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Awesome! Very descriptive and helpful. You're nuts and I like it.
My Homemade Tandoor Oven
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For those that read the previous entries in my travel blog, you'll remember that towards the tail end of our trip to India, I was told that tandoor ovens are incredibly cheap to purchase over there. Like 500 rupees (about $10-$12 USD) but of course the problem is that they are very heavy, because they are essentially a giant chunk of clay. And on top of that, they are very fragile. So while I was able to find one at a very affordable price, by the time it was packed safely enough to ship somewhere, it weighed about 40-50 kilograms (90-110 pounds). That's way to heavy to check as baggage, and it would cost a fortune to ship back home by any method other than ocean liner. So my dreams of having a tandoor at home were dashed for the moment
But alas, I wasn't going to give up so easy. As soon as we got back to the states, Rebecca left again to go join her family. So I'd be by myself for a couple of days after christmas with nothing to do. So I decided to read a hundred articles on the internet about building a back-yard tandoor over, and devise a plan to build my own out of common items found at your local home improvement store.
Looking back in hindsight, my first design was really lacking. I thought that a tandoor wasn't much more than clay (or stone) walls around something really hot. So my plan was to cut the bottom off of a cheap planter pot, attach the wide end to a metal BBQ grill somehow, then invert the whole thing and put it on top of one of those super-jet-burners that they use for boiling huge pots of water while camping. So I set out on the 26th of December to see what kind of after-christmas sales I could find on camping equipment. As luck would have it, I found exactly the kind of burner I was looking for at G.I. Joes (I guess it's now just called "Joes") which is a chain store in the pacific northwest that carries all sorts of camping, sporting, fishing and outdoorsing equipment... and car parts... ??? figure that one out. But whatever, it had exactly the kind of burner I wanted on sale for $34.99
Next I run over to the local home improvement store "Jerry's", which I think is unique to Eugene/Springfield. (We've got Home Depot and Lowe's too, but I try to shop local when I can) And I head out to the garden center where I find that they've got a huge section of their pottery on 75% off! Score! I pick up this nice large white pot and a round BBQ grill that fits the mouth just about perfectly. At this point, I knew that I didn't just want exposed super-heated stone on the outside of my over, so I needed something to protect myself and others from touching it. I wandered around the store for probably an hour looking for inspiration. I asked a couple of store employees if they had any ideas for high-temp insulation, but we couldn't come up with anything. Then I started thinking "I just need a big can to throw over the top of it!" and then I ran over to the garbage can isle praying that people still carried metal garbage cans. Sure enough, there it was, the perfect-sized garbage can, at a very affordable price as well. So I purchases all my goods and returned to my garage to start construction.
I get home and I remember reading all these stories about people that cut the bottoms off their pots with an angle grinder
At this point, I toy with the idea of giving up, but I decide to trudge on, and I go out to try the new blade with the terra cotta pot. Ahhhh! Much better! It's not quite like a hot knife to butter. It's more like a cold serratted knife to butter that's been frozen to absolute zero. Suffice it to say that I get the entire bottom cut off, but it takes about an hour to make the entire cut
While my pot was drying, I decided to read up more on how tandoors work. That's when I realized that the tandoor is more than just a clay-walled oven. They work by essentially building up and trapping the heat inside so much that they can get up to insanely hot temperatures. Then I realized that there was no way my tandoor was going to get hot enough with a 17 inch mouth over the top of a 12 inch burner (due to excess airflow) and I also didn't incorporate any kind of insulation into my design
I spend another hour cutting the bottom off the second pot, swap it with the pot that's drying on the stove, so it can get some of it's water out as well. I then mortar the top and bottom lips of the first pot and wait a while for everything to dry. After sufficient time had passed, I blob a bunch more mortar around the lip of the upright pot, and drop the second pot on top of the first. Then I commence in applying a nice thick layer of mortar to the inside and outside of the joint between the two pots. Around the outside, I cut the chicken-wire down to the right size, and I wrap it around the two pots at the thickest part. I use two pairs of small vice grips to make sure it's tight. Then I mortar over the top of that. I place the whole concoction over the top of my stove burner (set to medium low heat, maybe 4 of 10) place the lid on it, and leave it overnight (about 8-12 hours).
The next day, I spend a little more time reading about tandoors and I discover all this information about curing your tandoor oven
So far so good! Now it's time for final assembly! I measure the bottom mouth of the clay liner and cut a circular hole in the bottom of the garbage can that is about 1 inch narrower all the way around. That way I would have a nice little shelf to rest the skewers on when they are in the oven cooking. And I gotta say the garbage can idea is brilliant because the bottom has all these circular ripples in it for strength, so cutting a perfectly circular hole that is also exactly centered is really quite easy because you just pick the ripple closest to the size you need and cut along that, and voila
I measured the lip of the liner at the top of the can, and I cut a nice circular hole in the garbage can lid. Again, using the ripples in the lid as a guide, I was able to cut a very round, very centered hole, but when I fitted it on the top of my contraption, it didn't line up
I placed my tandoori-can on the burner and turned the propane on just a crack, and let it go for awhile. I've got one of those kitchen thermometers with a remote probe, so I dropped that inside to see how how it was getting. After about 20 minutes of running with the lid off, the temp had stabilized to about 180 degrees I think. But if I put the lid on, and dropped the probe in through the whole in the middle, the temp shot right up past 400 degrees (that's where my termometer maxes out) in a matter of minutes. If I took the lid off, the temp would slowly fall to some stabilized temp much lower. I also noticed when the lid was on, the outside of the can would get much hotter. After a little investigation I realized that with the lid on, the inside heats up, and starts pouring out the bottom hole of the clay liner and overflowing around the bottom of the can and starts climbing up the outside of the can
I decided I needed to block the bottom hole a little and force whatever air is coming in to pass by something that is hot, and also give the heat rays inside the tandoor something to bounce off of and return back upwards instead of escaping. The solution proved to be very easy: I made a small basket out of the extra chicken-wire I used for reinforcing the joint, and forced that down to the bottom of the liner, and poured in a bunch of lava rock that they use for the bottom of normal gas BBQ grills. The instructions on the package of lava rocks actually says you need to fire them up by themselves for about 15-20 minutes. That is because on their first heating, they burn off their outer layer and that releases a bit of a smell which could possibly effect your food. So after dropping them in, I fired up the burner to low at first, then up to medium after about 4 or 5 minutes. Then I let it sit for another 15 minutes. The bottom layer of lava rocks started glowing red, and I could already tell that the heat inside that tandoor was much more stable than before
I only had one skewer at this point, a piece of metal stock that is probably 3/8in diameter by 6 feet long. I sharpened the tip with my bench grinder and stuck a bunch of chicken on it. I dropped that in and set the timer for 10 minutes. Not quite enough, but after a 2nd 10 minutes, it was a little overcooked (but still delicious I'm told). So after getting the chicken off (which was quite a hassle, remember to oil the skewers before you use them) I dropped the skewer in a plastic garbage can filled with water to cool it off, then I prepped a 2nd skewer and dropped that in 17 minutes. That one came out just about right. At this point I thought the temp inside the tandoor had equalized, so I dropped in a 3rd skewer and set the timer for 15 minutes and walked away....
When the timer went off I walked out and noticed that the lid I was using had cracked, so I pulled it off and saw that the chicken on the skewer was burning. Not burning like the edges were black, but burning like a log in a roaring bonfire! I quickly pulled the skewer out and the whole thing kept burning quite easily. So I shut off the propane, dropped the whole skewer in the water tank to put it out. I put my hand over the top of the tandoor for a second, and realized I couldn't even hold it 10 inches over the top of the mouth for longer than a tenth of a second without feeling like my hand was burning
The next morning I went out to check on it, and the clay liner was perfectly in tact, although the curing glaze I'd painted on the inside had been completely incinerated. I also noticed that the mortar I'd put on the bottom of the garbage can had all cracked and fallen off. At first this really worried me, but then I realized that it looked like it was nothing more than a different heat expansion properties between the steel and the mortar. The mortar was designed to stick to stoneware (which is does very well) and it is probably designed to expand at the same rate that fireplace bricks do. The steel of the garbage can obviously expands differently at different heats, so the mortar wasn't able to hold on, so it just cracked and sluffed off. A little more concerning, however, is that the wire basket I placed the lava rocks in. I poked at that a couple of times, and it seems like the metal had crystalized (or whatever happens when it reaches super high temperatures and then cools down)... because as soon as you poke it, the individual strands would just shatter. It actually reminded me of the silk mantles that you use in coleman lanterns for some reason. And I hypothesize that as long as I don't move anything, it'll probably be fine, but as soon as I lift the can off the burner, that basket with probably break and all the lava rocks will fall out
So I put a couple more coats of the curing glaze on the inside, then went out to find a thermometer to put inside this thing so I know how hot I'm working with. The solution ended up being quite simple... Jerry's has a magnetic thermometer that is for wood-stoves. It's designed to stick to the base of the chimney I think (to tell you if you're getting close to a chimney fire), and it goes up to about 800F. It's all metal, including the readout, so the whole thing can sit inside a very hot environment and not be any worse for wear. So I took a strip of steel I had sitting around my shop area and make a quick couple of bends with a vise and my big 3lb sledgehammer (I love that hammer!) and made a bracket that hangs over the top of the tandoor and hooks on the edge of the garbage can lid, and drops down into the opening about 5 or 6 inches. I fired up the tandoor after installing the thermometer and it doesn't really read anything below about 200F, but between 200F and 600F it did a good job of telling me approximately how hot it was inside.
I had a big party coming up where I wanted to show off what the new toy could do. So I got about 15lbs of chicken breast tenderloins and started them marinating. I also bought 4 more pieces of steel stock from Jerry's. This time I got the 1/4 inch by 6ft plated rods. I cut each one in half, which yielded 8 skewers of 3ft per. 3ft means that I've only got about 8-10inches sticking out the top which isn't really enough to work with. So I found a small pile of wooden dowels in my shop, and cut a bunch of 1ft sections, drilled holes in the end, and jammed the skewers into the end of the dowels
In addition to the 15lbs of chicken, I sliced up about 5 lbs of potatoes into 1/2in rounds, and and equal amount of onions cut into eights. When it came time to make up the skewers, I would alternate potatoe-chicken-onion-chicken-potatoe-chicken-onion and so on until I'd filled up the whole 14inches of cooking space. The purpose of this is that I noticed when it's just a big bundle of chicken on a skewer it tends to fuse into a solid mass which makes it harder to both get off the skewer and cook all the way through. It also added a bunch of edible stuff to each skewer, as the big party might have as many as 17 people attend. I might also mention that after chopping the onions and potatoes, I threw them in a big bowl with peanut oil, and a mix of indian spices (ground cumin, corriander and turmeric) and tossed it all together to get the spices mixed around.
On the day of the party, I started the tandoor about 90 minutes before I wanted to start cooking to get it heated up. I think the temp equalized within 40 minutes, and it never really got above 275F. So I turned up the propane and found that the temp would equalize within about 15 minutes after it was pre-heated. So I kept adjusting it until I got the temp to about 500F consistently, and started cooking. At 500F, each skewer would go in for at least 20 minutes
The next thing to try was naan, which is a traditional indian flatbread that is cooked by flattening out the dough into a little pancake-like patty and slapping it to the inside wall of a tandoor oven. It starts bubbling and cooking immediately, and they use a little hook and scraper to retrieve them off the walls when they are done cooking. So I'd actually fashioned a hook out of another piece of metal like my skewers, and I make a scraper by attaching a cheap wood-handled frosting spreader I got from the local kitchen supply store to the end of another piece of metal rod. I flattened out the dough, slapped it to the inside, and it started cooking immediatly just like it should. I was estatic and I was doing my own happy dance around the tandoor at that point. You see, we've been throwing these parties every month for the past year, and each time I try to make naan we can only cook them one at a time on a cast-iron griddle, and they just don't cook the same. It also takes the better part of 45-minutes to get them all cooked. Once I master the process inside the tandoor, it should cut that time to less than half, and they end up tasting better as well. So it's win-win all around!
I realized this post is a little long-winded, but I know there are several people out there on the internet are wishing they had their own tandoor oven just like I was
In the photos I included a cost breakdown to give you an idea of how much this project cost. I'm pretty sure I could have gotten a propane tank cheaper somewhere, and a lot of people already have one sitting around. That was defenitely a large part of the cost, but overall I'm ok with the price. I could probably get a decent backyard BBQ grill for $230, but the way I see it, the tandoor can do almost everything a normal grill can do, and lots of things it can't do. And I also get an awesome burner for boiling water while camping as well. So I think this is defenitely a better deal.
Update (1 year later):
I've now been using the tandoor on and off again for the past year. The wire basket inside eventually disintegrated completely, which caused me to rebuilt the bottom of the unit. For the rebuild, used a freshly-cleaned shop-vac and sucked out all the Perlite from the top section of the garbage can, then I gently tipped it on it's side and pushed, pulled and jiggled until I got the liner out in one piece. This led to the bottom half of the Perlite going everywhere. Using the shop-vac again, I got all the Perlite sucked up, then I put the original metal grill (12 or 15") in the bottom of the garbage can, then I set the liner on top of that and poured in all the Perlite from the shopvac
The original bracket for the thermometer only lasted one or 2 sessions, it got in the way of the lid too much. To I ended up drilling a whole in the lid (which is a trash can lid from a small-sized metal garbage can) and placing the thermometer over that whole. That mostly worked, but after a couple of months it started sticking, and by now if it moves at all it is so inaccurate that it's not even worth spending the brain cells to read it. What I really need is one of those IR laser themometers, I just need to make sure it can read up to 1100 or 1200 degrees (F).
Over the year, we've used it for dinners maybe 20 times, and I still struggle with naan sticking to the side correctly. I think that terra cotta just doesn't react the same, and I frequently wish I had a horizontal surface I could drop inside for baking flatbread. But sometimes I get it to work, and when it works, everybody raves about how amazing the bread is. But for skewered items, it is awesome. Tandoori Chicken, Lamb kebabs for gyros, and there is simply no better way to make roasted eggplant.
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I am very interested in your very detailed instructions to make a tandoori oven. I saw another blog that someone posted about how to make one out of a garbage can and flower pot. She only rubbed the pot down with olive oil. And, I guess according to this video link, sprinkles it with water to get it to stick? Watch video on this link to see what you think http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwlOV7qTmHA
Very cool project...I'm not sure I'm ambitious or talented enough to copy it. However while looking at other designs, I found this warning (on www.instructables.com)--if your metal trash can is galvanized, beware!
introGarbage Can and Flower Pot Tandoor Oven
SAFETY UPDATE: You should not do this with a galvanized can! If something goes wrong (too much airflow, too little insulation) the outer can could exceed 100DegF and the zinc (that's the "galvanized" part) could vaporize into a toxic gas! Avoid galvanized! Thank you vigilant commenters
@Ted - Thank you so much for the info. I think I've seen the end result of the galvanized steel getting too hot. The two trashcan lids on my tandoor have slowly changed to a hazy, rough texture over time. At first I thought it was just some solidified chicken fat or something, but after an extensive cleaning session I realized that the metal itself had actually changed. It feels almost like a rough sandpaper. So I bet my lids have almost no zinc left in them.
As far as I know, I haven't suffered any ill effects from it. If there is a toxic gas coming off the unit (other than propane) you can't smell it. And nobody I know of has even had a reaction to the food made in the tandoor. But I'm wise enough to know that doesn't mean that bad stuff isn't happening. If I were to do it all over again, I would build a permanent brick structure in the back yard with enough space in it to insert the liner and have a good food of insulation all around it. I think I would also bulid it in such a way that the liner was at a 30-45 degree angle. I would A) make it easier to work with, B) trap more heat inside, and C) allow me to constuct some kind of horizontal surface that I could slide inside (like an oven rack) that would make cooking flatbread LOADS easier.
Hi Kirby,I love Tandoori food and have been wanting a Tandoor for years...
About your breads...I asked to look inside the Tandoor at a food festival and
they they where cooking Nann bread in it,what they had was a approx 8 inch padded "cushion" (may have had a handle strap sewn on) and it was covered in a tea towel,then the bread was placed on the tea towel which they pressed against the wall of the oven which resulted in a lovely bread with the odd black/brown bit....just gorgeous....one day I would love to have my own oven and like you would probably have a brick housing made for it.....:D
I made it easy - got my authentic clay pot from www.hometandoor.com people on recommendation of a chef in NY. He claimed that the naan bread in an authentic tandoor cooks better and now i can vouch for it.
Used an old barrel sourced by a friend and insulated it with ceramic lining. Skewers were provided by the same company that sent me the clay pot. I got mild steel skewers instead of the stainless steel skewers as it cooks better and does not slip as much as the stainless steel one.
Maybe my input helps others.


