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Statements contained in this blog, which are not historical facts, including statements about plans, goals and expectations regarding businesses and opportunities, new or existing business strategies, capital resources and future financial results are "forward looking" as contemplated by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, changes in government regulation, generally accepted accounting principles, taxation, competition, general economic conditions and geopolitical conditions. Accordingly, actual results may differ materially from those projected or implied in the forward-looking statements.
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CEO Blog - February 27, 2019
Wednesday, February 27 2019 01:00
Q: What is the S-3 that the Company just filed?
A: The Company recently filed a short form registration statement on Form S-3 ("S-3") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Company has always maintained an effective S-3 registration (also known as a "Shelf Registration" or a "Shelf") that enables efficient access to the capital markets, only when needed. This is our customary shelf registration statement covering up to $50 million of broad categories of securities, both debt and equity, with no current plans or transactions. The Company and its Board believes that it is prudent for any public company to have the capability to access the capital markets, efficiently and timely, for any and all needs, planned or unforeseen, that may arise and be prepared for opportunities that may also become available. The Board believes that this is especially true for our Company, as it implements its strategy focused on high-value, high
cash-generating, precious metal-based activities and opportunities.
We recently announced transactions that should eliminate our debt and provide funding that either minimizes or ultimately eliminates any immediate need for routinely raising public equity. Once the previously announced transactions have closed, estimated between the end of March 2019 and September 2019, the need for these facilities will be negligible. We have worked very hard to minimize the use of public equity for ongoing operations, while retaining the ability to capitalize on revenue generating transactions, clean technologies and other precious-metal related opportunities. We will always maintain the ability to ensure our liquidity, regardless, as none of these circumstances are static or guaranteed, but the recently announced transactions and the positioning in the opportunity zones should provide alternative forms of non-dilutive capital so we can advance these value creating propositions. We are working tirelessly and will continue making progress on repositioning the company and bringing meaningful, sustainable value to shareholders.
Kindest regards, Corrado De Gasperis, Executive Chairman and CEO
CEO Blog - April 13, 2018
Friday, April 13 2018 00:00
Hello all and welcome back to Comstock's CEO Blog! We really look forward to answering any and all of your questions and please feel free to continue posting those questions to our website at https://comstockmining.com/contact. This week we were asked about a recent Nevada Supreme Court ruling, in part, because of some confusing misinformation that was recently published by the Nevada Appeal. In this case, it's easier for me to just republish a letter sent to their editor by Justin Townsend, our counsel with the law firm Allison MacKenzie, Ltd. As of today, we have not seen it posted in the Appeal, but hopefully, it's just working its way through their editorial staff. Please also feel free to ask any questions regarding our Company, northern Nevada, precious metals, or anything that relates to our businesses. We will prioritize the most relevant and try and respond to all. Kindest regards, Corrado De Gasperis Executive Chairman and CEO.
Mr. Dornan,
This law firm represents Comstock Mining, Inc. ("CMI"). Yesterday's Nevada Appeal contained an article you penned concerning a ruling issued yesterday by the Nevada Supreme Court. There are some inaccuracies in the article that CMI respectfully requests that you and your editors correct. I will take some time here to explain those inaccuracies and I will make myself available should you have any additional questions or concerns about anything presented here.
The headline of the article, which I understand was likely written by your editor, is "Review of Comstock Mines rezoning ordered." This headline is very misleading and entirely inaccurate. I have attached a copy of yesterday's ruling here for reference. Lyon County was not ordered to review its decision to approve CMI's rezoning application. In fact, the Supreme Court upheld Lyon County's decision to approve CMI's rezoning application in a separate ruling issued December 2, 2016. A copy of that ruling is also attached.
Yesterday's ruling concerned only a public records request issued to Lyon County for communications concerning the County's consideration of CMI's application for a zone change and whether communications allegedly held on private cell phones or in private emails are public records. Yesterday's ruling requires on its face that the Third Judicial District Court "determine whether the requested records concern the provision of public service." (internal quotations omitted). There is simply nothing in yesterday's ruling that requires Lyon County to review its decision to approve CMI's application for a zone change.
The second paragraph of your article states "The commission first rejected the rezoning application but, at a second meeting, approved it." This is not an accurate statement, either, however, it appears that this information may have been summarized from inaccurate statements contained in yesterday's Supreme Court ruling. In the ruling, the Supreme Court states erroneously that "The Board received reports from the county's planning staff and held public hearings, after which they voted to recommend denying the proposed zoning change" and "at a subsequent meeting of the county commissioners, the issue was reintroduced and the zoning change approved." A similar erroneous statement of fact is contained in the December 2, 2016 Supreme Court ruling as well. The reality is that CMI filed one application for zone change in 2013 and the Lyon County Board of Commissioners held exactly one meeting to consider that application. On January 2, 2014 the Lyon County Board of Commissioners heard for the first and only time CMI's application and approved it then. Never at any time did the Board of Commissioners deny CMI's application for a zone change. A review of the Lyon County Board of Commissioners meeting minutes and agendas easily shows this to be true.
The Supreme Court's misstatements of fact in this regard are based on misleading statements presented by the Comstock Residents Association in pleadings before the Lyon County District Court and are not germane to any of the issues before that Court or the Supreme Court.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Justin Townsend, Esq.
Allison MacKenzie, Ltd.
CEO Blog - September 24, 2015
Thursday, September 24 2015 00:00
The following interview with Corrado De Gasperis, CEO of Comstock Mining, was conducted by Mr. Peter Epstein, CFA of Epstein Research (http://epsteinresearch.net/) and is re-posted here with permission.
I will start with the obligatory question, can you please tell readers about Comstock Mining?
Comstock Mining (NYSE: LODE) has accumulated an unprecedented, ten square mile land position, consolidating an historic, world-class gold and silver district. We rezoned the property, identified millions of NI 43-101 compliant ounces of gold & silver, permitted and built facilities with substantial capacity, and placed our first low-cost mine into production. We are drilling in our Lucerne and Dayton Resource Areas with the objective of developing two new mines in Nevada and generating strong cash flow growth in one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world.
News of the Company's rejuvenated capital structure was a hit, sending the stock up 58% on 15x average daily trading volume. Why is this transaction so important?
This is truly a watershed moment, opening the new Comstock Mining to a greater universe of investors. Our new capital structure eliminated all preferred stock, making it much cleaner and simpler. We now have common shares, cash and a modest amount of debt. We continue to enjoy a very high quality institutional shareholder base and have strengthened our Board's independence.
Notwithstanding the above, Comstock Mining is perceived to be as a Company ALWAYS spending money, rarely cash flow positive, even when gold prices were higher. Can you please comment?
I appreciate that that perception is out there. The reality is that we consolidated a massive land position (100% owned or controlled), with little to no future royalties, rezoned it, successfully traversed significant environmental, social and operational obstacles, and sustainably re-positioned potentially one of the most prolific mining districts in the world back into operation. This was accomplished with a relatively small amount of capital considering the land we purchased, and the considerable logistical issues addressed. Now, we are positioned to commence development of two new mines. We hope to demonstrate solid growth in cash flow in one of the largest, high-grade properties in Nevada.
With less required explaining of the prior capital structure, and diminished funding concerns, what will you do with all of your free time?
We remain highly focused on drilling high-grade targets in Lucerne. We have positioned the mine to drill two high-grade targets and develop a drift and tunnel. We believe these two targets present the most immediate opportunity for stakeholders. We commenced an 800-foot drift development. We are targeting high-grade gold and silver structures with grades averaging 8x-10x that of what we've been mining. All of our painstaking work readies us to drill these targets with the objective of establishing a long-lived, profitable mining enterprise. The first phase of tunnel development began on September 5, 2015, and will continue for the next three months.
We are also drilling our Dayton area, a second deposit that we hope to be able to commence permitting on in 2016. Dayton is roughly a mile south of Lucerne.
Please comment on cost containment. Has there been a meaningful move in any parts of you cost profile?
These days, containing costs is synonymous with survival. We have dramatically streamlined and reduced mining, support and administrative costs. We have recently developed new partnerships with American Mining & Tunneling Inc. and American Drilling, moving a larger component of our cost structure from fixed to variable. This added flexibility should allow Comstock to continue delivering lower costs from existing infrastructure.
Can you comment on Mr. Winfield's willingness to enter into this broad restructuring? Why now? Who are your pro forma largest shareholders?
Mr. Winfield remains our largest, and most supportive shareholder. These changes are a tremendous vote of confidence by him, and other shareholders, in our operating model and goals moving forward. The timing was right from every perspective. We've built the right team, grown our land position and proven the operating model and key economic variables (such as grade, metallurgy, strip ratios and costs). We are proud to include Century Asset Management, U.S. Global Investors, Sun Valley Master Gold Funds, Gabelli Asset Management, Loews Corporation, Solus Asset Management, and of course, the Winfield Group, in our top ten list of shareholders. They all supported the restructuring.
Do you believe that existing and new institutional shareholders will take another look at Comstock Mining after the revision of the capital structure?
Great question. It's already happening and I'm confident that will prove to be one of the most significant results of cleaning up our capital structure. It's important to reiterate that we didn't just eliminate the preferred stock and dividends, but permanently dispensed with tens of millions of dollars of future obligations and royalties. We have already spoken with dozens of funds that are more interested in investing, calling us for meetings. I'm dedicated to responding and proudly explaining the new Comstock Mining in coming months.
In speaking with contacts and analysts, some believe that Comstock's growth profile is limited, perhaps due to city boundaries?
The perception that we are limited is a dated one. Our contiguous land position is massive and last October we received unanimous approval from local regulators to expand our permit boundaries by almost tenfold. Our progress is only constrained by the rate at which we can develop these higher-grade targets. I should add we have drilled on less than 1 mile of our 6-mile strike, and if one considers depth, we've probably drilled on less than 2-3%.
Presumably, you believe that being in production is a world apart from, "in production soon…" Please comment on possible lessons learned?
Production is MORE than a world apart from a stage of, "advanced development" or "in production soon." Lead times for obtaining permits, funding and building infrastructure are measured in years not months. There's also a huge difference between commencing production and working out the slew of unexpected issues resulting in a ramp up period much longer than management and investors expect. We have three years of continuously improving production. We continue to improve but with the majority of our growing pains behind us. We are pouring gold and silver every week, while maintaining a low-cost profile, despite operating at a small percentage of our capacity.
More importantly, our Lucerne resource area is fully permitted. This achievement is invaluable as we transition to drilling multiple, higher-grade targets with the objective over time of developing long-lived mines. Our flexibility and experience should allow for faster exploration and permitting, possibly culminating in a faster development cycle. This knowledge will be incredibly useful as we start planning activities in the Dayton and Spring Valley drill targets.
Lessons learned? It is critically important to focus on one development at a time, prudently dedicating resources through completion of each objective. For example, ensuring the lowest possible operating costs at Lucerne and maintaining a strong balance sheet. As we see other Nevada mines failing, it appears that they have taken shortcuts, under-appreciated ongoing risks and contingencies, while working with inflexible project schedules. No surprise, but attacking low-grade opportunities with higher costs, bloated overhead, excessive debt or multi-tasking projects doesn't work well with gold at $1,100/oz!
