a weekly basis. The majority of failures(~70%) have no queen, most of the rest have virgins and we get the odd laying worker. This seems like an awful lot of queens getting lost, eaten, etc. on mating flights, could hive identity/drift be an issue? The failures are not randomly distributed through the yard which is puzzling-- This Week I started with 12 successes in a row, then 3/15, then 21/23, then 1/8, then 12/12 as I moved across the yard. Similar patchiness of success in other yards. Any ideas? The weather seems to be the biggest source of variation on a week to week basis, but the clustering of failures in the yards has me stumped. As its a new part of our operation there is heaps to learn-- so I guess I'm asking what sort of success rates can be expected from queen rearing-- and more importantly how do you get there.


text:
Mathieu Lehanneur:
Science-inspired design
Naming science as his chief inspiration, Mathieu Lehanneur shows a selection of his ingenious designs — an interactive noise-neutralizing ball, an antibiotic course in one layered pill, asthma treatment that reminds kids to take it, a living air filter, a living-room fish farm and more.
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text: My names is Cody and I live in Derby, Kansas and just getting into the scene but already loving every bit of it. Here's some of my bikes so far. My First attempt at a swing bike 20" Huffy Hot Liner 26" Huffy Cranbrook Western Flyer Stingray Chopper with 26" front wheel Stretched Manta Ray Eliminator and Bratz Bike American Flyer Steering Wheel


text:
News Release
Council Roundup: Police chief reassures council
Also, new web portal for B & O tax collection in the works
Embarrassing incidents reportedly involving off-duty Bellevue police officers before and during a Sept. 16 Seattle Seahawks game will be thoroughly investigated, Police Chief Linda Pillo told the City Council Monday.
"I want to assure you that I share your concern about the reported actions of these officers," Chief Pillo said. "The incidents have been embarrassing and disheartening."
When the department's Office of Professional Standards completes the investigation in approximately 30 days, "I will impose appropriate discipline for any and all violations that occurred," Pillo noted.
According to news reports, three off-duty officers went to the Seahawks game, got into a confrontation with a Seattle Police officer directing traffic outside CenturyLink Field and then with a fan sitting near them in the stands. In both cases witnesses said the officers identified themselves as Bellevue police. They were thrown out of the stadium during the game.
According to department policy, "Employees, whether on duty or off duty, will not commit any act tending to bring reproach or discredit upon the Department or the City of Bellevue."
"I want to emphasize that the reported off-duty incidents of the officers are not indicative of the Bellevue Police Department," Pillo said. "Your officers provide extraordinary service to the Bellevue community every day. I'm proud of their work and their dedication to provide the highest level of law enforcement."
Bellevue has a low crime rate. In 2011, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies recognized the Bellevue Police Department as a "flagship" agency, citing the department for exemplifying law enforcement best practices.
"Unfortunately this happened," Mayor Conrad Lee said. "But your response has been exemplary. Hopefully, whatever damage this has caused can be repaired swiftly."
Contact: Carla Iafrate, Police Public Information Officer, 425-452-4129 or firstname.lastname@example.com New portal could make business tax reporting easier Councilmembers on Monday approved taking the next step to streamline the way companies report and pay their Business and Occupation (B&O) tax.
Bellevue and four other large cities in western Washington (Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and Bellingham) are working to create one-stop, online tool designed to make it easier for businesses to register and pay local B&O taxes, share data and lower costs.
The joint effort is a response to state legislation proposed early this year that would have changed the way B&O taxes are collected. For Bellevue alone, such a change would lower the amount of revenue collected by $1.6 to $6 million.
In 2011, Bellevue collected about $24.5 million in B&O taxes from approximately 18 percent of the city's 35,000 licensed businesses. Most firms are exempt from the tax because their annual, taxable gross receipts are less than the $150,000 threshold, or because the size of their business is less than 250 square feet.
Councilmembers directed staff to consult with the Bellevue business community and return in November with proposed tax code changes to simplify filing, make it more understandable, eliminate inconsistencies and make the multi-city tax portal possible.