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Yannick Nťzet-Sťguin Ė Biography
Not many people have their life plan set out at the age of ten, but that was when Yannick Nťzet-Sťguin decided he wanted to become a conductor. Twenty-nine years later he continues to realise his dream with spectacular results. Ten probably didnít seem too young Ė he had already been studying the piano since he was five, and went on to win many prizes at the Conservatoire de musique et díart dramatique du Quťbec in his native Montreal. But the turning point in his musical life came at 19, when he met the great Italian conductor Carlo Maria Giulini, who became his mentor.
Quietly imbibing the older maestroís wisdom, he developed his career firm in the view that a conductor is there to serve the music, not the other way round. This modest approach swiftly made him a favourite choice for both audiences and orchestras.†
By the time he made his European debut in 2004 he had cut his conducting teeth with local choirs and had founded his own professional orchestra and vocal ensemble, La Chapelle de Montrťal. In 2000 he became Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre Mťtropolitain and went on to conduct all the major ensembles in Canada. But it was clear that the world stage beckoned.
There followed invitations from the Dresden Staatskapelle, Berliner Philharmoniker, Staatskapelle Berlin, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Philharmoniker (in Salzburg, Lucerne and Vienna), Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He made his BBC Proms debut in 2009 with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, returning the following year with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, where he has been Music Director since 2008, the year he also became Principal Guest Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.†
He has also appeared at festivals in Edinburgh, San Sebastian and Grafenegg.† Engagements in summer festivals in North America include the Lanaudiere Festival, Vail Valley Music Festival, Saratoga Festival and Mostly Mozart Festival.
In 2013 he extended his contract in Rotterdam through to summer 2018 and was also announced as Artist-in-Residence at the Konzerthaus Dortmund for three years, where projects include a Mendelssohn concert series with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in 2014/15, followed by a Bruckner cycle with the Vienna Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Dresden, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in 2015/16.
Yannick Nťzet-Sťguin began a long-term partnership with Deutsche Grammophon in summer 2012, launching a major new cycle of recordings of Mozartís seven mature operas which started with Don Giovanni (ďstrongly recommendedĒ Ė BBC Music Magazine) and continued with Cosž fan tutte, starring Rolando Villazůn (ďThe superb young conductor Yannick Nťzet-Sťguin draws a dynamic, nuanced and miraculously natural performanceĒ Ė New York Times). It will be followed by Idomeneo, Die EntfŁhrung aus dem Serail, Le nozze di Figaro, La clemenza di Tito and Die ZauberflŲte, all featuring Rolando Villazůn in the lead tenor roles.†
His debut orchestral recordings with Deutsche Grammophon were released in September 2013. In the first he conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra, where he became Music Director in 2012, in the orchestraís first studio album with a major label since a recording with Deutsche Grammophon in 1997. It features Stravinskyís The Rite of Spring and Leopold Stokowski transcriptions of music by Bach and Stravinsky. The second recording, with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, offers Tchaikovskyís heartfelt Pathťtique Symphony and Lisa Batiashvili is the soloist in selected Romances from op. 6 & 73.
His Deutsche Grammophon recording of the complete Schumann symphonies with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe is released in 2014, as is Gounodís Faust with Jonas Kaufmann and the Orchestra & Chorus of The Metropolitan Opera on Decca.
Nťzet-Sťguinís inaugural concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra got rave reviews and included his Carnegie Hall debut, conducting the Verdi Requiem. Alongside regular subscription and touring programmes, he leads three Carnegie Hall concerts each season. When he first returned after the triumphant Verdi, Anthony Tommasini wrote in the New York Times: ďThe concert, following Mr Nťzet-Sťguinís acclaimed Carnegie debut with the orchestra in October, was phenomenal. The ensemble, famous for its glowing strings and homogeneous richness, has never sounded better.Ē
Yannick Nťzet-Sťguin is equally at home on the concert platform and in the opera pit. He made his debut at the Salzburg Festival in 2008 with a new production of Romťo et Juliette, returning to the city for the 2010 Mozartwoche and for Don Giovanni at the 2010 and 2011 summer festivals. For The Metropolitan Opera, where he returns each season, he has conducted Carmen, Don Carlo, Faust, and La Traviata.
He made his debut at Teatro alla Scala in 2011, has also conducted at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Netherlands Opera, and has a major opera series for the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden.
The early months of 2014 have seen much work in the USA and Canada, including Rusalka at the Metropolitan Opera and concerts at Carnegie Hall. In addition to his regular orchestral commitments in 2014 he is touring with his Rotterdam Philharmonic throughout Europe and returning to the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. In May/June he undertakes a major tour of China with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Other appearances include a concert performance of Die EntfŁhrung aus dem Serail with Anna Prohaska and Rolando Villazůn at the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus in July and Der fliegende Hollšnder with Bryn Terfel at the Vienna Staatsoper in September.
His honours include a prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Award; Canadaís highly coveted National Arts Centre Award and the Prix Denise-Pelletier, the highest distinction for the arts in Quebec, awarded by the Quebec government. In 2011, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Quebec in Montreal and was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2012.
It has been a long journey from determined ten-year-old to becoming one of todayís brightest young conducting stars. Interviewed by the Guardian, Yannick Nťzet-Sťguin said: ďThe funny thing is that when youíre that young, you dream of something without really knowing what it implies. But, on my way to becoming a conductor, I havenít had many surprises. I had a dream, and that dream has come true.Ē
Yannick Nťzet-Sťguin is a contemporary conductor with a firm regard for the past. His meeting with Carlo Maria Giulini, which came about when he wrote to the Italian to enthuse about his conducting of Bruckner, was a significant step, and he also has a special place in his heart for Charles Dutoit, who he has always seen as his inspiration. His singular, enthusiastic approach to all his music-making stands him apart and spells great promise for the future.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Thank you guys for participating in all the rounds but Oh Well, all good things must come to and end and the first of many survivors has finally declared it's ultimate winner: 1ST PLACE: MICHELLE KWAN. 02nd Place - Yuna Kim (59.91% votes) 03rd Place - Irina Slustkaya (51.00% votes) 04th Place - Mao Asada (48.60% votes) 05th Place - Lu Chen (38.61% votes) 06th Place - Shizuka Arakawa (39.06% votes) 07th Place - Tara Lipinski (37.15% votes) 08th Place - Carolina Kostner (41.39% votes) 09th Place - Maria Butyrskaya (32.67% votes) 10th Place - Miki Ando (24.90% votes) 11th place - Sarah Hughes (53.06% votes) 12th place - Kimmie Meissner (50.26% votes) Now tell me how YOU would have placed the champions. Who was robbed, who was held up?? Tell us how you feel about the results If it were only on me this would have been the ranking 1Yuna 2Michelle 3Irina 4Shizuka 5Chen 6Tara 7Mao 8Miki (Most screwed) 9Maria 10Carolina (Biggest held up) 11Sarah 12Kimmie