Is Comstock a Takeout Candidate?
We believe we have built a platform for Nevada-based growth. We have the management, district and network to lead that growth, both organically and through Nevada-based acquisitions. We are attractive to investors and I'm sure once they understand what has been built, land owned, obstacles cleared, absence of royalties and most importantly, the extent of the known geology. As suitors better understand our known and blue-sky potential, we expect they will certainly take notice. Some already have.
Why invest in Comstock now instead of waiting for a higher price of gold & silver?
There are a small number of junior, mid-tier and major producers demonstrating low cash costs (critical in a downturn). Low capital and all-in sustaining costs (critical longer term) and clean balance sheets. These will be the winners, representing companies that investors should consider investing in. Waiting means possibly paying more as many risks have been mitigated. For those of us emerging safely through this downturn, there will be far fewer names to choose from. Comstock Mining will certainly be one of them.
I believe our position among surviving Nevada-based companies will continue to improve as we execute on our underground portal in the Lucerne mine and develop Dayton, our 2nd target. We will be drilling and hopefully developing even higher-grade targets. The winners are those of us that have continued advancing, slashed costs and increased operating flexibility.
Some believe that Comstock has too much corporate overhead, perhaps too many senior people. Please comment.
Yes, we've been asked about that. Our system was designed to handle complexities beyond the norm. With hindsight, our challenges have become one of our strongest assets. We streamlined core competencies in areas where we've achieved reliability. Our corporate costs have come down in line with peer Nevada-based miners, better enabling us to while achieve our growth goals.
What are 3 key takeaways that you believe make an investment in the new Comstock Mining a good bet?
Nevada-based, massive consolidated land holdings, permitted for gold and silver and continuous exploration and development.
Existing infrastructure delivering a low and flexible operating cost, enabling success even in low gold and silver price scenarios and positioned to thrive at higher prices.
Vast exploration potential on six miles of contiguous, mineralized strike in one of the historically highest grade, world-class mining districts.
Thank you Corrado for you valuable time. I believe you articulate the New & Improved Comstock Mining well.
Tuesday, September 15 2015 00:00
Comstock Mining Receives Excellence in Mine Reclamation Award
Recognized for Outstanding Historic Rehabilitation
Last Saturday, our Company was honored with the Nevada Excellence in Mine Reclamation Award! This award represents the positive effects of a Company and a culture dedicated to preserving, protecting, reclaiming, restoring and celebrating the historic district and the communities that live here. When we applied for our first exploration permit in Storey County, we presented examples of prior excellence in mine reclamations because, frankly, that was not always the history of the Comstock Lode District, especially in the late 70's and 80's, when laws, ethics and practices were nowhere near what they are today. The County and community were rightfully skeptical, since history, in this case, was working against us. But we were committed.
This award is important for us in so many ways because it honors the standards we have established for ourselves. It shows that the full cycle of mining and reclamation can occur more currently than it did historically, when in some cases reclamations were not done at all and highlights the dramatic progress made in the industry. Perhaps most importantly, it celebrates a quality system, that operates more efficiently and effectively when things are done properly, the first time.
We received the Nevada Excellence in Mine Reclamation Award for the full restoration of the Keystone Mine, in the Comstock Lode Historic Mine District, that represented a full open cut land restoration. This award recognizes some of the most progressive Nevada miners, elevating the standards of excellence in mine reclamations and restorations. These recognitions highlight best practices, increase the industry's (and the public's) awareness of these sustaining activities, and encourage innovation in reclamation techniques, thus raising industry standards, and resulting in better plans of operation and reclamation. We could not be prouder of our role in achieving these critical objectives.
We never considered reclamation sufficient. We sincerely look to include protection, preservation and restoration when operating in such a precious and historically profound territory. We were also recognized, along with the Comstock Foundation for History and Culture, for Outstanding Rehabilitation of the historic Upper Yellow Jacket Hoist Works. The emergency restoration of the Upper Yellow Jacket Hoist Works saved an iconic landscape feature on the National Landmark. The Foundation, a not-for profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the historic district, identified, facilitated and funded the restoration.
Our combined award and three others were presented at the Nevada Mining Association Convention. All awards were the result of unanimous decisions by the Awards Committee with members including representatives from the U.S. Forest Service (Elko), Bureau of Land Management (Reno), Nevada Division of Minerals (Reno), Nevada Division of Wildlife (Reno) and Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (Carson City). We could not be prouder of the results shown below:
Upper Yellow Jacket Hoist and Ore Chute, before and after
Through the direction and facilitation of the Foundation, we provided funds for the restoration of the historic Upper Yellow Jacket Hoist works and ore chute, located directly above the tracks of the V&T Railroad in Gold Hill. The wooden hoist served to lift ore carts and miners from the famed Yellow Jacket which was one of the richest mines in the history of the Comstock. Without the restoration efforts, we do not believe this historic structure would have survived another Comstock winter. Special thanks go to Ron James, Pam Abercrombie and the entire Comstock extended team.
Keystone Mine reclamation, before and after
The Keystone Mine is located adjacent to State Route 342. It is the first part of the active mining area that you see when you travel south on State Route 342 from Virginia City. Our environmental and operating teams recognized the significance of both the initial impression to visitors in the area and the importance of the "viewshed" to all admirers living and or passing through the district. Our teams performed extensive regrading and shaping of the Keystone Mine area and even included patches of boulders and rocks to mimic the appearance of the surrounding native hills. We then reseeded and regraded landscape using an approved seed mix and high quality hydroseeding techniques. Once the vegetation started approximating the surrounding vegetation density, it was difficult to distinguish the regraded terrain from the surrounding native hills.
Our sincere thanks throughout the entire Comstock system, SRK Consulting, the independent and international mining and earth/water resource company that nominated Comstock Mining for the award and Storey County and the entire Comstock community, for being diligent and partnering for a better, most excellent and sustainable outcome.
Corrado DeGasperis
CEO Blog - May 19, 2015
Tuesday, May 19 2015 00:00
State Route 342 Continues On Schedule; Local Company Wins First Phase Road Bid
Paving has commenced on the bypass portion of the realignment of State Route 342 (SR-342) and roadway should re-open timely for tourism season. Comstock Mining Inc. announced that Cruz Construction ("Cruz") of Mound House won a competitive bidding process to complete the final portion of the first of three phases of road construction. Comstock Mining has managed most of the excavation and sealing of the historic Silver Hills mine shaft internally. Cruz will now provide the base rock, grading, asphalt and striping for the first phase of new road construction that enables the return of traffic onto the State Route. Cruz began work on Monday, May 11th, 2015, with a target completion date of approximately June 8th.
The first phase completion allows traffic to travel on the state route using a bypass while Comstock Mining begins the second phase of the project. The two phases will overlap for a short time. Cruz's first week on the job was spent finishing the subgrade. They will then move on to installation of base rock and asphalt. On Thursday, May 14th, Comstock Mining began removing dump material from the south end of the historic waste dump in order to make room for the second phase. The second phase will result in an extended, realigned and newly constructed stretch of road.
Cruz Construction's general manager Kale Peery stated, "We are proud and happy to work with Comstock Mining, NDOT and Storey County on this project. We are a local company that hires locally; uses local subcontractor's and we buy our materials locally too."
Ken Joy, Director of Mining and Processing, commented, "At this point we have been able to overcome a few small obstacles and stay well within our schedule. Much of this is due to the willingness of our mining personal to work overtime for this project." Joy added, "We are pleased with Cruz Constructions qualifications and with their familiarity of the area."
Nevada Department of Transportation's engineering technician, Gary Johnson, has been observing the project throughout the process. NDOT and Storey County have remained close collaborators during the process to ensure construction meets state road standards.
NDOT closed SR-342 to vehicular traffic in early February following heavy rains that resulted in accelerated cracking and visible sinking of a portion of the road around a historic mining shaft. Extreme road collapses have occurred in the same location on four separate occasions beginning in 1965 and the latest happening in 2006. In early March, Comstock Mining agreed to complete a realignment of roadway over its property in full collaboration of NDOT and Storey County. This project is designed for a safer, more permanent solution funded by Comstock Mining.
CEO Blog - March 23, 2015
Friday, March 20 2015 00:00
To Our Shareholders:
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your patience during 2014. This was certainly one of the most difficult years on record for precious metal equities and we share your disappointment in the share price. But 2014 also marked a year with some of the most significant, fundamental achievements by our team. We acquired strategic properties, rezoned our key mining properties, expanded our permits and significantly reduced our costs, positioning our Company to lead forward in creating higher value and higher returns for our shareholders.
We acquired over 800 acres of private lands, expanding our mineral claims and potential for greater mining and processing. We also restructured our ownership of the mining claims in our Dayton Resource area, eliminating all future royalties there and then rezoned those lands for multiple uses, including mining. In the same context, we rezoned the remainder of our Storey County properties and gained approvals for a landmark expansion of our most strategic operating permit over our most expansive gold and silver resource. Further modifications to our primary Air and Water permits authorized increased operating hours, material processing rates and leach pad capacities. The land position has never been bigger, better or stronger.
We exceeded our targeted 2014, $10 million cost reduction program, realizing annual savings of approximately $11.7, while enhancing the core competencies of our team and increasing ounces produced. We also identified and targeted an additional $6.5 million in cost reductions for 2015 as compared to 2014.
We recently launched our 2014-2015 drilling program, targeting significant discoveries. We already reported additional high-grade intercepts that further define the broadening zone of high-grade gold mineralization on the Eastside of Lucerne. There is much more to come as the program is designed to expand the Eastside of Lucerne's gold and silver resources, accelerate underground feasibility studies and develop high-grade, underground mine plans.
In 2014, we turned cash flow positive from operations and we are now building on that success with lower strip ratios, better yields and absolute lower costs across all activities. We believe these actions, driven by better mine execution and more substantial development, position the company for profitable growth now, in the first half of 2015, and stronger equity valuations.
Corrado De Gasperis
Comstock Mining Inc
Please describe Comstock Mining (LODE) to readers not familiar with your story.
We are a Nevada-based, permitted and producing gold and silver mining company, trading on the NYSE MKT exchange under the symbol LODE. The Company has already achieved unprecedented results, like consolidating substantially all of the historic, world-class Comstock Lode mining district south of Virginia City, with approximately 8,300 acres (over 10 square miles) along an approximately six-mile long, contiguous mineralized trend. The Comstock Lode district is best known for producing over 8 million ounces of gold and 192 million ounces of silver, primarily in the late 1800's, including 33 bonanzas, but no one has ever been able to take this massive, fragmented, complex property position with all of its dynamics, and put it under one roof, until now (not to mention permitting it and going into production).
There's been a lot of local press reports about a road adjacent to your property that needs to be re-routed. Is this a big a deal, will it impact production?
The road in question is a state route, SR-342, that was built on loose fill and eroded from weather events to the point that it needs to be re-routed. We will move the road as we were planning on doing anyway, but it will help the State, help the County and accelerate many of our business and reclamation plans. Classic win-win-win.
Some shareholders feel that production growth has been slower (or even much slower) than expected. Do you agree?
