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Once an aspiring comicbook artist, Bourassa is living his dream, albeit in a slightly different way, in the DC Comics universe at Warner Bros. Animation."As a young kid who loved to draw, I discovered comicbooks early on," he says. "I even created my own comicbook."He took it to Comic-Con in 2001 and sold between 50 and 100 copies, one of which ended up in the hands of a Warners exec. "She liked it and gave my book to (director) Denys Cowan, who did 'Static Shock,' and he brought me in to do character design."Since then, Bourassa has had a chance to become artistically involved with some of the most iconic characters in the comicbook realm, including Superman, Batman and Robin. "It's the best job in the world to get to work with these beloved characters with such a storied tradition both at this studio and in the comics," he says.And he's already got an Emmy for his efforts. The character designer picked up the kudo for individual achievement in animation for the first episode of "Young Justice," about superhero sidekicks striking out on their own, airing on Cartoon Network from 2010 until March 2013.Though he's been at it for 13 years, "I still feel like I have to push myself every day to improve my craft … to take in new influences and new inspirations and infuse them in my work," he says. "I hope I'm still able to be competitive and do better work next year than I'm doing this year. That's always my goal."— Terry Flores
For girls who love drawing, growing up to work at Disney is nearly the happiest ending imaginable.
That's how visual development artists Bove and Lee feel about the path that led them to share an office at Walt Disney Animation Studios, where the pair have become heirs to the Mary Blair mantle.
Born in Spain, Bove has always adored the Disney classics. When her family moved to America, her father, an artist, told young Lorelay, "Dreams come true if you work hard here."
"It was like a movie," she says. That spirit pushed her to apply to Disney-founded CalArts (she was turned down at first, but took drawing classes, built a portfolio and tried again). "I'm always drawing by heart and emotion, rather than draftsmanship," says Bove, who interned for Pixar the summer after graduation, followed by a spot in Disney's trainee program.
It was "The Little Mermaid" that convinced Lee she wanted to be an animator. In first grade, she sent a drawing inspired by the film to the Disney Channel, which featured her sketch on-air.
"Because I came from Pennsylvania, my art teachers had no advice to give," recalls Lee, who applied to Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York, where she was mentored by Disney vet Nancy Beiman. "I studied animation there off in the frozen tundra."
Both are now considered rising stars within the Mouse House's halls. Bove brought her Spanish background to the design of "Wreck-It Ralph."
The film's vidgame world of Sugar Rush, made of candy, was inspired by (Catalan architect) Antoni Gaudi, she says.
Meanwhile, Lee can be credited with many of "Frozen's" signature looks, from the Ice Palace interiors to Elsa's "aspirational" hairstyle. "When I started on the film, she had black hair and blue skin," Lee says.
Both are set for larger roles on Disney's still-secret 2018 feature.
— Peter Debruge
T hough she's only a few years removed from film school, 29-year-old Nefcy is already knee-deep in storyboards for season two of her first animated series, Disney's "Star vs. the Forces of Evil." Based on a drawing she created during her junior year at CalArts, the hand-drawn series follows the wild travails of a 14-year-old magical princess sent to live on Earth as a sort of intergalactic exchange student.
Nefcy says she grew obsessed with Japanese animation in middle school, and wanted to make an American "magical girl story" along the lines of "Sailor Moon," albeit one with a gentle subversive streak — Jenny Slate, for instance, voices the character Pony Head, a floating, disembodied unicorn head that dispenses decidedly unwise advice to our heroine, like a crocked Jiminy Cricket.
Nefcy is only the second woman to create an original Disney Television Animation series — and the first to do so since 1997 — yet she says she's hardly had to battle with the forces of patriarchy at Disney.
"I guess in the past animation has been more of a boys' club, but I haven't felt that at all," she says. "My crew is about half female, maybe even a little more."
With "Star" picked up for a second season midway through the first's run on the Disney Channel — it debuts on Disney XD later this month — Nefcy is full of praise for the freedom the Mouse House's channel has afforded her.
"Disney tries to do creative-driven projects," she says, "and I'm really happy to be on a TV show right now. I loved 'Big Hero 6' and I love what Laika is doing, but I wish more (animated) movies would branch out and try to be a little more interesting. TV's kinda the place to be for animation right now."
— Andrew Barker
During the 18 years he spent at Pixar, Brown was a top animator on "Toy Story 2," "Finding Nemo" and "Ratatouille." He also ran Pixar's short-lived branch studio in Vancouver. Now at Paramount, he will co-direct the newly established Paramount Animation's first all-CG feature animated film.
"I seem to be drawn toward — or fall into — the beginnings of studios," Brown chuckles. "I started at Pixar in 1995. I grew up there professionally, then went up to Vancouver to start a new studio. I spent a year thinking about … the things that create the right kind of culture, where people can be truly creative and enjoy coming to work. Coming here was like joining another start-up."
When Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg came to Disney from Paramount in 1984, neither executive had any experience making animated films. They quickly learned just how different animation production is from live action. Brown has been applying his experience at Pixar to helping the personnel at Paramount scale a similar learning curve.
"Paramount is a 102-year-old live-action studio that hasn't dabbled in animation recently beyond distribution," he says. "It's refreshing that it's not locked into any kind of historical track or way of doing things. But because it doesn't have any tried-and-true methods, there are some hard roads to navigate (when it comes to) helping people who only know how live action films are made understand how animation works."
— Charles Solomon
The duo have been separated by an ocean and a continent for a little over a year now, but they still manage to make their partnership work. Matt is working at Nickelodeon as an animating director on "Sanjay and Craig" while Paul remains in London, working on freelance projects for such studios as Disney and Cartoon Network. But as the Layzell brothers, they continue to create projects in a style that defies categorization.
"I don't think we're necessarily pinned down by a particular kind of style," Paul says. "We can change it depending on what the idea is."
As a team, the brothers play to each other's strengths: Matt, the elder by three years ("Two and a half," interjects Paul), comes from an animation background while Paul studied illustration. And theirs is a partnership built on strong familial bond.
"I always remember drawing with Paul, and coming up with ideas and characters since we were little kids," Matt says. "It just feels natural."
"We work together really well," agrees Paul. "We have really similar ways of thinking about things. "
While Matt is gaining experience about the studio system at Nick, they are collaborating on developing their own TV shows.
"The stuff we're really excited about, we want to approach it in the right way," Matt says. "It's taught me so much about working with a team and how to run a show efficiently. A team that can work well together is very important."
— Terry Flores
"I started drawing before I learned how to write, which is why I grip pencils with four of my fingers," says Miguel Jiron, who was born in Baton Rouge, La., to Nicaraguan parents who spoke Spanish at home. "Growing up, I never felt like I was the same as my peers, just because I ate beans for breakfast," Jiron says.
At first, the young artist was reluctant to incorporate his heritage into his work, although he came around to the idea in grad school at USC, where his explosively colorful (and personal) thesis film, "Lagarto," playfully re-creates a childhood trip to Nicaragua, where iguanas come to life in the sun and the sound of rolling R's fills the sky.
"While I was at USC, I learned a little bit of CGI, just enough so I could wrap my brain around it, but it's nothing like putting pen to paper — or stylus to Cintiq these days," says Jiron, who makes his living as a storyboard artist on Illumination's "Minions" movie by day, but spends his nights and weekends working on a short film and comicbook projects.
Still, that pace seems relaxed compared to two years working 80-hour weeks in Japanese artist Takashi Murakami's New York studio. "I was in charge of physically executing his paintings," Jiron says. "You got to have your name written on the back of every painting you worked on." He credits the demanding experience with pushing him toward animation, where a group of artists come together to create work no individual could accomplish alone. — Peter Debruge
Right now, Bruno is working for "Peanuts," and he couldn't be happier.
A supervising animator on Blue Sky's "The Peanuts Movie," due out in November, Bruno is bringing Charles Schulz's beloved characters to a new generation. And he's not unaware of the pressure.
"It's the first project that, when we got it, my dad called with an opinion on how not to screw it up," he says.
It makes sense that Bruno is working on a movie about a bunch of kids, since keeping his childlike sensibility alive is very important to him. "It's always been important to me to not let that 8-year-old version of me die," he says. "It's the thing that sparks everything I do. If I'm trying to be funny, I want to make that 8-year-old version of me laugh; if I'm trying to be heartfelt, I want to move that 8-year-old me."
Bruno's inner kid had varied influences, from Gary Larson's "The Far Side" cartoons, to the Muppets, Looney Tunes, "Ren & Stimpy" and movies by John Hughes. "If you mix all that into one big melting pot, you get one weird kid," he jokes.
He pretty much always knew what he wanted to do. "In my sixth-grade yearbook it says, 'When I grow up, I will be …' and next to my name it said animator or baseball player," he recalls. "At the time, it seemed more realistic to become a baseball player, because animation was, and still is, to me, like joining a circus. How the hell do you join a circus? But you know it exists and people are in it."
— Terry Flores
As lead animator for the character Cloudjumper in DreamWorks' "How to Train Your Dragon 2," German-born Grummt had to create movements for the four-winged dragon that carries Valka (Cate Blanchett) through the skies and that presented major challenges. Animators study real movements and caricature them. But no bird or animal has two sets of wings that flap — the turbulence they'd produce would make flight impossible.
"We talked about how to make his double set of wings convincing, so people wouldn't question it and it would still look cool," Grummt says. "(Director) Dean DeBlois wanted the character to be elegant, massive, graceful and in control at all times. So it was really important that the double wings weren't over-complicating the visuals."
In 2010, when Simon Otto, head of character animation on "Dragon 2," presented a program about the first 'Dragon' film in Frankfurt, Germany, Grummt was one of several local students who showed him their work. "I was really impressed," Otto recalls. "I took the reel back, we reviewed it and Thomas came to DreamWorks for 'Croods' and 'Kung Fu Panda 2.' When we were in development on 'Dragon 2,' I was able to put him in a lead position. I've told (president of production) Bonnie Arnold, there's no way this kid's not going to be on 'Dragon 3.'"
Grummt hopes Otto's plan comes true: "I don't know what my next show's going to be right now: I'd love to work on 'Croods 2,' but eventually I want to work on 'Dragon 3.' "
— Charles Solomon
In his Oscar-nominated student film "Head Over Heels," Reckart used stop-motion animation to depict an older couple who were on such bad terms they could no longer agree which way was up: Each partner's floor was the other's ceiling.
Now Reckart has announced plans to direct an animated feature for Sony Pictures Animation. The film will be CG rather than stop-motion, but Reckart sees similarities in the two media.
"From the point of view of directing, you're still crafting a performance frame by frame," he says. "Stop-motion and CG both involve a three-dimensional space that allows artists to use live-action film language and incorporate more sophisticated camera moves."
Reckart, who is developing both the feature at Sony and a series to be made in conjunction with BBC Worldwide and Evergreen Studios, is looking forward to the collaborative atmosphere of a major studio after making "Head Over Heels" with a few friends.
"Working in a studio can feel like you've got more balls in the air or it can feel more supportive," he says. "If the people are pulling together to make the film, you've got so much more support. You're not the one guy who's got to hold all the storyboards in your head, you've got a whole team with you. I'm looking forward to having the support of people who are applying their minds to the same problems."
— Charles Solomon
Cooley, who served as the head of story on Pixar's "Inside Out," the most eagerly anticipated animated film of 2015, was recently named John Lasseter's co-director for "Toy Story 4," the most eagerly anticipated animated film of 2017.
Cooley, who just finished directing a short film set in the world of "Inside Out" that will be on the Blu-ray, began at Pixar as an intern in the story department on "Cars." He was chosen for that spot by the late Joe Ranft, probably the finest animation storyman of his generation.
"Joe singled out Josh Cooley as a guy with potential, and Joe knew how to pick 'em," says "Inside Out" director Pete Docter. "Josh is funny, unique and collaborative. And funny."
While working on "Inside Out," Cooley tried to follow Ranft's example. "On 'Cars,' Joe always said about the story, 'It's the journey, not just the destination.' He brought the same attitude to running the department: It's working together and collaborating with everybody that's the real treat."
Turning to his new assignment, Cooley adds, "To be co-director on 'Toy Story 4' with John, who brought the 'Toy Story' characters to the screen 20 years ago, is a dream come true.
"When I first saw 'Toy Story' I was amazed by the groundbreaking computer-generated animation. But it was the strong storytelling that kept me coming back. 'Toy Story 4' will continue that tradition and I couldn't be more excited to be a part of it!"
— Charles Solomon


