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Wildflower Wonders event that the Sacramento Valley CNPS chapter is putting on - April 27.
All they ask for is a $5 donation - and the event features some neat Walks & Talks and an all-day Native Plant Sale.
Saturday, April 27 is the Apple Blossom Trail Run up at Apple Hill. There are other corresponding events like the Apple Blossom Days at Lava Cap Winery. They'll have complimentary tastings, cheese pairings and other deals.
If you are a fan of Mexican food - and want to support the Effie Yeaw Nature Center - head on over to El Papagayo's on Marconi Ave (at Fair Oaks Blvd.) for some dinner either April 24 or April 25. If you bring this flyer with you 20% of your bill goes to support Effie Yeaw. Oh - and if you go on Wednesday you can get a free draft Modelo.
Enjoy another week... I'm still just waiting for this baby to arrive...
Around Town: April 21
2 comments:
Think you're going to get that free beer on Wednesday? Cutting it a little close... :)
- April 21, 2013 at 4:50 PM
- Ellen Martin said...
Yah. I think no free beer for me. I'm hoping we'll all be busy and won't be able to go out to eat at all... but I have a feeling that mom, dad and jonny will all get free beer on Wednesday... Maybe some spicy mexican food will induce labor?
- April 21, 2013 at 8:43 PM
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Gibbous ♋ Cancer
Moon phase on 9 December 2049 Thursday is Full Moon, 15 days old Moon is in Gemini.Share this page: twitter facebook linkedin
Full Moon is the lunar phase on . Seen from Earth, illuminated fraction of the Moon surface is 100%. The 15 days old Moon is in ♊ Gemini.
* The exact date and time of this Full Moon phase is on 9 December 2049 at 07:28 UTC.
Friday Fri
Saturday Sat
Sunday Sun
Monday Mon
Tuesday Tue
Wednesday Wed
Thursday Thu
Moon rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. It is visible all night and it is high in the sky around midnight.
Moon is passing about ∠20° of ♊ Gemini tropical zodiac sector.
Lunar disc appears visually 7.3% narrower than solar disc. Moon and Sun apparent angular diameters are ∠1811" and ∠1948".
The Full Moon this days is the Cold of December 2049.
There is high Full Moon ocean tide on this date. Combined Sun and Moon gravitational tidal force working on Earth is strong, because of the Sun-Earth-Moon syzygy alignment.
The Moon is 15 days old. Earth's natural satellite is moving through the middle part of current synodic month. This is lunation 617 of Meeus index or 1570 from Brown series.
Length of current 617 lunation is 29 days, 12 hours and 16 minutes. It is 1 hour and 11 minutes longer than next lunation 618 length.
Length of current synodic month is 28 minutes shorter than the mean length of synodic month, but it is still 5 hours and 41 minutes longer, compared to 21st century shortest.
This lunation true anomaly is ∠310.2°. At the beginning of next synodic month true anomaly will be ∠332.9°. The length of upcoming synodic months will keep decreasing since the true anomaly gets closer to the value of New Moon at point of perigee (∠0° or ∠360°).
11 days after point of perigee on 28 November 2049 at 11:08 in ♑ Capricorn. The lunar orbit is getting wider, while the Moon is moving outward the Earth. It will keep this direction for the next 4 days, until it get to the point of next apogee on 14 December 2049 at 11:17 in ♌ Leo.
Moon is 395 725 km (245 892 mi) away from Earth on this date. Moon moves farther next 4 days until apogee, when Earth-Moon distance will reach 405 260 km (251 817 mi).
1 day after its descending node on 7 December 2049 at 22:33 in ♉ Taurus, the Moon is following the southern part of its orbit for the next 12 days, until it will cross the ecliptic from South to North in ascending node on 22 December 2049 at 10:13 in ♏ Scorpio.
14 days after beginning of current draconic month in ♐ Sagittarius, the Moon is moving from the second to the final part of it.
At 08:52 on this date the Moon is meeting its North standstill point, when it will reach northern declination of ∠21.283°. Next 14 days the lunar orbit will move in opposite southward direction to face South declination of ∠-21.275° in its southern standstill point on 23 December 2049 at 17:33 in ♐ Sagittarius.
The Moon is in Full Moon geocentric opposition with the Sun on this date and this alignment forms Sun-Earth-Moon syzygy.

subset: commoncrawl


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No Injunction Against Test for Genetic Defects
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – A biotech company cannot block its competitor from using a prenatal test for genetic defects, a federal judge ruled, noting that an injunction would put the competitor out of business.
Sequenom asked for the preliminary injunction after Aria Diagnostics filed suit for declaratory judgment,, seeking a ruling that its Harmony test does not infringe on patents Sequenom's MaterniT21 test.
Both companies developed tests that use cell-free DNA to determine whether a fetus is likely to possess an extra copy of certain chromosomes that cause Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome and Patau syndrome. Though both tests are similar, Aria claims that its test is significantly more efficient and slightly more accurate than that of Sequenom.
Sequenom argues that the Harmony test infringes its patent because it compares maternal and fetal DNA to identify paternally inherited DNA, the method covered by its patent. Aria claims that Sequenom's difficulties in the patent-prosecution process over the paternally inherited DNA method claims makes its Harmony method clear of patent infringement.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston rejected the call for an injunction Thursday after noting that Sequenom is no stranger to litigation over its alleged patents.
Verinata Health Inc. and Natera Inc. are currently suing Sequenom in her courtroom for declaratory judgments that their tests don't violate Sequenom's allegedly invalid patents. Verinata's case also pertains to the MaterniT21 test.
The infringement claims against Aria ignore Sequenom's own issues with the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), Illston found.
"Sequenom's argument ignores the importance the PTO placed on 'paternally inherited' limitation and the lack of enablement for broader claims," she wrote. "The PTO rejected two rounds of applications that attempted to secure claims without the limitation, covering detection of fetal DNA by any means, rather than only by searching for what is known to be a paternally inherited sequence. Reading the patent to cover the Harmony Test's method, which does not rely on the crucial knowledge of what sequence would be different from the mother's genome in advance, would be contrary to the limitation repeatedly imposed by the PTO. The PTO insisted on the limitation in light of what is actually enabled by the specification- the patentee's a method for detecting fetal DNA by searching for a sequence known to be absent from the mother's genome, and only that method."
Aria has raised "'a substantial question' as to infringement which Sequenom has not shown 'lacks substantial merit,'" she added.
Illston said Aria also raised substantial questions about the validity of Sequenom's patent and its methods for detecting DNA. The judge pointed out that the steps used to enable the method are described as "standard" in the patent itself.
Sequenom's demand for a preliminary injunction against Aria moreover would put Aria out of business – throwing the balance of hardships out of whack.
"With respect to irreparable injury, the court recognizes that some price erosion will likely result from Ariosa's entry into the market given the significantly higher price of Sequenom's MaterniT21 test," Illston wrote. "However, the degree of that erosion – as well as the impact on Sequenom's market share – has not been adequately demonstrated by Sequenom's damages expert."