Yes, we had originally planned for ramping up Lucerne to a 40,000 gold equivalent ounce run rate per annum last year, but those mine plans, and a lower gold price, required us to modify. We increased our economic cutoff rate and we also invested significant resources on enhancing the geologic controls, resulting in a much more reliable and predictable mine plan. These cumulative changes initially resulted in much higher strip ratios before we worked through that section of the mine and reached the flatter, lower strip sections of the Lucerne Mine.
Concurrently, we also dramatically reduced costs, by over $11 million dollars, year on year. Today, we not only have a drastically improved strip ratio but we can also leverage a much lower and more flexible cost structure as we expand. During this same period, we received permitting approvals to expand the scope of the initial mine area, going from about 180 acres under permit to approximately 1,300 acres under permit. I am proud of how our team responded to the adversity and we feel we are much better positioned for profitable growth by working through that adversity.
Why isn't your second mine, Dayton, not in production yet?
The Dayton is our second, high priority target area. Our original drilling, although limited, quantified over 0.5 million gold equivalent ounces of initial resource. Last year, we restructured the purchase to completely eliminate the royalty (it's 100% owned and royalty free) and rezoned all the lands to a mining designation. We have since done geophysical, structural and core drilling, with significant continuity of the mineralized structure confirmed and further discoveries identified. We are planning to complete the exploration and development drilling this year, formalize our feasibility for the full mine plan and facilitate the permitting, all in 2015.
What is the biggest pushback you get from prospective investors in Comstock Mining?
Investors have been waiting for cash flow and are excited to see that cash flow reinvested in exploration and development with positive results. Our recent drill results on the Eastside of Lucerne are the first example of that. The last three quarters, we were cash flow positive from operations, yet the Company was still reducing costs, expanding permits, acquiring and very effectively re-zoning land, developing the mine, and expanding the heap leach pad. With dramatically lower costs, we guided to full profitability for the first half of 2015. The stronger that track record, the stronger the investment interest will be.
Can you give us a snapshot of your latest capital structure including cash, preferred shares and debt?
Our capital base has been strong since we recapitalized in 2010, with an exceptionally high quality base of institutional investors. We have 89.8 million shares outstanding, with $48.6 million of additional permanent equity in a preferred stock, which, if converted, represents another 53.6 million common shares, for a little over 143.4 million fully diluted shares. At the end of 2014, the Company had approximately $1 million drawn on a $5 million Revolver, $6.9 million in equipment financing and $3.6 million for notes payable on land purchases. The Company also had $5.3 million in cash.
What are the terms of the preferred shares? Do you believe the preferred shares are an overhang on Comstock's stock?
No, not since our preferred stock represents permanent equity capital that has no debt-like features. The holders of the preferred stock have been investors for between 5-10 years, and have provided significant funding for the initial consolidation and production growth phases of the Company. The preferred stock is convertible to a fixed underlying number of common shares. The average conversion price is $1.10 (ranging from $0.65 – $1.65).
To the extent that you think Comstock is undervalued, why do you think that might be?
Investors want to see sustainable positive cash flows. We are confident we are on that mark now and coupled with a better appreciation of our significantly lower costs, driven by improved mine planning, better grades, lower strip ratios and excellent yields, should result in much better valuations. Overall, the market is valuing gold equities as if gold was closer to $850. We feel the best upside will come from those few companies that have their permits, producing with good cost structures and yet retain tremendous exploration upside potential (remember we control the entire district). It's these types of companies, like ours, that will deliver the most significant equity upside.
Can you name any of your largest shareholders? What percentage of your shares are owned by management & the Board?
We have one of the strongest capital bases with funds like Van Den Berg Management (Century Asset), US Global Investors, Inc., Sun Valley Gold LLC, The Vanguard Group, Inc., Gabelli Funds LLC, Solus Asset Management, Wedbush Securities, with the largest holder being the Winfield Group. Our management and board have about 4%, and when you include our Chairman, it's over 35%.
Please describe Comstock's all-in costs for gold equivalent ounce for the latest reported quarter or for 2014.
During the fourth quarter of 2014, our all-in cash costs was $1,243, with all cash mining costs at $843 per gold equivalent ounce, general and administrative at $261 and capital at $139 per gold equivalent ounce. In December, we achieved our cash mining cost target of less than $750. For the first six months of this year, we anticipate being below the $750 per ounce with our all-in costs below $1,000 in the second quarter.
What are the catalysts to watch for in 2015?
In Lucerne, we are expanding our mine eastward, based on recently received permits and rapidly developing feasibility for a higher grade, underground operation. We also plan a second expansion in the Dayton Resource Area. For Dayton, we plan on further drilling, expanding the known resource, finalizing a mine plan and permitting and commissioning our second mining operation. Our most important catalyst, is our cash flows. In 2014, we turned positive with cash flow from operations and we are now building on that success with lower strip ratios, better yields and absolute lower costs across all activities.
Assuming smooth sailing in 2015, roughly how many ounces of gold equivalent ounces might you be able to produce in 2016?
Optimally, in 2015, we would have two sources of ore, from Lucerne (surface and underground) and one from Dayton. This would ensure a consistent 40,000 ounce run rate, per annum, scaling up to potentially 75,000 ounces, from all three sources. There is still some drilling and development to do but the path is there. Ultimately, there is capacity to do much more, but it's a good growth path for 2016.
Are there any misconceptions about Comstock Mining that you would like to address?
The obstacles associated with mining in the historic district had more to do with regulatory complexity and developing a strong social license to operate, more than anything else. We have done that. The historic Comstock Lode's geology extends much further than previously understood, and by all modern definitions, is significantly under explored. Our land position continues to grow in size and value and we will build on the historical and current geological data to produce a robust model for practical, responsible economic development.
CEO Blog - November 10, 2014
Monday, November 10 2014 03:00
Nevada Day 2014
Celebrating the 150th year statehood
Throughout its history and long before it became a state, Nevada was known for its silver and gold. The Comstock Lode was the richest silver discovery in history. Precious metals mined from Virginia City, Gold Hill, and surrounding areas, now known as the Comstock Historic District, created enormous wealth that played an instrumental part in Nevada becoming a state, funding the Civil war, the expansion of the West and building much of old San Francisco.
In that tradition, it was a great honor for Comstock Mining to participate in the celebration of Nevada's sesquicentennial. We would like to share some of those photos with you, courtesy of dKer photography.
The Company got special permission to drive our haul truck down C Street for the Virginia City Parade!
Comstock Mining's float complete with an ore cart and future Comstock Miners.
To honor Nevada's sesquicentennial the Comstock Foundation for History and Culture and the County hosted a special reception at the Gold Hill Depot. After extensive restorations by Storey County, the Virginia City Tourism Commission, and the Comstock Foundation for History and Culture, the rarely-seen interior was open to the public. Many visitors were present for the unveiling of "Nine Cheers for the Silver State," a painting by Nevada artist Steven Saylor that takes its title from a Gold Hill Daily News headline that appeared on October 31, 1864. Visitors were also able to see the limited edition collectable, pure (.9999) Silver Medallion, expressly created by Comstock Mining, to commemorate and celebrate the occasion. This represents the first substantial minting of Comstock Silver since the Carson City Mint closed in 1893.
Unveiling of "Nine Cheers for the Silver State" at the Gold Hill Depot
Pure Comstock Silver Medallions featuring Gold Hill, NV on the obverse and
the Upper Yellow Jacket Hoist and Ore Chute on the reverse.
CEO Blog - July 14, 2014
Monday, July 14 2014 03:00
COMSTOCK MINING WINS TOP SAFETY AWARD
On July 8, 2014, the Nevada Mining Association (NvMA) announced that Comstock Mining Inc. had been awarded a FIRST PLACE SAFETY AWARD for 2014!!
The Nevada Mining Association's 2014 Safety Awards honor the individuals and operations throughout the mining industry dedicated to fostering a culture of safety throughout their mine site and supporting the industry-wide credo to send every mining employee home safe and healthy after every shift.
The NVMA Safety Awards are given annually to mine operators and individuals in several categories. Data for the 2014 awards are based on performance in the 2013 calendar year. Comstock Mining had no reportable, safety related accidents in 2013, and won a first place honor in the medium mine operations category, between 100-299 employees.
Comstock Mining Safety Director Randy Harris attributed the award to a Company culture that placed "the safety of our people and the protecting of the environment first, from day one, even before production started up." The tone at the top and throughout the Company prioritizes the safety of Comstock's employees and stakeholders in the work place and the protection of the environment and the Landmark.
"We work diligently to insure the safety of our employees and that of the surrounding communities" Harris says, "We have also been proactive in developing a knowledge based relationship with the Mining Safety and Health Administration, (MSHA) and all of our state and local emergency management personnel."
"This year's honorees have spent the last year teaching, drilling and applying best practices related to safety on the mine site, and it's time to pay tribute to their dedication to safety," said Tim Crowley, NVMA president. "Every single employee on a mine site plays a pivotal role in ensuring Nevada mines are safe. These awards recognize those companies and professionals that stand out above all others."
This year, 27 awards will be given to mine operators and 44 awards will be given to individuals during an event at NVMA's annual convention in Lake Tahoe on Saturday, Sept. 6th.
CEO Blog - June 11, 2014
Wednesday, June 11 2014 15:54
KEYSTONE MINE RECLAIMED
Comstock Mining Inc. is giving the old Keystone Mine back to Mother Nature. It is the first major reclamation project for Comstock Mining, Inc. The Keystone surface mine has been completely filled in, contoured, and then covered with growth media.
Pictured is the site being landscaped with rock to imitate outcroppings.
In October, it will be hydro seeded with native plants and shrubs just in time for the winter moisture.
Conceptual Keystone Mine site post reclamation
The Keystone project is an example of Comstock's concurrent mining and reclamation procedure where it mines one area while reclaiming another.
Wednesday, April 30 2014 17:22
Comstock Mining Recognized As:
"Best Company for Leadership – Gold & Silver Mining - USA"
To our Entire Comstock Team and extended Community:
Our entire community –based team, county and statewide, courageously leads and promotes breakthrough innovations in mining, reclamation and restoration, specifically by promoting a culture of continuous learning, wealth creation and a genuine integration into our communities, despite significant resistances and obstacles. It is for this reason on April 15, 2014, Comstock received the IAIR Award for "Best Company for Leadership – Gold & Silver Mining - USA." I am not surprised a Nevada-based community, especially from the Comstock, won this award.
IAIR® honored Comstock Mining with this leadership award amongst American miners…"for its important role in the Gold and Silver Mining in the Comstock District of Nevada since 2003. Thanks to its operating model and its understanding of the geology of the area, Comstock Mining was able to bring its exploration project into production."
The award was presented at the IAIR award ceremony held at the Yale Club in New York, NY.
IAIR AWARDS® is one of the world's leading ranking and prizes for excellence in global economy and sustainability. It is made up of the scientific committee of IAIR® and IAIREVIEW.org along with a team of dedicated legal, economic and financial journalists in over 120 countries worldwide.
The IAIR AWARDS® is focused on the Global Economy and Sustainability and in particular in the following categories: Green Economy, Leadership, Alternative Investments, Business Opportunities, Global Corporate Excellences, FX, ETFs and Commodities, Law, Asset Management, Family Office and Wealth Management, Philanthropy, Private Equity, Real Estate and Property, Succession Planning and Family Businesses.
Some of our past winners and top ranked companies include: FedEx, Rothschild, ABB, 3i Group, Aviva, Vodafone, Christian Dior, Cartier, Morgan Stanley, Bank of China, Rockefeller, BNP Paribas, IBM, HDFC Ergo, Freshfields, UBS, Novartis, BlackRock, Deutsche Bank, Russel Investments, ReMark, BASF, Daimler, Royal Dutch Shell, APAX Partners, Bridgepoint Capital, Allen & Overy, Willkie Farr & Gallagher, DLA Piper, and CMS.
I would like to congratulate the entire Comstock team for its caring patience, courage, persistence, wisdom and absolute will to make the Comstock an even more amazing and better place. These are the leadership qualities that have enabled these advancements and I want to thank each and every one of you personally.
Sincerest and kindest regards,
CEO Blog - October 9, 2013
CEO Blog - July 2, 2013
CEO Blog - May 8, 2013
© 2010-2020 Comstock Mining Inc.