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This is the last post of 2012 & I get the honor of ending this year on this blog.
We all start our New Years Resolutions tomorrow right? And then they will be all done January 11th right? I mean that is normally how mine goes.
I challenge you to make 2013 the best year ever. And by the best year ever, I mean grow your relationship with Christ & He will make it your best year ever.
My New Years Resolution - Words that come out of my mouth.
I bet we all can add this one to our resolution list! Happy New Year all!

subset: commoncrawl


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South Beach and Miami
Sports Illustrated Cover Model Nina Agdal cruising South Beach at Jeep Beach with SoBe Jeeps Customs to help support my man DJ Irie and the Irie Foundation. Amazing event!
Drive your jeep to South Beach, Downtown Miami, Brickell, and Key Biscayne. Miami is a great city! There are many interesting areas like Miami Beach, Little Havana, Wynwood, Key Biscayne, Coconut Grove, and Coral Gables.
Be sure to enjoy the Magic City after dark, when it really comes alive. If you like to people watch and want a fun activity to do before dinner, this city is for you.
Stop by SoBe Jeeps today to rent a custom Jeep for the weekend!
Jeep Beach 2014 – Daytona Beach Florida
Jeep Beach 2014. Jeep [...]
Candy Red Powder Coated Accents! Absolute Stunner!! Matte Black Kevlar SoBe Edition.
Custom Ordered Matte Black Kevlar SoBe Edition Jeep Wrangler Unlimited! Estimated Build Time: 15-Days
Browse through the vast selection of SoBe Jeeps that have recently been added to our inventory.
Matte Black Kevlar SoBe Edition
- October 10, 2015
- Jeep Sales
- Posted by Rich Benvin
- No comments yet
2015 SoBe Edition Hydro Blue FOR SALE!!
The 2016's are arriving soon! Despite no major changes from the 2015's the deal on this custom build is!!
Call 855.MIA.JEEP or 305.975.3435 for details.
Jeep weather is just a couple of months away.
Financing Available – Free Nationwide Delivery
The Jeep Wrangler is a compact SUV and off-road vehicle from Chrysler. It traces its roots to the famous Jeep vehicles used during World War II. These war relics later evolved into the Willy's Civilian Jeep, or CJ, in the 1950s. The Wrangler is now in its fourth generation of release. It was first introduced in 1987 before it was revised in 1997 and 2007…
Jay-Z and His Jeep
When I press him for more details about the vehicle, he tells me that it was going to be a "Jay-Z Jeep" painted "Jay-Z Blue." Then he starts to say something else, but stops short.
Adapted from a chapter in the Jay-Z biography EMPIRE STATE OF MIND: HOW JAY-Z WENT FROM STREET CORNER TO CORNER OFFICE.
Check out this SoBe Black & Red "Supercharged" Edition Jeep Wrangler:
2014 Supercharged Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
We are Custom Jeep Builders specializing in Performance Parts, Custom Paint & Powder Coating, Jeep and Truck Lift Kits, LED Light Bars, Interior, Fenders, Spray In Bed Liners, Steps, Tops, Wheels & Tires, Exhaust Performance & Intake, Bumpers & Grille Guards, Hoods, and much more!!
We're not just lifting Jeeps and 4X4 Trucks. We are designing the most detailed head turning custom vehicles on the road today! Utilizing the best engineered parts in the industry, our builds far exceed the industry standards.
Call 1.855.MIA.JEEP for more information
Check out this new SoBe Edition 2015 RAM 1500 Custom Vehicle. Customized options include: Fabtech 6″ Lift Kit w/Dirt Logic Rear Shocks, AMP Research Automatic Side Steps, 35X12.5R20 Nitto Trail Grappler Tires, XD Rockstar II 20X12 (-44) Matte Black Wheels, Custom Ignition Orange Painted Pocket Fender Flares, Rigid Industries 20″ Front Light Bar, Rigid Industries Custom Painted Grille w/Mounted 30″ Light Bar, Blackout Rear Taillights and more…
2015 RAM 1500 SoBe Edition – $64,500
Full Jeep Wrangler Service Department. 50-Point Inspection on EVERY Jeep sold!
Justin Timberlake, who was recently spotted at the U.S Open dancing with Jimmy Fallon, is also a proud Jeep lover.
Justin Timberlake
History of Rap 6 Featuring Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake:
Learn All About Justin Timberlake
SoBe Jeeps – VIEW OUR CUSTOM JEEPS.
Our Custom Jeep builds don't just look great, they come with a high level of performance and dependability that you would expect.
Come visit our Showroom today!
Make your wedding extraordinary with a fully customized Jeep Wrangler from SoBe Jeeps. Serving South Florida and coming this Fall checkout our new locations in New England, Las Vegas and Denver. Fully Customized Jeeps starting at $149/day and Stock 4-Door Jeeps starting at $99/day. Reserve yours now!
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Jeep Wedding Ideas
Jeep Ideas that aren't tacky — Any suggestions?!?
Wedding Cake with Jeeps… Which one is your favorite?
Factory Optional Equipment Includes:
Customer Preferred Package 24S (Power Convenience Group, Power Heated Mirrors, Power Windows and Locks, Remote Keyless Entry, Security Alarm, Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel, Deep Tinted Windows, Connectivity Group, 5-Speed Automatic Transmission, Hill Decent Control, Freedom 3-Piece Hard Top, SiriusXM Radio)
SoBe Customs Added Equipment Includes:
– 4.25″ Long Arm Suspension System w/Fox 2.0 Res Shocks, Orange Powder Coated Springs
– Fox 2.0 ATS Steering Stabilizer Bar
– Upgraded Helwig Front and Rear Sway Bars w/Blue Powder Coated Finish
– 5.13 Front / Rear Axle Ratio Upgrade w/Custom Powder Coated Gator Logo/Blue Differential Covers
– Magnaflow Dual Exhaust System
– (5) 38X13.5R20 Nitto Trail Grappler Tires
– (5) Fuel 20X12 (-44) 2-Piece Wheels
– Custom Front Bumper w/Matte Black [...]
Welcome to our New Website!
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If you can think it… we've most likely already built it!
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Star Wars: Battlefront with STR
Posted by STR-MS on Tuesday, October 6 2015
As many of you will already be aware, this week finally sees the arrival of the Star Wars: Battlefront beta - One of this years most hotly anticipated games!
Beta will run from October 8th to 12th and is open to everybody, with the pre-load beginning on PC tomorrow morning at 9am UK time. Download size is reported to weigh in at around 11GB.
There will be 3 modes available to try during the beta:
- Walker Assault on Hoth: Fight in epic 40-player battles as a Rebel to destroy the Empire's onslaught of AT-AT's by calling in Y-wing bombers. Or, side with the Empire and protect your walkers while utilizing their mighty weaponry to crush the Rebel objective.
- Drop Zone on Sullust: Escape pods are crashing down and you and your team must fight to control them. With its frantic 8v8 matches, Drop Zone is sure to put your combat and strategy skills to the test.
- Survival Mission on Tatooine: Play alone or with a friend via co-op or split-screen as you battle to hold off waves of Imperial forces including AT-ST's, TIE fighters, elite stormtroopers and more.
There's a few of us here at STR who are planning to check this out so hope to see some of you in there, as well as meet some new faces too. We have just opened a brand new SW:BF section to the forums as well so feel free to make use of that in the coming days!
Happy gaming and have fun on the Battlefront!
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Technology is a developing very fast when it's about the Information technology. This term particularly is identified with some communicable set up named up as software access. This considerably is a tool required for stimulating the servers, networks and a various kind of storage devices which are basics to communication system in the form of sensors. The profile with its virtual network simulation is being creating a virtual lab regulated with thousand of devices. The popularity and priority of it has made it functional and used across the globe. You might think what it is used for. This particularly works for testing, development, and operator training as well as disaster stimulations.
With ultimate solution, the virtual organization would manage to focus completely on the network organization. This would move on with pointing the changing nature of the organizational limitations. The network technologies would facilitate the process for in and out of the people as well as resources. With that aspect the virtual technology would help the organization focus on the descriptions of specified pattern of network relations.
Priority of simulator:
Something like that of IoT simulator is being associated as a part and partial of virtual software technology. This kind of simulator is going to create a real world tested lab that are being managed with these kind of sensors, gateways and other connected devices which would relate to industry 4.0, smart factories and some smart cities. Rather the kind of simulators are going to provide a complete coverage by the IoT applications, middleware, brokers, Load balancers, MQTT gateways and clients. Apart from all that this is permissible to those who are suppliers of sensors, devices as well as applications to design, develop as well as test their applications with secured connections. This possibly is done through a virtual and scalable network environment. with these the customers are going to be assured with applications that are to be handled a long way with the scales of connections, topics and a varieties of messages that would work properly when processed through a unique setting.
Managing a network simulator:-
The network stimulator does require a significant process of management approach which would create awareness to the growing challenges. Some challenges that regularly going to come across the communication process are like knowledge transfer, processes infrastructure and leadership management. These challenges are rather significant because they are going to help communication become a core competitor to set its feet in the form of virtual network simulator.
Application of network simulator:-
These are basically used by enterprises whose work process completely depends on the network management. This is being set completely to help them communicate with uncountable manageable devices. For the purpose, it is important that the work space must set up a duplicate of well expected setting. This would translate further into setup, maintenance, support and management of the lab with a consistent budget. This profile is associated to various sectors like evaluation, support, training, research and development as well as sales. With this application it is going be helpful to manage with communicating with many manageable devices.