Sequenom's damages expert failed to account for the market presence of Verinata and Natera, and failed to demonstrate that any harm would be irreparable, the ruling states.
"However, the direct result of a preliminary injunction would be to put Ariosa – whose single product is the Harmony Test – out of business," Illston wrote. "This would also remove a significantly more efficient, less expensive, and allegedly more accurate test from the market and restrict the access to the noninvasive prenatal nucleic acid tests to only high-risk women."
"As such both the balance of hardships and the public interest likewise weigh against granting a preliminary injunction," Illston concluded.


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Over the last few weeks we have posted quite a few articles on protective styling techniques complete with tips on how you can use them to retain maximum length in your journey to long hair.
I have a confession to make. I rarely retain length myself when I don't protective style. Low manipulation styling is great and all but it simply doesn't work for everyone as a length retention tool and it certainly didn't work for me.
When you find that your painstakingly created low manipulation regimen is no longer helping your hair get longer, it may not be something small that needs to be adjusted but rather a complete rethinking of your regimen.
Your moisture-protein balance may be as great as it's ever going to be but if you are not having any length gains then at some point you have to admit that your hair may simply not be able to withstand the weekly manipulation that is your wash day. You will just continue to maintain your current length.
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Year 4 Maths Revision - Australian Curriculum Aligned
✩ Every Year 4 Australian Curriculum Maths outcome is addressed within this pack.
✩You could print this pack out and make into a work booklet for the last few weeks of school or pick and choose which pages to use. Many of the pages could be printed 2 to a page to save on paper (go to your printer settings to do this). You could also laminate the pages to serve as early finisher activities or a maths centre activity.
Included are:
♦ Odd and Even
♦ Counting
♦ Ordering Numbers
♦ Place Value 1 and 2
♦ Number Sentences
♦ Secret Message x 2 (Multiplication)
♦ Multiplication
♦ Multiplication and Division
♦ Fractions
♦ Fractions and Decimals
♦ Shopping (Giving change)
♦ Patterns
♦ Word Problems
♦ Number Sentences
♦ Measuring 1 and 2
♦ Area
♦ Time
♦ Shape
♦ Reading Maps
♦ Symmetry
♦ Angles
♦ Chance
♦ Graphing 1 and 2
♦ Answer keys
✩ Please note that these revision sheets are the exact same style as my Christmas and Easter version.
→This product is not editable ←
↠This file is zipped. Once downloaded right click the file and select 'extract all' to open. ↞
Follow me for latest products, giveaways, freebies tips, tricks and more!
Facebook | Blog | Pinterest
✎Please note I am an Australian seller and unless otherwise stated the product uses Australian English. This should not affect the use of this product in other countries. ✎
Terms of Use:
✔You may use this product for classroom and personal use.
✖You may not share this product digitally or as a hard copy or upload it to the internet.
© Mrs Amy123


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Whether you're shopping for your Sinatra-loving grandfather or EDM-addicted niece, portable bluetooth speakers are one of those rare presents that may suit just about anyone on your gift list.
But with so many brands at so many different prices (not to mention shapes, colors and techy extras) on the market, narrowing down which one to bring home can be daunting. Both the Beats Pill+ and the JBL Charge 3 give you high-quality sound in attractive portable packages. We analyzed both speakers to help you figure out which makes the better gift.
At a glance
Both the Beats Pill+ by Apple and the JBL Charge 3 are sleek, compact speakers, offering lightweight portability and great sound. The differences are in the details. The Beats Pill+ comes in at nearly $100 more than the JBL Charge 3, retailing at $229.95, compared to JBL's $149.95. Both can be found cheaper via retailers such as Amazon. The JBL Charge 3 also has a longer battery life, lasting 20 hours, compared to the Pill+'s 12. If you're looking for a speaker to be used on a boat or by the pool, the waterproof JBL is the only choice, because if you get the Beats Pill+ wet, you may turn it into a very expensive paperweight.
|Beats Pill+
|JBL Charge 3
|Black, white
|Black, blue, gray, red, mint green
|Bluetooth, 3.5mm stereo jack
|Bluetooth, USB
|Battery life
|12 hours, rechargeable
|20 hours, rechargeable
|1.28 lbs
|1.76 lbs
|2.5" x 8.27" x 2.72"
|3.5" x 8.4" x 3.4"
|Built-in microphone
|Soft carrying case, 1.5m Lightning to USB-A charging cable, 12.5W power adapter, quick-start guide
|5V 2.3A USB adapter, micro USB cable
Beats Pill+
NerdWallet takes you shopping:
When the style-conscious Apple bought Beats Electronics from rapper Dr. Dre in 2014 for a reported $3 billion, many were expecting a big design overhaul. But the speaker's capsule design — crafted from perforated metal and rubber — remains an upgraded, albeit sleeker, version of the same shape.
Along with the streamlined look, Apple upgraded to a Lightning charger port. The included Lightning-to-USB cable can be used to charge your speaker from either your computer or the USB power adapter (also included), and you also can use the cable to turn your speaker into a backup battery, powering your phone, tablet or camera from the speaker. One three-hour charge provides approximately 12 hours of battery life, though it's less if you're maxing out the volume. Features of the Beats Pill+ include an LED power gauge that lets you know when it's getting close to recharge time and an integrated speakerphone allowing you to make and receive calls. You can also pair it with multiple devices, so everyone can have a turn playing DJ.
An older model of the Pill scored low for sound quality. Where the Beats Pill+ reportedly falls short is in delivering a booming bass, which some reviewers found lacking, along with its relatively high price tag.
Good fit for: Style-savvy consumers who want an attractive, portable way to hear their favorite songs.
JBL Charge 3
NerdWallet takes you shopping:
JBL is known for delivering great sound at reasonable prices, and the Charge 3 follows in this tradition. Priced at $80 less than the Beats Pill+, the fully waterproof JBL Charge 3 has a durable rubber and mesh casing and is available in five colors. The speaker's built-in noise- and echo-canceling microphone means that in addition to listening to music, you can take and make speakerphone calls with your smartphone. And when you're done talking, you can connect your phone to the USB charging output and use the Charge 3 as a backup battery. Speaking of power, the Charge 3 gives you 20 hours of battery life, compared to the Beats Pill+'s 12.
Excellent sound quality has been a hallmark of all JBL wireless speakers. The Charge 3 continues to accumulate these raves, and improve upon them, at least as far as the bass sound goes. For those interested in pumping up the volume even higher, it's also possible to use the Charge 3's wireless multi-pairing mode to sync multiple speakers (though they aren't able to be split into left and right stereo sound). You can also play DJ with a group, because the speaker can connect simultaneously to up to three different devices.
Good fit for: Active music lovers who want to listen on the go, boaters who want to sail with a soundtrack, or those who just love to sing in the shower.