From Matagalpa I traveled north to a town called Somoto very near the border with Honduras. It had an entirely different feel than Matagalpa. Instead of a hilly city bustling with businesses and restaurants, Somoto is a flat city with a ranch-town feel.
On the "chicken-bus" between Matagalpa and Somoto. The name makes sense now… These buses are a really great way to travel hundreds of miles for a dollar or two and work surprisingly well.
The homestay Hiba and Tracy are staying at is pretty great, even though it has no wifi or cellphone coverage. Here Tray is translating a manual for a sterilizing oven she downloaded from Mandarin to English to Spanish so the hospital staff will have access to instructions.
Tracy re-wiring a surgery light.
And then I got to work on an AC wall unit with Hiba. This is the final product of us fixing it up before putting the cover back on. We worked on this because hospital staff got it out so that they would be able to put it in their workshop. Super nice!
What it looked like before. There was an AC tech that works in the hospital occasionally that did a great job teaching us about how the AC works (albeit in Spanish, I still did some reading after to make sure I understood correctly). We took every last piece apart, including the compressor, and then put it back together after cleaning, greasing, etc.
We basically floated down rapids and got tossed around and dunked a bunch by powerful water. It was a blast!… and the kind of thing you could never do with a tour group in America. I escaped with only one scraped knee.
Getting ready for the 10 meter jump. We have to jump here to avoid a rapid that was so powerful it made the pool below deep enough for jumping.
The end bit of the bat caves. It was a surreal and beautiful experience floating down the canyon while vampire bats swooped around and passed you by or clung to rocks over your head.
And the exit from the ground level. This canyon was a blast, easily one of the most fun things I've done in Nicaragua.
Then for Sunday Tracy, Alyssa, myself, and a random Dutch girl we met named Anna headed down to Estelí to explore the city and pay a visit to the rock carver Alberto. This was our first of many times hitch-hiking since, and it was a pretty cool way to enjoy the scenery.
And on the right is Alberto himself. He has spent nearly 40 years carving rocks on a cliff farther on with a nail and a stone.
Elephant and indentations he carved to allow plants to take hold on the stone.
From here I would head to the southeast end of Nicaragua to visit Seth and Kevin in Juigalpa.