For more information, see the council study session item at http://www.bellevuewa.gov/pdf/City%20Council/PacketExtendedStudySession9-24-123c.pdf
Feedback: Chris Bothwell, Tax Manager, 425-452-4358, or email@example.com
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text:
Middle Tennessee State University
€ 20,49
Lieferbar innert 2 Wochen
Juni 2001
BeschreibungMiddle Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 as a two-year training school for teachers and has since evolved through myriad changesain name, in size, in administration, and in academic and athletic resources. Change has also swept through the campus with the ebb and tide of the American climate during some of the twentieth centuryas most turbulent eras, including World Wars I and II, the New Deal period, and the Civil Rights Movement. What has remained steadfast through the years at this revered Tennessee institution is a commitment to excellence, and a faculty, staff, and student body in constant pursuit of the rewards of higher education. Located on a 500-acre campus in Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University boasts a wide array of opportunities for a student population of nearly 20,000. Courses in everything from agriscience to aerospace, from criminal justice to the recording industry offer budding scholars a chance to explore a wide variety of disciplines, while they also enjoy participating in team sports, academic societies, and social organizations. Within
these pages, students, alumni, and friends of the university will travel down memory lane through a unique photographic tribute to the Blue Raiders. Images of dormitories in the 1920s, World War II campus drills, the first Greek organizations, General MacArthuras visit, homecoming floats, band performances, and early sports teams illuminate the schoolas colorful history.
Untertitel: Sprache: Englisch.
Verlag: ARCADIA PUB (SC)
Erscheinungsdatum: Juni 2001
Seitenanzahl: 128 Seiten
Format: kartoniert


text:
This upscale business hotel is situated in central Dakar and has seven fully equipped meeting rooms. And when the workday is done? Lounge by the pool and gaze out at the Bay of Dakar. Or head back to your room to admire equally impressive views of the Atlantic Ocean and Gorée Island. Only 30 minutes from the airport.
- Check-in:14:00
- Check-out:12:00
Services offered by the hotel
- . Internet access
- . Access to the pool
- . Complimentary mineral water in the room
- . Parking
- . Airport shuttle
- . Free accommodation and breakfast for up to 1 child(ren) under 12 y. sharing the parents room (by using existing bedding, or if the room is large enough, a crib or a rollaway bed) having breakfast as a family.


text:
I want to try this, it seems to be an interesting way of quilting.
Any paper piecers out there?
Printable View
I want to try this, it seems to be an interesting way of quilting.
Any paper piecers out there?
Ooooooh, yes!! Don't let the How-To's scare you, it's very easy once you get the hang of it.
I love to paper piece, in fact I have been making our Christmas cards with paper piecing designs. Now I am working on a quilt for our bed with paper pieced leaves. I made another quilt with paper peiced frogs, dragon flies, turtles and water plants. You will get addicted as soon as you catch on.
Entire quilt
Shows some of the scrapy turtles and dragonflies, plants and frogs
The first paper pieced project was this wall hanging. I got the patterns off the internet
I was just learning and made lots of mistakes but still like it. Someday I may make a new wall hanging and turn this one into a quilt for one of our great grandkids.
This is one of the greeting cards I have been making.
Sun Bonnet Sue is one of my favorites.
I love birds! How do I get this pattern
Originally Posted by Donna Jean
I found it while I was surfing one day. The printed instructions have http://www.lejodie.com web site. This was well over 5 years ago.
How darling!Quote:
Originally Posted by barbsbus
The link doesn't work anymore :cry:Quote:
Originally Posted by barbsbus
Just learned how. So far I really like it. I have a HUGE box of scraps that this would be ideal for. Its a challenge to think/plan in the opposite of the final product. Looking for more patterns. First one was a "Almost Pineapple". Looking for a book of Easy Paper Pieced patterns. I think it may be out of print. Any thoughts out there?