» MORE: JBL Charge 3 review
Before you buy
The first thing to do before purchasing any speaker is to listen to a variety of different kinds of music through it. Hip-hop will give you a good idea of how well the bass transmits, while classical music provides a wide variety of ranges. If you can test the same songs on each speaker you're considering, even better.
If you're going to be putting the speaker through its paces, such as on camping trips or during backyard sports, you might want to lean toward the heartier JBL Charge 3. If style is your main concern, the Beats Pill+ would be a chic addition to any bookshelf, although it comes with a heftier price tag.


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Tagged: dumbbells
Is Fast Fitness For You?
There's long been a debate in the fitness industry as to whether rapid fire or slow paced workouts are better. As a Personal Trainer I know that both styles have pros and cons in their affect on our bodies, and in fact I employ both styles with my clients and my own workouts. There's a time and place to perform high intensity, light weight, heart-rate racing routines and the same for heavy weight, slow, low muscle fatiguing routines, and a lot depends upon your body type and goals.
But despite having already written herein about the benefits of HIIT-high intensity interval training (see Sometimes Less Is More), and marketing my practice on 30-minute high-results routines, I still find many people unsatisfied with how long they have to spend exercising. They want to change their bodies for the better in as little time as possible. So the fads continue, whether gear or groundbreaking new approach — each one is designed to make workout quick and painless, and each one fails.
It started with 6-minute abs DVD's and now there's 2-minute workouts all over the internet (2-minute arms, 2 minute glutes, etc). At this rate I should create the 1-minute workout DVD's and retire a year from now off the proceeds. Humor set aside, there's only so much you can do to trim off time while speeding up the workout and still see results (and avoid injuries). The reality too is that whether you spend 2 minutes or 60 on your abs, unless healthy lean nutrition is involved and consistent workouts with proper techniques you will NOT have washboard abs.
But in the interest of exploring new levels of fitness, I offer you speed-minded peeps (or exercise hating folks) who want to fire off a super-fast workout and then get on with your life, an opportunity to try my new Fast Five Fitness Workout! Get the job done in only 5 minutes!
I have created four routines – the idea being that you would exercise four times a week, each one delivering slightly different assaults on your muscles and stamina. So here's the first. If you need a detailed explanation of these exercises or more importantly if you want all four routines customized to your specific fitness levels and goals, then contact me. (My blog followers will receive a 10% discount.)
You'll need a little walking room (enough to do a few lunges forward and back), a yoga or cushioned mat, and a pair of dumbbells ranging from 8-15 lbs. Keep the pace as fast as you can with NO rest until completion (should take ONLY 5 minutes depending upon your speed). Good luck!
- 20 jumping jacks
- 20 DB lunge walks with shoulder presses
- 20 jump squats
- 20 DB biceps curls combo'd with prone DB alternating arm rows
- 20 Running mans
- 20 Alternating Leg Up DB biceps "hammer" curls (10 on each leg)
- 20 Prones to Planks (10 right lead, 10 left lead)
- 20 v-sit side-to-side DB taps


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Due to the coronavirus crisis, we have had to make changes to our current services. To keep up to date,
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George came to live with us by accident really as it wasn't totally planned. He'd been in foster care with strangely enough, my younger brother. One weekend we looked after George while my brother was away for a couple of days, by going round several times a day and feeding him and fussing over George. We both felt he was a lovely cat and immediately became fond of him over that weekend. We have our own cat, Oscar. Oscar is a house cat due to where we live in the city centre, and we had never considered another cat in our home but after meeting George, well....
We did think a lot about taking George on and still weren't sure. Not so much being a house cat as George was more than happy being indoors with no inclination to go outside. We were more concerned about how Oscar would react to another cat in his domain. Fate in a way took over suddenly. One evening the CP cats had to be moved around quickly for a cat to come into care. The only way it would work was if we took George to give a space. So we did, but still worried if it would work.
Oscar wasn't happy to begin with and hid. A couple of days later Oscar was out of his hiding place and very curious about this new cat. We kept thinking, will it work? Two weeks later and both were following each other around. Now they run around together and play. In hindsight it was what Oscar needed, as being an indoor cat he needed feline company. Oscar has changed and loves to play with his new friend. George...well he's a typical lap cat and when anyone visits he lands on their knee and purrs.
Despite our reservations, it was the best thing that we ever did taking George into our home. He's a lovely cat and has given our Oscar companionship of the feline variety. If we hadn't met him through Cats Protection then we would still be a single cat household.
Andrew and Hazel
Update on George
George and Oscar moved away from Aberdeen with us in June 2010, almost 8 months after George came to live with us. We now live a couple of hundred miles away further south, in a small town, with lots of open space and no traffic. George now goes outside, only into our garden and sits there with us while we potter around and comes running inside with us. We wondered how he'd be travelling with us to our new home but he sat there very interested in everything that was going on, sniffed around his new pad and then found our bed and went to sleep very content. He's trying to persuade his pal Oscar to come into the garden with him, but Oscar isn't too impressed!


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Log In needed $25,995 · 2019 Volkswagen JettaReport Ad
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Our Jetta's trim level is Execline. As one of the better equipped, this Volkswagen Jetta Execline comes standard fitted with elegant alloy wheels, body colored heated side mirrors, a ton of chrome, heated wiper jets, fully automatic LED headlamps, front fog lamps, cornering lights, twin power sunroofs, a Beats premium 8 speaker stereo with an 8 inch display and App-Connect smart phone integration,integrated satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, SiriusXM satellite radio, heated and ventilated front comfort seats with power adjustment, leather seat trim, dual zone front automatic air conditioning, cruise control, remote keyless entry, front and rear cup holders, a front center armrest, a rear view camera, blind spot detection sensors, rear cross traffic alert and much more.
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PostedSeptember 28, 2020
ExpiryDecember 27, 2020
StatusNOT SOLD
DetailsCommercial Seller
CategoryAutos › Cars
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SellerFraser Valley Preowned
Phone604-381-1161 Email User
|Last hour
|Last 24 hours


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- Adidas releases pride trainers (for men) and t-shirts for women
- Hunter Boots releases rainbow boots in support of 5 UK LGBT+ charities
- The LGBTQ rainbow and brands – LGBTQ support or pinkwashing?
- IKEA releases a rainbow bag raising money for LGBT charity
- M&S LGBT Sandwich gets ripped apart despite supporting LGBTQ charity


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Alex Bols, Deputy CEO, GuildHE
Originally delivered at the University of Chichester, 9th December 2015
I would like to start by thanking you for inviting me to speak this evening, much of the education press and policy makers have been thinking of little else than how to develop a Teaching Excellence Framework for the last nine months and so this is a timely opportunity to think about this in more detail.
As has been mentioned I work at GuildHE which – alongside Universities UK – is one of the two officially recognised representative bodies in higher education, which basically means that I have been involved in vast numbers of meetings about the Green Paper and TEF for many months now. I'll try and remember which bits I'm allowed to share and which bits are still confidential at this stage!