5G and Autonomous Vehicles will be among the hottest segments at MWC 2017 with honorable mentions to smart cities, AI, and Robotics.
In addition to moderating and participating in several panels during the congress, Strategy Analytics will host the following exclusive analyst insights presentations at the Fira Barcelona.
Smartphones & VR: A Match Made In Heaven?
Strategy Analytics clients are invited to register for any of these sessions.


Ok, 5 miles today and my legs are feeling good and my foot no longer hurts! Yeah! Am I back on schedule? I'm not really sure. My plan was to take off two days before the half marathon but I may only take off one day. We'll see how I'm feeling. As far as today's run, I'm feeling pretty good. It would have been nice if it was not misting the entire way but it sure beats having to use the treadmill. Looks like I might have to use the treadmill this week since we are expecting storms. I'm not sure if I even know how to turn the treadmill on. The last time I used it was March 24th.
I only had a very thin piece so I can't imagine I gained two pounds after all that running but who knows. Actually, I'm up another pound today(with no change in diet) so my guess is muscle growth??
Question of the day: What's the perfect time to start a Half Marathon? My half on Saturday does not start until 8:55am!!! That is pretty late. I would prefer 7-8am. How about you?
I had a half marathon that started at ten and it seemed like such an odd time. Made fuelling tricky!
Earlier the better for any activity - I like to see the sun come up!
I'd say 8am. My half last summer started at 6:30 am which I thought seemed so early, but once the Chicago heat settled in, I was thankful it started that early!
I don't think I have ever started a 1/2 marathon that late. I am with everyone else on this the earlier the better for the start.
i like the early starts...as long as i'm staying close to the start line. the earliest race i've run was san diego RnR. we started at 6:15, but it was no big deal because i was less than a mile to the start, so i could just walk there while eating my breakfast.
Depends on the weather. If the weather is beautiful & cool, I don't mind later starts. But in hot weather? Get it over before things get too awful. I just ran the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans last weekend and it didn't start until 8:30... WAY too hot for that. Alternatively, the Tupelo Marathon in MS starts at 5:00am to avoid the heat. That's a bit earlier than I'd prefer but it was a fun quirk to do once.
Bumpy cake is a household favorite! My son and husband (my mom too!) love bumpy cake. My son requests one every year for his birthday.
I prefer 7-7:30, maybe even 8am, start. 8:30am is even a bit late for my liking.
Summer half's = earlier times!
From a temperature standpoint, 8:55 is probably Ok for Michigan in April but still very late. Stephanie - you MUST make the drive for their Bumpy cake cupcakes - worth it!!
Yum - that cake look delish!