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Hey you, thanks for taking interest in sponsoring The Egg. I love promoting fun and exciting brands and collaborating with businesses. This website is based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming but I happily work with folks from all over! If you think your product or brand is a good match for the mountain town lifestyle, please contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Are you a local Jackson Hole business? I'd absolutely love to hear from you! Please email me with LOCAL in the header and let's meet for coffee and start brainstorming.


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Pacific Source is the exclusive distributor for Caesarstone in Hawaii.
Non-porous, scratch resistant and highly resistant to stains, CaesarStone is a manufactured product with up to 93% quartz crystal, and is virtually maintenance free.
Select from their product line and call 888–343–1515 for help, information and to place your order.


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What Our Clients Have to Say!
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Bringing Bronzes to western Maine, and establishing a rotating garden of awe-inspiring sculpture, has been an amazing endeavor for us at Spring Gallery and Sculpture Garden, and we so appreciate the quality job done by Mow By Joe, Inc. as he reliably maintains the landscaping in the garden around our sculptures. Thank you Joe for your hard work!
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Dave - Sidney


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Valentine's Day Articulation Booklet
Each student will get the worksheet with blank hearts, a piece of construction paper (color of his/her choice of course!), and a word/picture list (depending on which speech sound he/she is working on). I have a lot of craft supplies in my room including markers, crayons, colored pencils, stickers, glitter pens, tissue paper, paint, and more!
Students will write words from their own articulation lists onto the blank hearts. They can then color in all the hearts and be creative as they would like! Next, they will cut out all of the hearts and glue them onto the front, inside, and/or back of their booklet. As you can see in the picture above, I just labeled my sample booklet as "My Valentine's Speech Booklet". I will have my students write their names and add their speech goal as well to the front of the booklet.
The best part about this Valentine's Day booklet is it can be taken home to use as practice/homework! SLPs know how important it is for students to practice, practice, practice!!
Hope you all enjoy this post and cute idea! I will be posting more pictures and updates next week once my students make their booklets!


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Pet Profile
Our City Pets
- Downloads (various sizes)
- Prints (paper, mounted, framed)
- Keepsakes (mug, stickers, etc.)
- Greeting Cards
A portion of the profits will be donated to a local NYC shelter or ASPCA.
Please contact me if you are the pet owner and want access to all your photos.
Michael "Fynn" Lange writes about some of NYC's most beloved pets. He is a fantasy fiction writer and you can find more of his work at fynnfiction.wordpress.com
Here in the Big Apple, many of us big city folk have dogs and cats. Some have snakes, lizards, spiders, and reptiles. I have heard of others who have birds, mice, guinea pigs, or even hamsters. I have heard about many different kinds of pets while spending hours in the city. With a boyfriend that photographs dogs for his blog, I even get to meet, pet and learn about these sweethearts. I, however, have never had my own big city pet… or so I thought.
One day, as I was walking by the Gapstow Bridge I came to realize something. Not only was I a pet owner, all of us city folk are pet owners. I was sitting down on a rock by the lake. I was surrounded by tourists, and other city folk. My boyfriend was off photographing the bridge and I sat there wondering, what kind of pet I would have. Now I will be the first to admit, when it comes to something "casual" aka non-work related, my responsibility skills can be pretty lacking. I had taken my brother's dogs for walks, cleaned up after them, fed them, gave them pets and even let them sneak up on the couch for cuddles. But having my own pet would mean a lot of responsibility. Cleaning up after it, feeding it, and keeping it entertained full time none the less. Sometimes if I am on a writing streak I can forget to feed myself. So therefore, having my own pet was a no go.
That is when it hit me. Well, quacked at me. An overly friendly, and I am sure hungry, duck had snuck up behind me. It stared at me wondering if I had any bread, or whatever ducks might actually think about when they think about food. (Tangent: I imagine most dogs think of a huge meaty steak when the word "treat" is mentioned.) I pulled out some crumbs from some bread I had saved to feed the ducks. The duck was happy, it scuttled off into the water to join its friends. My little group of ducks happily ate every last morsel of the bread that had gone stale.
I did have pets after all, the ducks, the fish, the little turtles, and the huge golden koi fish. (Another tangent: there is a Koi fish in that pond that could most likely devour a small child.) I smiled when I realized, I never had to clean up after my pets. The millions of tourists would help keep them entertained. (Last tangent: There is nothing more entertaining than a lost tourist.)
So even if you can not have a pet in your apartment, or you lack a sense of responsibility, or whatever the reasoning might be… you still have pets. They are the wild animals around you. I am not saying to go and pet the bears, or anything of that sort. If you are lacking pet, in short, go to your park. Donate to it, volunteer to clean it up, visit it and feed the ducks.
|Carol Channing The Seventh
|Ducks & More
|Unknown (@time of posting)
|Central Park East Side
Date Posted:
August 8, 2016
NYC Loves Pets


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You can find me pretty much every day at the House of Hills.
Email me at Kathy @ HouseOfHills.org
Follow me on Twitter @kathill
You can find me pretty much every day at the House of Hills.
Email me at Kathy @ HouseOfHills.org
Follow me on Twitter @kathill
Thank you so much for taking the time to link my latest post! Well, I am back from my little retreat and will be blogging more about this! Hope it helps some other moms realize that they can do something to change where they are! I will have to check out more of your blog! Have a great weekend!
Please send me the recipe for the layered crescent rolls. I seem to be having a hard time fiding the one like the picture.
Katie Seay
Katie. Thanks for stopping by. If you click on the recipe title under the picture, it should link you right to the recipe. Enjoy!
Thanks so much for stopping by and comment on my blog this week. For sure give the carrot cake cookie at try when you're at Hollywood Studios, they are truly amazing. I look forward to connecting at Disney Social Media Moms!
Hi Kathy, I am looking for the song "I've got to R E A D my B I B L E! That's how God teaches me" but your blog is the only place I've seen it even written.. I thought I looked at one big gulp cd but i do not see it.. Can you let me know what cd I can find it on for my kids.. Thank you
Found it R to the B sorry about that.. Thank you again
Hey Kathy,
My name is Effie and I represent Perspectivo – a startup that is bringing something different to the masses – access to the experience of others. I have been searching for people with interesting content online and decided to reach out to you.
Perspectivo is a place for people to discover new possibilities and solutions to any dream, goal or challenge they are having based on the experience and wisdom of those who have "Been There, Done That".
Our new beta site has just gone live and I'm excited to invite you to explore the site and share your unique perspective. The advantage of being an early participant is that you will receive a head start in gaining recognition and targeted traffic as the site gains popularity. But equally important is the fact that you will help others who will put your experience to good use.
If you're interested, you can go to http://www.perspectivo.com
We all have a perspective to share that can change someone's life!
Effie [Efrat] Pinhasi
Head of Outreach & Community Partnerships
+1 215 897 9111