text:
A new form of encryption allows you to compute with data you cannot read
Brian Hayes
Over the years, Alice and Bob have gone their separate ways. Alice now works as the research director of a cryptographic software company; Bob has gone into hardware, running a cloud computing service. As they have drifted apart, their security and privacy needs have changed somewhat. When Alice talks to Bob, she still needs to guard against Eve's snooping. But, in addition, Alice's company now has proprietary information that she must not disclose to Bob. Complicating her predicament, she wants to use Bob's computers for tasks that involve the secret data.
Ordinary cryptography is no help in this situation. Alice can encrypt the data when she sends it to Bob, but he can do nothing with it unless he can decrypt it. That is exactly what Alice seeks to avoid. They are at an impasse, which homomorphic encryption is designed to surmount.
Before trying to explain how homomorphic encryption works, I should try to explain the word homomorphic. The Greek roots translate as same shape or same form, and the underlying idea is that of a transformation that has the same effect on two different sets of objects. The concept comes from the esoteric world of abstract algebra, but I can offer a more homely example, where the two sets of objects are the positive real numbers on the one hand and their logarithms on the other. Then multiplication of real numbers and addition of logarithms are homomorphic operations. For any positive real numbers x, y and z, if xy=z, then log(x)+log(y)=log(z). This homomorphism offers two alternative routes to the same destination. If we are given x and y, we can multiply them directly; or we can take their logarithms, then add, and finally take the antilog of the result. In either case, we wind up with z.
Homomorphic cryptography offers a similar pair of pathways. We can do arithmetic directly on the plaintext inputs x and y. Or we can encrypt x and y, apply a series of operations to the ciphertext values, then decrypt the result to arrive at the same final answer. The two routes pass through parallel universes: plainspace and cipherspace.
Arithmetic in plainspace is familiar to everyone. A number is conveniently represented as a sequence of bits (binary digits 0 and 1) and algorithms act on the bits according to rules of logic and arithmetic. Among the many operations on numbers we might consider, it turns out that adding and multiplying are all we really need to do; other computations can be expressed in terms of these primitives.
Doing mathematics in cipherspace is much stranger. Indeed, the task seems all but impossible. Encryption is a process that thoroughly scrambles the bits of a number, whereas algorithms for arithmetic are extremely finicky and give correct results only if all the bits are in the right places. Nevertheless, it can be done.
As a proof of concept, I offer an extremely simple homomorphic cryptosystem. Assume the plaintext consists of integers. To encrypt a number, double it; to decrypt, divide by 2. With this scheme we can do addition on enciphered data as well as a slightly nonstandard version of multiplication. Given plaintext inputs x and y, we can encrypt each of them separately, add the ciphertexts, then decrypt the result. This roundabout calculation gives the correct answer because 2x+2y=2(x+y).
To make multiplication come out right, we have to define the product of ciphertexts as (xy)/2, whereas plaintexts are multiplied by the usual formula xy. With this rule it's easy to verify that the three-step sequence encrypt-multiply-decrypt yields the same result as simply multiplying the plaintexts. (Fiddling with definitions in order to get the right answer may seem like cheating, but many mathematical objects come with their own idiosyncratic rules for multiplication. Two examples are matrices and complex numbers.)
As cryptosystems go, the doubling scheme is certainly simple, and it's fully homomorphic. We can do all the arithmetic we want on ciphertexts. On the other hand, the system is not recommended if you actually want to keep secrets. Doubling a number does not thoroughly scramble the bits; it merely shifts them left by one position.
Devising a secure fully homomorphic cryptosystem is much harder. That's what Gentry accomplished in 2009. Making the system efficient enough for practical applications is yet another challenge, still being addressed.
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2011 SEMA Show Event Coverage
Stylin' on the Strip
November marks our trip to Las Vegas for the annual SEMA Show. Even though we've been to this show more times than we can count by now, not a year goes by without experiencing the excitement of a kid running around a toy store without his/her parents.
2011 marked a great year for the minitruck crowd, as we saw quite a few quality debuts from around the country, which you will be seeing on our pages in the next year or so. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears to the ground. Aside from checking out the finished rides, hundreds of new parts were on display inside the convention center. From wheels and tires, to the latest wares in air suspension, styling, and performance accessories, there's never a dull moment.
SEMA always serves as a great way to end the show season because it offers a small glimpse of what's to come in the upcoming year. And by the looks of things, 2012 should prove to be another big year for little trucks.
The Lowdown
SEMA Show
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV
Nov 1-4, 2011
SEMA Show
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV
Nov 1-4, 2011