text:
Wut up guys?i can't find a good tuning spot in NEW YORK and especially in QUEENS. any sugestions cause i have to drive all the way down to my mechanic in south Jersey for everything. just to give u an excample i got my PERRIN Crank pulley last week and i had to hook it up on the subbie right away. so i went to some guy (heard he was good and ****) to install the god damnn pulley ,and the guy was like..... ( in indian accent by the way) ... ok well, lets see.. we have to remove the bumper and the radiator for beggining and then the crank pulley. . Me and my boy started to crankin up.. so i was like how much this wholle rebuilding of the car is gonna cost.. and the guy was like... well u gonna have to leave the car here for about 3-4 hours and its gonna cost u $250.00 ..
and then i believe u can imagine what happened. . hahaha..
well anyway lets get to the point my subbie dudes. any good mechanics in NY who can really appreciate the car and me???????
please i would really appreciate it guys


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text:
|CFDA Number:
|84.141 - Migrant Education_High School Equivalency Program
|Goal 8: To assist migrant and seasonal farmworker students in obtaining the equivalent of a high school diploma, and subsequently, to begin postsecondary education, enter military service, or obtain employment.
|Objective 8.1 of 1: An increasing percentage of HEP participants will complete the program and receive their GED.
|Indicator 8.1.1 of 1: GED completion: The percentage of HEP participants who complete the program and receive the GED will continue to remain high, if not increase.
|Targets and Performance Data
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Additional Source Information: HEP/CAMP grantee performance reports.
Collection Period: 2002
Data Available: January 2003
Validated By: No Formal Verification.
Data were supplied by grantees.
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text:
Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear Lists › I need help adding weight
Aug 9, 2013 at 7:42 am #1306351
Here's my basic list: http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=10937
All of my trips follow that model. I typically hike sections of the AT. The lowest temperatures I hike in reach the twenties (but that's rare.) I wouldn't mind adding up to 32oz to my kit. I'm not chasing numbers. I care more about my hiking experience, functionality, and simplicity. I'm hoping for advice on fixing a few of my issue with the kit – and any advice in general is more than welcome if you see other areas that could be better.
Things I've considered fixing:
– My cookset is inefficient. I use a titanium bowl as a pot. It doesn't have a lid and I haven't been satisfied using types of foils as lids. I have to carry a pot-grabber because it doesn't have a handle. I'm ready for a better cook set. Even just a new pot like an MSR Titan Kettle would solve those problems. Is there something better though? Should I also consider esbit?
– My sleeping pad is neither warm enough nor comfortable enough. I make it through the night, but I wake frequently. I'm considering a self-inflating pad because I use my pad as a backpack "frame." What would you switch to?
– I debate whether to replace my trekking poles with flick-lock adjustable ones. My shelter would become much more flexible that way. I always tell myself I could use sticks found in the woods, but I don't think that's going to happen. Is it worth switching?
Thanks for the help!Aug 9, 2013 at 8:17 am #2013880
Ben CBPL Member
@alexdrewreedLocale: Kentucky
I like your list. I would consider a consider a cushier full pad like a neoair. And I like to have 1/8" pad I use to supplement my sleeping pad, use as a ground sheet, and use around camp to sit on.
I use a Ti bowl too and really like it. I think its really pretty efficient. I use a heavy foil lid and I made a reflectix cozy that holds it all together well for packing. Also, I don't bring a pot grabber. Often, I just grab the top rim with my hands; its cooler than you might think. I also have a pair of wool gloves that I will use as a pot grabber if its hot and then place it in my light reflectix cozy.
Adjustable poles (or at least one pole)are kind of nice for setting up a spinn twinn. You don't have to gain any significant weight to do that though.
There are often a few extras you might need to bring, like bear bag/line. Or a tenkara rod, if you really want to gain some weight.Aug 9, 2013 at 8:52 am #2013889
PineyBPL Member
Your cook kit is coming in at 4.72 ounces not including the spoon. You could save some weight and add quite a bit of function with an esbit system. Mine has more capacity, a handle and a lid and is currently coming in at 4.48 ounces with a Zpacks stuff sack, sans spoon and sponge:
Re. inflatable sleeping pads, the Xlite's are the lightest, the Xtherms the best combination of warmth/durability/weight, and the Exped Synmat (or even the Big Agnes Q Core SL) are the most comfortable. You could add any of them within your weight budget with lots of room to spare.Aug 9, 2013 at 8:52 am #2013890
"My cookset is inefficient. I use a titanium bowl as a pot. It doesn't have a lid and I haven't been satisfied using types of foils as lids. I have to carry a pot-grabber because it doesn't have a handle. I'm ready for a better cook set. Even just a new pot like an MSR Titan Kettle would solve those problems. Is there something better though? Should I also consider esbit?"