Brian was up until all hours Saturday night helping me design a new madmup.com logo. If I can design a new site around it, expect to see it all here soon. And then I'll start selling T-shirts with the logo on it and you can buy them. How's that sound? I know I'll buy one.
Had tons o' fun playing on iSketch last night with Brandy, Danna, and a whole bunch of their friends. As a result, I now count them all as my friends, even though I couldn't tell you what their real names are. It should be noted that I won the majority of the games, and if Brandy tells you differently, she's lying and I can get backup from some of the others.
I set up my own Raven Shield server and have enjoyed seeing if people like to play on it. So far I've played several games with a bunch of different people, and have gotten no complaints on it. That makes me happy. I enjoy it when people come back – it validates my existence. Just like when you come back. So, please, come back soon.
My second box of Smorz is good, but not as good as the first box. The Law of Diminishing Returns has reared its ugly head.
It's late and I have to work tomorrow, even though my schools are on a two-hour delay because of the snow, I still have to be there at my normal time. Have a good week, and take the time this week to do that thing you've been meaning to do, okay?


text:
Q: Will ctrl+c send SIGINT signals to both parent and child processes in Linux? In the terminal, I executed a main parent process which will fork a child process. In both the parent and child processes I implemented a SIGINT signal handler.
So when I press "ctrl+c", will both the handlers be called at the same time? Or do I need to call the child process's signal handler explicitly in the parent process's handler?
I looked up this post:
How does Ctrl-C terminate a child process?
which says that "The SIGINT signal is generated by the terminal line discipline, and broadcast to all processes in the terminal's foreground process group". I just didn't quite understand what does "foreground process group" means.
Thanks,

A: setpgid POSIX C process group minimal example
This illustrates how the signal does get sent to the child, if the child didn't change its process group with setpgid.
main.c
#define _XOPEN_SOURCE 700
#include <assert.h>
#include <signal.h>
#include <stdbool.h>
#include <stdint.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <unistd.h>

volatile sig_atomic_t is_child = 0;

void signal_handler(int sig) {
    char parent_str[] = "sigint parent\n";
    char child_str[] = "sigint child\n";
    signal(sig, signal_handler);
    if (sig == SIGINT) {
        if (is_child) {
            write(STDOUT_FILENO, child_str, sizeof(child_str) - 1);
        } else {
            write(STDOUT_FILENO, parent_str, sizeof(parent_str) - 1);
        }
    }
}

int main(int argc, char **argv) {
    pid_t pid, pgid;

    (void)argv;
    signal(SIGINT, signal_handler);
    signal(SIGUSR1, signal_handler);
    pid = fork();
    assert(pid != -1);
    if (pid == 0) {
        /* Change the pgid.
         * The new one is guaranteed to be different than the previous, which was equal to the parent's,
         * because `man setpgid` says:
         * > the child has its own unique process ID, and this PID does not match
         * > the ID of any existing process group (setpgid(2)) or session.
         */
        is_child = 1;
        if (argc > 1) {
            setpgid(0, 0);
        }
        printf("child pid, pgid = %ju, %ju\n", (uintmax_t)getpid(), (uintmax_t)getpgid(0));
        assert(kill(getppid(), SIGUSR1) == 0);
        while (1);
        exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
    }
    /* Wait until the child sends a SIGUSR1. */
    pause();
    pgid = getpgid(0);
    printf("parent pid, pgid = %ju, %ju\n", (uintmax_t)getpid(), (uintmax_t)pgid);
    /* man kill explains that negative first argument means to send a signal to a process group. */
    kill(-pgid, SIGINT);
    while (1);
}

GitHub upstream.
Compile with:
gcc -ggdb3 -O0 -std=c99 -Wall -Wextra -Wpedantic -o setpgid setpgid.c

Run without setpgid
Without any CLI arguments, setpgid is not done:
./setpgid

Possible outcome:
child pid, pgid = 28250, 28249
parent pid, pgid = 28249, 28249
sigint parent
sigint child

and the program hangs.
As we can see, the pgid of both processes is the same, as it gets inherited across fork.
Then whenever you hit:
Ctrl + C

It outputs again:
sigint parent
sigint child

This shows how:

*

*to send a signal to an entire process group with kill(-pgid, SIGINT)

*Ctrl + C on the terminal sends a kill to the entire process group by default

Quit the program by sending a different signal to both processes, e.g. SIGQUIT with Ctrl + \.
Run with setpgid
If you run with an argument, e.g.:
./setpgid 1

then the child changes its pgid, and now only a single sigint gets printed every time from the parent only:
child pid, pgid = 16470, 16470
parent pid, pgid = 16469, 16469
sigint parent

And now, whenever you hit:
Ctrl + C

only the parent receives the signal as well:
sigint parent

You can still kill the parent as before with a SIGQUIT:
Ctrl + \

however the child now has a different PGID, and does not receive that signal! This can seen from:
ps aux | grep setpgid

You will have to kill it explicitly with:
kill -9 16470

This makes it clear why signal groups exist: otherwise we would get a bunch of processes left over to be cleaned manually all the time.
Tested on Ubuntu 18.04.

A:
In both the parent and child processes I implemented a SIGINT signal
  handler. So when I press "ctrl+c", will both the handlers be called at
  the same time?

Yes, they both will receive SIGINT.

Or do I need to call the child process's signal handler explicitly in
  the parent process's handler?

"Calling" another process' signal handler doesn't make sense. If the both the process have a handler installed then they will be called once they receive the signal SIGINT.

I just didn't quite understand what does "foreground process group"
  means.