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Discussion in 'The Coffee Shop ~ Chit Chat' started by csattley14, Apr 13, 2010.
Anyone watch this series at all? Just seeing if anyone else was interested in this show.
One of the Best Series on T.V....The Northwestern is my Favorite Boat and Crew......What a Wild Opener Tonight!!!......Time Bandit.. :grrrrrr:.. Wizard Captains.....Going at it Big Time....
wtf I was upset when I heard Captain Phil Passed away..What a bummer...uch:
Yeah same here I was shocked that he passed away. But when he came back from the last hospital stint still smoking and drinking red bull like crazy. I knew it was just a matter of time but still sad.
Love the show. A few of my buddies insist that they could hang doing that job. I just laugh and smile and nod my head them and wonder when it was that they lost all sense of reality.
that show is true reality TV, guess what though, remember the maverick? it was kicked off the show cuz there was not enough drama. My friend personally knows the captain of that ship so thats how i know.
Watch it when i can.. good show..
Yessir, my DVR is set to record it whenever it is on, re-runs and all! My wife is even addicted to it. Northwestern fans in my house, but we love all of 'em. Captain Phil is going to be missed, he always had some great quotes, last night was classic Phil, "You can watch it happen, make it happen or wonder WTF happened!" :lol:
I watch this show whenever I can, without a doubt one of the best shows on tv
NW fan here, gonna miss Cpt Phil also, his crew was always fun.
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Welcome to the Quilting Board!
"I don't buy vintage quilts. By the time I finish the quilts I've started they've already become antiques." ~ Mark Lipinski
Link to my albums: http://www.quiltingboard.com/members...85-albums.html
It sounds like those panels have been screen printed. It will make it feel a little rubbery.
I have made several quilts for customers with Harley t-shirts from their rides,etc. some are scrren print and others are the "rubbery" patch type design. On the wrong side I ironed on the stabilizer, put the quilt together with cotton fabric and cotton backing, long arm quilted it. All have been through the wash several times and turned out great. I can say I know that for sure because one was for my son, even took 1st place at the fair with it. Okay that's my 2 cents. Today received a block from Daisey, thank you so much, the berries look great!! Still have 10 more to go.
Blocks sent boom water http://www.quiltingboard.com/members...44-albums.html
Blocks received http://www.quiltingboard.com/members...44-albums.html
Batik blocks swap http://www.quiltingboard.com/members...44-albums.html
THis is what my Kabukha doll quilt looks like so far. I am still waiting for 6 more sqaures. But this is what I have for now.
Dreaming of New England while being stuck in So. Calif.(the asphalt jungle of the world.) But hey the Happiest Place on Earth is here.
For those of you who made me a different block......I am also doing a Civil War quilt so many of you added to that. Then I just had some miscellaneous quilts that are filling in.
Dreaming of New England while being stuck in So. Calif.(the asphalt jungle of the world.) But hey the Happiest Place on Earth is here.
Blocks I have received sorry I don't have your names listed...But I do love them all and thank you for your hard work...
(¸.´(¸. (¸.´¸¸.¨¯`.¸¸.♥¨¯`.¸¸.♥ Donna♥¨¯`.¸¸.♥
Well well well an explosion of blocks! I have to pull mine out and do a quick overall quilt preview.. just to show how great they all look. I can't tell you how many are still out I do think I have a ton in. So that is good news! I already have my fabric cut for the next one. halloween pumpkins on black or orange no ghosts or witches just pumpkins. and.. maybe cats so I know it surely is out of season but this way surely they will all come home and I can make a nice quilt before the season hits. And maybe the 10th boom I can do .. easter or christmas groan you guys but I am geared up and ready to go. I am envious of those with stickers to put on your envelope wow that looks lovely to me. so I will start addressing them now at least with my address maybe put postage on them and I am ready to go! I think this time I will stick with four or five blocks I like making and probably do a much better job at accuracy. Heck do something forty or fifty times right??
Here today... why what a lucky bunch we are.
Here is the block from Lv2sew2011
Just uploaded five more grownup blocks to my sent album. Look if you dare. Scrapper, Mosher92, Tam...Moo, Nancia(two for you- I call them "Cats on Crack" and "Cats at Peace," the fabric met your criteria, I swear...but when I finished, I realized it wasn't the "calm" block you requested so I used the last scraps and made a second block lol...I hope you like one of them....
Nine blocks to go for me. I've mailed to 28 boom swappers and received grown up blocks back from 20 of all y'all. Thanks ladies!!
Last edited by SheriR; 12-04-2012 at 10:02 AM.
~If you can't turn the corners of your mouth up...let the middle sag!~
"Be not afraid, only believe."
I received a block from Daisey today, I really like the pattern, very nice. And the block I received last week which I was too busy to walk down stairs and get the name was from Linda58. Both blocks are wonderful. I am finally sending howm blocks to Lv2sew2011. Both are headed home in same envelop, from Diamonds and Pearls.
I am busy working on some projects that need to get in the mail by the weekend! I love the Rush before Christmas, my head is so full, don't know which way to turn!
I did finally find a camera I liked with in the right price range! I bought the Sanyo, less than $100 but the reviews were really good. I just hope it has as good as pictures that my Olympus had! Should be in the mail soon.
Will post an update of Missing blocks, but need to get back to my sewing machine!
Give a smile away today, someone you meet might need one!


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Maine is a Democrat-leaning state that has — at least for now — two Republican senators. With a massively unpopular Republican president leaving office, this year's Senate election is as much a contest based on a candidate's real and perceived alignment with George W. Bush as anything else.
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is making hay out of John McCain's record of voting with Bush 90 percent of the time, and Maine Democratic US Representative Tom Allen is trying to do the same as he works to unseat incumbent Republican US Senator Susan Collins. One of his most recent TV ads blames the present economic meltdown on Bush's efforts to deregulate the economy, and then says "Susan Collins supported the Bush economic policies that hurt Maine and created a national crisis." For her part, Collins is trying to distance herself from Bush: A recent ad avoids the word "Republican" entirely, calling her "an independent voice for Maine."
Collins is more independent than most Republican senators, opposing the president more often than all but one of her upper-house GOP colleagues — Maine's other Republican senator, Olympia Snowe, who was elected to her third term in 2006.
But there is a gulf between Collins and Allen, and it becomes very apparent when looking at how their positions align with Bush's (or don't). Congressional Quarterly, a nonpartisan news organization covering Congress, has calculated a "presidential support score" for every member of Congress, looking at how often they voted with or against President George W. Bush's wishes throughout his term to date — Collins voted with Bush 77 percent of the time; Allen just 18 percent.
On a broad range of Phoenix-selected key topics — including the USA PATRIOT Act, foreign trade, economic and tax policy, environmental issues, energy, stem-cell research, the Iraq War, the minimum wage, immigration, warrantless wiretapping, abortion and reproductive rights, education, open government and free speech, the Farm Bill, Congressional ethics and campaign-finance reform, homeland security, same-sex marriage, Supreme Court justices and key Cabinet officials (in the Senate only), AIDS/HIV, prescription-drug prices, military Base Realignment and Closure Commission issues, and treatment of terrorism detainees — Allen has sided with Bush 17 percent of the time, while Collins backed the president 64 percent of the time.
That's a lot of difference right there. And by looking at just a few specific issues of great national importance, the contrast between Allen and Collins becomes clearer.IraqCOLLINS voted with Bush on Iraq-related issues 72 percent of the time, including supporting both "use of force" resolutions (the one on September 14, 2001, authorizing the use of force against whomever had attacked the United States on 9/11, and the specific 2002 authorization of use of force in Iraq), and repeatedly opposed troop-withdrawal timetables. Only in 2007 did she begin offering any real opposition to Bush's efforts in Iraq, voting to begin debate on opposing the surge, but without retracting her opposition to a withdrawal timetable.
ALLEN voted with Bush 27 percent of the time on Iraq-related questions, supporting the vague 2001 "use of force" authorization (which led to the Afghanistan war), but not the Iraq-specific one in 2002. He has supported several war-spending bills, though not all of them. He went against the president in his votes opposing the Iraq troop surge and supporting timelines for withdrawal. He also supported Bush-opposed efforts to prevent money appropriated for Iraq and Afghanistan from being spent on actions against Iran.
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Shrimp Quesadillas RecipeRead Reviews Be the first to add a review
5 3 5
For variety, substitute cooked chicken or ground beef for the shrimp in these easy quesadillas, suggests Joan Schroeder from Pinedale, Wyoming.
Recommended: 30 Mexican Dinners Ready in 30 Minutes
- 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
- 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1-1/3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
- 1/2 cup chopped seeded tomato
- 3 tablespoons sliced green onions
- 1 package (8 ounces) frozen cooked salad shrimp, thawed
- 4 flour tortillas (10 inches)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- For salsa, place the first nine ingredients in a blender; cover and process until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
- Sprinkle the cheese, chilies, tomato, onions and shrimp over half of each tortilla; fold over.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook quesadillas in butter for 1-2 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted. Cut into wedges. Serve with salsa. Refrigerate leftover salsa. Yield: 2-4 servings (2-1/2 cups salsa).
Editor's Note: Wear disposable gloves when cutting hot peppers; the oils can burn skin. Avoid touching your face.
Originally published as Shrimp Quesadillas in Taste of Home August/September 2004, p46
Light-Bodied White Wine
Enjoy this recipe with a light-bodied white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
Reviews for Shrimp Quesadillas
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Reviewed May. 16, 2012
"Made this last week. Family loved it!"
Reviewed Jan. 2, 2012
"Love the salsa that goes with this. Next time I'll chop larger shrimp rather than using salad shrimp."
Reviewed Sep. 26, 2011
"This was absolutely wonderful! My family has decided this will be a weekly meal!"