I must say that having been involved in discussing the detail for some time now preparing for this lecture has been both a very helpful, but also interesting, exercise bringing together and ordering all my thoughts on this topic.
I wanted to start with a bit of background about why the TEF is being developed and an overview of what's being proposed, before going on to critique some of the key points, particularly around:
- The proposed metrics
- The link between TEF and fees
- And finally the timeline
I would like to end by suggesting a few principles for the TEF that might create a framework to be able to measure the effectiveness of the proposals in the future.
There will then be an opportunity for questions afterwards.
Why is the TEF being developed?
The TEF started its life as a partial sentence in the Conservative Party Manifesto back in April, inserted, or so we've been told, following lobbying by David Willetts, the former Universities Minister, who felt his reforms of the last Parliament – which resulted in increased tuition fees, more information for prospective students and new private providers – hadn't driven up the quality of teaching as quickly as he would have wanted.
Indeed Jo Johnson specifically referred to the Willetts' reforms and ambition in his first Ministerial speech back in July. This was the same speech he described some university teaching as "lamentable" that got him into trouble at the Select Committee yesterday. The Green Paper also refers to the HEA-HEPI Survey which showed that only 35% of students thought they had received 'good' or 'very good' value for money.
Having said that, there has also been a suggestion that perhaps it was "filler text" inserted into the Manifesto on the assumption that it could be negotiated away in the expected coalition talks. However, as we know the Election didn't result in a coalition but rather a small Conservative majority. The size of the majority has many implications, not least it limits the ability of the Government to be able to pass legislation that is not specially referred to in the manifesto and so this meant that following the Election Ministers, and their officials, returned to the detail of what was in the manifesto with gusto.
However, whatever the gestation of the TEF we now have an ambitious Minister clearly on his way up, and looking for a quick promotion, and so wants to make an impact – and he sees the TEF as the vehicle to do this, now citing the TEF as one of his main priorities.
However, it's also worth remembering that this isn't the first time Government has tried to improve the quality of teaching – indeed even over the last 20 years since I've been involved in higher education policy we've been through the Teaching Quality Assessments of the late 1990s, the 2003 White Paper which resulted in the CETLs, National Teaching Fellowship Scheme, Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund and the National Student Survey as well as the Coalition Government's belief that a market-driven approach would improve teaching.
Elusive nature of teaching excellence
If anything the number and diversity of initiatives over the past few years just demonstrates the real challenges of being able to drive change in this area at a national level, not least in terms of even being able to define what we mean by good teaching and how we can measure it, or indeed whether there are even proxies that are able to indicate good teaching.
When I think back to my own experiences, there are always a few excellent teachers that stand out, who really inspired me to engage with the subject, but equally if I try and put my finger on why they were so good and why I responded to them I can't think of a particular trait that they all shared, or the reason why they managed to connect with my at a given time and others didn't.
Indeed the Green Paper itself recognised that "There is no one broadly accepted definition of "teaching excellence". In practice it has many interpretations and there are likely to be different ways of measuring it." It also goes on to recognise that "not all students will achieve their best within the same model of teaching". I will discuss the metrics in more detail later, but there is clearly the challenge of being able to separate out the teaching inputs, from the learning outcomes.
Focusing on excellent teaching suggests a teacher-led approach – which if we were looking at trying to measure this might include observations, contact hours, proportion of small-group work and looking at proxies such as teaching qualifications and CPD of staff or indeed the wider learning environment such as library resources or support to ensure that they complete – all of which could end up being fairly burdensome for institutions.
However, if we are trying to measure student learning, which the Minister, seemed to suggest in his July speech we would need to be looking at the much harder to measure area of student outcomes – such as the value-added by the institution, or "learning gain", or their level of employability.
In reality we will probably be looking at a combination of all of these – although the question of institutional burden need to be considered – but this just highlights that it is such a shame that we have slipped into calling it a Teaching Excellence Framework. Not least because it immediately draws comparison to the REF and its cyclical review of university research, estimated to cost over a billion pounds.
It is probably too late to change the name – indeed I made a pitch for this at a conference shortly after the Election – but if not a Learning Excellence Framework then at least a Framework for Excellent Learning and Teaching (FELT) would better reflect what it is we're trying to achieve and measure.
What's being proposed
Before I move on critique the proposals it would probably be helpful just to give a brief summary of what is being proposed.
WonkHE – a blog site for those interested in higher education policy – have helpfully produced this model for the current proposals, although it is worth saying that the Green Paper is still relatively high level looking at the level of principle and suggesting some potential approaches, but there will be much more detail provided in the next stage of the process when BIS produce their technical consultation in the Spring following initial responses to the Green Paper.
Image created by Wonkhe. Click to enlarge.
The Minister has made clear that he wants the TEF reviews to take place in 2016/17 so that the outcomes of these will be in place for 2017/18 and that from the start a positive outcome in the TEF will enable institutions to receive benefits that are "both financial and reputational". Which in the early phases of TEF is likely to mean that institutions will be able to increase their fees by inflation above the £9,000 cap.
Below the dotted orange line is what will be implemented from 2017/18 with institutions successfully passing a QAA Higher Education Review being able to increase their fees by inflation, there is a suggestion that this may remain as the TEF level 1 beyond year 1, and that the level 1 award would last for up to three years.
From year 2018/19 – with assessments taking place in 2017/18 – there will be a more granular approach with institutions able to apply for levels 2-4. These awards would also last for up to three years and will feed into any further fee cap and fee loan cap uplift.
There will be a technical consultation in the Spring to identify the detail of this but the initial proposals for this phase of the process focuses on three sets of metrics linked to teaching quality as demonstrated by the National Student Survey, employment data likely to be DLHE and student retention information. Alongside this data a short institutional narrative would set the data in context, which will then be reviewed by an independent panel of experts including students. Institutions will also have to meet some other conditional tests such as an OFFA access agreement, meeting the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) guidance and the Minister has expressed his interest in institutions considering a Grade Point Average system.
The Minister has suggested that he wants different financial rewards to be made on the basis of different levels – although with inflation currently at -0.1 at the moment this doesn't give much room for flexibility and hints to the concerns being expressed by some organisations that this may give rise to fee increases, or indeed decreases – with say a level 1 allowing institutions to charge up to £7,500, a level 2 up to £9,000, level 3 up to £11,000 and a level 4 up to £13,000, although it should be recognised quite how difficult this would be and would require a vote in the Parliament, and just thinking back to 2004 with Tony Blair and his majority of 169 still only just passing the HE Act by 5 votes.
It is then likely that the metrics involved will evolve over time to include a wider range of measures that better reflect teaching quality – I will come on this in more detail shortly – but before I move on I wanted to flag a particular concern in year 2 about the robustness of the judgements of the independent panel. The panel will be looking at the limited number of metrics that I mentioned earlier but it is unclear how they will be able to develop a way of differentiating between institutions to create three levels of award, and this is likely to result in legal challenge or lengthy appeals, especially if linked to financial return. Indeed I suggested to BIS earlier in the week that they may want to consider having the two highest levels as just being reputational benefits rather than financial in years 2 and 3, with the inflation linked to a TEF level 2 as a way of avoiding this legal challenge.
