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Posts Tagged 'Witness Trees'
Natural Born Artist Interview
Posted in feature film, Music documentaries, television, Unconventional Media, tagged 16mm, Arborglyphs, Atlanta, Blind Willies, Blues, Cannes, Charlie Chaplin, Cinespace, Clint Eastwood, David Arkenstone, David Zeiger, Diane Namm, Displaced Films, documentaries, EA, Electronic Arts, Emerson College, Eric Mofford, filmmaking, Georgia, Houston We Have a Problem, Indigo Girls, Jeff Seckendorf, John Huston, Joseph Hodges, Mandala, Mercy Malick, Modern Times, music, music video, Need for Speed, New Angle Media, New England, Nicole Torre, PBS, Press Play movie, Press>Play, RAW: Natural Born Artists, RAWartists, Senior Year, Stanley Kubrick, Super 8, Tales from the Catholic Church of Elvis, Travelin Trains, Unconventional Media, Witness Trees, YouTube on June 1, 2010| Leave a Comment »
I am honored to be the featured filmmaker and to present my short film TRAVELIN TRAINS, this Friday, 8pm, June 4, 2010 as part of the RAW: Natural Born Artists event at the great Hollywood screening venue, CINESPACE. RAW Artists is a multi-faceted arts organization showcasing handpicked artistic talents in the avenues of film, fashion, music, art, DJs, models, photography and performing arts. Each month there is a party event promoting the artists and their work. It's an invite only, cocktail affair. If you want, you can order your tickets by following this link HERE.
They posted an interview with me on their site, but I wanted to take this opportunity to expand on some of those comments and offer direct links below.
Q- Tell us about yourself.
I'm a Filmmaker that's been based in Los Angeles since 1994. Before that I lived and worked in Atlanta for 10 years. I was born in New England. I went to Emerson College.
Q- How did you first get started in film?
I started making Super 8 films when I was 10 years old. Lots of three minute in camera editing. I loved going to movies and would emulate the stories with my friends that we saw at the theater. Recently, I've reconnected with some of them on Facebook and it's been fun to share these films from our youth. When I was in college I started shooting in 16mm and video. Haven't stopped since.
Q- Tell us about TRAVELIN' TRAINS
TRAVELIN' TRAINS is a short 16mm black and white film I made a few years back (well, actually more then a few) about a young man in search of his father in depression-era Georgia and the blues music that both joins and separates them. We shot it in Atlanta, grant supported. Most of the script was written in a local Atlanta blues club, "Blind Willies." I'm excited that people are going to get to see the film on a bigger screen, because these days it is mostly watched on DVD. I think it is the best example of my work as a filmmaker because unlike other projects I've done that have producers, actors, clients involved, all the decisions, both good and bad, were my own. I take full responsibility.
Here's a youtube link to the Trailer for TRAVELIN' TRAINS
And here's a link to "Freight Train Blues" scene from the film.
Q- Any other films you've produced?
I now work professionally as a producer and director after more than twenty years as an Assistant Director for film and television. Not to say I wouldn't AD again, if the right project financially came along. I still love to AD commercials, but you do a couple of long term projects and you fall out of the loop quickly.
I recently directed a five-camera DVD live concert of David Arkenstone and his new band, Mandala. A couple of years ago, I produced the live action segments to the EA video game, "Need for Speed: Undercover." Directed by Joseph Hodges and photographed by DP Jeff Seckendorf, you can see some clips on my company website, Unconventional Media.
TALES FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ELVIS continues its award winning film festival run recently winning Best Microbudget Feature Film at The Cannes Independent Film Festival in May. I produced this "shocking" true tale of a Catholic school girl in Las Vegas! Part "Canterbury Tales" meets "PeeWee's Playhouse," writer, co-director and lead actress Mercy Malick narrates, as a communal theater experience leeps off the stage and onto the streets of the City of Sin.
The acclaimed documentary on the USA domestic energy crisis that I produced with director Nicole Torre, HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM has also been playing the film festivals, including this week at The Barcelona International Environmental Film Festival and opening at the Downtown Independent in July. I also just returned from a great trip to Western Ireland after producing for writer/producer Diane Namm, a documentary-comedy hybrid, WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE DINGLE.
Q- From where do you draw inspiration for your work?
I'm drawn to music projects. Music is a huge inspiration. I can't play so maybe that's why I love music so much, some of my best ideas happen when I'm at concerts. I also like travel, history and true stories. For some reason, I have never been interested in love stories.
Q- From start to finish, explain your process; what does a typical film-making day look like for you?
If I'm not working for someone else or shooting a project, then the ideal day starts with emails and reading web updates on Twitter. Lots of good leads and information so I have to watch out that I don't get sucked in and spoil the whole day riding the internet highway. So, next thing I do is take a walk for an hour, listen to music, to clear my head for some writing. It can be writing a screenplay or writing a one-sheet pitch. Sometimes instead of writing, I'm editing a project. Sometimes I'm editing stuff I shot years ago. I'm convinced that something that you put aside at one point is the focus of your interest another time. Your old films are your assets. I've got lots of plans for my old footage.
In the evening, I like to have a glass of wine and read the newspaper. If the news doesn't get me too angry, I check emails again, but sometimes I get lost on the internet trying to get more information. I don't trust just one news source anymore. I've got to know the WHOLE story. At night, I either catch some live music or watch a movie or show on television. I've got a big pile of books that I want to read by my bed, but rarely get there early enough to get in some good quality reading. If I do, then I consider that to be an exceptional day.
Q- All time favorite film?
MODERN TIMES – Charlie Chaplin
Q- Are there any filmmakers–past or present–who strongly inform and influence your work?
There are many filmmakers that have influenced my work, but I'm most attracted to the filmmakers that try different styles, take some risks with different genres, sometimes successfully, other times not as much. I think a filmmaker is limiting themselves as an artist if they keep doing the same style over and over again. Stanley Kubrick, John Huston are good examples of directors that did different kinds of films. I think Clint Eastwood is proving to be a pretty diverse filmmaker.
Q- Are there any specific reoccurring themes or subjects that you explore and deal with most in your work?
Not really. As stated above I like diversity.
Q- Any previous films/collaborations that you are most proud of?
In 1999/2000, I co-produced with director/producer David Zeiger, the 13 part documentary series for PBS,SENIOR YEAR. We are about to release it on DVD and it's amazing how after 10 years so many of these issues are still the issues of High School kids. It feels very contemporary. I wish more people had seen it and I hope with the DVD release they will. It was a pretty amazing series. We introduced a lot of cinema verite techniques, like diary cams, time lapse, that you see on most reality series now.
David is also talking about releasing on DVD the documentary we both produced and directed in 1995, DISPLACED IN THE NEW SOUTH. The film explores the cultural collision between Asian and Hispanic immigrants and the suburban communities near Atlanta where they settled. It was the inspiration for the Indigo Girls song, "Shame on You." You can see clips from our film in the music video. The interesting thing is the documentary covered issues still being debated in Arizona and the rest of the country.
That's what I mean when I talk about filmmakers keeping their assets, their films. You never know when an interest will come again, look at TRAVELIN' TRAINS.
Q- Why showcase with RAW?
Any opportunity to show some of your work on a big screen to a new audience is exciting. I'm honored to be a part of a show at a great venue with a group of artists I didn't know before.
Q- Any current rising stars within the genre that you would recommend we look out for?
So many of the projects I've been involved with as a Producer lately have had limited funds. I wouldn't make the commitment to help the Directors if I didn't believe they were rising stars. I'm honored to have been able to help facilitate the directing visions of Mercy Malick, Diane Namm, David Zeiger, Nicole Torre, Stefan Rhys, Joseph Hodges, BrandU
But I should add, I still consider myself a rising star. I'd still like to direct a feature film. I've been trying to find financing for my narrative film, PRESS>PLAY and a couple of times we've almost had the money in place. In 2006, I was supposed to direct another feature. We had a cast and location and everything, but at the last minute, the money went dry. I've been developing a documentary film on Arborglyphs since 1992 with visual artist/musician Sandy Corley, entitled WITNESS TREES. Now that 3D programming for television is becoming a reality, there is renewed interest. So you never know where it's going to come from. Just keep working on the projects that inspire you. I guess that's the "artist" part of me. Thanks for having me.
Posted in feature film, television, Unconventional Media, tagged Big Muddy Film Festival, BrandU, CEE, CoffeeCart Productions, Diane Namm, Dingle Film Festival, documentaries, Elvis, Eric Mofford, filmmaking, Houston We Have a Problem, IDFA, imdb, Maine Media Workshops, Mercy Malick, MOMA. Documentary Fortnight, New Signal, Nicole Torre, One on One Film Training, Press>Play, Snaproll films, TeleMafia, Travelin Trains, Unconventional, Unconventional Media, Witness Trees on February 9, 2010| 1 Comment »
I am honored and excited to announce that the feature documentary that I produced with director Nicole Torre, "Houston We Have a Problem" has been invited to the Documentary Fortnight at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. This is a high profile event, so we hope to have a good crowd for both the 1pm and 3pm showings on February 20th, 2010.
For those of you that don't know, "Houston We Have a Problem" is a feature film, shot on HD, about the history and future of US domestic energy policies beginning with the Wildcatter's discovery of oil in the late 1800's. The film premiered at AFI-DALLAS in March 2009 and has gone on to play at over a dozen festivals to critical acclaim, nationally and internationally, including the International Documentary Festival in Amsterdam.
That following day, February 21st, the feature comedy that I produced, "Tales from the Catholic Church of Elvis" will be in competition at the Big Muddy Film Festival in Southern Illinois. I'm glad to have the film playing there since this is the very same film festival that I won my very first film award 22 years ago for "Travelin' Trains" (Best Narrative Film) That film can now be viewed on IMDB.
I'm also excited to announce the world premiere in March of another comedy I produced, directed by Diane Namm, "Telemafia" at the Dingle Film Festival in Ireland.
In regard to upcoming projects, I am reviewing a few proposals, but like for most of us, funding is tight. I'm still trying to get my documentary feature "Witness Trees" and narrative feature "Press>Play" financed, but am also producing/line producing and Assistant Directing for other production companies again. I have also partnered with Jeff Seckendorf for commerical productions at Snaproll Films. Check out the body of work at the website.
Luckily, I also do have some post production rentals coming in to Unconventional Media through Stefan Rhys, a terrific editor. Check out his reel at www.CoffeeCartProductions.com We are also starting to see a return on the 4-hour DVD of the "BrandU – Conscious Entrepreneur Experience" presentation and talk show that I produced and directed through Unconventional Media last year. You can get a ten minute taste of the show at www.BrandU.com/FreeCEE
I also continue mentoring new filmmakers with the OneOnOne Film Training program and have been scheduled to teach another one of my week long workshops on Line Producing/PM/AD work in Rockport, Maine at the Maine Media Workshops in late June.
Looking forward to a productive 2010. As always, you can get updates at my website, EricMofford.com
Posted in feature film, Unconventional Media, tagged Andy Dick, Ellen Degeneres, Eric Mofford, filmmaking, Green Hornet, imdb, Larry David, Michel Gondry, Press Play movie, Press>Play, Propaganda Films, Seth Rogen, Sheryl Crow, Unconventional Media, Witness Trees, YouTube on March 18, 2009| Leave a Comment »
It was reported last week in the trades that Michel Gondry had been hired by Sony Pictures to direct the feature "Green Hornet" starring Seth Rogen. Between Rogen and Gondry, I've got a feeling this won't be your usual Superhero comic book movie. I'm interested in what Michel Gondry does with the material, I'll tell you why.
Many, many years ago, I worked as the 1st AD for Gondry on a Sheryl Crow music video, "A Change Would Do You Good." At the time I was doing a lot of big budget music videos, usually for the production company, Propaganda Films. This was my first with Gondry, although he already had a great reputation for making interesting, artistic videos, especially for Bjork.
The concept for "Change" was that Sheryl Crow was a "Bewitch"-like character, shaking up the lives of people, give them a chance to step into someone else's shoes before returning to reflect on their own life. Big concept for a three minute song, especially when you start including an all star cast. Of course, at they time, most of them, other then Ellen Degeneres, were hardly known. Heather Matarazzo had just been discovered in "Welcome to the Dollhouse." Molly Shannon had only a few seasons of Saturday Night Live under her belt. Jeff Garlin had not yet co-starred with Larry David in "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Years later I had the opportunity to work with Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian on a few seasons of "24" and with Andy Dick on a whole series of comedy shorts for the MTV Movie Awards, but at this time, they were basically "unknowns." BTW, most of those short films are up on YouTube.
It was a difficult shoot, coordinating everyone's schedules around the various stage sets and their other gigs. Michel, who is originally from Versailles, France (and was still struggling with English), was having a hard time communicating his vision or I was having a hard time understanding, which slowed things down. I think, for me, the highlight was when Sheryl came to the set and for whatever reason felt I had adjusted the schedule to accommodate her, so she gave me a big, wet kiss, which I'll never forget. I liked her instantly!
Now before I get lost in sentimental memories, the reason I'm writing is because of Michel and his desire to direct a feature film. This was way before "Human Nature" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." He wanted to direct a feature film and at the time, the one he wanted to direct was "Green Hornet." It was a different script, but based on the same comic book. Any time he wasn't working on prep for the music video, he was meeting with his assistant, breaking down ideas and storyboarding his vision of the "Green Hornet." I wonder how many of those ideas from over ten years ago will find their way to the upcoming production? I guess things really do come around if you want them bad enough.
I think about these things and relate them to my own life, my own projects. I believe everyone has their own projects that at different times get put on the back burner. I have my directing projects like "Press>Play" that I've tried to launch for almost as long, or in the case of "Witness Trees" even longer. I get frustrated when it isn't moving forward, but just like Michel Gondry, I've taken other great projects offered to me to keep the creative juices productive and to bring in some finances. It's nice to know that sometimes the pet projects return, even bigger and better then you ever dreamed, even if they now star Seth Rogen. Either way, a change has done me good, looks like some great stuff is brewing for Unconventional Media, even though it's not originally mine. At least I'll always have Sheryl's kiss.
IMAX, Witness Trees and Leonard Peltier
Posted in feature film, Uncategorized, tagged 1492, 1992, AIM, American Indian, American Indian Movement, Amnesty International, anthropologists, Apartheid, Arborglyph, Arborglyphs, archeologists, Artist, Beech Trees, Cherokees, Christopher Columbus, Christopher Nolan, Confederate soldiers, Creek, Creekwalker, Dalai Lama, Dark Knight, DaVinci Code, discovery of America, documentaries, environmental, Eric Mofford, FBI, Federal Agents, forests, Georgia, IMAX, Incident at Oglala, Indian education, Jesse Jackson, John Trudell, Lakota, Lamar Marshall, Land lottery, Leonard Peltier, Michael Apted, Native Americans, Nelson Mandela, parole, prison, Robert Redford, Sandy Corley, South Dakota, Southern, Trail of Tears, trail trees, Unconventional, Wild South, wilderness magazine, Witness Trees on December 11, 2008| 1 Comment »
Last Night I saw the IMAX version of "Dark Knight" and all I can say is WOW! Not only is the film a great story, but it is well acted and very well directed by Christopher Nolan. I'd seen the film during its original release and enjoyed it at a regular movie theater, but after seeing the footage from the feature that was actually shot with IMAX, on an IMAX screen, I'm blown away. Okay, I get it. No wonder no one goes to the theater to see small independent films. This is a movie worthy of the big screen.
Previous to "Dark Knight" I had seen only documentaries in the IMAX format. I always enjoyed them, but wondered why the format wasn't used more often for large scale productions, especially theatrical narrative films. I'm not talking about blowing up 35mm prints for IMAX screenings, I mean really shooting with IMAX cameras. I know the cameras are heavy and loud, so some projects are just not suited for the format, but I think it really takes a genius like Christopher Nolan to show what can be done creatively with the format. These are definitely Unconventional times!
I have an IMAX movie I want to make. Actually, I've wanted to make it for a long time, but now maybe the time is right. For over 10 years, Singer-Songerwriter-Artist, Sandy Corley and I have been developing, "Witness Trees." Only problem is it is not a documentary or a narrative film like "Dark Knight," it's an art film (am I even allowed to say that word?).
Beech trees of the Southeast United States have stood for over one hundred years as unspeaking witnesses to sunlit mornings, lashing storms, nocturnal secrets, birth, death and historic occasions of celebration and despair. Voices from the past still speak through the bark of these trees because beginning with the American Indians and later with the early European settlers, "Arborglyphs" have been carved into the trees, holding vital information and historical memories. These are the messages spanning the Revolutionary war, the "Trail of Tears", the war between the States and now, the present day.
You can see this is no ordinary film, it is a story as old as the forests. Soon these Arborglyph messages will be silenced and lost. Due to a natural end of lifespan, clear-cutting, acid rain, storms and their status as a non-timber "trash tree", there is a very little time left to document these "Witness Trees". Today's remaining Arborglyphs are not only historical artifacts and national treasures, but are art forms from the Cherokees, Creek Confederacy, nameless soldiers, settlers and other travelers on the trails of our past, who left no other visible legacy. This is an environmental story, an American Indian story, a "DaVinci Code" like story.
These trees exist and many have been documented and included on our website, WitnessTrees.org, but imagine an IMAX film with images of American Indian stories and legend, historical reenactments, environmental and scientific documents, with music and art inspired by these trees. A film that makes you feel like you are in these forests like only an IMAX film can. That's the film I've always wanted to make.
I first met Sandy Corley, American Indian, in 1990, as she was developing a site sculpture and performance piece protest of the 500 year anniversary of Christopher Columbus's "discovery" of America in 1992. I was already a huge fan of poet/musician John Trudell and a strong believer in the spiritual and traditional programs of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Sandy and her husband, Howard Deutsch, had been researching, gathering endorsements, shooting still photos and interviewing historians, authors, activists, wilderness magazine publishers, Georgia trail trees experts, Indian education directors, Georgia land lottery experts, anthropologists, archeologists, and others about this uniquely southern, endangered treasure, the Arborglyph. In fact, much of Sandy's music and art centers on these Beech tree carvings. It was through Sandy that I later met others that cared and worked to save these Southeastern forests including Lamar Marshall and the wonderful organization, Wild South.
Since starting the project many sickening losses have occurred. Little time is left to document the voices of these silent sentinels in order to preserve and pass on their messages to future southeastern generations and the world.
I don't know how we got to this point, but speaking of sickening losses, something must be done now to free Leonard Peltier. For those that don't know Leonard Peltier, a Lakota Indian, is on Amnesty International's list of political prisoners. It is time to stop the 34 years of injustice that this innocent man has spent in prison. Freedom for Leonard Peltier is way overdue!
If you saw the 1992 film, "Incident at Oglala," produced by Robert Redford and directed by Michael Apted (and if you haven't you should), then you will know that Leonard Peltier, a leader of AIM came to assist the Oglala Lakota People of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota in the mid 1970's. It was here on June 26, 1975, that the tragic shoot-out with Federal Agents occurred. The court record in this case clearly shows that government prosecutors do not know who killed the agents, nor what role Leonard Peltier "may have' played in the shoot-out." It is known that Peltier participated in the planning of community activities, religious ceremonies, programs for self-sufficiency, and improved living conditions. He also helped to organize security for the traditional people who were being targeted for violence by the pro-assimilation tribal chairman and his vigilantes. He is a father, a grandfather, an artist, a writer, and an Indigenous rights activist. He is not a killer. Leonard Peltier was convicted to two life sentences based on fabricated testimony and circumstantial evidence. September 12th of this year marked his 64th birthday.
Another parole application will be filed this month. The earliest that hearing is likely to occur is in January 2009 (according to the Parole Commission's schedule for in-person parole reviews to be held at USP-Lewisburg, where Peltier is currently imprisoned). We must all help Leonard Peltier get justice and freedom. Other persons guilty of worse crimes have been released time and time again on parole or pardoned, yet Mr. Peltier remains imprisoned. Nelson Mandela, Rigoberta Menchu, the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights, the Dalai Lama, the European Parliament, the Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, and Rev. Jesse Jackson are only a few who have called for his freedom. To many Indigenous Peoples, Leonard Peltier is a symbol of the long history of abuse and repression they have endured.
From behind bars, Leonard Peltier has helped to establish scholarships for Native students and special programs for Indigenous youth. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times. For more information check out his biography entitled "Prison Writings: My Life Is My Sun Dance" (St. Martin's Press,1999) or contact Freedom Archives.
For me, Leonard Peltier is a white knight in dark times. If people are truly ready for change, then he will finally be released from prison, just like Nelson Mandela was after the dark days of Apartheid.