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Peru's Sacred Valley
Indulging in Cuy to Causa from Cusco to Machu Picchu
By Heidi N. Siefkas
Fueled by coca tea and an explorer's curiosity, I discovered the beauty of Peru's Sacred Valley and its cuisine. From the red tiled roofs and ruins of Cusco to the Urubamba River to the view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate, I climbed countless stairs, gasped for breath at unforgettable vistas, and guiltlessly savored the rich food and drink.
If you are an adventurous, active nomad, you too can explore the Sacred Valley, but don't miss these highlights, nor skip a meal. Each and every bite leads you to further understanding of the Incas, the land, and the fusion with all of the cultures making Peru what it is today.
In as little as five days, start in Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire, and its elevation of 11,000 ft. Whether young, old, athletic, or not, the elevation's effect will make you tired, perhaps with a slight headache, and shortness of breath.
The common cure is to drink coca tea, but some need a combo of coca tea and elevation medication commonly marketed under the name Diamox. Don't be scared. Take things nice and easy the first day for your body to adjust.
With that advice, the first day in Cusco can be done on foot starting with the Inca ruins of Coricancha, which was an important Sun Temple of the Incas. The sheer size of the ruins highlights the role of Inti, the Sun God, as well as the opulence of the Inca Empire. In fact, at the time of the Spanish arrival, the temple's walls were covered in gold. However, in typical conquistador style, the Spanish took over, emptied the gold, and built atop a religious building of their own, the Santo Domingo church.
Local Inca women at Coricancha Cusco. Plaza de Armas
From Coricancha, continue up the Main St, Sol to the Plaza de Armas with its fountain, cathedral, and surrounding square filled with beautiful balconies and restaurants. A great place for lunch is Tunupa, which specializes in local cuisine and favorites such as alpaca, a very lean meat, potato dishes called causas, rich corn and potato soups, and the protein salad of the Incas, quinoa.
You can choose from its buffet or eat lighter off the menu. The most intimate tables with a view of the Plaza are in the balcony, but they also have family-style tables inside which are great for enjoying the Inca musicians and entertainment.
Recommended beverages to wash down your first meal in Cusco would be its local beer, Cusqueña, or a pisco sour, which is the Peruvian national cocktail, made from pisco, lime juice, sugar, egg white, ice, and a splash of bitters.
For those with energy for another activity on day one, take a taxi to Sacsayhuaman (pronounced similar to Sexy Woman), another Incan architectural feats. There you will be boggled by the size of the stones.
It puzzles most as to how the Incas constructed this military fort and temple without the use of machines. To continue in its Incan culture and honoring Inti, every June Sacsayhuaman hosts a Winter Solstice Festival where all of Cusco and the Inca leaders ask the Sun God for a good year.
Whether for its architecture, historical value, or other, the views from Sacsayhuaman of Cusco are tremendous. It is certainly worth the trip up from town. You will witness the grandness of Cusco, unlike the seemingly small town feel from exploration on the narrow streets around the Plaza de Armas. As a note, you may want to buy the Boleto Turistico (Tourist Ticket for entrance to Sacsayhuaman as well as Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and more) for a discounted price along your discovery of the Sacred Valley.
Friendly alpacas in Machu Picchu. Sacred Valley
Early to rise and ready to discover more, make sure to continue drinking the coca tea before setting out for the Sacred Valley and the Urubamba River Valley. Breaking up the trip into sections is wise with a stop for shopping and a snack at Pisac, which is a quaint, terrace-farming town along the Urubamba River.
The town hosts a daily market in the Main Square with local alpaca woven items ranging from hats, gloves, rugs, and sweaters as well as handmade silver jewelry. Along the market, there are main cafes for a coca tea, beer, or snacks.
Try Inti Killa for a taste of local cuy, oven-roasted guinea pig, where the kitchen and oven is open for diners to view. The location is hidden off a corner of the main square aside a silversmith.
Additionally, the restaurant offers an array of empanadas, or meat pies, with fillings such as ham, cheese, chicken, beef, or even a popular sweet combo of banana and cheese. Whether you dare to try the local delicacy of cuy or one of their many empanadas, they offer a local non-alcoholic beverage that is sweet and refreshing for mid-day called chicha morada. This is made from juicing the purple corn of the area.
From Pisac, you will shortly arrive to Ollantaytambo, a backpacker paradise with hostels, back road outfitters, hiking gear stores, and restaurants galore. This is the most popular start of the 4-day Inca Trail hike as well as the train station for Machu Picchu.
With its narrow, winding cobblestoned streets, it is worth an afternoon to get lost in Ollanta (as the locals shorten the name). Plus, you can climb the ruins to get your body ready for your following adventures in the Lost City of the Incas. Don't be shocked if you need to stop frequently.
Take the Train
The awesomeness of Machu Picchu. No matter how crowded it is, it's a bucket list check-off, big time.My suggestion would be to leave early in the morning from Ollanta via train, but you have many departures depending on your travel style and itinerary. In little over an hour, you will arrive to Aguas Calientes or commonly called Machu Picchu Pueblo.
Along the route, you will see the Class 3 and 4 rapids of the Urubamba River, the Andes, and even glaciers; however, at the same time you will be gradually decreasing in elevation from your once 11,000-12,000 feet in Cusco at Sacsayhuaman to nearly 8,000 ft in Machu Picchu. Now on your third day, you should feel that breathing is a little easier and ready to get your first glimpse of the magic of Machu Picchu.
Your best bet in seeing Machu Picchu without the crowds is for sunrise from 6:00-7:30am or late afternoon before they start shutting its doors at 4:30pm. Whether you decide to avoid the crowds or not, you will need to have your purchased Machu Picchu entrance before you are allowed to buy your roundtrip ticket up to the gates of Machu Picchu.
Currently, they allow 5,000 visitors a day of which the majority take the 15-minute bus ride up a winding, narrow gravel road from town to the gates. For those that are ready to hit the trails and stairs for some exercise, there is also a footpath highlighted by yellow arrows to arrive at the gate. This typically takes a little over an hour. Regardless of how you get there, make a bathroom stop before entering Machu Picchu as there are no bathrooms inside.
Getting the Stamp
Guinea pig and potatoes. It's what's for dinner!At the entrance gate, the guards will check your ticket and passport. Once passing the entrance, most choose to get a souvenir by stamping their passport with the iconic Machu Picchu stamp, but it isn't mandatory.
Following the stone path, you will witness the outer walls of the city's terracing and choices of paths to the Sun Gate, the casita, Huayna Picchu, or the Urban Center. As a first timer, just follow the path, stairs, and narrow labyrinth to the Urban Center. Around the last corner, you will be surprised with the gift of a mystical view of the Lost City.
Once you have taken in the grandeur of Machu Picchu from this vantage point, continue to the Sun Temple and the Sacred Stone. If you would like to continue exploring, circle back for either a hike up to the Sun Gate or to check out the views from the casita.
This can be done also on a second day up to Machu Picchu where you may want to take in a once in a lifetime viewing of the sunrise followed by a steep hike up Huayna Picchu (limited to 400 people a day with tickets purchased in advance online).
For those that have arrived at Machu Picchu, but would prefer to be pampered or enjoy a wonderful, hearty meal to refuel, the Sanctuary Hotel offers spa treatments for achy hiker feet as well as a lunch buffet featuring Peruvian criolla food.
Additionally, in Machu Picchu Pueblo, there are many places for recovery, relaxation, and of course indulging in Peruvian cuisine. Of particular mention are: Inkaterra Hotel with spa and massage services as well as natural whirlpools, Inka Wasi for criolla food and pizzas, and the Indio Feliz for French-Peruvian food ranging from trout, soups, and crème caramel.
The Ollantataytambo ruins. Aguas Calientes
Two days is plenty for a visit to Machu Picchu as well as Aguas Calientes. The trains leave at various times throughout the day. Recommended is the 6:00pm evening train to return to Ollantaytambo, which offers light snacks as well as a fashion show of local Alpaca sweaters, scarves, and more.
For those that continue to Cusco for a final meal or even another day before continuing on to other destinations or home, remember that you are once again acclimating to 11,000 ft. You should continue to imbibe the coca tea, take your altitude sickness medication, and hydrate a lot, which sadly includes limiting your pisco sours.
Regardless, a suggested final meal in Cusco is Incanto, a Peruvian-Italian fusion restaurant on the Plaza de Armas. The food is the perfect mixture of Peruvian ingredients such as quinoa, alpaca, potatoes, and lamb with a little touch of Italy through risottos, wood fired pizzas, and more.
Additionally, the bar has a lovely menu of mixologist specials using more local ingredients and pisco. A favorite cocktail of the staff (and this travel writer) is the Incanto punch with champagne, pisco, and OJ.
To discover the beauty of Peru's Sacred Valley, prepare yourself for both unforgettable views and countless stairs that take your breath away with delectable, savory dishes that will surprise your palate. Be sure to bring your appetite for adventure and the post-adventure cuisine won't disappoint.
View Heidi's photo gallery of Peru's Sacred Valley
Heidi N. Siefkas is a freelance writer with a passion for adventure and cultural travel. She is the owner of Hide N Seek Media and has been a travel blogger since 2008. visit her blog at www.mstravelingpants.travel. She lives in South Florida.
Read more stories about Peru on GoNOMAD:
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text: After Willow unearths giant Tibetan goddesses to help in the fight against Twilight and his disposable soldiers, the Slayers are forced to retreat when the goddesses go AWOL and attack indiscriminately. Without powers the Slayers are unable to keep up the fight against missile fire, grenade launchers, and tanks. It would seem that all is lost, and Buffy?all alone?must make her last stand on a battlefield covered in the bodies of friends and foes."