This is also likely to give rise to a new variant on the question of a whether a 2:1 from University X is comparable with a 2:1 from University Y – with the new version being how we know whether a Level 4 TEF at one institution is comparable to a level 4 TEF at another institution.
Learning the lessons from REF
So I have given a brief overview of where we are, and how we got here, I now wanted to focus on what I see as some of the key questions that we will need to ask as we move from the principle of introducing a TEF to the practical challenges of making it a reality.
The first point I wanted to make was about learning the lessons from the development of the RAE/REF. This has continued to evolve over more than 20 years and has taken time to get right, and so when we think about TEF we shouldn't try and rush to get everything in place for year 1, the most important thing is not getting it wrong.
It will therefore be important that the TEF continues to evolve as more appropriate metrics and proxies become available. We don't want to undermine the TEF by using metrics that are not seen as being proxies of excellence. It will also be important given the backdrop of the recent Chancellor's Comprehensive Spending Review and the funding efficiencies and reductions that the sector will be expected to make that the TEF is simple, isn't bureaucratic or burdensome.
Counting what's measured, measuring what counts?
This then brings me on to my central theme, and the title of this evening's talk, namely the metrics that the Government are proposing and whether we measure what counts, rather than simply counting what is already being measured.
As I highlighted earlier, there is no commonly agreed single definition of teaching excellence, domestically or internationally. Therefore rather than attempting to measure this through creating a hugely bureaucratic process – such as the QAA's Teaching Quality Assessment of the late 1990s – it will be important that we use of proxies for teaching quality, whilst at the same time recognising the limitations and risks of using such proxies.
However, too great a focus on data and metrics risks confusing measuring excellence with assembling and publishing the least worst set of things that can easily be measured. This brings two key issues to mind. Firstly, a set of simple metrics will always struggle to reflect the real diversity across the sector and this must be taken into consideration when reflecting on the data. It will therefore be essential that data is effectively benchmarked for the type of subjects taught and the cohort of students studying are taken into consideration – just thinking about the NSS data there are real differences between different subject disciplines and the HEFCE Performance Indicators already take into consideration other factors that can distort data such as student background and geographical location.
The second factor to remember is that it is important to have a narrative provided by the institution so that they are able to consider the wider range of activities beyond the data and also that they are able to set the data on context. There have been two major reviews and pieces of research recently that have highlighted the flaws in relying solely on the data. Firstly, the recent independent report on the use of metrics in research assessment (the so-called Wilsdon report) concluded that quantitative metrics are no substitute for academic peer review. I believe that similar considerations apply to the use of teaching-related metrics and this was reinforced by the recent research at King's College London on the inability of data to accurately predict institutional performance in QAA reviews.
This raises the importance that the institutional statement should be given as much weighting as the data, rather than seeing the data as the entry point for different TEF levels. Indeed the institutional statement should be seen as a robust evidence base on which to make a judgement rather than being seen as a way of justifying the data. This also raises an important point about ensuring that the Independent Panel is made up of people who have an understanding of universities and the institutional context and are able to interpret the qualitative statement rather than just over-relying on the data.
In the early stages of the TEF, in order to meet the tight timescale, it will be important to use existing measures that have developed over time and are considered robust enough to make the type of (funding) decisions that I referred to earlier.
It is likely that whatever data is used in the early years may not be as robust as potential future metrics but this would suggest that BIS should not try and make the data do things that it is not able to withstand – and in particular concerns surrounding the ability of three metrics and a short institutional narrative to be able to result in three levels of differentiation in the outcomes of TEF should be seriously questioned.
As highlighted in the model the three data sources cited in the Green Paper are NSS, DLHE and retention data.
The biggest area of concern that I have heard across the sector and also during the recent BIS Select Committee Inquiry hearings related to the use of employment data. There are real questions about how this relates to teaching excellence and whether it is actually a proxy for the outcomes of the learning or rather more likely to reflect other factors such as course and career choice as well as other factors such as social capital.
However, whilst recognising these challenges it should also be noted that students have been increasingly citing the importance of employability and job prospects when applying to university – and students clearly consider it, at least in part, as a measure for their time at university – and so it is right that this be something considered – it is at least better than trying to rely on salary data which has been suggested by some. It will however be important to use more than just the six-month DLHE data which is skewed by issues such as students doing unpaid internships or having a portfolio of careers in some professions such as the creative industries.
Almost as concerning as the use of employability data is use of retention data. It is, of course, important to recognise student progression and retention can be a proxy for the support that students receive and the wider learning environment. However it is important that this doesn't become a long-term metric, especially if TEF is linked to increased fees, as it could create unintended consequences based on the fact that students from particular backgrounds are less likely to drop-out. It is also worth reflecting that some students "drop-out" for the right reasons – whether moving to a different institution, realising they've made a mistake or indeed receiving a job offer – and we wouldn't want to incentivise them staying on their course if it's not right for them.
The NSS data is likely to be the questions relating to teaching quality rather than the overall question about satisfaction – which is clearly a positive step but there are still concerns about the data. The questions relating to teaching quality have developed over ten years and there is tracking data to measure trends, and institutions have been using it for enhancement, and there is at least a case to be made that it could be a proxy for teaching quality. However, there will of course be concerns about students making judgements when – in most cases – they have nothing to compare their experience to, as well as whether they are reflecting on teaching or their own learning.
All in all I would suggest that whilst there are flaws with the proposed metrics they do at least use existing data that is understood and are universal and apply to all institutions, and so I can probably live with them for a couple of years – but I do want to set down a marker that if the Minister moves role in a couple of years and a new Minister comes in and decides TEF 2 is too complex that we ensure we aren't left with these metrics for many years to come.
Possible future metrics
Having critiqued the current metrics I suppose I should at least suggest a couple of possible future measures.
There have been many proxies suggested but three broad areas surrounding teaching quality, learning environments and student outcomes feels like the right starting point for discussing the possible bundle of future metrics. Indeed it is worth reflecting on Graham Gibbs's Dimensions of Quality research that have done so much to shape Government thinking in this area.
There could be various proxies in these categories including teaching qualifications and ongoing CPD, questions around how engaged students are with their learning that HEFCE are consulting on revising the NSS, and at a future point measures of "value added or learning gain" which are currently being piloted.
It may also be attractive for the Government to consider looking at staff/student ratios, investment in teaching and contact hours although any future metrics must both pass the test of not introducing unintended consequences and also not creating an overly bureaucratic system.
However as highlighted earlier, my main point is that we need to recognise the diversity of the sector and subject and so shouldn't just rely on data but build a wider picture using context-specific information.