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I've decided to make a small collection of some of the songs I've been working on this last year - no production, no improvisation (well, not in the traditional Jazz sense anyway), no practice, no other musicians, no money, just me, a Zoom, a room, a piano, and the bare-boned structure of a song. Some of the songs on this collection will make the cut for the final album(s)I'm working on and be spruced, arranged, recorded properly etc. others won't, but either way you'll get to hear them in their bare bone stages. Think of it as a 'B-sides' album, before the actual album.
For me B-sides were often an artists most intimate and personal work, and was sometimes the closest you could get to having them play and sharing their heart with you in your living room. You'd get glimpses into who they felt they were as artists before the label added in its requirements and personnel, and actually, I often found that more inspiring than the A-side itself. I love the digital age, but I do miss B-sides.
Another thing I love and miss are the last tracks on albums. Again, for me they displayed some of the artists' most intimate work, and, having got the 'hits' out of the way earlier in the album, was a chance for them to show their more experimental / sentimental side, often producing rare gems. What goes in as the last track on mixtapes, and albums is serious business. It's what you want the listener to take away when they leave the listening experience - granted, this was more prescient when we did actually listen to tapes. Nevertheless, it's still often the first place I go when I buy a new album, wanting to see the heart that's underneath the industry glitz. I often found myself wondering what a record of last-tracks would sound like. I guess I'm about to find out.
I've also been missing the sound of the mixtapes I made for my friends as a teenager when I sometimes used to put a home-taped recording of me playing a song of mine at the end of the tape, or a copied recording of a recording from my eight-track tape recorder that had faded so much by the time it got on to the mixtape it was barely audible. It always had to be the last track on the tape too. (And you had to strain to hear it). That was the etiquette. Always. That sound's all but lost nowadays.
So. These are my parameters and aesthetic. And off I go.
Disrobed, my nakedness fixed its concern with Him.
And follow... how I followed! Like the rocket's tail!
In tides that drew us under and spurned us within.
That left no stone unturned that was not turned for Him.
Yet shallow! How so shallow are His ripples cast?
The depths at which he coasts have been adjourned by Him.
Now I, a vessel, have been overturned by Him.
To sink with shadows to the depths, or reappear?
No blaze of glory roared that did not burn for Him.
In ebbing and in flow I only yearn for Him.
Of that wave broken too soon, once more to turn to Him.
And broken now, it's time that I return to Him.