Typically, a process associated with a controlling terminal is foreground process and its process group is called foreground process group. When you start a process from the command line, it's a foreground process:
E.g.
$ ./script.sh # foreground process
$ ./script & # background process

I suggest you read about tty and The TTY demystified for a detailed explanation.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


An RSS feed is an easy way to distribute the latest content from your own blog and from other websites and blogs you trust and respect.
Adding an RSS feed to Hootsuite is a great way to save time updating your social networks - whenever you or one of the blogs you follow publishes a new post, Hootsuite will automatically post it to the social network you choose, with a scripted message and a trackable link.
To add an RSS feed to Hootsuite, first navigate to the website you'd like to add and grab the RSS feed link.
Back in the dashboard hover over settings in the launch menu, and select RSS/Atom.
Click the plus button to add a new feed, and paste the RSS feed URL into the "feed url" text field. Select the profile you'd like to send the blog posts to, then choose the time interval you'd like Hootsuite to check for new content.
If you select 24 hours, Hootsuite will check for new content once a day.
If you want to publish more frequently, select 1 hour.
Next choose how many posts to send if Hootsuite detects new content.
If you follow a blog that posts content frequently, you may want to publish up to 5 articles every time it checks for new posts.
You can add a bit of text to your update, such as "This just in" then choose from the drop down menu of URL shorteners, and click save feed.
Now you'll see a list of your feeds and which accounts they're being published to.
You can pause the feed whenever you'd like by toggling the 'on' and 'off' switch, which will stop Hootsuite from publishing new posts.


During World War II (1939-1945), the RFC was expanded greatly to finance the construction and operation of war plants and to make loans to foreign governments. Well, it really depends on the finance company and the over-all current value of the truck. Generally, finance companies shall not grant unsecured credit facilities to any person or body of persons, which in the aggregate and outstanding at any one time exceeds S$5,000. The bureau estimates that 34 auto finance companies would fall under that regulation, and these account for about 90 percent of all auto loans and leases not made by banks. Before you hit the apply now" button, seek out limitations and restrictions and compare between companies with the auto financing terms you are likely to need. For all Admiral Finance loans, there are terms and conditions, as well as fees that apply.


Looking to get out of the city and relax? This remote, forested setting is the perfect spot to leave technology behind and reconnect with nature. The campsites have space for more than one tent, each comes with its own picnic table and fire pit. You can drive your car right to your site and unpack at your leisure. Parking is available for day use visitors too. Check signs for fire ban information.


text:
DePaul UniversityDePaul UniversityCOVID-19 Updates and GuidanceCOVID-19 Updates and Guidance
Health & Safety Practices
COVID-19 Guidance for Positive Cases
COVID-19 Updates and Guidance > Updates > March 11, 2020—All-university details
All-university details on significant changes to Winter final exams and Spring Quarter
Rollup URL
March 11, 2020
Dear DePaul students, faculty and staff,
In the interest of the health and safety of our community, DePaul has decided to take proactive, immediate steps to encourage social distancing—a practice that is encouraged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to limit the spread of COVID-19, or coronavirus. These decisions will affect faculty, staff and students for the remainder of Winter Quarter and all of Spring Quarter.
As the university begins implementing these new measures, more information will be shared via email, Newsline Daily and the new COVID-19 Updates and Guidance website, which will be updated continually with news, FAQs and resources. We appreciate your patience as the situation unfolds. Please check your email regularly throughout the day.
At this time, DePaul's campuses remain open, however we are taking critical steps to reduce the number of gatherings and the density of people on campus while maintaining our commitment to student success and academic progress.
Immediate future
No final exams for Winter Quarter classes will take place on campus. The Provost will communicate directly with faculty about alternatives. Students will hear from their faculty about any changes to their final assignments. Students who are scheduled to complete exams through the Center for Students with Disabilities will complete exams as planned.
All university-sponsored events, either on or off campus, are postponed or canceled now until further notice. University events do not extend to core academic courses or programs that are requirements of the academic curricula.
The university is in regular communication regarding future Athletics events and is working with the NCAA and the Big East Conference.
Staff and faculty with operational responsibilities should continue to report to campus for work. Given the fluidity of COVID-19, we recommend that managers consider the possibility of telework on a case-by-case basis, particularly for employees whose job duties can be performed remotely without hampering operations. Managers will have the responsibility and accountability for these decisions. For guidance on handling telework effectively, click here.
Managers will work with student employees as they determine feasibility of working on campus or if positions can lend themselves to remote work.
Spring Quarter
Whenever possible, classes will be delivered remotely during Spring Quarter and the remainder of Spring Semester for the College of Law. Resources for instructors are available at http://go.depaul.edu/remote-teaching
A few courses will continue to meet in person if alternative instruction is not appropriate. Academic Affairs in consultation with the deans will generate the list of such courses. Accommodations associated with social distancing will be implemented in these courses.
Campuses will remain open to faculty and staff, and operations other than in-class instruction will be expected to continue.
Students who live in residence halls should prepare not to return for Spring Quarter. Additional details on move-out procedures will be communicated directly to residence hall students. If move-out is not possible, the university will work with students to accommodate students with exceptional circumstances.
International and domestic travel
As previously communicated, DePaul has canceled all spring break study abroad trips and has placed on hold several other upcoming study abroad trips. We are monitoring the situation daily and will make additional decisions as warranted.
Public health agencies have not restricted domestic travel and most international travel, however, DePaul is strongly encouraging faculty and staff to reconsider nonessential business travel to areas that have been highly impacted by COVID-19. State-by-state COVID-19 cases are detailed on the CDC's Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the U.S. site. CDC's guidance regarding international travel may be found here Coronavirus Disease 2019 Information for Travel. Local restrictions may be in place at your destination. Please check with local public health agencies before traveling.
No DePaul community members have been diagnosed with COVID-19. These decisions are being taken because the message from public health agencies has been loud and clear that we all must do our part to limit the spread of COVID-19. While DePaul's proactive measures are unprecedented and will cause a disruption to the norm, I firmly believe these steps must be taken to preserve the good health of our community, which includes students, faculty and staff who may be vulnerable to this infectious disease. We are far from the only university in the United States to be moving courses online for an extended period, and I suspect we will not be the last.
I thank everyone for their flexibility in complying with these decisions. We will be in communication again in the near future with any additional instructions. In the meantime, please visit the COVID-19 Updates and Guidance site for additional information and resources.
As the COVID-19 situation rapidly changes, we will continue to take proactive measures that are driven by care for those in our community. My concern and the top concern of our COVID-19 Planning and Response Task Force is the health of the communities in which we live and work. St. Vincent de Paul was guided by the question: "What must be done?" That question and our care for those around us must be at the top of our minds as we continue adjusting our lives to these uncertain times. Take care of yourselves and, as always, Take Care DePaul.
A. Gabriel Esteban, Ph.D.
March 11, 2020—All-university details