I believe Bob Gross added a wire bail to his SP bowl. I've been fine with foil lids on my pots. I have the Light Trail Solid Fuel Kit and the Trail Designs Sidewinder for the Evernew UL 600. I use the Light Trail with Esbit for any trips where I'm shaving all the weight I can but still want the occasional hot meal. For a modest weight penalty, the TD Sidewinder kit offers me the flexibility of using multiple fuels more efficiently.
"My sleeping pad is neither warm enough nor comfortable enough. I make it through the night, but I wake frequently. I'm considering a self-inflating pad because I use my pad as a backpack "frame." What would you switch to?"
I have the Exped Synmat and the Prolite 3/4. The Prolite is my go-to pad for comfort and weight. It takes less time to deploy or recover than my Synmat. I find it to be comfortable when I'm sleeping on my side. It's not as tall so I'm less crowded in my Hexamid. It seems to be more rugged than other mattresses I've tried. I've used multiple TAR self-inflating mattresses since the '80s and I'm a very satisfied customer. I've seen numerous reviews where thru hikers switched from the 3/4 to the full length prolite but my trips are normally less than a week and at 6'3" I'm fine with the shorter pad.
EDIT: I don't use the prolite as a frame so I can't speak to that criteria.
"I debate whether to replace my trekking poles with flick-lock adjustable ones. My shelter would become much more flexible that way. I always tell myself I could use sticks found in the woods, but I don't think that's going to happen. Is it worth switching?"
I have the BD Carbon Corks and although they are comparatively heavy, I'm not in the market for new ones. I've never used LT4s but I've read numerous TRs where the hiker broke an LT4 miles from nowhere.Aug 9, 2013 at 8:53 am #2013891
Adam RothermichBPL Member
@aroth87Locale: Missouri Ozarks
If the goal is to simplify your kit I'd definitely I'd recommend looking at Esbit. The wing stove serves as pot stand and burner just like current alcohol stove but I find Esbit much less hassle to use. There's nothing to measure out or spill. If you're just boiling water for yourself for a few days I think its the simplest solution. Some people don't like the smell but I can't say I notice it unless I put my nose right up to the pot.
I would look into getting a pot with handles to replace your bowl/pot lifter. The LiteTrail 550mL pot would weigh about the same as your current combination. I have both a Snow Peak 700 and an MSR Titan Kettle. The kettle, being wider is more efficient and the lid fits tight but the SP has graduations inside so I end up using it most often. Both are heavier than your current set up (Kettle w/ lid – 128g, SP 700 w/ foil lid – 98g).
I use a Thermarest Prolite Plus. Its the heaviest item in my pack and there are certainly lighter options. But its proven to be durable and comfortable and my wife bought it for me so I'd have a heard time explaining why I need another sleeping pad :D I used to use a cut down Ridgrest and don't miss it one bit, the Prolite takes up less room in my pack and I get a much better night's sleep. I use it as my pack frame and with loads under 20 lbs it works fine.
I also use a pair of aluminum Leki poles. They weigh 15 ounces for the pair but are seemingly indestructible. I've been tempted to make my own SUL poles with golf shafts but my Lekis are the oldest piece of gear I have and I almost can't imagine hiking with anything else. I slipped on some ice and bent a lower section one time. It would have shattered a carbon pole but I was able to bend it back mostly straight and jam it back into the upper section and continue to use it that way for 4 years. I just found out Leki warranties against breakage for life and they're shipping me a new lower section for free as we speak.
A pyramid tarp is simpler to set up than a cat-tarp like the SpinnTwin. Having just switching from a Grace Duo to a BearPaw Luna 2 I am very happy with it. There is much more useable floor space and headroom and it really does feel like a palace. Its worth the extra weight for me.