The man dressed in black was not a holy man. He wasn't there to hear confessions, absolve sins, or offer words of comfort to the dead and dying. Such salves he found contradictory. God had left this realm centuries ago, leaving both saints and sinners to sort their own mortal leave-taking.
The holy man who was in attendance at today's function was typical of his ilk. He tiptoed in sandaled feet, speaking in soft monotones punctuated with genuflection after genuflection. While he sought to school his features into a mask of calm, fear rode his back just as surely as the thick weave of his dark cassock. Despite supposedly possessing the secrets of the hereafter, this man feared Death as much as the mere mortals for whom he prayed. And Death currently held court in this tiny hovel in all its mysterious and fearsome glory.
This was Death: the body on the cot, skin sallow, taut around the edges of the mouth in one final grimace. The eyes were open, looking up blindly at the thatched ceiling, and the mouth was slightly agape, a blackish-purple tongue tip protruding through puffy, barely parted lips. There was no serenity in this tableau, no peace. It was the antithesis of the paradise the holy man promised.
Dying wasn't much better. It was a cacophonous symphony of coughs, splutters, moans and groans, interspersed with curses, prayers and delirious ranting. It was shivering as if cold, but burning with fever. It was alternating between being lacquered with clammy sweat and having skin as parched as a desert. Most of all, dying was being held prisoner in your own body while an evil bacterium ravaged it.
Marcus Dire could quote rafts of information about the plague. He could take the physicians and holy men by the hand and lead them down the swift and brutal road from infection to mortality, outlining symptoms, offering suggestions for treatment and advice on effective quarantine measures. Yet he didn't. He couldn't. Having such knowledge was akin to having a noose around your neck; sharing it would be pulling the lever and letting the trapdoor drop beneath your feet.
So Dire said nothing. He nodded at the appropriate times, as both the physician and then the holy man explained in their limited ways the steps they were taking to control the scourge. He listened to both prayer and prognosis, secure in the knowledge that were he to offer even a thin sliver of his knowledge, he'd be executed for heresy.
It was a uniquely impotent experience, watched from a point of detachment somewhat alien to Marcus Dire. Still, he bore the experience with stoicism, and when the half hour tour of duty was complete, allowed himself to be led out of the front door to where his carriage awaited him.
Dire nodded, offered a tight smile that was an outward display of reassurance. "I shall report back to the Queen," he said.
The lie came easy, as all lies did with practice. The carriage had barely begun to move when Dire signed the piece of parchment. Come sunrise tomorrow, the hovel, its inhabitants, and those unfortunate enough to be tending them would be history. He didn't even blink at signing what was effectively a death warrant. It was a necessity. In a place such as Thalesia, where ignorance ruled, it was sometimes better to be heavy handed.
Especially when there was so much at stake.