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You may not have heard or noticed, but come Spring you'll definitely be in the know: Dazzling Blue is the color for 2014. Each year at the end of New York Fashion Week in September, Pantone announces their Fashion Color Report for the coming year based on the amount of color used in each designer's show. Emerald was the color of 2013 and next up is Dazzling Blue.
What we're most excited about is how many of our reusable bags patterns and prints celebrate Pantone's selected color palette!
Our Multi Purple Flower print (shown here in our roomy and durable Carry All Tote Reusable Bag) features vibrant blues, luscious purples, inky navy and bright green. It's great for perking up your current wardrobe and positively on trend for Spring 2014!


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In 1894 the Baron Pierre of Coubertin launched the idea of renovating the Olympics. In the year 2000 the games are unwound to Sydney city who was chosen during of the session of Monaco.
For these last's games of millennial the city of Sydney had made call to more than 47 000 volunteers of 15 to 83 years so that they unwind in the good conditions and she succeeded there.
To the sporty level to share some problems bound to the doping theses games were a true success.


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Media Invite: "Clean my City" Campaign
17 January 2018 - On 18 January 2018, the Executive Mayor, Cllr. Jacob Khawe, will be embarking on the 03rd chapter of his maiden programme to clean Emfuleni in particular the Central Business District (CBD) of Vanderbijlpark and its surroundings areas from 08h00.
This undertaking came during his acceptance speech at a special Council held on the 30th November 2017, of having a clean city.
Mayor Khawe continued to say: 'The "Clean my City" campaign is not only about litter picking, we need to clean out all the abnormalities that are denting the image of our wards and the Municipality. We should cautiously think twice when we dump waste in front of a neighbour's house.'
The Executive Mayor and his members of the Mayoral committee will be seen in action in the areas of CWs, SWs and SEs physically patching potholes, collecting waste, cutting grass and closing water leaks amongst others.
Issued on behalf of Emfuleni Local Municipality by:
Lebo Mofokeng
Mayoral Spokesperson
079 510 7324 / 016 950 5488


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Order Confirmation Step 1
Claim Your Copy of MathRider including free software updates for life for only
Get instant download access by filling in the information below:
Registration confirmation, additional tutorials and usage tips will be sent to this email. Your personal information is kept confidential at all times!
"30 Day Risk-Free Guarantee"
We want you to be completely happy with your purchase of MathRider and take all the risk out of the transaction. Because we strongly believe that MathRider will help your child, we back it up with a 100% money back guarantee.
But if for ANY reason you or your child are dissatisfied with MathRider, all you have to do to get a full, 100% refund is to contact us within 30 days after purchasing it.


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Men's Thermal Ski Bottoms.......Thermal Baselayer Leggings
Men's Lightweight Thermal Baselayer Leggings and Tights with a comprehensive array of technical thermal defence for the lower limbs ideally suited for use on the slopes as a first "next to skin" layering item.
As critical as the torso are the legs when skiing. It is essential that the lower limbs are kept warm and free from irritation. After all, they are your only means of getting up....and back down again!
From major brands such as Odlo®, Under Armour®, Helly Hansen®, Icebreaker® SKINS® and more, the range of Men's Thermal Baselayer Leggings and Tights shown here, are designed to suit every requirement and every budget for that assured comfort and safety on the piste!
Men's Megmeister™ Drynamo™ Seamless Thermal Leggings
Men's Odlo® Natural™ Merino Wool 200 GSM Leggings
Men's BodyfitZONE™ 260 Tights
Warmest Thermal Rating
Men's FLŌA Merino Wool Baselayer Leggings
Men's Icebreaker® Bodyfit™ 200 Merino Wool Oasis™ Legless ¾ Leggings
Top + Leggings Combo Set
Men's SKINS™ DNAmic™ Thermal Compression Tights
Superior Thermal Regulating Tights with Recycled Fabrication
Superior Seamless Thermal Warmth


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Chunky rubber sole sneaker. Pull tab at heel.
100% PU lining.
Breathable PU lining.
Platform Height: 1".
Outsole: Rubber.
Please note, all shoes are final SALE!
No refund/exchange will be accepted.
Size Chart
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Free Shipping on all orders over 100$ to Canada and United States
Use spaces to separate tags. Use single quotes (') for phrases.


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According to JON, I've installed servlet-examples on my Tomcat 40 years ago, which is kind of scarry, I thought it was yesterday.
Now seriously:
1) Tomcat (8080) > Tomcat VHost (localhost) > Tomcat WAR (/servlets-examples)
3) See: servlets-examples 1.0 WAR File 14653 days, 3 hours ago
Ah, it's the UNIX epoch. Somewhere is missing if( date == 0 ){ ... }
Temporarily adding the keyword "SubBug" so we can be sure we have accounted for all the bugs.
new = Tracking + FutureFeature + SubBug
making sure we're not missing any bugs in rhq_triage
possibly a dupe, will try to find the other one.
From the replication steps, I inferred the usage of Tomcat 5.5.x since servlet-examples is not delivered with Tomcat 6.0.x.
I retested the ticket with Tomcat 5.5.33 on both Windows and Linux but I could not replicate the problem. The date for the deployed content is the date I actually installed the Tomcat server.
Please retest and update the replication steps if the problem is still present.
Stefan, please try with Red Hat EWS product if you can.
Since this bug is 1.5 y/o, that would be EWS 1.0.1 I guess. But I'd try with the latest, i.e. 1.0.2.


text: Improve safety at your organization The WorkSafe Predictor is designed to assess patterns of thinking and acting that predict safe behaviour and the likelihood of remaining free from workplace safety incidents. It provides insight into safety behaviour that can be used in a developmental or selection context. This assessment is designed for testing adults in business and industrial settings where safety is important. No industry specific language or technical jargon is used so the WorkSafe Predictor can be administered in any industry and with any position. Results can identify "low safety risk" individuals or identify employees who are a "high safety risk." It will help determine what aspect of the candidate's behavior contributes to higher risk, providing opportunities to address those areas hindering safety. When administered to current employees, the WorkSafe Predictor will help determine the focus of training and development to enhance a positive safety culture. Reports and RESOURCES for the worksafe predictor Online Reports SAMPLE REPORT The WorkSafe Predictor reports on eight scales which identify the different thinking patterns that drive behaviour toward personal safety. Download sample report Resources WORKSAFE PREDICTOR MANUAL Download WorkSafe Predictor Manual Use for Employee SelectionIndividual Development AdministrationTime: 20 minutes Items: 109 Scoring: www.CareerID.com (online)


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Instruction and School Leadership
WE Teach
In order for students to reach their full potential, educators must foster a learning environment that builds leadership skills, provides a rigorous and relevant education and build strong relationships with students. The Successful Practices Network identified these key elements in successful schools across the country, and are the focus of the WE Teach Instructional Staff Survey.
WE Lead
In order for students to reach their full potential, a school needs to have a coherent vision, strong instructional leadership, and staff who feel empowered to make decisions on behalf of students. Coherent vision, empowerment, school management, culture of learning and community partnerships have been identified by the Successful Practices Network as five key elements of leadership in successful schools across the country. These elements are measured using the WE LEAD Whole Staff Survey.