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Best Art Colleges For Ceramic Near Massachusetts
Posted 09 July 2010 - 05:37 PM
I really want to try all the different kind of potter I have been doing it for about 3 years now i go to a local potter
I want to learn everything from earthenware to porcelain to Raku I just want to learn all different kind of stuff
I am also thinking of maybe getting a apprenticeship
any information would be greatly appreciated
Posted 10 July 2010 - 10:08 AM
Hi i am a junior high school looking for a good ceramic college near Massachusetts
I really want to try all the different kind of potter I have been doing it for about 3 years now i go to a local potter
I want to learn everything from earthenware to porcelain to Raku I just want to learn all different kind of stuff
I am also thinking of maybe getting a apprenticeship
any information would be greatly appreciated
Hi Josh.
There are many choices in the Northeast for clay. Right there in Mass you have MassArt (Massachusetts College of Art and Design) in Boston........ which is a great school. And there are also UMass Dartmouth, and UMass Amherst. There is RISD (Rhode Island School of Design). Maine College of Art.
There are great differenes between getting a college degree and doing an apprenticeship. You have to identify your future goals in life to decide which one might be right for you. And also realize that even if you first do an apprenticeship....... that does not preclude a later college degree... and vice versa.
That being said.... these days a college degree in any field is not a bad thing to have on a resume. The issue in any field does seem to boil down to what is the cost of getting that degree.... and can you afford to earn it back after your are done in a reasonable time. Some people with even very good jobs (even lawyers) find that the cost of all that college places a crippling burden on them. It is a balancing act. Having $120,000 in school loans and wanting to be a full time studio potter is likely not a wise combination to start off life with these days .
If you are in any way thinking post secondary teaching... then a BFA and then a Masters are likely in your future. If you are thinking of primary or secondary level teaching.... you'll be looking at a BA or a BFA usually with a teaching certification that is either integral to the undergrad program or a fifth year addition.
If you are planning on being a studio artist and making ceramic pieces........ the degree helps with developing a personal focus and direction in your work as well as with "professional credibility. It helps "open doors", and it helps with professional connections. It gives you a broad based education, including important stuff outside of clay. But often the college degree can benefit from some supplemental education via an apprenticeship or an artist in residence program. Running a small business (being a "potter") is not tauught in detail in most art schools.
If you decide a BFA is an option you are potentially interested in, I teach at New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester NH. That's is another option for you that is close by. Take a look at the school's website: http://www.nhia.edu/ (here's my faculty page: http://www.nhia.edu/new-facultypage-5/ )
I am sure that you'll get more info from others soon. If you have questions... ask.
John Baymore
Adjunct Professor of Ceramics; New Hampshire Insitute of Art
Former Guest Professor, Wuxi Institute of Arts and Science, Yixing, China
Former President and Past President; Potters Council
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A Christ-Centered Christmas Gift Set w/Nativity
by Emily Belle Freeman
This product is currently unavailable.
Product Description
Deepen the spirit that fills your heart and home this holiday season when you discover the meaning behind the seven gifts of Christmas. Includes a nativity set.
Each gift is based on a figure in a Nativity set, and the traditions can easily be combined with things you already do. This year as you prepare your home for the season, resolve to prepare your heart in a way that will lead you closer to Christ.
No reviews have been written for this product.Write a Review


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Why Choose Kin's?
Kin's Farm Market is a Canadian owned specialty produce retailer that comprises corporate and franchise stores with 29 locations in British Columbia. Our mission is to be a leader in specialty produce through a family-team environment by delivering freshness, offering unique customer service, promoting healthy lifestyles, and providing rewarding careers. Click here for more.


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So does swarming actually reduce honey harvest for hives that are not moved from site to site. It seems to me that the colonies build up populations just prior to and during the main honey flow. Then as the flow slacks up they swarm from overpopulation ( out of room). This in effect removes those bees from consuming surplus as the flows slow (except for what they take with them). Late summer early fall swarms actually decrease the necessary store requirements to overwinter.
I know it is totally different for migratories, but most hobbiests and a lot of sideliners don't move their hives. Swarm capture is a good way to increase hive counts but is swarm prevention actually decreasing harvestable honey in static beekeeping operations?


text: Welcome Center Grove Wrestling Club Fans, Families & Friends! This site will re-activate at the beginning of 2015. All orders placed will be ready for pick up on 12/19. GO TROJANS!! Should you have any Business or Team apparel needs please call our office at 317.738.3434 and our staff will be ready to assist you! Thank you! Spotlight Strategies


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School Quality SnapshotThe School Quality Snapshot displays a broad series of data that can be used to help inform parents and policy leaders about the success of each school.
Generate a School Quality Snapshot
The 2013–14 School Quality Snapshot (SQS) report graphically displays comparative school, local educational agency (LEA), and state data for various accountability, demographics, and school climate indicators. The SQS is designed for parent, district and school leadership, and community members to easily view multiple years of school data in a format that is easy to understand.
School Quality Snapshot Supporting Documents
School Quality Snapshot Data Definitions | DOC
Provides details about each of the charts and tables in the SQS including data sources, calculation methodologies, and where to find more information about each topic.
Note: Charts containing Physical Fitness Testing data and English Learner data will be updated when the data become available.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
FAQs about the SQS.


text: lvs2sew I am so sorry your note got lost in there.. going to the hospital is zero fun, I am an expert on that note. I sure hope your feeling better and can get back to being you again real soon. My prayers go out to you. A big old soft online hug from me.


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The most amazing, hansome , good hearted man imaginable. Loves deeply, philosophical, smart, with poetic verbal skills. Can be quiet and thoughtful but not really shy. Women have an almost uncontrolable attraction to his extreme charm, respect, and good looks. Very determined to succeed, and if he is married he is the best father and husband.
by Donjuanica August 17, 2011
The vengeful act of crapping on a lover's chest while they sleep.Buy the plush


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In 1995, fast-paced development and competing demands for dwindling ground-water resources in California's central valley forced the cities of Manteca, Escalon, Lathrop, and Tracy to study alternative sources of drinking water. As part of their investigation, they contacted the South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID)—a local government agency established in 1909 to provide a reliable and economical source of irrigation water for local agriculture. Due to water conservation measures taken by the district's agricultural customers, SSJID had water available to allocate to nonagricultural purposes. Through coordination with SSJID, the cities were able to agree on a system for delivery of treated surface water, and the South County Water Supply Program was established.
After years of planning, SSJID is now in the process of implementing the South County Water Supply Program in a series of phases designed to address present and future water demand in the cities. This work involves the construction of a new water treatment plant with state-of-the-art membrane technology, nearly 40 miles of pipeline, and associated pumping stations. By early this summer, work on the first phase will be complete, and SSJID will begin delivery of water to Manteca, Lathrop, and Tracy, with plans to deliver to Escalon by 2012.
The agreement between the district and the cities allows for surplus water to be available for local urban use through facilities to be owned and operated by the district, with oversight from an operations committee composed of the district general manager and the city managers. The agreement further provides for proportional cost sharing by the cities for design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the new facilities. To avoid competition between agricultural and urban interests, the district and cities established how much water will be allotted to each party and how shortfalls will be divided.
"Conservation provided the means for the district to help meet the future water needs of Manteca and Escalon, which are within the district, as well as two cities outside the district," said SSJID general manager Steve Stroud. "The new coalition has survived many changes in personnel among the participants and has successfully worked through numerous technical and political obstacles in designing, funding, and building this necessary project."
Getting With the Program
Sacramento-based Water Resources Consultants has provided program management for the South County Water Supply Program. The district also enlisted help from Black & Veatch, an engineering, construction, and consulting company with offices in Concord and Sacramento, Calif. Black & Veatch water specialists worked closely with subconsultants, contractors, and vendors to provide study, design, membrane procurement, and construction management services for the program. The $136.6 million program encompasses watershed protection, raw-water facilities, the water treatment plant near SSJID's Woodward Reservoir in Stanislaus County, and buried transmission lines and pump stations designed to convey water from the treatment plant to the cities.
The design involves the flow of raw water by gravity from Woodward Reservoir through one of two available intakes. Regulatory issues pertaining to potable water and the threat of microbial contamination from body-contact recreation prompted the district to separate the reservoir into upper and lower impoundments in conjunction with the South County Water Supply Program. Body-contact recreation will be confined to the lower impoundment, with supply water drawn from the upper impoundment during the heavy use summer season when irrigation flows keep the reservoir level high.
The existing intake, previously used for irrigation withdrawal and located at the downstream end of the reservoir, will be used in the fall and winter months when body-contact recreation is prohibited. New construction consists of intake screens, a water-quality control wall to inhibit the passage of boaters and swimmers to the upper impoundment, a raw-water pipeline, and a valved connection between the existing intake and the line to the treatment plant.
The district also took specific steps to meet the needs of farmers and protect the source water from livestock-related contamination. This included implementation of drainage diversion measures, installation of wells for cattle watering, and fencing to prevent cattle access to the canal that feeds Woodward Reservoir.
Providing Special Treatment
The South County Water Supply Program water treatment plant incorporates innovative high-rate dissolved air flotation (DAF) and submerged membrane filtration. The plant will have an initial capacity of 40 mgd and an ultimate capacity of 60 mgd. Designed to comply with anticipated and current regulatory requirements for safe drinking water, the facility will provide high-quality treated water within a small surface area. Small-footprint technologies such as high-rate DAF and submerged membrane filtration offered cost savings in California, where labor costs associated with cast-in-place concrete and other construction activities are especially high. The construction of comparatively compact facilities minimized construction costs.
Early evaluation demonstrated that DAF would be effective in addressing potential taste and odor issues resulting from seasonal high algae concentration in Woodward Reservoir. Pilot testing revealed economic advantages, indicating that DAF technology would provide higher quality feedwater to the membrane filters and result in lower operation and maintenance costs compared with other options by allowing longer membrane filtration runs between chemical cleanings.