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Best of Comic-Con: Day 2
See the best moments from Day 2 of Comic-Con from the Los Angles Times
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) talks with John Vash, dressed as Captain America, while holding his shield on Friday at Comic-Con International. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Grae Drake of Los Angeles dressed as Tanker-Bell at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 19, 2019. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Sen. Cory Booker is outfitted with a headset at the NASA booth at Comic-Con International. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Emma Roberts of Scottsdale, Ariz., is dressed as Himiko Toga of "My Hero Academia" at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 19, 2019. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Actor Tamzin Merchant from the television series "Carnival Row," photographed at the L.A. Times Photo and Video Studio at Comic-Con International. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Nadia Hiikler, Ryan Hurst, Cooper Andrews, Norman Reedus, Eleanor Matsuura, Cailey Fleming, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Danai Gurira, Avi Nash and Melissa McBride of "The Walking Dead," photographed at the L.A. Times Photo and Video Studio at Comic-Con International. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Sen. Cory Booker experiences the "Star Trek: Discovery" activation at Comic-Con International. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times )
A .gif of "The Walking Dead" actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan at the Los Angeles Times Photo and Video Studio at Comic-Con San Diego International. (Jay L. Clendenin and Mark Potts / Los Angeles Times)
Melissa McBride of "The Walking Dead" photographed at the L.A. Times Photo and Video Studio at Comic-Con International. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times )
A .gif of "The Walking Dead" actor Cooper Andrews at the Los Angeles Times Photo and Video Studio at Comic-Con San Diego International. (Jay L. Clendenin and Mark Potts / Los Angeles Times)
Davit Dent-Taise of Los Angeles dressed as a Scottish Deadpool at Comic-Con International. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)
A .gif of actor Paloma Faith from the television series, "Pennyworth,"at the Los Angeles Times Photo and Video Studio at Comic-Con San Diego International. (Jay L. Clendenin and Mark Potts / Los Angeles Times)
Jacqueline Martinez of Los Angeles dressed as video game character Kratos at Comic-Con International. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Orlando Bloom from the television series "Carnival Row," photographed at the L.A. Times Photo and Video Studio at Comic-Con International. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Cailey Flemming from "The Walking Dead," photographed at the L.A. Times Photo and Video Studio at Comic-Con International. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
A .gif of "The Walking Dead" actor Eleanor Matsuura at the Los Angeles Times Photo and Video Studio at Comic-Con San Diego International. (Jay L. Clendenin and Mark Potts / Los Angeles Times)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Microwave Waveguide system tuning I am going to built microwave system with following system configuration.
Power Circuit -> Magnetron -> Wave Guide Coupler -> Isolator -> 3 Stub Tuner -> Applicator.
Now, I want to make 3 Stub Tuner Automatic.  I understand that, to do so I need to measure reflected power.
I am thinking of doing it cheaply using isolator.
I am using water circulation for dumping excess power in isolator.
So, If I measure incoming and outgoing water temperature at constant flow, will I have accurate measure of reflective power ?
And if so, will that can be use to change the 3 stubs accordingly to tune the system ?
( thanks. I'm newbie in microwave engineering...)