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- A business decision should come upon the heels of careful consideration of possible advantages and disadvantages. In the case of selling property in an online real estate marketplace, you have many advantages that combine to increase the time you devote to other priorities.
"We are committed to assisting buyers and sellers, and we hope you will find these reasons for listing your property on our marketplace helpful," says Hashim Ahmed, managing director at Beeyoot.Com
- You can write a detailed listing that entices buyers to consider your
property. If you have strong writing skills or can enlist the
assistance of someone who does, you can develop the short copy for
buyers. Words express what buyers want to know beyond what photos can
tell them.
- You can choose the photographs that make your property the most
attractive. Some buyers, especially real estate investors, will perform
their own research before they buy a property. They need to know about
potential growth in the area, including reasons why other buyers would
want to buy the property. Investors make money by turning over property
sales in a short time. Perhaps this is also how you plan to make a
- No property showings are needed. Some real estate buyers who would buy
through an online marketplace would sometimes rarely invest the time in
real life visiting a property. Our full-service website enables you to
find a buyer for your property located anywhere in the world, not just
in the Middle East.
- You can make a great impression online with the power of an Internet
property listing. Statistics also show that nearly 80% of buyers start
their property search on the internet. Customers will depend on you for
something that sparks their interest or meets their immediate needs.
- You can eliminate wasted time that comes from too much paperwork. The
Internet method of transacting business appeals to people who don't
have time for the slower process of closing a real estate deal through
traditional methods. Read over our terms of service carefully to
understand the process.
- You can take advantage of free advertising by selling your property on
Beeyoot.Com. In our business model, buyers save from paying transaction
fees. This means there is no risk to you as the seller. Expand the
potential market of buyers with a free listing. (coupon code: byt100)
- Buyers may have more important things to do than waiting and depending
only on real estate professionals to select properties for their
consideration. The online property listing lets any buyer with
computer access find your property around the clock.
- Our website brings buyers and sellers to the point of sale. With clear
terms of service and year-round customer support, we will help you make
this transaction successful through our online marketplace. And the
great news is that market forces will potentially generate offers you
weren't expecting!
Selling your property here is too convenient to pass up as a great business opportunity. E-business is also advantageous for people who want to reduce the environmental impact of their business transactions. Real estate property sellers depend on online real estate marketplaces to reach the international community of real estate buyers with the money to spend on your real estate.
© 2000 - 2019 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)


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Be sure to report your claim prior to any repairs and/or tear down by the service center.
A claims representative will contact you – generally within an hour – to ask you some initial questions and to schedule a claim inspection of your vehicle. Be sure to discuss any questions you might have about deductibles, parts and services coverage under your warranty contract with your claims representative at this time. A Claim Adjuster could be sent to the service center to complete a claim inspection and to complete a report on the repair.
You can request an online follow-up on your recent claim.
Please complete the form below and one of our customer service representatives will contact you to complete the process of your request.
Please have your warranty application number, vehicle serial number (VIN) and the current odometer reading of your vehicle ready prior to completing the form.
We proudly offer the AUTOGARD ADVANTAGE Service Guarantee ™ for all of our auto warranty plans.
This site uses the terms "Warranty", "Warranty Plan", "Extended Warranty", "Extended Warranty Plan", "Extended Service Protection Plans" and "Vehicle Service Contract" as equivalents for marketing purposes only. All sales are subject to the terms located within the Extended Warranty Provider's Vehicle Service Contract. This site is intended solely for the purpose of providing general information regarding the purchase of an extended car warranty. Exact contract terms and conditions as well as rates are determined upon validation of vehicle information and acceptance by the Extended Warranty Provider. Pricing, specifications, availability, and terms of offers may change without notice. Taxes, fees and other charges may apply. AUTOGARD ADVANTAGE cannot be held responsible for pricing or other errors, omissions, or consequences of misuse of site and its functions.


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Tonight, at the airport's immigration and customs check, I was chatting casually with the girl working my counter. When my passport scanned, and my picture appeared on the screen, she commented that I had had short hair back then, and, after a comment from me, she asked about the reasoning behind the short hair.
I told her that I had shaved it as part of a fundraiser for pediatric cancer, and we both marveled at the idea of having no hair at all. She asked about people's reactions to it, and I shared of the regular misconceptions people had – first, when it was very short, that I had cancer, then, as it grew longer a bit, that I was either making a political statement or was a homosexual or gender fluid individual. At her request, I told of the oddities that come with growing one's hair long again, after having it be short for so long (it takes a long while to grow out long hair from a bald scalp), and how I regularly am surprised still today when my hair whacks a guy in the face while dancing, or gets stuck as I roll up the window in the car.
She told me of a time that she had complimented a woman's hair style, which happened to be quite short but super flattering on the woman. The woman had replied that she had only just recently been free of her cancer, and so this was her first hair growing back in, and she was utterly flattered and touched at the simple compliment from this sweet immigration and customs worker, who, in turn, complimented me on my fundraising efforts, my confidence, and my general desire to do good in the works.
As we parted, I had tears in my eyes. I think that might be the best airport staff conversation I've ever had and ever will have.
Post-a-day 2017


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Me and a friend came up separately with the idea that this makes you think of (especially the second half) a faceless army of evil marching in time to the song. It sounds very dark, and it reminds me of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" -- an army of pigs, or whatever, all utterly senseless and evil. "The Fragile" has often been compared to "The Wall."
Cherub Rockon August 06, 2002 Link


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Glory of Stories
March 15, 2019 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Free for Members, $5 per child and one adult free for Non-Members
Glory of Stories introduces young visitors to art and the Museum through a story reading followed by an interactive tour of relevant works of art and a studio art project. This program encourages learning through discovery, exploration, and hands-on experiences. Ages 2 and up.
|June 21
|Rainbow Fish
|Marcus Pfister
|June 28
|Starring Carmen!
|Anika Denise
|July 5
|Aaron Becker
|July 12
|Spicy Hot Colors: Colores Picantes,
|Sherry Shahan
|July 19
|Jihyeon Lee
|July 26
|Drum Dream Girl
|Margarita Engle
|August 2
|Planting a Rainbow
|Lois Ehlert
|August 9
|Flyaway Katie
|Polly Dunbar
|August 16
|Shiver Me Letters
|June Sobel
|August 23
|Rosie Revere Engineer
|Andrea Beaty
|August 30
|The Great Paper Caper
|Oliver Jeffers
|September 6
|Go, Shapes, Go!
|Denise Fleming
|September 13
|Chameleon's Colors
|Chisato Tashiro
|September 20
|Swirl by swirl
|Joyce Sidman
|September 27
|Little Blue and Little Yellow
|Leo Lionni
|October 4
|Dear Mr. Blueberry
|Simon James
|October 11
|The Tiny Seed
|Eric Carle
|October 18
|Where the Wild Things Are
|Maurice Sendak
|October 25
|Ghosts in the House!
|Kazuno Kohara
|November 1
|The Little Yellow Leaf
|Carin Berger
|November 8
|Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin
|Marjorie Priceman
|November 15
|Babar's Museum of Art
|Laurent De Brunhoff
|November 22
|Thank You, Omu
|Oge Mora
|November 29
|The Princess Knight
|Cornelia Funke
|December 6
|Not a Box
|Antoinette Portis
|December 13
|Art and Max
|David Wiesner
|December 20
|Aaron Becker
|December 27
|Regina's Big Mistake
|Marissa Moss
Group tour reservations are required for groups of 10 or more children.
Group Reservations
Chaperone guidelines and admission rates apply to reserved group tours. Click here for more information.


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So we were talking about breaking into comics, right? Before we go any further though, let's get a couple things straight:
First of all, I'm no expert when it comes to this shit. I've been writing comics for a living for about 5 years now. I've had around 120 of the little guys published so far. That's peanuts compared to a lot of other writers out there. You want advice from a real expert, go follow C.B. Cebulski on Twitter. He daily dishes out all sorts of stellar advice, things that apply not just to those of you wanting to work for Marvel, but to anyone hoping to break into comics. C.B. knows the ins and outs of the whole biz. He's like the guy from college who always knew where all the best parties were and how to sneak in. Me, I'm just a dude who somehow stumbled his way into the greatest party ever and is still looking around, wondering how the hell I did it. All I can offer in the way of advice is what I've seen and done during my brief trip here, to wherever the hell it is I actually am right now. Take of that what you will, and then go find your own way into the party.
Secondly, there's one thing we need to get out of the way before we can talk about pitching or approaching editors or anything like that. As far as I'm concerned, this may be the single most important piece of advice when it comes to breaking into comics.
If you wanna write comics for a living, the first thing you need to do...
...is not suck.
"Well, no shit," you're thinking. I mean, anybody should know that, right? Well, hold on, let's back up a minute.
Once when I was in college, majoring in English, studying to be a writer of some sort of another, I went to a local writer's conference. I'd never been to one before, so I was really looking forward to getting advice from some of the big name writers who were appearing (the highlight was most definitely getting to shake hands with the great Ray Bradbury). But I remember feeling like most of the struggling writers like me who were there were only interested in learning about how to get published. They seemed to believe they'd already written the next great American novel, and they just wanted to know how to get an agent, how to get in print. They didn't seem to even be entertaining the possibility that maybe their novel just wasn't any good.
Now me, I didn't know much about any one thing in particular back in those days (except maybe Prince's discography or the life and times of Jim Morrison), but I did know enough to know that I wasn't a good enough writer yet that I warranted being published.
It's always easy to play that game where you look at some professional writer whose work you don't particularly like and say, "That guy sucks. I can write better than that guy." But it's a lot harder to take a long hard look at your own work and really ask yourself: am I truly good enough? Sure, maybe I was the best writer in my podunk little high school, and yeah, my mom and my girlfriend both think I'm pretty great, but when I compare my work to that of a published professional, are they even in the same fucking league? If I saw something the caliber of my own work on the shelf in a comic book store, would I seriously fork over my own money to read it?
Even now, that's the only way I can ever judge my own work. If I can look at something I wrote and know that as a reader, I would be into it, then I feel like I've done my job. If I respond to it, then I figure someone else out there will as well. Maybe not 100,000 other someones, but still, someone. The day I can't honestly say that about my own work is the day I need to hang it up and go re-apply for my job at the porn warehouse.
As a struggling writer, I always assumed that if I just got competent enough, eventually the "breaking in" thing would somehow take care of itself. If the work was good and I was patient and persistent enough, I would eventually catch someone's eye. To that end, I wrote reams and reams of some of the worst stories and most meandering, hopeless attempts at novels that have ever been put to paper. I had to burn my way through loads of shitty writing before I could ever have any chance of actually putting down something decent.
So I sucked, for a very long time, but I knew that I sucked, and kept working until I sucked a little bit less.
I worked my ass off on "The Other Side." I worked harder on that first script than anything else I've ever written. I poured myself into research. I read every book I could find about the Vietnam War. History books, novels, comics. I asked questions of vets. I compiled huge files of notes. I wrote and re-wrote the script for months. And by the time that script was done, I knew that it was a book that I honestly wanted to read. In terms of sales, "The Other Side" remains the lowest selling thing I've ever done. But that script won over editor Will Dennis and got my foot in the door at Vertigo. It got me "Scalped." It got me my first gig at Marvel. So "The Other Side," for me personally, is the single most important thing I've ever written. Without it, I wouldn't be here.
So if you wanna know how to break into comics, I guess my advice to you is just, "Write." Don't even worry about breaking in until you know you're ready. Focus on your writing. Find that story you were born to tell and work your ass off on it. Read outside your comfort zone. Judge your work harshly. Write and re-write. Always re-write. And most importantly of all...
Don't suck.
If you can do that, then the hard part is over, and once you go to actually break in, it'll seem easy by comparison, I promise you.
P.S. Speaking of sucking...
Editor Axel Alonso once told me, back when I first started working for him at Marvel, "I'll keep using you, until you start to suck." And I walked away thinking, "What more could I possibly ask for?"
So here's to not sucking.
Jason Aaron
Kansas City