Gaming the system
Finally it will be important when considering how to create a new system how be minimise the ability of institutions that might be tempted to try and game the system. This will be especially important when there are funding and reputational implications it is likely that institutions will try and present their institution in the best possible light.
Diversity & Institution versus subject/department level
It is important to recognise that teaching excellence is dependent on context: institutional mission, cohort of learners and subject. Use of these data would need to be benchmarked to ensure you were comparing like with like. Crucially, an effective TEF cannot be developed on a 'one size fits all' basis – this is something that HEFCE have been trying to move away from in the context of quality assessment and we shouldn't slip back into it through TEF. It has to be sensitive to context – able to reflect institutional diversity and the different subject disciplines and pedagogies.
As we think about how a TEF might be developed it is worth saying that a culture of developing outstanding teaching is both supported and facilitated at the institutional level, but delivered at the departmental level and so any future TEF will need to consider both dimensions.
The institutional level should demonstrate the wider strategies, policies and practices as well the institution's reward and recognition processes. However to establish the excellence of the teaching it will need to be done at the departmental level, even in the best institutions there will be variation in the quality of the teaching across departments. These differences within an institution may highlight different quality but also the different approaches in different disciplines as well as the backgrounds of the students themselves.
The link between TEF and fees
The second question that I wanted to address is the proposed linking the outcome of TEF to being able to raise fees – whether by inflation in the first instance, or reconsidering the fee cap itself as TEF develops.
NUS and others have rightly suggested that students should already be receiving excellent teaching, at the recent evidence session at the Select Committee NUS President Megan Dunn said "If we are saying to students that you can pay £9,000 and not get excellent teaching, then there is a problem." Going on to describe the link to fees as "dangerous".
In addition to the expectation that students should be receiving excellent teaching anyway there has also been concern – as touched on earlier – that the financial implications could have an impact on how institutions engage with the process, from a focus on enhancing teaching to creating too much incentive to focus on the metrics and data that inform the assessment and so could result in playing the system. Or indeed the perverse scenario where students decide to mark down the NSS to ensure lower fees for future students.
I would suggest that the reputational impact of an effective Teaching Excellence Framework is likely to drive institutional behaviour almost as much as any link to fee level. This is already demonstrated by the huge international interest in the proposals. There is therefore a question as to whether the fee link is needed.
It almost feels as though it is a rather blunt way of introducing the market into fee levels that the Government briefly expected when they introduced £9,000 fees. Following the race to £9k it could be suggested that the different TEF levels will be a way in introducing real market differentiation to prospective students – so that they are able to judge value for money based on the different fees levels, and all the difficulties that arise from that.
In a potential future scenario where there could be much greater fee differentiation it will be important to consider the impact that whilst the "best" teaching is rewarded with increased funding, there may be a scenario that less good teaching is penalised and so doesn't have the ability to invest to ensure its improvement. Or indeed given the time lag in data, it may not recognise improvements already made. This will either result in a degradation of quality of teaching for these students or could result is closure of courses which will impact on student choice, especially those not able to travel to other institutions.
However, having critiqued the fee link it is perhaps just worth mentioning that as I look back at what has actually resulted in changing institutional behaviour over many years it is the financial incentive that often plays a central role. It is likely that the practical impact of a fee link will ensure that there is a renewed focus on the quality across the higher education sector and could result in the intended re-balancing of the emphasis between research and teaching that the Minister has highlighted as being central to the proposals.
The link to teaching excellence also ensures that institutions are able to increase their fees to recognise both inflation and the real terms cut in fees since they were introduced and the rising costs facing universities. It is important to have a process that enables institutions to raise their fees by inflation, and if you are going to do that then surely linking it to improving quality at least seems the most defensible approach. There is also the question that if not linked to quality what alternative would the sector suggest to enable institutions to raise fees by inflation – and that would satisfy the Chancellor.
Moving on it to think of other wider questions associated with the TEF, when I think about all the other challenges of the TEF it is when I think about the timescale that I become most nervous.
As ever when Ministers have a "good idea" they want to see it implemented as soon as possible – perhaps because they want to leave a legacy, perhaps because they want to introduce it before they move jobs and their successor starts to tinker with it or perhaps just because they're not so involved in the detail that they don't know how long these things actually take to get right.
It was suggested at the Select Committee last week that the timescale is achievable but only because the scope is fairly limited in the first couple of years and so we have substituted the speed of implementation for the meaningfulness of the outcome.
It was good that BIS listened to the sector that introducing something new in time for 2017/18 would be impossible and so they are using a successful QAA Review as a proxy in the first year of TEF. But even looking at 2018/19 the timescale looks tight.
Just working it through, students starting in 2018/19 will begin the applications process in October 2017 (for Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses), and January 2018 for other courses and institutions. Institutions successful in TEF will be able to raise their fees by inflation and so students will need to know the fee level as part of their decision-making. This means that institutions will need to update their websites by early Summer 2017, having already gone through their University Board of Governors for approval. Therefore decisions – including using independent panels – will need to be made by late Spring 2017.
But it is not just the speed that it concerning it is also the lack of piloting and so BIS will be creating a process without knowing whether it will work or what the unintended consequences might be – and when you consider the likely financial consequences this could also result in lengthy judicial review and appeals.
Staff and students
Before I think about wider principles of how we might judge the effectiveness of the TEF I wanted to briefly touch on a couple of other points that are worth considering:
Firstly the clear link between well-supported, paid and developed staff and teaching excellence. Whilst this hasn't received much attention so far in the discussions surrounding the TEF it has been obliquely referenced through the recognition in the discussions surrounding the TEF about the link between qualified staff and their ongoing professional development with the quality of teaching. It is likely that this might form part of the basket of metrics as TEF evolves, but it does feel like this wider issue of the support that staff receive hasn't been given sufficient emphasis.
In her evidence to the BIS Select Committee, Sally Hunt from UCU raised concerns about zero-hours contracts and casualization and the impact that this can have on the quality of teaching. She identified key pressures upon quality arising from casualisation including inadequate time for marking assessment, inability of teachers to access training and professional development, reduced student access to experienced academic staff, and the poor morale and the high turnover of staff.
Sally expressed her desire to see a new assessment system to examine the relationship between casualised employment arrangements and the quality of the student learning experience, for example, its impact on marking and assessment processes and the opportunities for staff on casual contracts to access professional development. Indeed the Chair of GuildHE, Professor Joy Carter ended her evidence to the Select Committee by highlighting the important role of satisfied and engaged staff in order to deliver high quality teaching and therefore the role of reward and recognition will be key to the TEF as it develops.
We should however recognise that in many GuildHE institutions there are many staff that work part-time and are also professionals in industry – this professional experience is particularly valued by students and so we must ensure this isn't unintentionally caught up in this.
In addition to the impact of the security of staff contracts and reward and recognition issues it is also important to recognise the impact of how students are engaged in the process. I have already touched on the importance of future TEF metrics including how students are engaged in their own learning but we should also consider how students are involved in the evaluation of teaching excellence.