A: Water cooling depends greatly fluid dynamics of flow such as any good water radiator design. The objective is to transfer heat across a thin channel while it is flowing thru the channel, with minimal effects on flow restriction.  This requires a honeycomb of thin walled channels to spread the heat quickly to the metal ( such as aluminum ) so that the gap is small but many to not restrict flow significantly.
If you know the thermal resistance of this heat sink, then the metal channel temperature can be a relative indicator of lost power which will include forward losses and reflected losses.
But with anything , you choose is only as accurate as the calibration.
There will be less latency sensing the isolator than sensing the water and the thermal difference will depend on the Rca ( case to ambient fluid) in ['C/W]  with some latency.
Reflected power can converted to thermal rise in medium if calibrated.
Usually a diode is used in a directional coupler or 1/4 wavelength guide to measure reflected power.

*

*Waveguides come in all sizes and shapes and for high power are often minimal forward loss by coupling only a small portion of reflected power e.g. -40dB sample or a "DC-40". An insulated stripline is coupled to the channel waveguide to couple the small sampled power. It might look like a square tube with connectors at each end.

*An RF splitter" is also called a "DC-3" even though it has 3.5dB loss with 0.5dB from lossy material.  For low power it can be used to measure Pf or Pr with a suitable pin diode and DMM. Since the DMM is high impedance the power, it's return loss is low only charging a small capacitance on the peak and high impedance otherwise so it then samples a small portion of reflected power rather than exacty 1/2 power, and thus forward power loss is reduced.
Here is a DC-20

Other methods use small hole in inner waveguide to coupled microstrip.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
David Ganz
Thomas Rainer
Katharina Theil
Dr. Beatrice Radden Keefe
Rämistrasse 73
CH- 8006 Zurich
2nd Floor, G21
beatriceradden.keefe@uzh.ch
Beatrice Radden Keefe
Beatrice Radden Keefe studied art history and medieval history at the University of St Andrews (UK). She graduated from St Andrews in 2002 with an MA dissertation on the Corbie Psalter. In 2008, she received her PhD from the Courtauld Institute of Art (UK), with a thesis on the illustrated manuscripts of Terence's comedies. Her research areas include profane medieval art and the medieval reception of the classics. She has taught at the University of Zurich since 2015.
The Illustrated Afterlife of Terence's Comedies (800 – 1200). Leiden: Brill, forthcoming 2021
"The Manuscripts and Illustration of Plautus and Terence," in The Cambridge Companion to Roman Comedy, ed. Martin Dinter, 276-96. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019.
"Creative Borrowing in the Leiden Terence," in After the Carolingians: Manuscript Illumination in the Tenth–Eleventh Centuries, ed. Beatrice Kitzinger and Joshua O'Driscoll, 57-85. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2019.
"Illustrating the Manuscripts of Terence," in Terence between Late Antiquity and the Age of Printing. Illustration, Commentary, and Performance, ed. Andrew Turner and Giulia Torello-Hill, 36-66. Leiden: Brill, 2015.
"Surveying Damage in the Walters Rose (W.143)," in A New Look at Old Things, ed. Kathryn B. Gerry and Richard A. Leson. Special Issue of The Journal of the Walters Art Museum 68/69 (2012): 97-106
https://www.khist.uzh.ch/de/chairs/mittelalter/mitarbeitende/raddenkeefe.html
Profane medieval art
Illustration of the Latin classics
The iconography of comedy
Manami Ryu, M. A.
manami.ryu@uzh.ch
Manami Ryu
Manami Ryu did Christian Studies as a BA student at the Rikkyo University (Tokyo, JP) and Western Art History as an MA student at the Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo, JP). She graduated in 2016 with an MA thesis on the Carolingian Apocalypse of Valenciennes and related manuscripts. After spending time as a visiting student at the University of Zurich, she started her PhD in 2019 as a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship (Schweizerisches Bundes-Exzellenz-Stipendium) holder. Her research field is the art of the early Middle Ages, with a particular focus on Insular illumination and Carolingian illustrated manuscripts influenced by Insular art. She is currently at work on her dissertation, which focuses on illuminated manuscripts kept at the Abbey of St. Gall, and has the title: "Die irische Buchkunst des Klosters St. Gallen und ihr kunstgeschichtlicher Einfluss auf die frühmittelalterlichen Handschriften".
https://researchmap.jp/Manami_Ryu
Early medieval illuminated manuscripts
Relationship between text and image
Illustration and its visual function
© 2021 Textures of Sacred Scripture
Textures, Blog at WordPress.com.


I decided unilaterally to change the colour scheme to 'light blue' but suggestions are welcome to make certain parts easier to read.
A great improvement. The old scheme somehow put me in mind of liver failure.
Bear in mind that the original old scheme, probably by Colorbleu, was blue. Kent gave us liver failure. I toned it down, but it was still there until yesterday, when I decided that it had to go!
Good job, you two! Much clearer, much more pleasing to the eye.
Thankyou Rica, and the new messaging module should be up and running in a day or so: Pinky was working on it this evening, but the server was running so slowly that she couldn't get it all done. Probably it will be live by Monday.
Give her a hug for me and tell her she has done a good job.