The last simplification I'd recommend is ditching the AquaMira. Mixing the drops is an added step that can be avoided with Micropur tabs. Or you could get a Sawyer Squeeze (the new Mini looks even better!). I use a Squeeze and keep a half dozen Micropur tabs for backup.
I just went through a similar simplification process and also added a little bit of weight. For a total of 1-2 lbs I've been able to spend less time fiddling with stuff in camp and just enjoy my surroundings. Its been a worthwhile trade off for me.
AdamAug 9, 2013 at 11:01 am #2013924
"I believe Bob Gross added a wire bail to his SP bowl."
That would be correct. The Snow Peak bowl is 1.8 ounces plus a tiny bit more for the stainless steel wire bail. Plus a little more for a lid. The lid material is either three layers of heavy duty aluminim foil pressed together or else a carbon fiber disk (just depending on my mood). No pot gripper needed. This is supported on a titanium wing stove and surrounded by an aluminum foil windscreen. Esbit works for me.
–B.G.–Aug 9, 2013 at 11:26 am #2013931
Daniel PittmanSpectator
@pitsyLocale: Central Texas
I love my Exped UL7 sleeping pad, and my MSR Titan kettle. Everything else you have seems about right.Aug 9, 2013 at 1:10 pm #2013955
Thanks for all of the ideas.
I must have gone about the foil lid idea wrong. Since it seems to work for some of you, I ought to try again. I had a hard time with the durability of the lids I made.
The carbon fiber lid concept intrigues me. Where can I get one of those (or the materials to make one?)
Likewise, the steel handle for the bowl sounds good. Will I need a special drill to get through the titanium? And do you have any recommendations for handle material?
If I switched to esbit, how many grams might I expect to need for a boil? I realize this will vary with environmental conditions and my specific setup.
I've looked at the Exped Synmat UL7 before. I would certainly choose it if I weren't concerned about my pack frame. Maybe I ought to use a piece of CCF pad as a frame (and sit pad.) I don't know if that would work as well though.
Regarding trekking poles, I'll make the switch to adjustable. It doesn't seem to matter how much they weigh (please correct me if I'm wrong.)
I realize I've asked lots of questions. Thanks for your considerationAug 9, 2013 at 1:19 pm #2013957
Stephen MBPL Member
@stephen-mLocale: Way up North
+1 on the Exped Synmat UL 7 and the Titan kettle, I sleep nearly as well on the Synmat as I do in my own bed.Aug 9, 2013 at 1:23 pm #2013959
michael leviMember
@m-lLocale: W-Never Eat Soggy (W)affles
I dont see a rain shell/ poncho, consider a zpacks groundsheet poncho. Nix the polycro and and rain protection for 5.1 oz.Aug 9, 2013 at 2:10 pm #2013977
"I must have gone about the foil lid idea wrong. Since it seems to work for some of you, I ought to try again. I had a hard time with the durability of the lids I made.
The carbon fiber lid concept intrigues me. Where can I get one of those (or the materials to make one?)"
If you must fold up the lid, then aluminum foil is the way to go. If you do not need to fold it, then carbon fiber works good. It is possible to purchase those, but getting the exact size may be a trick. I simply purchase a very thin sheet of carbon fiber plate (about the thickness of two sheets of paper) and cut out a disk of the right size using scissors.
"Likewise, the steel handle for the bowl sounds good. Will I need a special drill to get through the titanium? And do you have any recommendations for handle material?"
I have no idea what you intend to use as a steel handle. A stainless steel bail wire is a lot easier and simpler, and you can drill holes using a Dremel tool and a high speed bit, although titanium is still pretty tough stuff. When I drilled my titanium pot, the hot edges of the drilled hole became incandescent.
"If I switched to esbit, how many grams might I expect to need for a boil? I realize this will vary with environmental conditions and my specific setup."
It depends on how you are trying to boil. You need the right Esbit holder, and the titanium wing stove will support the pot at the correct height. If you change the pot height, you will affect the boil time and fuel efficiency.