text: So I know that propolis has antifungal properties but I was wondering if anyone has tried using a tincture externally on nail fungus. I got a bad case on the toes and wanted to try it after failing with loteramin stuff. So has anyone tried something like this or know anything about it? Thanks.


text: I love J. Smoove but it really doesn't seem like the big 3 experiment is gonna end up working out so I came up with a crazy idea. How about we trade J. Smoove for Luol Deng? Deng would be a much better fit for our team and he'll bring the much needed defense we're currently lacking. To do this we'd probably have to absorb Carlos Boozer's contract in the process, instead of a straight up trade. So I propose we offer J. Smoove + Stuckey and Charlie V for Deng and Boozer. Boozer's contract is rather big (15 mil for 2 years) but it only has 2 years left and he can spread the floor with his mid-range game. We'd also miss Stuckey's scoring punch off the bench but Deng's defense and Boozer's solid scoring should make up for it. As a bonus, we save about 500k in cap space. What do you guys think?


text: Jackpack - A lot of 'pack' things are pretty cool: Jetpack. Six pack. Rat Pack. Even Tetra Pak. And now the leader of the pack: Jackpack. The camera sling bags come in five different sizes all for different proportions of camera equipment. That's right, we even have sling bags for those who are well endowed.... So put on the Jackpack Sling Camera bag and keep both hands free for more important things than carrying. Like designing a jetpack. Or drinking a six pack.


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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Could the Preds be moved to the Southeast Division?
Let me first start by saying that I'm not an advocate of any team being moved that has passionate fans. I've been through that process when the speculation surrounded the Predators. However, it's looking more and more like the Thrashers could be moved.
If Atlanta does end up being moved, what does the NHL do with the division alignments? Winnipeg cannot be placed in the Eastern Conference. It wouldn't make any sense and it wouldn't work. So who has to be realigned?
I think it would either be the Predators or the Columbus Blue Jackets that would be sent to the Southeast Division. I wouldn't expect this to happen until the 2012-2013 season if Atlanta moves. There is a possibility that Nashville could be moved to the other conference. If they were, would you be ok with that?
The natural answer is that the Eastern Conference is a weaker conference than the Western Conference from top to bottom. Using that argument, the idea of moving to the Eastern Conference would appeal to some Preds fans. On the other side, Nashville has finally established themselves as a legitimate contender for the Central Division title, and to the Western Conference championship.
Just think. Nashville would only play the Detroit Red Wings a maximum of two times a year if they were realigned. As a long time Preds fan, that would suck. All of the rivalries that the Preds have established would be gone. In a sense, it would be a new start for the Preds as far as the rivalry aspect went.
There is still a lot that has to happen for this to take place, but it is in the realm of possibility. What do you think? Would you be ok with the Predators moving to the Eastern Conference?
5 comments:
- AnonymousMay 12, 2011 at 9:52 AM
It would suck if Preds are moved to another division and conference. I could give up Detroit (let THEM move over to Eastern Conference), but I don't want the Preds to move. After all, Detroit USED to be in the Eastern Conference...maybe they'd like to get back over there, but Preds have established 'healthy' rivalries with CHI, ANA, and CBJ that I don't want to see changed.ReplyDelete
The weaker conference factor shouldn't really be considered. These things tend to go in cycles and could change any time. The Preds system could be a factor though. The Preds are currently built to go head to head with the Blues, Redwings, and Blackhawks. Would that not serve us as well if we don't take on those teams as often?ReplyDelete
I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about this situation either way. There are certainly pros for going to the Eastern Conference. In my mind, there are pros for staying in the Western Conference. As far as the Preds style of play, I think their system could matchup well against every team in the Southeast Division.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 7:20 PM
There are other possible teams to move to the East, but are there really any other possible teams that could move to the South East? Nashville is the only franchise in both the West and non-South East East that could really be classified as South East.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 22, 2011 at 7:48 AM
as a caps fan it would be nice to see Nashville in the SE division.....nobody cares about Atlanta and why did they place a team there when they failed with the Flames already?? Geographically it makes the most sense to move Nashville. It would bolster the SE division with DC, Tampa and Nashville. It would emerge as a very competitive division.ReplyDelete


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Hold on to your Huey Lewis and the News cassettes: An all-electric DeLorean DMC-12 will be rolling through the country roads of Italy just in time for the 25th anniversary of Back to the Future's original European release.
Our friends at Wired Italy are big fans of the movie. They're also fascinated by electric cars, so the combination just seemed right. They've partnered with the open source car conversion experts at eCars Now! Italy to make it happen. "This is all real future, not back to the future," said Wired Italy Features Editor Massimiliano Ferramondo.
Technically, a complete electric DeLorean is about a week in the future. Right now they've got a garage full of a DeLorean shipped over from Dallas and a turnkey electric car conversion kit that includes a 1.21 jiggawatt 90 kW engine and custom designed Lithium-ion batteries that fit the DMC-12 perfectly.
"We made a calculation of what the car needs to travel properly — how many batteries, what kind of engine — and then we made plastic mockups of the parts," Ferramondo said. "We started to consider where they could squeeze and how they could get in the car and if putting the pieces in that place was proper for the balance and performance of the car."
The team ordered custom batteries from South Korea and shipped to Germany to a company that molded them into a more DeLorean-friendly shape. Over the course of the next week, the team will be putting all the parts together and documenting the process on their website.
"This week we're going to put the electric ingredients in the car, the first time we're going to start the engine is the 12th," Ferramondo said. Barring any unforeseen problems, the car will be ready for testing before the official journey. Ferramondo isn't concerned about the electrification process, but he is nervous about finding parts for an extremely rare 28 year old car that was sold primarily in North America."If you're going to face a problem, it's mechanical, not electric," he said.
When it's complete, they're leaving the Wired offices in Milan and heading through country roads to Rome in time for the Rome Film Festival. "We'll bring this in-between reality and cinematic experience to the festival," he said. Along the way, Universal Pictures is sponsoring Back to the Future marathons in towns where the car plans to stop.
The team won't be taking highways on their 435-mile, three-day journey to Rome. Not only do they want to show off the car in as many places as possible, but Ferramondo said the silent electric motor will help them better enjoy the pastoral landscape along Italy's rural roads. It may sound like heresy, but the snarl of a V12 isn't the only soundtrack for carving up the Italian countryside. "The way from Milano to Rome is very beautiful," he said. "We want to do this driving safe and rediscovering a different experience with driving."
Safe and pastoral are great, but the car will also be as much of a performer as its early '80s design can offer. Ferramondo estimates that the 0-60 time will be cut to 4.2 seconds, and the range of the car is estimated to be between 125 and 135 miles.
The team plans to charge the car while stopping for lunch and luckily have gained the sponsorship of a major Italian electric company so they don't have to fight off Libyan terrorists to access a power supply.
The choice of Italy's capital as an endpoint is deliberate. According to Ferramondo, the Italian government is one of many that only allows homebrew EV conversions to be registered as prototypes, which adds many onerous regulations and headaches for getting insurance. "If you customize your car into electric in Italy and many other countries in the world, it's illegal," he said.
This is a problem because there are already a lot of gas guzzling and diesel burning cars on the road that will still be in running condition after the electric revolution. "If we all go electric in ten years, what happens to all the other cars that we've accumulated in the past hundred years?" asked Ferramondo. "The eco-disaster of these cars existing now could be a bigger problem than keeping them going."
After the trip, Ferramondo hopes for forgiveness from Back to the Future fans and an even bigger stunt involving the car.