The views of students will be embedded into the TEF metrics through the use of the National Student Survey. But in recent years there has been much discussion about student engagement and moving towards students being recognised as partners in their education. In this scenario simply using student feedback through surveys feels like a fairly passive approach to engaging students. Whilst it isn't yet exactly clear what TEF evaluations at a subject level will look like we must ensure that students are embedded into these processes.
Whilst we're just looking at the institutional level, if there is an institutional narrative sitting alongside the data we should consider how student views are reflected as part of this, which could include it being a joint submission, a students' union commentary or just ensuring that the statement is signed off by a university committee that includes student representation. This principle of student representation should also be an integral part of the independent peer review that will be reviewing the data and institutional statements.
We have already seen in recent years the benefit that students have brought to QA Review panels and as we move into a new regulatory landscape with an Office for Students, this wider – and deeper – engagement of students should be embedded in the process from the beginning.
How will we know if it was a success?
I suppose one of the key questions to consider is looking back in ten years' time, how will we judge whether the TEF has been a success?
The Minister has emphasised a number of key objectives of the TEF in his speech 1st July 2015 particularly focusing on the outcomes of the TEF such as ensuring all students receive an excellent teaching experience that encourages original thinking, drives up engagement and prepares them for the world of work and a wider context of building a culture where teaching has equal status with research. But there will be as many challenges in trying to measure the impact of the TEF in relation to these objectives as there are trying to develop the right set of metrics in the first place.
This perhaps suggests a wider set of principles that are seen as underpinning the success of the higher education system. In his evidence to the BIS Select Committee Professor David Maguire the Vice Chancellor at the University of Greenwich highlighted five key principles that should be at the heart of TEF. "The first one is a focus on enhancement and getting better. The second one is about reputation. We need to ensure we seek to enhance and certainly do not weaken the reputation of our world-class sector. We need to preserve diversity. There is not one model of teaching excellence or of success. We need to recognise the different missions and different goals of different areas. Our sector is founded upon autonomy and the autonomous nature of institutions. We need to preserve that. We also want something that will be efficient. We do not want to spend a lot of money and time and deflect people from doing research and teaching by concentrating on filling in forms and delivering information."
These five principles of enhancement, reputation, diversity of teaching and diversity of institution, autonomy and efficiency could be a helpful framework by which to measure the success of the TEF.
In conclusion the Teaching Excellence Framework provides a real opportunity to enhance teaching within universities and raise the profile of good teachers but there are clearly many potential pitfalls along the way that we need to avoid.
To download this lecture, click here:


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Architecture of the Late USSR - College of Music
Project info
Every day I and many other people walked past this building to work, home, walked or hurried on business. This autumn, in the rays of the setting sun, the building seems to be enveloped in warmth and recalls the oriental motifs. This moment could not be missed.


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This period's Bachelor celebrities Chris Soules, a fourth-generation farmer from Iowa that, when he isn't shooting a truth show, functions a 6,000-acre area of corn and also other plants. Thus far, the time has actually treated our team to chances of attractive Chris staring throughout attractive areas, performing push-ups on grass parcels, as well as starting bikini-clad tractor nationalities on the roads of Los Angeles. Final night's incident included a "Hoedown Throwdown," through which the ladies shucked corn, wrestled swines, and also took advantage goats. But what does it definitely take to draw a farmer's center? Cosmopolitan.com talked to three Iowan farmers —– 2 of whom have found The Undergraduate, some of whom states he doesn't have time for it —– about the advantages and disadvantages of appointment Royal prince Farming.
1. Jordan Clasen, 27, Grade A Gardens
Jordan is a first-generation farmer running a small function outside Des Moines. His ranch develops 60 to 70 plants like garlic, apples, as well as zucchini. He operates a CSA [Community Supported Farming] with about 100 members, and markets to high-end dining establishments and also at a farmers harvestdating.co.za login' market on weekend breaks.
What's the very best portion of courting a farmer?
Well, you can easily possess the greatest damn food you may consume. If an individual may produce a lady morning meal, that's a plus —– but if a man may head out and get eggs that were simply laid, after that you're really up the ideal spring. I have actually consistently obtained filthy nails, and also possibly a gap or 2 in the t shirt. It just takes the correct individual to discover that appealing.
What's awful component of courting a farmer?
The hrs. When May happens, the lord, it type of pulls. Friday, I am actually up overdue creation certain everything is ready for the farmers' market as well as our company've come to be up rather early to be downtown through 6 o'clock. A ton of females like heading out on the weekends and also it is difficult to possess a romantic weekend break when you received ta stress over that.
Performs possessing a routine like that create it difficult to meet women?
I've learned that females resemble plants: They require water as well as they require to be nourished. And at times along with farming, you believe that the project's certainly never performed, so I can simply be actually out listed here all the time. Therefore, yes and also no. I don't believe it is actually hard to meet individuals, yet whether or not you locate your companion —– a compatible, encouraging person —– that could be a tough trait. I'm not searching for a person that is actually mosting likely to be around grinding in the business for me, yet someone's who's encouraging of my interest would certainly behave.
What perform you consider Chris?
He's a stand-up Iowa guy. I consulted with my mama —– she's a Bachelor junkie. She felt like, "Oh, he is actually the sweetest individual, he got on the final Bachelorette." She fancies him.
Do you presume the series carries out an excellent work of revealing what it is actually really like to be a farmer?
I do not understand any sort of farmers that would definitely be eager to climb on a nationwide limelight show like that. But he is actually a desirable fella, he is actually respectful, he appears true good, thus yes, I think they carried out a good work of presenting an Iowa farmer. You've really got to be actually trying to find an interesting kind of love to become on The Undergraduate, I suspect. I am just a different person. I presume I am actually visiting bump into my partner in a parking area at Intended or even one thing.
Perform you possess any kind of pointers for the women on the program who are actually vying for Chris's affection?
I ensure he carries out lengthy days as well as Mother earth is wacky enough that if there are actually times that he's obtained a film day for next Sunday and it rains as well as he must correct machines and also can't visit the day, they require to be pliable. You go home and also you get griped at by your spouse for being late —– it kind of produce a negative connection.
Is it vital that a female you are actually with have cultivating abilities?
Farming skills are not important to me —– a readiness to find out as well as play in dust is essential. It will be essential for me that she chooses being outdoors as opposed to inside your home. I selected to ranch as a career because I'm blessed adequate to phone my office the outsides. If I were actually seeming wealthy, I would certainly possess researched to become a computer system developer. When I was actually bit, I intended to be actually a millionaire. I'm trying to find the gal who responds better when I tell her I am actually a farmer over being actually a millionaire.
Have you ever before complied with a lady with a farmer proclivity?
I have satisfied females that think there is actually no cooler work than being a farmer —– regardless if that is a proclivity, I am actually uncertain.
Have you ever made love on a farm?
This [question] makes me smile. Yes, as long as there's yard and also a moon.
When was actually the final time you happened a time? What did you perform?