The Esbit spec says that one half-ounce cube will boil two cups of water. However, there are lots of details unsaid there. That is comparable to the weight of liquid fuel, but the other details may make one or the other the best choice. If you have a serious breeze and an inadequate windscreen, then the boil time will seem to take forever. That is why some users go for overkill and use a Caldera Cone. You can go for a slower boil speed and use less fuel, or you can go for a faster boil speed and use a lot more fuel.
–B.G.–Aug 9, 2013 at 3:43 pm #2014013
My lite trail solid fuel kit is not as efficient as my TD sidewinder. I find that half of a cube (.25oz) will not bring my water to a boil but it's more than hot enough to reheat a meal or make coffee.Aug 9, 2013 at 3:54 pm #2014015
Ian, it seems like each type of Esbit burner has its own way of doing things. Some are more susceptible to wind. Some are less. Some will do great on 95% of that two cups, but if you increase to 105% of two cups, they are in the toilet.
I don't complain about Esbit since it is a far cry better than Trioxane, which is what we had to use in the military. The only good thing about Trioxane was that it was free. I spent many a night crouched down in a foxhole waiting for the coffee to boil over a Trioxane flame.
–B.G.–Aug 9, 2013 at 4:04 pm #2014018
I haven't seen Trioxane since '92ish. I saw some military surplus Trioxane online the other day and I was half tempted to order it just to do a side by side comparison with my Esbit and Coghlans. More for nostalgia sake than any real interest of adding it to my backpacking program.
Any of your foxhole mates try to stomp out burning C4 in Kold-rea?
Edit: OP, one important thing I've learned with any fuel source is that many backpackers feel compelled to bring their water to a boil when it's not necessary unless you are sterilizing your water. I think Esbit is wonderful for many reasons but I'd experiment with the .25oz Coghlan or half an Esbit cube (also .25oz) to see if that suits your purpose. I've always thought a caldera cone especially designed for the SP ti bowl would probably work great. I have a couple of the ti wings and find that they are also a great option for the weight.Aug 9, 2013 at 4:10 pm #2014021
Marc EldridgeBPL Member
@meldLocale: The here and now.
We refrained from stomping on the C4.Aug 9, 2013 at 4:20 pm #2014026
Ian, been there, done that.
I got all stocked up on Trioxane twenty or thirty years ago before I had much experience with more efficient fuels and methods. So, it is almost used up now. It stinks like hell.
I never shared a foxhole along the 38th Parallel. All we had were one-man holes since they were equipped with Claymore mine detonators and lots of wires. Some of our South Korean comrades didn't have any Trioxane, and they didn't know how to ask in English for it, so they used other means. They would yank on a Claymore mine detonator cord to pull the mine off its legs, and then they would pull it back to the fence. Somehow they would reach around or under or through the fence, grab the mine, and use a bayonet to crack the plastic back off. Inside this antipersonnel mine, the metal projectiles are in the front, and the C4 explosive is in the back, and the two blasting caps are in the top. They would use their bayonet to carve out a walnut-size hunk of the C4, then put everything back together and placed the mine back out to where it belonged. Then they took the hunk of C4 and burned it inside their foxhole. It burns with a blue flame, sort of like Trioxane. Just don't try to explode it.
One night there was an incident, and one guard detonated a Claymore, except that it was a dud and the only thing that blew was the blasting cap. So, the guard detonated another one, and it was a dud and blew with a halfway blast. That was reported. The next day, the EOD experts were out on our sector to test the Claymores, and they found that half of them had been tampered with. While they were there replacing the Claymores, we treated them to coffee that we had made in one of the foxholes, but we didn't tell them the fuel that was used.
–B.G.–Aug 9, 2013 at 4:28 pm #2014028
"Edit: OP, one important thing I've learned with any fuel source is that many backpackers feel compelled to bring their water to a boil when it's not necessary unless you are sterilizing your water."
Ian, that is another one of those -It Depends- things.
Each backpacker ought to know his or her approximate elevation. From the elevation, you can estimate the boiling point, and you can guess about how close you want to get your water to that.