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Historical References and Anniversaries
Indians Forced to Cut Their Hair – January 13, 1902
( http://www.bluecloud.org/misunder.html )
On January 13, 1902, Commissioner W.S. Jones, from the Office of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior in Washington, wrote a letter stating that all Indian men should cut their hair so that they can advance in civilization. The letter also mentioned that every means should be taken to insure that all Indian men cut their hair, even to the point of withholding supplies. It was also suggested that all Indians stop wearing their regalia and blankets. This letter represents a huge misunderstanding of American Indian culture, a huge sense of fear, and an obvious push toward assimilation and control. I encourage you to click the link and read the letter. Many people are shocked to learn that these letters and policies took place. This is just one…
View original post 1,204 more words


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Cinderella's Glass Slipper Re-Imagined
Nine designers will help pump up the Disney release of the film "Cinderella" by recreating Cinderella's glass slipper in their own visions. Paul Andrew, Alexandre Birman, René Caovilla, Jimmy Choo, Salvatore Ferragamo, Nicholas Kirkwood, Charlotte Olympia, Jerome C. Rousseau, and Stuart Weitzman are participating in the project.
Exclusive Interview with Zeus + Δione
Style is something that comes from within. Style is the way someone stands, the way someone talks or eats... It is the personality that reflects style... Simple things show someone's style and it definitely cannot be bought.


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With a sentence of time served for failure to attend court, an Ontario man's dealings with the court in this province came to a conclusion on Friday.
'Accused drug trafficker William Merkley opts to be tried by Supreme Court judge'
William Vincent Merkley, 33, wasn't present in provincial court in Corner Brook when a charge of failing to attend court was called. Instead his lawyer Robby Ash entered a guilty plea to the charge, which was laid nearly a year ago.
Merkley missed a court appearance on a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act on Feb. 17, 2017.
The drug charge had been laid on Oct. 10, 2015 following a traffic stop on the Trans-Canada Highway near Deer Lake.
At the time of the missed court appearance he was bound by a $6,000 cash deposit recognizance.
A warrant for his arrest, endorsed for execution in Ontario, was issued and he was arrested at his home in Dunbar on March 2. On March 3 members of the Corner Brook Royal Canadian Mounted Police took custody of him in Ottawa and returned to Newfoundland with him.
He was released from custody on March 9 following a bail hearing.
After Judge Kymil Howe entered a conviction on the charge, federal Crown prosecutor Adam Joyce put forward a joint submission on sentencing for a period of 12 days, which Merkley had previously served after his arrest.
Ash said Merkley learned a costly lesson of what happens when you miss your court date, having spent time in custody and by having his parents fly from Ontario to Newfoundland to bail him out.
He also noted the underlying drug charge had previously been dismissed. The court registry later confirmed the charge had been dismissed on Dec. 15, 2017.
Howe accepted the sentencing submission and also imposed a $100 victim fine surcharge.