Humane Fox Deterrence might be termed "The Thinking Man's Pest Control". Rather than simply blast something away with a gun, as old fashioned 'pest controllers' continue to do, thereby creating, at best, a very temporary solution to a problem, fox deterrence utilises a knowledge of fox psychology and turns that psychology on the animal itself. This means you get your garden problems sorted and the animal doesn't lose it's life. It also gets an education in what not to do on your property. And because it remains in the general area, it defends its (and your) territory against new foxes who would otherwise quickly fill the vacant territory and who might commit the same 'nuisance' as it did, itself, before it understood the rules!
Most fox 'nuisance' experienced by people in urban and suburban areas falls into three categories; digging, fouling and noise.
These are all aspects of natural fox behaviour. Depending on time of year and location, digging may be to establish a breeding earth, a bolt-hole, a route from a to b or simply to locate insect and invertebrate prey.
Fouling, whilst a natural function in itself, is also a means of marking territory. For the same reason a pet dog urinates against every tree it passes, a fox creates 'signposts' for the information of other animals, often using dominant features such as drainpipes, wall corners or even garden gnomes!
Because this is part of normal fox territorial behaviour, it is easy to get in on the act by using an artificial 'scentmark'. This is where a good fox repellent comes in.
A scentmarking contest between two animals usually results in acceptance by each of their dominant or subordinate position in the pecking order. However, where the 'scentmark' cannot be identified and contested, an animal may become nervous and choose to avoid the area, particularly if it has infant cubs. In effect, repellents use the animal's own ammunition against it.
Having extensively tested every repellent on the market, we regard the most effective products as "Scoot" and "Get Off My Garden". These are safe, proprietary mammal repellents and are available from garden centres and hardware stores.
"Get Off My Garden" is a general purpose repellent, which may be used at ground level or underground and which can be applied directly onto growing plants. "Scoot" is effective as a foliage or lawn spray where fouling or digging is taking place.
Not all methods of deterrence involve chemicals. During experiments carried out in association with Greenwich University, we found ultrasonic devices broadly ineffective, but we found a water driven gadget, called "Scarecrow", very effective.
The level of advice that can be provided without on site viewing carries no guarantee of success, because all situations are unique and a consultant can no more guarantee to solve your problem by 'phone or email than a plumber can fix your pipes by telepathy.
What you have here is concise DIY advice. A more comprehensive book called "Unearthing the Urban Fox" is available on our sales goods page, or through our admin office, priced £7.95. For those who prefer personal, professional on-site service or more specific advice, we recommend three highly experienced wildlife consultancies – Fox-a-Gon, Humane Urban Wildlife Deterrence and Foxolutions – all of which have links to their own websites and contact details in the box to the right of this page.
But why deterrence? Can't the council simply take the foxes away?
Foxes are not and never have been classified as 'vermin', so local authorities have no legal obligation to act against them. They are also well aware there is little point. Private "pest controllers' who offer such a service omit to inform you there is no such thing as a vacant territory. Remove one fox and another will take over the territory within weeks and all you've achieved is a less heavy wallet!
Removal or destruction of foxes is, at best, an expensive confidence trick and at worst, an act of cruelty. Fox populations are self regulating. They cannot over-populate, but will always breed back to replace numbers lost since the previous breeding season. In fact, far from any increase in fox numbers, recent scientific surveys indicate the national fox population has fallen by 41% since 1995.
If you want to get your own way with foxes, forget about old fashioned 'pest control'. Deterrence is cheaper, more effective and more humane.
To discuss on-site, call-out consultancy services call Fox-a-Gon on 0208 925 9639 or www.fox-a-gon.co.uk who, in addition to household garden work, are specialists in fox proofing large areas such as schools. Humane Urban Wildlife Deterrence (www.jbryant.co.uk) carry out small garden service call-outs but are prepared to offer limited verbal advice on 01732 357355 and enquiries@jbryant.co.uk. And for those who prefer a DIY option, Foxolutions stock and provide the most effective deterrents and may be reached on 0208 090 2038 and www.foxolutions.co.uk.


text:
Location: Bannatyne
(13.0833°N, 59.5333°W)
Vanguard 1 - All Passes Home | Info. | Orbit | Close encounters
Search period start: 22 January 2020 00:00
Search period end: 01 February 2020 00:00
Orbit: 651 x 3832 km, 34.2° (Epoch: 21 January)
Passes to include: visible only all
Click on the date to see the ground track during the pass.
Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
22 Jan - 01:17:20 10° NNW 01:23:41 27° NNE 01:33:49 10° E visible
22 Jan - 03:36:03 10° NW 03:46:20 82° NE 04:05:47 10° ESE visible
22 Jan - 05:58:00 10° W 06:11:41 43° SW 06:32:18 10° SSE visible
22 Jan - 08:30:34 10° WSW 08:41:03 15° SSW 08:52:22 10° S visible
22 Jan - 16:10:52 10° SSW 16:16:47 18° SSE 16:21:06 10° ESE daylight
22 Jan - 18:31:50 10° WSW 18:38:16 83° NW 18:42:47 10° NE daylight
22 Jan - 20:57:25 10° NW 20:58:52 11° NNW 21:00:20 10° N daylight
23 Jan - 01:37:53 10° NNW 01:44:57 36° NNE 01:57:04 10° E night (unlit)
23 Jan - 03:57:00 10° WNW 04:07:40 80° SW 04:27:34 10° SE visible
23 Jan - 06:20:19 10° W 06:33:45 33° SSW 06:52:43 10° SSE visible
23 Jan - 09:00:58 10° SSW 09:04:30 10° SSW 09:08:06 10° SSW visible
23 Jan - 16:30:44 10° SSW 16:38:21 28° SSE 16:43:20 10° E daylight
23 Jan - 23:41:24 10° N 23:43:53 12° NNE 23:46:49 10° NE visible
24 Jan - 01:58:29 10° NW 02:06:05 48° NE 02:19:58 10° ESE night (unlit)
24 Jan - 14:32:20 10° S 14:36:02 12° SSE 14:39:11 10° SE daylight
24 Jan - 16:51:14 10° SW 16:59:44 43° SSE 17:04:55 10° ENE daylight
24 Jan - 19:15:17 10° W 19:20:07 28° NNW 19:23:59 10° NNE daylight
25 Jan - 00:01:31 10° NNW 00:05:24 16° NNE 00:10:31 10° ENE visible
25 Jan - 04:39:37 10° WNW 04:50:48 49° SSW 05:10:00 10° SE visible
25 Jan - 19:37:43 10° WNW 19:41:10 17° NNW 19:44:12 10° NNE daylight
26 Jan - 07:33:37 10° SW 07:41:47 13° SSW 07:50:56 10° S visible
28 Jan - 05:46:57 10° WSW 05:57:06 21° SSW 06:10:57 10° SSE visible
28 Jan - 18:17:28 10° W 18:23:43 30° NW 18:28:06 10° NNE daylight
29 Jan - 16:12:42 10° SW 16:24:12 78° SE 16:30:23 10° ENE daylight
30 Jan - 01:44:03 10° NW 01:50:51 88° NE 02:03:50 10° SE night (unlit)
30 Jan - 06:39:01 10° SSW 06:42:55 11° SSW 06:47:11 10° S visible
31 Jan - 02:05:01 10° WNW 02:12:01 68° SSW 02:25:19 10° SE night (unlit)
31 Jan - 12:07:44 10° S 12:18:09 17° SSE 12:26:10 10° ESE daylight