If you are only trying to kill Giardia lamblia (which is my primary goal), then you only need to get the water up to the kill temperature of the protozoan cyst. It is hard to say exactly, but that is approximately 175 degrees F. So, that is as far as you need to heat the water if that is all that you are trying to do. Now, there are other bugs depending on your location, and you may be trying to kill them as well.
Still, for many situations, an almost-boil is plenty sufficient for normal water sterilization and for freeze dried food.
I was on one high altitude trip where we camped at about the point where water boiled at 175 F, so we needed to do more than simply boil the water. But, we knew that in advance.
–B.G.–Aug 13, 2013 at 8:34 am #2014910
I found an Exped Synmat UL7 on gear swap. That resolves the sleeping pad issue.
I'm still looking to add a wire bail to the bowl. I meant to ask where you found the stainless steel for that (instead of steel.)
I haven't found where to buy the carbon fiber for the lid. Perhaps I ought to go with foil since it's much easier to find. Maybe I could cut a disposable pie plate instead though.
I'm strongly considering the esbit route as well.
Thanks again for the help!Aug 13, 2013 at 8:55 am #2014915
"I'm still looking to add a wire bail to the bowl. I meant to ask where you found the stainless steel for that (instead of steel.) "
I got mine from a friend. He called it stainless steel safety wire and uses it to attach special pins on a race car. Stainless tends to be used in an environment that is slightly corrosive, like around ocean boats as well. The wire that I use was small enough in diameter that I could feed it through tiny holes in the pot, and then tie it with knots. It shows no signs of ever loosening.
Carbon Fiber plate is on the web. It is not the sort of thing that you can just run down to the local Home Depot to find.
–B.G.–Aug 13, 2013 at 9:01 am #2014917
Go to Amazon.com and search for "carbon fiber sample".
–B.G.–Aug 23, 2013 at 8:36 pm #2018110
John HillyerBPL Member
I just came off the AT. You didn't say when your AT hikes happen. In PA in June/July you will want a bug net to keep the cloud of nats at bay. During the end of July until it gets cold up the line, you will experience an on-slot of mosquitoes attacking you starting in NJ. You will want a half an ounce of 100% deet per day. I really like my Evernew .9L wide titanium pot with a TrailDesigns SideWinder cone and a 12/10 alcohol stove and a GramCracker Esbit stove. If your hiking the AT by getting resupplied by mail package, by all means go with Esbit and save yourself the worry of where you are getting your fuel. Back to the bugs: you are going to want a tent with bug netting come July. And back to Pennsylvania: the trail in the state is full of evil pointy rocks that you will be stepping on every step all day long. Lose the running shoes and get a pair of trail shoes with stiffer soles.
My 2 centsAug 23, 2013 at 8:55 pm #2018115
There ought to be some way of combining denatured alcohol or Esbit with DEET and cooking with it.
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1846: Dentist William Morton uses ether to anesthetize a patient in Boston. It was not the first such use, but it began a train of events leading to the widespread adoption of ether for surgical anesthesia. Dr. Crawford Long of Jefferson, Georgia, removed a tumor from the neck of James Venable under ether anesthesia March […]
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Sept. 30, 1846: Ether He Was the First or He Wasn't
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Department of Justice
Northern District of Iowa
Contact: Bob Teig
Michael Cortez, Cedar Rapids Man Sentenced To Prison for Student Loan Fraud
A man who participated with others in a scheme to fraudulently obtain federal student loans pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids
Michael Cortez, 31, from Cedar Rapids, was convicted of one count of mail fraud.
At the guilty plea hearing, Cortez admitted participating in a scheme with others to fraudulently obtain federal student loan money. As part of the scheme, Cortez and others applied for federal student aid in other people's names and arranged for a federal loan proceeds check to be directed to a post office box under his and his co-schemer's control.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Cortez remains free on bond pending sentencing. Cortez faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment without the possibility of parole; a fine of up to (a) twice the gross gain resulting from the offense, (b) twice the gross loss resulting from the offense, or (c) $250,000; a mandatory special assessment of $100; and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter E. Deegan, Jr. and was investigated by the United States Department of Education and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR11-2.


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