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Category Archives: Books
Mother's Day Gifts
Filed under Basque, Books, Ceramics, crockery, Food, Red Wine, Rose, Spain, Tempranillo
Cinco de Mayo Wines & Foods
A tribute to Penelope Casas
When Penelope Casas passed away earlier this month it marked the end of an era. She and I were almost the same age and shared an enthusiasm for Spanish cooking, then almost unknown. Before The Spanish Table was even a year old, before we had any customers, Penelope published her fourth book, ¡Delicioso! and came to our store one evening for a signing. She was gracious, lovely and enthusiastic about our new business. For us it was an exciting night that recharged our entrepreneurial batteries. We miss her. ~ Steve Winston, Founder, The Spanish Table
Penelope's first cookbook The Foods & Wines of Spain completely transformed the way we cook. Her recipes were authentic, coming from Spain's local cooks and restaurants, revealing the secrets behind Spain's dazzling cuisine. This book was also a great travel guide, as naturally Casas credited each restaurant for their recipes. We compiled a list of "Penelope" restaurants and always sought them out on our travels, often driving miles out of our way to eat at these establishments. ~ Sharon Baden
We have three books in stock by Penelope Casas:
The first, and one of the very best around, ever. Some would say it's all you need.
Some of these recipes are not traditional paellas, but every dish I've tried has been fantastic! One of our absolute go-to's.
The original 1985 version of this book was one of our first tapas cookbooks. Our tattered, stained and crumpled copy has delighted many part guests at our house. It's the ultimate book for making small plates – many recipes only have a few ingredients.
Arroz negro al fuego
Inspired by a recipe in Penelope Casas' paella cookbook, here is our take on her arroz negro. A superb and striking paella, black as midnight and infused with deep sea flavors, arroz negro gets its pitch black color and wonderful depth of flavor from squid ink. Spiked with red chili peppers and spicy pimentón, this version has a kick to it, lifting the marine flavors to new heights. The spectacle of a dish of black rice creeping with tentacles is exciting and mildly alarming, making it the perfect Halloween or Day of the Dead feast. Serve with aioli.
2 oz black cod or halibut
¼ to ½ lb cleaned squid, tubes and tentacles
2 large shrimp
sea salt
olive oil, enough to coat pan
1 cup clam juice
5 threads saffron
¼ onion, finely chopped
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
¼ bell pepper, finely chopped
½ red chili pepper, finely chopped
½ small tomato
a splash of Madeira
½ cup Valencia or ⅓ cup Bomba rice
1 tsp spicy pimentón
1 x 4 gram packet squid ink
1 artichoke heart, quartered
1 piquillo pepper, sliced, to garnish
1 tsp chopped parsley, to garnish
a lemon wedge, to serve
Cut the black cod or halibut into bite sized chunks. Slice the squid tubes into ½ inch rings, leave tentacles whole. Sprinkle all the seafood with a little salt. Heat your paella pan over medium high and coat lightly with olive oil. Sauté the seafood for a minute or two until they release some juice. Dump contents of pan into a bowl and reserve.
Pour clam juice into a pot and bring to a quick boil. Lower heat to keep warm. In a skillet briefly toast the saffron until aromatic, a minute or two. Then crumble into clam juice. Keep warm and covered.
Place paella pan over medium-low heat and coat generously with olive oil. Add your sofrito (onions, garlic, bell peppers, and chili peppers) and sweat gently until soft, about 15-20 minutes. Grate in the tomato halves over the pan and discard skin; this is easy as it will naturally remain in your hand as you grate. Stir well and cook down the mixture until almost jammy, about 10 minutes.
Add a splash of Madeira and stir until evaporated. Add rice and stir well to coat. Add pimentón and stir. Add clam juice and squid ink; stir for a minute or two. Return seafood to pan along with artichoke hearts and distribute evenly. Cook paella for about 15 minutes , without stirring, and then test rice for doneness. Cook a few minutes more if necessary, erring on the side of underdone rice. Allow to rest for 10 minutes then serve or return the pan to the heat for five minutes or so to make the crust (socarrat) . Garnish with piquillo pepper strips and parsley; serve with lemon wedges and aioli. ~ Rachel Adams
Filed under Books, Paella, Pinchos, Spain, tapas, Travel, Uncategorized
Bean Stew & New Great Wines
Spanish Table Seattle Newsletter January 26, 2012
|ONE HOUR PARKING VALIDATION: Park in the Public Market Parking Garage at 1531 Western Avenue and receive one hour free parking validation when you spend a minimum of $35.00 at The Spanish Table.January CD sale! Buy three and receive the least expensive one free!
Spain is justifiably proud of its incredible variety of beans, peas and lentils which are used in stews, soups, and even paella. When the weather outside is blustery, I like to get a big pot of beans simmering with some ham hocks and chorizo, and savor the mouth watering aromas filling the house. Put on a movie and serve the bean stew with a glass of Rioja. That's not a half bad way to spend a winter evening!
Spain's most famous bean dish is the wonderful fabada, but there's more in the Spanish bean pot than just fabes. In the Basque country you'll find many local beans such as deep red Tolosanas. White beans from Leon have a fine and consistent texture; popular in stews, they are principally cooked with potatoes, chorizo sausages, bacon and blood sausage. The recipe below is adapted from "My Kitchen in Spain", by Janet Mendel (Harper Collins 202, $16.99). It's not a glamorous, photo-filled book, but for unfussy home-style Spanish cooking it's one of the best. (I like her blog, too. Check it out.)
Keep It Simple on the 4th of July
Iberian Embutidos
Spanish Table Seattle Newsletter June 30, 2011
Millions of people will serve perritos calientes (hot dogs) on the 4th of July. Why not take your dogs up a notch by serving an assortment of grilled embutidos? Our favorite Iberian style sausages include Despana brand Chorizo, La Española Butifarra, and Barcelos Linguiça. All told we offer 16 different grilling sausages between The Spanish Table and our Paris Grocery store, just two doors away. An excellent side dish with perritos calientes is my own "Spanglished" Potato Salad (see recipe below).
I simply can't get enough fresh rosé in the summer and that's what I'll be sipping on the 4th of July. Admittedly, I've gone a bit crazy ordering them because each one tastes better than the last! Here at Spanish Table, we've got 17 different dry rosados to choose from and two doors away at Paris Grocery, there are (gasp!) an astounding 34 French rosés. Visit us to pick up the pink stuff!
If beer is your beverage of choice, we've got the best selection of Portuguese and Spanish cervezas in the city, especially since a few new brands came on the market. From Spain, we currently stock Estrella Damm, Estrella Daura (gluten free beer), Estrella Galicia, Estrella Inedit, Alhambra Lager, Alhambra Negra, Ambar (NEW). We also carry Sagres and Sagres Bohemia, Mikate Lager and Tagus (NEW) from Portugal, Casa Beer from Morocco, Jerome Beer from Argentina, and Laziza non alcoholic beer.
Plancha, 150 Great Recipes for Spanish-Style Grilling by Liliane Otal ($21.00) This is simple cooking at its best, with grilled vegetable and seafood recipes that take only 5 to 10 minutes to prepare.
The Food of Spain by Claudia Roden ($39.99) 588 pages of pictures, vignettes and recipes, both classics and little-known dishes. My next must-try recipe is the pork loin cooked in milk with caramel.
Turkish Bakery Delight by Deniz Göktürk Akçakanat ($24.95) The food in Turkey is all-around magnificent and the savory baked goods such as Filo rolls filled with Spinach and Feta made an excellent breakfast. The assortment of sweet cakes and breads filled with nuts, fruit and honey were not bad either.
The Sorcerer's Apprentices by Lisa Abend ($26.00) details Ferran Adriá's unique system of running the kitchen at elBulli using apprentice chefs who sometimes camp on the doorstep until they are hired.
"Spanglished" Potato Salad
One day we were headed to a party where The Spanish Table's reputation for producing Spanish flavored foods would be at stake. I updated Mom's potato salad recipe by substituting alioli for mayo, pimentón for black pepper and by adding piquillo pepper strips. In a dire emergency, you can actually gussy up store-bought potato salad by mixing in the pinch of pimentón and chopped piquillo peppers.
3 cups Potatoes, boiled and cubed
1 tablespoon Minced sweet onion
½ teaspoon Fine ground Spanish sea salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon Sweet, smoked pimentón
¾ cup Alioli
½ cup Piquillo pepper strips, roughly chopped
½ dozen Caperberries, sliced, for garnish (optional)
Pinch Salt
Mix ingredients. Taste and adjust ingredients to your personal preference.
Cava Tasting and Party Wines
When the Thanksgiving leftovers run out, the holiday party season can't be far behind. We have a sensational time noshing on finger foods, experimenting with seasonal beverages and catching up with old friends – it is indeed a special time of year! And there is absolutely nothing more festive than a glass of bubbly at a party. Thus our Cava tasting dinner at Harvest Vine could not be more timely. Join us on Wednesday December 8th, at 6:30 p.m. to taste the cavas of preeminent winemaker Augustí Torelló Mata. Here's an opportunity to taste the acclaimed Kripta cava which influential French wine critic Michele Bettane described as comparable to the very best champagne. Click Cava to view the complete menu; the cost is $65.00 per person. For reservations, please contact Harvest Vine at 206.320.9771. "The Agustí Torelló Mata Cavas rank with the best I have tasted." Jay Miller, Wine Advocate
2008 Ique Malbec, Mendoza ($9.99) Juicy and lush, this 100% Malbec has notes of violet and ripe berry. With firm structure, flavors of coffee and hints of licorice add complexity to the lengthy finish. This unoaked Malbec is meant to be enjoyed young and is excellent served with pizza or burgers.
2009 Prado Rey Verdejo, Rueda ($11.99) 100% Verdejo, Prado Rey comes from a 75 year old vineyard. It displays intense citrus aromas with notes of fennel. A serious white, it is lean and steely, fresh and balanced. It has a long and polished finish with notes of bitter almonds, characteristic of the Verdejo varietial. This is excellent with steamed clams or mussels.
2008 Tres Picos Garnacha, Campo de Borja ($15.99) We've never been disappointed by Tres Picos. Reliably delicious year after year, "The 2008 Tres Picos is 100% Garnacha old vines in which 50% was aged in tank and 50% in French oak for 10 months. It gives up a compelling nose of black cherry fruit that jumps from the glass along with earth and mineral notes. Plush on the palate bordering on voluptuous, this pleasure-bent, full-flavored effort will drink well for another 3-4 years although few will be able to resist its charms for that long." 91 points Wine Advocate
2008 La Planta, Ribera del Duero ($15.99) La Planta is the youngest red produced by Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro, whose wines are full-bodied and suave. 2008 La Planta has fresh aromas with high fruity notes of blackcurrant, licorice, and toasty notes from noble woods. A meaty wine with ripe tannins, it has a fine tuned velvety texture. The finish is persistent and smooth.
Last chance to pre-order special vintages of Cune Rioja! Bodegas Cune will be shipping a limited number of old Rioja Reservas and Grand Reservas directly from Spain in February 2011. Pre-order now to assure availability of a special anniversary or birthday wine! Pre-orders are due no later than December 8, 2010. Standout offerings include a 1917 Imperial Gran Reserva, 1964 Viña Real Gran Reserva, and a 1939 Corona, (a cache of this golden-colored Rioja blanco was recently discovered during the winery's renovation.) There are over 30 wines available from vintage 1917 through 1995; pre-sell prices range from $68.00 for a 1988 Imperial Reserva to $510.00 for the 1917 Imperial Gran Reserva. For a complete list and prices, just send a request to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Seasonal Spanish Food Cookbook by José Pizarro ($32.95) This is not a vegetarian cookbook but it's loaded with delicious salads, soups and sautés that make you want to rush home and start cooking. I can't wait to make Artichoke and Sheep Cheese Salad and Green Asparagus Soup with Romesco Sauce.
New shipment of Churreras! We now have plastic ($19.99) and metal ($45.99). Fry up some of these bits of dough deliciousness and dunk them into a steaming mug of thick Spanish hot chocolate. This indeed, is true decadence! We also carry Blanxart, Amalia and Valor brand hot chocolate mix.
Marcona Almond Butter: A healthy alternative to peanut butter, and a great option for those folks with peanut allergies. Marcona Almond Butter can be substituted in any recipe you would normally use peanut butter. We suggest: Changing your PB&J into a MAB&J, high-brow take on the quintessential classic, substitute MAB for your Thai peanut sauce or fold into your ice cream. Think of it like liquid Turron!
Armenian Walnuts Steeped in Syrup: They look like black olives, but they are whole walnuts packed green in the Ararat Valley of Armenia and steeped in sugar syrup until they turn lush, sweet, tender and irresistible, a little like marron glaće, only moister. The walnuts are perfect foil for pungent cheeses, pâté or roast duck or game. You can also nibble them after dinner or slice them to decorate your pumpkin pie.
Caña de Oveja: This snow-white, fluffy coated, soft-ripened sheep's milk cheese hails from Murcia, a region known for its goat milk. The pale ivory creamy interior is suave, silky tangy and spreadable. Enjoy with a glass of sparkling white wine or cava. 14.99/LB
Queso de Oveja en Aceite de Oliva: From Jumilla in Spain's southeast, this sharp and herbaceous sheep's milk cheese is soaked in virgin olive oil and rosemary. Tangy with a bit of harrumph! The flavors are more infused than our Spanish Table customer favorite, Rosemary Manchego! 15.99/LB
Sensational Flavors
As a youngster I grew up eating home-grown vegetables and home-cooked meals. Fortunately my mother, grandmother and sisters were all excellent cooks and my father's garden was so bountiful that even our neighbors had enough fresh vegetables to stock their freezers. My fascination with flavors and quality ingredients sprang from these roots and even today, I eagerly await every meal! With travel came discoveries of astonishing new ingredients and my palate began to yearn for more than fried chicken and tuna noodle casserole. Now that our stores have extensive selections of inspiring cookbooks, there's no reason to cook the same dishes over and over! (Paella excepted.)
Last night Steve turned to Joyce Goldstein's cookbook "Saffron Shores" ($12.99) for a sensational Tunisian Fish Ball Tagine. The fish balls were light, delicately flavored and satiating on a chilly night. Give them a try!
3 liters El Toro Pure Olive Oil $9.99
Miguel & Valentino brand Guindilla Peppers $.99
Ferrer Dried Wild Mushrooms $4.99/ 15 gram jar
Golden Peppadew Peppers $.99/14 oz
Ferrer White Gazpacho $.99/24 oz
2009 Las Colinas del Ebro Garnacha Blanca, Terra Alta ($11.99) This crisp white has notes of chalk and crushed seashell with a zesty citrus finish. "Laid-back aromas of yellow apple, pear, melon and lemon thyme. Silky and modestly concentrated, with fine-grained honeydew and pear flavors and a light kiss of herbs. Tightly wound for the variety, finishing with good bite and lingering herbacity." 88 points Stephen Tanzer
2000 Bodegas Lopez Heredia Viña Tondonia Rosé Gran Reserva ($22.99) This spectacular rosé is excellent all year long but perhaps best in the cooler season when its savoriness is a divine match for rich meat or poultry dishes. In yesterday's New York Times, Eric Asimov describes Viña Tondonia Rosé as "pale, coppery, complex wine that compels you to smack your lips at the tactile pleasure of rolling it around in your mouth. Jamon Iberico please!"
2009 Tapiz Malbec, Mendoza ($11.99) Tapiz has inviting aromas of violets which compliment smoke, raspberry and plum cake notes. Hints of vanilla, menthol and incense give added complexity on the palate. Elegant with a velvety, persistent finish, it is also a terrific value!
2008 El Pecado, Ribera Sacra ($84.00) The 2008 El Pecado is produced by winemaker Raul Perez, who makes some of Spain's most prized wines in the cool, green D.O. Ribeira Sacra of Galicia. His reds, made from the Mencia grape are reminiscent of top shelf Burgundy. The precision and elegance of these wines is astounding. Prized for their quality as well as their rarity: 115 cases of 2008 El Pecado were produced and only 16 cases were sent to the U.S. "The 2008 El Pecado is 100% Mencia from Ribera Sacra and offers up exotic, kinky aromas of mineral, incense, Asian spices, lavender, boysenberry, cranberry, and black raspberry. On the palate it is satin-textured, intense, complex, and stylish." 95 points Wine Advocate
2006 Alion, Ribera del Duero ($90.00) The latest release of Vega Sicilia's Alion has just arrived! "Intensely perfumed, mineral-driven scents of redcurrant, raspberry, spicecake and dried rose, with a smoky overlay. Juicy and precise, offering lively red fruit flavors and a suave floral pastille quality with aeration. Weightier on the finish, where the floral note lingers with authority and persistent spiciness." 92 points Stephen Tanzer, 94 points Wine Advocate
Zoe Meats Chorizo: A perfect balance of pork, fat and pimenton, it contains no nitrates/nitrites. This überlicious chorizo is a favorite of our Spanish customers. We carry a small 8oz version or you may buy it sliced, but we recommend the larger chorizo for the best value. $25.99/lb
Lomo Embuchado – This domestic lomo is a dry-cured pork loin that is very popular in Spain as part of a traditional tapas course. Always extremely lean, this cured meat is marinated before aging with an array of spices including garlic and paprika bringing out the full flavor of the pork. $34.99/lb
Upcoming Flamenco shows: This Friday and Saturday evening at Taberna del Alabardero: Don't miss Manolo Leiva. Click here for details.
In Spain, Sephardic fish balls, (called albondigas) were seasoned simply with parsley and maybe a little cheese, then fried and served with tomato sauce. Tunisian Jewish fish balls are more highly seasoned. To hold the fish together, most cooks use fresh bread crumbs. The fish balls may be fried or poached, then simmered in fish broth flavored with tomato puree, and served with couscous. Some recipes use chopped tomatoes and peppers in the broth.
Serves 6 TO 8
1½ lbs mild white fish, such as cod, sole, sn apper or bass
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, finely chopped
½ Teaspoons kosher salt
½ Teaspoon harissa (try the rose petal harissa)
2 Teaspoons ground cumin
4 Slices stale bread, crusts removed, soaked in water and squeezed dry, or 1 ½ cups fresh bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
Olive oil for frying
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Cloves garlic, minced
6 Tablespoons tomate frito, or 4 tomatoes, chopped
2 Cups fish broth or water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Couscous for serving
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
To make the fish balls, bone and finely chop the fish. In a food processor or large bowl, combine the fish with all the remaining ingredients except the egg and oil. Mix well, Add the egg and mix until smooth. Dipping a spoon and your fingers in cold water, remove a sample of fish paste and roll into a ball. Fry in a little olive oil and taste and adjust the seasoning. Form the rest of the fish paste into I-inch balls. Either fry now, or place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for up to 3 hours.
In a large saute pan or skillet, heat ½ inch oil over medium-high heat and fry a few fish balls at a time until lightly browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.
To make the tomato sauce, in a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add the fish balls and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over couscous, sprinkled with parsley.