text:
Cody Johnson Is Tired of Artists Whining About Not Being Nominated for Awards
Tricia Despres
Tricia Despres Published: March 19, 2019
Cody Johnson was on his way to a tour stop with Justin Moore this past February when the 2019 ACM Awards nominees were announced. He didn't have much time to pay attention to the actual announcement, but the "On My Way to You" hitmaker couldn't help but notice the reaction from some of his fellow country artists who were not nominated.
"I feel like a lot of guys my age in this industry spend a little too much time whining about what they don't have," Johnson tells Taste of Country, referring to some tweets he noticed from other singers after nominees were revealed. "They spend a little too much time looking at the success that the other guy has and they get jealous rather than focusing on what they can do to get further on their own."
This Version of Cody Johnson's "On My Way to You" Is Amazing!
"Those are the kids that get pissed off because they didn't get a participation award," the Taste of Country RISERS rising star says. "Just being honest."
Johnson's thoughts seem square on his own career and adding to the accomplishments he's already achieved in 2019, including having the number one debut with his first major label release, Ain't Nothin' to It. Of course Texas native says he would welcome an ACM nomination somewhere down the line, but swears he would never be that guy to publicly complain about not getting one.
"It would be great to be nominated for something, but I'm not going to hinge my success or my confidence or my happiness on whether I do or whether I don't," Johnson confirms.
After a triumphant performance at the Rodeo Houston on March 15, Johnson is set to return to the road on Thursday (March 21) in Atlanta.
See Who Was Snubbed in the 2019 ACM Awards Nominations:
Source: Cody Johnson Is Tired of Artists Whining About Not Being Nominated for Awards
Filed Under: cody johnson
Categories: Arts & Culture, Celebrity News, Daily Distraction, Taste Of Country
11 Best Country Albums of 2021
Cody Johnson's Christmas Album Will Feature Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard Classics
Cody Johnson's Wild Side Was Really Wild — Taste of Country Nights, On Demand [Listen]
Cody Johnson's Pilot Told Him 'We're Going Down' — How a Near-Death Experience Shaped 'Human'
Cody Johnson Officially Announces New 'Human: The Double Album' Project
Cody Johnson Hopes to Start a Literal '90s Country Renaissance
The King Remains: George Strait Reigns With Poise, Nostalgia at Gillette Stadium
Cody Johnson Reveals the Real Reason He Loves Having His Family on the Road With Him
Cody Johnson Brings 'On My Way to You' to 'Today' Show [Watch]


text:
Q: Git can't checkout to master So when I try to switch to master I get this:
⌘ ~/Documents/foo/foo/ (foo-550) git checkout master
error: The following untracked working tree files would be overwritten by checkout:
    application/models/foo_nrds_model.php
Please move or remove them before you can switch branches.
Aborting

⌘ ~/Documents/foo/foo/ (foo-550) git status
On branch foo-550
Your branch is up-to-date with 'origin/foo-550'.

nothing to commit, working directory clean

I also want to mention that I never switched to master yet, only creating branches from the qa branch, what should I do in this case?

A: Seems like you have done some changes in branch and "foo-550" but you have not pushed those changes.
So, when you are trying to change your branch you are getting this error.
If you still have the problem please provide the output of command

git diff


Lol, pretty sure I'm wrong but almost no one uses a tread mill in here. If I'm wrong please post it up.
I regularly run on a treadmill due to family commitments, usually my runs would be under one hour but my longest would be about 2 1/2 hours.
These day I never run but I do walk twice a week for one hour.
On a treadmill 2 miles. Now walking aover 6 miles and an hour and a half. I ran more miles outdoors.


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Our creative team can work with you to take your idea from concept to creation, helping you select the best items that will work for your event, company or group. We also work to help you stay up on the latest trends, allowing you to choose from shirts & other branded apparel, home items and other ideas that will work best for your promotional gifts, whether you work in health care, IT, Pharma, Industrial, or to support a nonprofit agency, want to reward fund raising leaders.
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text:
To provide technical services and scientific data to the Bureau to maintain and improve Kansas air quality.
About Monitoring & Planning
What is the Bureau of Air Monitoring and Planning Section?
The Air Monitoring and Planning Section staff provides technical services and scientific data to the Bureau to maintain and improve Kansas air quality. Activities include administration of the air monitoring and modeling program and the emissions inventory program. Section staff also operates the air monitoring network, in cooperation with two local agencies, which provides air quality data from 20 sites around the state. The air monitoring data is analyzed to determine compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and to evaluate air quality trends.
Staff members also conduct an annual emissions inventory of pollutants emitted from permitted facilities and other sources for the entire state. Emissions inventory data is used to conduct air quality modeling. Modeling aids in understanding the causes of air pollution and to develop pollution reduction strategies in targeted areas. Pollution reduction strategies are incorporated into state implementation plans (SIP) to protect public health, welfare and the environment from the negative effects of air pollution.
What are the National Ambient Air Quality Standards?
The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) were established in the original Clean Air Act (CAA) and revised in 1990. NAAQS are standards set for each air pollutant anticipated to endanger public health or welfare. Pollutants in this category, termed criteria pollutants, include:
Particulate matter
There are two types of air quality standards. The primary standard is designed to protect public health with an adequate safety margin. Permissible levels of each pollutant were chosen to protect the health of the most susceptible individuals in a population, including children, the elderly, and those with chronic respiratory illnesses. The secondary standard is designed to protect public welfare and ensure quality of life. Air quality conditions described by the secondary standard may be the same as the primary standard and are chosen to limit economic damage as well as harmful effects to buildings, plants, and animals. The Kansas Ambient Air Monitoring Network measures six criteria air pollutants. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calculates the Air Quality Index (AQI) for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act (CAA):
Ground-level ozone
Nitrogen oxides
Particulate matter (PM)
Where does air pollution come from in Kansas?
Sources of air pollution are divided up into four categories:
Point Sources
Non-Point Sources
On-Road Mobile Sources
Non-Road Mobile Sources
Point sources are large, stationary sources of emissions. Examples of point sources are natural gas compressor stations, petroleum refineries and grain processing or storage facilities. Non-Point sources are smaller, generally more numerous sources whose individual emissions do not qualify them as point sources. Although area sources release relatively small amounts of air pollutants on an individual basis, because of the numbers of these sources, their emissions as a whole are significant. Examples include household solvents and paints, motor vehicle refueling and residential fuel combustion.
On-Road Mobile Sources are sources of air pollution that are not stationary, and can typically be driven on a highway such as cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles. Non-Road Mobile Sources are also not stationary, but typically are not driven on highways. Examples of Non-Road Mobile Sources include lawnmowers, locomotives, and tractors.
What are the health effects of poor air quality?
There are many adverse health effects from elevated air pollutant levels, and both the symptoms and the severity of the effect can vary greatly from person to person. Some health effects of elevated air pollutant levels include difficulty breathing, chest pains, coughing, and headaches. People with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, or other upper respiratory illness are often more susceptible to adverse health effects caused by elevated air pollutant levels.
Determining the quality of the air on a daily basis is difficult for the average person. To help the public understand the quality of the air the Environmental Protection Agency created the Air Quality Index (AQI).
How do I find out the air quality in Kansas?
Similar to the weather in Kansas, the quality of the air can change from day to day. In order to help citizens understand the quality of the air on a day to day basis, the KDHE provides real-time monitoring data from the Kansas Air Quality Monitoring Network. This monitoring data is used by the Environmental Protection Agency to calculate the Air Quality Index for areas with population of 350,000 people or more as required by federal law. Knowing the local air quality forecast is especially important to people with respiratory illnesses.
Ambient Air Monitoring Network Annual Plans & 5-Year Assessments
Clean Air Act Section 111d
Kansas Clean Air Act Advisory Group
Criteria Pollutants
Kansas Mercury Deposition (PDF)
Salina-Saline County Airborne Lead Information