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Latest results for Zeiss lensesMonday March 28 2011 Lens Review
Distagon T28mm f/2
This wide angle prime is one of the sharpest Zeiss lenses we tested. Its best DxOMark score (Low light – 150 Lux – 1/125th) is achieved at f/4 on both full-frame and APS-C sensors. This lens is a very good companion for reportage and landscape uses, and can even be suitable for portraits on an APS-C body.
Sharp and balanced, this lens behave particularly well coupled with an APS-C sensor, where it produces slightly less chromatic aberration, distortion, and vignetting. But it remains a very strong performer on a full-frame sensor as well.
On a full-frame sensor (EOS 1Ds MkIII):
On a full-frame sensor, the resolution field map is above 50lp/mm on two-thirds of the field. The edges are a bit softer, but this is rather harmonious. Closing by 1 stop makes the center particularly sharp, but you have to close to 2 stops beyond, to f/5.6, to have both a sharp center and very good edges. At f/8, the very good central zone expands to the entire first one-third; but at f/11, the center becomes much softer. The best resolution is thus achieved between f/5.6 and f/8.
Vignetting is rather important fully opened, but almost forgotten at f/5.6 and beyond.
On an APS-C sensor (EOS 7D)
Mounted on an APS-C sensor, this 28mm proves quite sharp as soon as f/4, which is the aperture providing the best resolution on the whole map. Stopping down to f/5.6 and f/8 keeps the middle sharp, but smoothes the edges. F/11 and smaller apertures are not as sharp, losing up to 10lp/mm on the whole field map.
Vignetting handling is quite well here. Visible at full aperture, it completely vanishes at f/2.8.
Zeiss Distagon T 28mm f/2 ZE Canon v. Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
With a resolution reaching 60lp/mm on a D3x, this lens proves extremely sharp. As often on the Zeiss lenses the chromatic aberrations are limited to the outer fringe of the map, leaving a perfectly handled frame. In this case this is true on a full-frame sensor; on an APS-C body however, this LCA phenomenon is really discrete and imperceptible at f/4 and smaller apertures.
This 28mm achieves its best DxOMark low-light performance at f/2.8 on both full-frame and APS-C sensors, which is good enough for a fast lens. The mid-light best performance is found at f/4.
This lens is thus very good for landscape shooting on a full-frame body as well as on an APS-C; on the latter, the crop factor helps to make it a very nice lens for reportage, too.
On a full-frame sensor (D3X):
Fully opened, the lens provides a good enough frame, mostly above 50lp/mm, except for the edges. At f/2.8, the middle climbs above 60lp/mm and at f/5.6, the central two-thirds of the field are sharp, while the edges climb above 50lp/mm.
Vignetting is important when the lens is opened wide, but stopping down gradually decreases the loss of light, and at f/5.6 the loss is already inferior to one-third EV. The pattern does not improve at smaller apertures.
On an APS-C sensor (D300s):
On an APS-C sensor, the full aperture provides a soft frame. Stopping down to f/4 improves the center a lot, and things remain constant until f/8 is reached, when the edges are softened a bit. F/8 is the upper limit if you are looking for the best resolution.
Vignetting is important here, too, when the lens is wide open, but as soon it is stopped down to f/2.8, only the corners are one-third EV darker. At f/4, vignetting is no longer visible.
Comparison 1:
Zeiss Distagon T28mm f/2.8 ZF2 v. Nikkor AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED
Comparison 2:
Zeiss Distagon T28mm f/2.8 ZF2 v. Nikkor AF-S 24mm f/1.4G ED
Further readings for the Latest results for Zeiss lenses
To provide photographers with a broader perspective about mobiles, lenses and cameras, here are links to articles, reviews, and analyses of photographic equipment produced by DxOMark, renown websites, magazines or blogs.
Carl Zeiss is one of those almost mythical lens makers. Focusing on quality, its lenses almost always rely on complex optical formulas. Their price reflects this involvement in quality, and logically Zeiss lenses are on the same shelves as the very high-end Canon or Nikon models.
The review is available here.


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On second thought they all should go
Football has been very, very good to us.
After losing seasons 2013-15, the giants put up 11 wins in 16.. they are on way Back
But for now we can console ourselves with this fact-
# of Super Bowl victories since 1985:
1-Chicago, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Seattle
2-Washington, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Baltimore
3-San Francisco, Dallas, Denver
4-New York Giants!!!
Let's make it 5 in 2016 so we can be on a LINE NE again!!!
***Stat provided by "Schloss22"***
Webster will stay because we are short on CB experience and there are no real options out there, Draft could work but... Tuck and Snee will also stay; though I do see us drafting a DE (Ansah in the first is my pick)...
Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience. MB Rule # 1
Definitely agree with you on that. I know JR loves his D-ends but its time they grabbed a solid RT in the first round in the draft. Thats really the only option to get a good quality RT for cheap. Can't keep relying on these 4-6th round o-line picks who sit on the practice squad for 5 years because they "aren't ready". Thats just another way to say "unless this guy improves drastically he is not going to be an nfl starter". How long has Brewer been getting "developed" again?
Diehl, Webster and Osi need to go...Blackburn and Tuck need to stay as mentors, but their playing time needs to be reduced
2017 Mock Draft
1st: Forrest Lamp, OG Western Kentucky
2nd: Caleb Brantley, DT Florida
3rd: Gerald Everett, TE South Alabama
4th: Dont'a Foreman, RB Texas
5th: Damontae Kazee, CB San Diego State
6th: KD Cannon, WR Baylor
7th: Jalen Reeves-Maybin, LB Tennessee


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Pine River-Backus School Board presents revised budget
The Pine River-Backus School Board on Monday, April 15, heard a presentation by Business Manager Jolene Bengtson on the revised 2012-13 budget.
Bengtson's budget presentation provided details about variations between the 2012-13 preliminary budget and the proposed 2012-13 revised budget. The preliminary budget predicted $10,130,812 in revenues, while the revised budget reported $10,114,277, a decrease of $16,535, or 0.2 percent. The preliminary budget predicted expenses amounting to $14,106,507, while the revised budget reported $14,579,122, an increase of $472,615 or 3.4 percent.
The increase in expenses was due primarily to building construction costs, without which the expenses only increased $126,436.
"Revenues for the most part stayed consistent," Bengtson said. "There are a few swings here and there, but what you're hoping for is that if revenues are decreasing they are decreasing by a very minimal amount."
Bengtson said the increases in non-building related expenses primarily resulted from staffing changes. PR-B has added a kindergarten teacher, a math teacher at the ALC, and has seen changes in special education needs and adjusted staff accordingly.
"We've also had a number of staff jump on the district health insurance plan and we pay a portion of their premiums," she said.
Bengtson's presentation noted a $47,795 increase in state revenues due to literacy incentive aid, which the state finalized after the preliminary budget, and an $88,884 loss in general education aid to the ALC programs due to decreases in enrollment. Also recognized was a $47,464 loss in revenues due to the state's decision to change from the Homestead Market Value Credit to a Homestead Market Value Exclusion on local property taxes.
The board also saw documentation itemizing a proposal for $447,690 in budget reductions for 2013-14 in categories such as technology, transportation, extracurricular costs, media center, committee meetings and staffing. Some of the largest reductions included a $230,287 reduction by closing the New Beginnings Program alongside retirements, position terminations and reassignment of duties from various positions, and $137,000 reduction by deciding not to purchase any transportation vehicles for 2013-14.
An amount of $2,250 was also proposed to be raised from increasing fees for non-athletic extracurricular activities. Those activities, which include Knowledge Bowl, speech, robotics and theater, currently pay less than athletic extracurricular activities, but incur similar costs due to need for judges and overnight accommodation for traveling students.
Board member Jim Coffland expressed a desire to avoid these increases because they are different from athletics and increases might drive away students. Superintendent Cathy Bettino agreed that the increase was not preferred, but explained that there was a question of fairness because the activities operate at roughly the same cost as athletics, but students pay lower fees. Bettino said the fee increase could be reconsidered in the future if it proved to be a problem.
"What we're doing here that is different from what we did in the past is we are presenting a balanced budget. We are not projecting deficit spending with this budget. We used to have that kind of latitude," Bettino said, explaining that uncertainty regarding future changes in state funding and requirements are prompting pre-emptive actions.
Bettino also told the board about a possible expiration of waivers that have been in place for roughly five years that kept the school from needing to set aside 2 percent of state revenues for staff development. If the waivers expire this year and the mandate is not waived or repealed, the school could be required to set aside an additional $100,000 from the general budget.
Bettino is working with teachers to consider options to minimize problems if the waiver expires. It could be done by coding inservice days and professional development days to meet state standards to offset that cost, or by voting to waive the "set aside." By planning ahead, Bettino thinks the school can prevent further staff reductions in the event that the waiver expires or is not repealed.
In other business Monday, the board:
• Received information from Renata Remington regarding a $5,000 SHIP grant the school will receive for wellness initiatives. The money could be used to improve food offerings for students and increase and improve student fitness classes and activity during recesses. This includes purchasing snowshoes, indoor frisbee golf goals and increasing year-long use of the school forest.
• Learned that PR-B's Americorp and Reading Corps applications were approved.
• Learned that Teens Leading the Way will be cleaning bathrooms and removing paint at the Dam Park from noon to 4 p.m. May 11. They will also begin painting the bathroom wall and city trash cans May 18-19. Volunteers are welcome.
• Heard information about the program Drive 4 UR School. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 27, PR-B will receive money for every test drive taken at participating Ford dealers. The money will benefit six PR-B departments that can earn up to a total of $6,000.


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Skywalker Trampolines 15' Square Trampoline and Enclosure - Blue
by Skywalker Trampolines | Item #: 851963 | Model #: SWTCS015 |
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About this itemSkywalker Trampolines 15' Square Trampoline and Enclosure Combo is designed with an extra heavy duty galvanized steel frame for years of jumping and bouncing fun.
Skywalker Trampolines 15' Square Trampoline and Enclosure is designed with a heavy gauged galvanized steel frame for years of family outdoor entertainment. This fun square shaped trampoline with enclosure gives more jumping area than a traditional round Along with more jumping surface this trampoline includes 84 large coil springs over 7" in length plus 12 gold color springs 1" in diameter which are placed in the center of the frame on each side to provide a superior bounce.
- aFrame assembly uses unique T-Bracket technology to secure the enclosure frame to the trampoline for added stability
- Extra-wide, UV-protected, vinyl-coated safety pad covers the frame and springs
- 64 rust resistant springs for added bounce
- Stay-put enclosure design attaches to the jumping mat at the base of the enclosure netting using a button hole feature eliminating gaps without threading ropes.
- Steel frame is padded with soft foam for increased safety and durability
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15 x 15 x 9.5
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90 days limited manufacturer's warranty on materials. 1 year limited manufacturer's warranty on frame.
- *Compare At price reflects verified online retail price of same or similar item.