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SC'11 Cisco booth demo: Open MPI over Linux VFIO
Linux VFIO (Virtual Function IO) is an emerging technology that allows direct access to PCI devices from userspace. Although primarily designed as a hypervisor-bypass technology for virtualization uses, it can also be used in an HPC context.
Think of it this way: hypervisor bypass is somewhat similar to operating system (OS) bypass. And OS bypass is a characteristic sought in many HPC low-latency networks these days.
Drop by the Cisco SC'11 booth (#1317) where we'll be showing a technology preview demo of Open MPI utilizing Linux VFIO over the Cisco "Palo" family of first-generation hardware virtualized NICs (specifically, the P81E PCI form factor). VIFO + hardware virtualized NICs allow benefits such as:
- Low HRT ping-pong latencies over Ethernet via direct access to L2 from userspace (4.88us)
- Hardware steerage of inbound and outbound traffic to individual MPI processes
Let's dive into these technologies a bit and explain how they benefit MPI.
The Cisco Palo NICs are incredibly cool for multiple reasons; the HPC-relevant reasons include:
- Palo can present itself as up to 128 "virtual" PCI devices to the server
- The switching to these 128 devices is done in hardware (not software!)
If you pair the concept of hardware-virtualized NICs with VFIO, not only can you access each of these virtual NICs from Linux userspace (e.g., MPI processes), you can give each MPI process a unique L2 address and have hardware control inbound and outbound steering, flow control, buffering, etc.
In the Cisco SC'11 booth, we're showing a development demo of Open MPI utilizing technology built upon Linux VFIO to do exactly that.
Specifically: each Open MPI process has direct access to read and write L2 Ethernet frames from Linux userspace, offloading all the checksums, routing, etc. to the hardware.
This is essentially OS bypass.
Not only does this tremendously cut down on latency (by avoiding the entire TCP and/or UDP stacks), it also offloads routing to individual MPI processes to hardware.
Stop by the Cisco booth to see an early development version of this Open MPI port in action.
Finally, note that Palo is only Cisco's first-generation hardware virtualized NIC. Stay tuned for even better performance with our second-generation NIC…
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.
3 Comments
Hi Jeff,
Do we really need hardware virtualized NICs? Could we just bypass the OS with multiple ethernet NICs, or is there something I'm missing?
— Diego
I should probably clarify: 4.88us is the "native" latency (without MPI). The BTL that I wrote took about a week and had *zero* tuning applied (meaning: I got it working Friday afternoon and left it at that); I was getting about 5.17us NetPIPE MPI half-round-trip latency for a 1-byte message.


text:
"May the 4th" was definitely with Will's Weymouth Warriors as they powered to second in their inaugural Team 15 South Zone event. After a murky start, the clouds parted and the wind picked up to enable four full course-races for each fleet, culminating in a fifth 'Masterblaster' for the whole group. In all, 30 children from around the south came to compete, including strong contingents from Axbridge Animals (winners of this event – well done!) and Oxford Zoomers. It was a pleasure to host the event and a massive congratulations to Tessa Ingram for the success of organising her first Team 15 meet. Oxford Zoomers are hosting the next event on the 8th June; hope to see you there!
Many thanks to Andy Stallman for the images. Will's Weymouth Warriors: Emma Stephenson, Lily Thomas, Ali Stevenson, Jay Limb, Sam Anstey, Lily Young, Josh Squibb, Scotty Stallman.


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With Summer in full swing and fall fast approaching, we're all looking for ways to stretch out that summer-chill vibe. There are plenty ways to soak up the summer sun, but don't overlook just sitting back and taking a moment to unwind. One of our favorite ways to relax is to get cozy with a great summer book. We recently turned to our community on Facebook to see what books they recommended and are excited to hear what books you've read recently.
One way to get cozy with that summer read is with one of the coolest summer Grommets, Sphinx. The Sphinx personal lounger is the perfect accompaniment to your summer book of choice. And we'd love to give you one to chill out on!
Want to win your own Sphinx? Simply leave a comment here telling us what book you read and loved this summer or which you're planning on reading next.
General contest rules: To enter, you must be a U.S. resident and at least 18 years of age. You must leave a comment on this post. No purchase necessary. Winner will be randomly selected and notified via email. Employees, contractors, and the families of employees and contractors of The Grommet are not eligible to enter. Void where prohibited. Contest will end August 18th, 2013 at 11 pm PST.


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