Not exactly sure what is actually thought about a date these days. I recently headed to dinner and also observed Boyhood with a girl pal. Ignited the grill, and also made cheeseburgers and french fries on a chilly wintertime time —– was actually a date to me.
When was your last long-lasting relationship? Why performed you fellas split?
I was actually with somebody for a little over 5 years. We split a little bit of over a year earlier. Our experts separated because it was actually the first year I started farming full-time. I remained in the fields 'til black, really did not cut my hair, really did not put on deodorant, as well as she often found dust in the clothes dryer because I didn't clean off my trousers sufficient.
Will your wedding event happen on a farm?
I would certainly get married in a car park provided that I had my soul mate, my household, as well as buddies close by.
2. Give Schultz, 33, Versaland
Give operates Versaland, a 145-acre ranch of fruit product, nut, and also hardwood trees integrated along with veggies and multi-species pasture. He does not see The Undergraduate but consented to answer some dating concerns over e-mail.
What are actually the very best features of dating a farmer?
Complete freedom to do what I wish, when I wish. No managers, no sales percentages, limitless vacation times.
What is actually tough concerning dating a farmer?
Seasonally, the hours can be long during harvest. Yet there are actually long time periods of recovery time very —– really depends on what sort of company you are actually operating. Row-crop farmers can get away operating a couple of weeks of the year if they intend to; I recognize milk farmers that have actually certainly never been away from house for greater than two days. I in fact get to take the entire wintertime off, hang around or create or even check out close friends in various other component of the world. It's pretty nice.
What do you seek in a woman?
Intelligence initially, followed through self-reliance and also physical fitness. Kiwi females should vacation in the conditions a lot more!
Is it crucial that your companion have farming skill-sets?
It's trivial for a woman to have ranch capabilities, yet it is important to have a hookup with the atmosphere. I have actually dated doctors and also lawyers; shared regard does not imply our experts have to know each other's profession inside and out.
Have you ever before attempted to educate a lady concerning cultivating however obtained shut off considering that she only could not do it?
Nope, yet I tried to instruct a girl to snowboard on a time once and it was actually a calamity.
Have you ever before met a lady with a farmer proclivity?
Every hipster female in United States aged 20 to 30 has a secret farmer proclivity. I make an effort furthermore my profession. I won't date vegetarians. If you're an omnivore, it may function.
Are you a great chef?
I am actually a good cook, yet I additionally have a varied ranch of livestock and veggies, so I possess terrific food items to deal with. Most other farmers today prepare from boxes. It is actually wild.
What prevail myths you encounter about your line of work?
Usual mistaken beliefs are that swines scent —– [that's] just when you latch them in a building all the time. I increase animals on pasture.
Have you ever before complied with a woman along with a farmer proclivity?
Yes. Run!
Perform you believe an excellent farmer would certainly perform The Bachelor?
You are actually enjoying the caricature of a part-time farmer on that particular program. An actual farmer does not desire to relocate to Los Angeles 11 months of the year. Quote me on that particular.
What perform you carry out in your extra time?
Create, lift body weights, and deal with machines. I functioned in start-ups in a past lifestyle. When you receive deep enough into health and wellness, you recognize the only technique to guarantee high quality as well as range of food is to expand it on your own. I literally sold my company (a real estate broker agent) as well as started a farm from scratch.
When was the last time you took place a day? What performed you carry out?
Last week. Coffee and a bike experience —– not much various from what you would certainly do in Brooklyn; our experts only have cleaner sky listed here. I have the good fortune of being actually eight miles from a major educational institution, lots of days are occurring, mostly with non-farming ladies. Some grew on farms, but it is actually rare.
There's a dating website called "FarmersOnly" —– like an OkCupid for farmers. Does that sound attractive to you?
Why would certainly you limit on your own to simply farmers? Is there a DoctorsOnly? I perform OKC, I such as to play the area.
Will your wedding celebration happen on a farm?
I picture a spring season wedding on the farm, with the apple plants flowering. Will need to observe what the future keeps.
3. Andrew Edson, 24, Edson Acres
Andrew grew up on a corn as well as soybean farm in Iowa, and also is actually a 6th generation farmer. He started expanding his own corn as well as soy bean crops while still in senior high school, as well as was actually a full-time farmer while likewise joining Iowa Condition. He now cultivates close to 1,000 acres of soy beans and also corn, and also tends 15 head of cattle. WhenCosmopolitan.com caught up with him, he was on the motorway, carrying corn. He kindly drew over to conversation.
Does possessing a farmer's routine inconvenience to meet females?
Yeah, for certain. Not only meet them, but maintain them also. I was dating a woman in university for a year-and-a-half and also I could undoubtedly tell the amount of times our team were the most stressed were actually when I was in produce and failed to possess much time to commit to her given that it was a long-distance partnership. She was at Iowa State, which is 2.5 hrs away.
What is actually the most effective part of dating a farmer?
You're obtaining a person that is passionate as well as may be passionate not almost farming yet about household. [Farmers] go into it with total attempt, total soul. They're not giving half.
What is actually awful aspect of dating a farmer?
Absolutely having to be actually thus knowing as well as pliable. And it is actually not awful, yet it's the hardest. As farmers, we're constrained by time and weather condition, and so our team find out normally to go along with the circulation. If a woman is available in who failed to grow up on a farm, it might be harder for them to discover.
What's do you consider Chris?
They have actually done a decent task with him. His caring side and also dealing with others has actually shown up. He seems like an Iowan farmer to me.
Do you assume the show does an excellent job of showing what it's truly like to be a farmer?
I believe there is actually such a disconnect in between metropolitan populace as well as farming, so I enjoy that they're able to link both. It is actually truth TV, thus like on the final incident when they were riding tractors in swimwears, that is actually not perhaps something I would certainly view.
Is it significant that a female you date be actually "outdoorsy"?
She doesn't have to put on cowboy shoes and trousers, and affection seeking as well as fishing. Most of farming takes place outside though, so she requires to like being outdoors and also certainly not be afraid to acquire her palms grimy.
Possess you ever before met a woman with a farmer fetish?
Nope, can't mention I have.
How carry out girls react when you inform all of them you are actually a farmer —– are they turned on by it?
Farming often receives quite thrilled reactions from ladies. At the very least in Iowa, there declare undertones that occur with being actually a farmer. Our experts're accountable, down-to-earth, as well as authentic individuals that like to become outdoors as well as look after what our experts've been actually offered.
When was the final time you went on a time? What did you do?
I haven't been on a time for about eight months, which is long sufficient for me that I do not really remember what our experts performed. One of my favorite times that I may bear in mind was actually one where our experts drove around a nearby city, searching for exciting "photo ops." The target was to get 7 pictures, each including a different shade of the rainbow. The periodic imagination when it comes to dating may go a very long way.
Will your wedding celebration happen on a farm?
That will certainly be actually completely depend on my wife-to-be. The ranch can be a wonderful setup, but it is actually through no means a requirement.


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