Fixed income investing is a critical element of our investment approach and a strong alternative for clients that seek to avoid or lower their exposure to the inherent volatility of the stock market. Building a portfolio of individual bonds, including corporate and municipal bonds, is the core of our fixed income strategy and one of the advantages of working with Downtown Investment Advisory (DIA). DIA has the deep fixed income expertise necessary to select individual bonds to match the goals of each portfolio.
Why buy individual bonds instead of a bond fund or index? The fundamental advantage of a bond is that it has a fixed maturity date and pays a fixed interest rate. When held to maturity, an investor can ignore the price movement of the bond, collect the interest, and get full principal back at maturity. A bond fund, however, has no fixed interest rate and no maturity date, thereby removing the best features of a bond. A bond fund's returns are also subject to the daily buy and sell actions of unknown investors, often forcing the bond fund manager to buy and sell in response to the moves of these investors.
The most attractive feature of owning individual bonds is that while the market price of these investments may fluctuate, the market does not control the income generated by these investments, nor can it affect the contractual requirement of the company that issued these bonds to repay principal at maturity.
DIA will create a bond portfolio that will match your risk and income needs profile, including "laddering" the maturities (which means allocating bonds among various maturity dates to reduce interest rate risk). For clients with a higher risk tolerance who seek greater potential income, we can construct a portfolio of higher yielding bonds; alternately, for more risk averse clients, we can focus our portfolio on the highest quality corporate and municipal bonds. DIA typically employs a "buy-and-hold" strategy in line with the intention of holding bonds to maturity. DIA will also allocate assets to other income producing assets, such as preferred stock, MLPs, BDCs, REITs, and certain specialty dividend paying stocks, which can all be attractive choices for clients with a long term horizon. Our Fixed Income Strategy document link above discusses these other investment choices in more detail.
DIA's strategy in fixed income is to be invested in a broadly diversified portfolio that will provide a continuing and growing stream of income through all seasons, regardless of how the market values these assets. Focusing our long term attention on growing that income stream, rather than on the market value of the assets, will allow for steadier gains at a less risk relative to stocks. Click HERE for our section on stocks.
Interactive Brokers LLC is a registered Broker-Dealer, Futures Commission Merchant and Forex Dealer Member, regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the National Futures Association (NFA), and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and several other self-regulatory organizations. Interactive Brokers does not endorse or recommend any introducing brokers or third-party financial advisors, including Downtown Investment Advisory. Interactive Brokers provides execution and clearing services to customers of Downtown Investment Advisory. For more information regarding Interactive Brokers, please visit www.interactivebrokers.com.


"Digitisation continues to revolutionise the way we work and behave. The world can no longer work in independent silos; the need for better integration and collaboration has unearthed new opportunities and solutions. Schneider Electric Exchange brings together a diverse ecosystem of digital innovators and experts, enabling the co-creation of solutions and enriching learning and speed through collective intelligence. Together this digital ecosystem creates, collaborates, and scales business growth," says Cyril Perducat, EVP IoT & Digital Offers, Schneider Electric.


text:
Q: web deploy from a folder with spaces I have a very simple scenario, ASP.NET MVC4 web site.
I use the Publish functionality of VS2012 to generate web deploy package.
This generates a bunch of files, one .zip, some .xml and a xxx.deploy.cmd file.
I run the deploy.cmd file as usual with the following command:
MVCTestApp.deploy.cmd /Y -enableRule:DoNotDeleteRule

When run from a subfolder of program files, which contains spaces(for instance C:\Program Files (x86)\Folder With Spaces\TestApp) this command fails with the error
\Folder was unexpected at this time.
The problem is apparently in the handling of the _DeploySetParametersFile parameter, but I can't just fix the .cmd file because it is generated on each publish.
Does anyone have a workaround for this?

A: For me the issue was related to the link below (I was trying to get this to work in jenkins):
https://issues.jenkins-ci.org/browse/JENKINS-11992?focusedCommentId=201790#comment-201790
I worked around the issue by using the shortened versions of the directories. You can find out what what they are by typing dir /x.
My build command ended up looking like this:
MSBuild c:\PROGRA~2\Jenkins\jobs\REPVIE~1\workspace\Builder\RepView\RepView.csproj /p:DeployOnBuild=true /p:PublishProfile=JenkinsDeployment

My deploy command ended up looking like this:
c:\PROGRA~2\Jenkins\jobs\REPVIE~1\workspace\Builder\RepView\obj\Debug\Package\RepView.deploy.cmd /y /M:http://<target-address> /u:<username> /p:<password>

Because the deploy.cmd file is generated, using the shortened names for the directories when MSBuild is called, gets around this issue.  Just don't use any paths with spaces and it should work for you.

A: You might need set the value of the _DeploySetParametersFile parameter before you call the .cmd if that is what is causing the problem. Create another static batch file which you will use to do this.
First, set the value of the parameter with escaped spaces, then just call the cmd from its location. Use this batch file each time you need to deploy the application. Full Contents:
@if %_echo%!==! echo off
setlocal
set _DeploySetParametersFile=C:\Program^ Files^ (x86)\Folder^ With^ Spaces\TestApp\xxx.SetParameters.xml
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Folder With Spaces\TestApp\xxx.Deploy.cmd"

Call the file something like mydeploy.cmd and call it from the command line so that you can reply with any errors rather than the window closing immediately.