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Bobby Lavery
Lavery
03 November 1955 (Age N/A)
Lisburn, Antrim, NIR
Belfast, NIR & Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Robert Lavery... soccer family (brothers Phil and Albert, nephew Bill)... he was a teenager when he moved to Toronto in 1912... he married Edna May Woods on 29 January 1921 (their daughter was Anne Jane)... he was 60 years old when he passed away at Toronto East General Hospital on 3 November 1955 (he was buried at Pine Hills Cemetery, Section 6, Lot 2228)... in Canada, he suffered from rheumatic fever and was incapacitated for two years and told he would never play again...
as noted in 1918, he was "really a class exponent of the game"... described as "Canada's premier centre forward"... wrote historian Colin Jose, he was "a centre forward with a bullet-like shot"... wrote footballer Andy Wilson after a Scottish tour 1921, Lavery was "to my mind the best exponent of the forward pivotal position that you have in Canada"... as noted in 1921 in the Globe, Lavery "was one of the most effective of the Ulster players" during the 1921 Connaught Series final... as noted in 1922 in the Montréal Gazette, Lavery "is regarded as the best centre forward in the Dominion"... as noted in 1924 by The Globe, "in Lavery of Ulster and Andy Stevens of Scottish, Toronto has two of the best centres playing in the Dominion; Lavery is the more polished of the two, but Stevens has a terrific shot"... as noted in 1925 in the Winnipeg Tribune, "can be classed as one of the best centres in the Dominion... football simply rolls off (his) nimble toes... his opening out play, dribbling, and shooting is top notch at all times... his shooting with either foot usually spells goal, as he has the science of shooting worked out like an Andy Wilson"... as noted in 1932 in the Toronto Star, "almost every soccer fan in Toronto knows Bob, because he was one of the shining lights in the game"... as noted in 1955 in the Toronto Star, Lavery was "a famous Canadian soccer player during the 20s... a centre forward with a bullet-like shot"... after Lavery's death, former teammate Billy Simpson said "soccer has lost a true friend and one of its greatest players"... also remembered in 1955 by Billy Simpson, "I cannot recall him being sent off the field for misconduct in all of his brilliant career"...
wrote Augustus Dunne in 1955, "I have watched many centre forwards play here with visiting Old Country teams, but have yet to see a finer than Lavery; he could trap a pass and drive with either foot to the net before another man could decide what foot to shoot with. In headwork, I have never seen in any other player Lavery's uncanny timing, in jumping with an opponent to head a ball, nine times out of ten he'd get his head to it first, with a slight nod and deflect it where he wanted it to go. Lavery was one of the cleanest players; he played the ball, not the man, which is probably why he attained such mastery over it. Some disparaged him because he was not the bustling, hustling type, like Andy Wilson or McGarry of Celtic, but to observers who appreciate skill and finesse, the memory of the Prince of Sharpshooters will be a long, long time dying out"...
would have been part of the 1921 Canadian XI that faced the touring Scottish Star Footballers, but was unavailable to make the 9 July 1921 match in Montréal...


text:
MonsterHunter
Better Living Through Dynamic Film Criticism
Blossoms in the Dust (1941)
June 11, 2013 February 7, 2019 ~ monsterhunter
Here's a movie that's signed onto the pro-orphan agenda that certain special interests groups continuously push in this country. It's one of those do-gooder fairy tales where stuff like suicides and dead kids occur at convenient intervals just so that our heroine can be inspired to new heights of self-sacrifice while the audience is inspired to new depths of self-loathing for ever firing up a movie about a woman who crusades to have Texas' law about illegitimate kids having to be identified as such on birth certificates and marriage licenses changed.
Naturally, this is all presented as some sort of discrimination and the folks from the good families who oppose any legislation that would essentially legalize slutty behavior are depicted as narrow-minded meanies who don't like kids. In fact, star Greer Garson practically sneers at them when they say that the changes she demands would cause an outbreak of teen pregnancy. All of us taxpayers know how that turned out! Thanks, Greer!
Though based on a true story, things get off to a creaky start when we meet Edna Gladney and her idyllic existence in Wisconsin. She has a sister named Charlotte who is actually a foundling and they are both planning to be married simultaneously. Shortly before the wedding though Edna meets Sam Gladney down at the bank and he gets fresh with her by telling her that he is going to marry her even though she is engaged to someone else and he is just visiting from Texas.
Sam is played by Walter Pidgeon and this movie marks the first of eight pairings between him and Garson (see also Mrs. Parkington). He's playing a fairly easygoing chap in this one, but was hampered by a lack of a mustache that alternately made me think I was watching Mr. Bean or Lon Chaney, Jr.
Somehow or other he manages to weasel his way into her heart and writes to her from Texas and comes back six months later to marry her. Charlotte is also going to be married (I thought she was getting married six months ago!) but there's a hitch to getting hitched when the parents of her fiancé find out that she doesn't know who her daddy is!
While that would be something most of us would be glad of, back at the turn of the Twentieth Century this is the sort of thing that would cause Charlotte to haul ass off to her room to kill herself!
Don't mourn for Charlotte though because eventually her death would spur Edna to reform Texas' laws against illegitimate brats. This is certainly more than she would have ever accomplished had she not offed herself!
Edna and Sam go ahead and get married, move down to Texas and start their own family. They have a son, a prissy little thing in short pants and you immediately start to salivate since you know he's marked for death (it's a rule of the universe that the only time anyone has any interest in orphans and stuff like that is when their real kid croaks and they can't have any more) and you're practically licking your lips like the big bad wolf when granny takes him out for a ride in a horse drawn carriage. Kids and horses in these movies mix about as well as pregnant chicks and staircases.
Fast forward a few years and Edna is trying to cover the emptiness of her life (when she had the first kid, the doctor said she would never be able to have another due to the requirements of the plot) by hosting elaborate parties and boozing it up.
Sam is disturbed that his wife now sucks so he has their doctor drop off an kid at their house for the night (What a cool husband!) to try and shake her out it, but she just gets pissed. In a moment that shows some of the problems this movie suffers from, the very next scene has Edna running a day care center!
There are some pretty choppy transitions in this one. Stuff just sort of happens for no reason other than there were certain points that needed to be made and sometimes there were plot elements that didn't exist to set up anything at all! (I'm thinking of a pretty lame and barely touched upon blackmail angle in particular.)
Sam manages to die at an opportune moment as far as Edna's crusade goes. As he literally lies on his death bed, he reveals that someone has purchased his new grain processing method which should provide some cash for Edna and her little brats!
When a woman shows up at her orphanage in the same situation as Charlotte, right down to her suicidal ideations, Edna immediately heads down to Austin or the Alamo or wherever these cowboys have their government and demands the law be changed so that new birth certificates will be printed up. If I was in charge, I would have said "sure thing Toots, but you're going to be the one typing up five million birth certificates. Hope you packed an IBM Selectric in there along with your moral outrage."
This is one of those one dimensional glowing biographies of someone that Hollywood probably patted itself on the back for making. As such, its historical importance is minimal and its entertainment value is nil. Garson and Pigeon do show us the makings of why they would appear in seven other pictures together as their scenes with one another are solid enough, but he goes and croaks and she gets caught up in being a tireless martyr and is there anything more tiresome than that?
I suppose I should be glad that the movie stopped when it did and didn't detail the real-life Edna's efforts to get Texas' inheritance laws changed for adopted kids. Bundle this one up in a blanket and drop it on the doorstep of your local church in the middle of the night and just pretend it all was a bad case of indigestion.
© 2013 MonsterHunter
Posted in 1940s, Classic, Drama
Published by monsterhunter
View all posts by monsterhunter
‹ PreviousA River Runs Through It (1992)
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text:
Geert Steurs (born 24 September 1981 in Schoten) is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer, who last rode for .

Major results

2004
 3rd Road race, National Amateur Road Championships
2006
 1st  Overall Tour of Hong Kong Shanghai
1st Stage 1
 2nd Flèche Ardennaise
 2nd Circuit de Wallonie
 5th Kattekoers
 5th Internationale Wielertrofee Jong Maar Moedig
 8th Nokere Koerse
2007
 3rd Nokere Koerse
2008
 6th Halle–Ingooigem
 7th Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
 9th Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise
2009
 7th Halle–Ingooigem
 9th Overall Sachsen-Tour
2010
 2nd Overall Tour of Qatar
1st Stage 2

External links
Personal website

1981 births
Living people
Belgian male cyclists
People from Schoten
Cyclists from Antwerp Province

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Recently I had a drawing come back for re-framing. I knew it was something I'd done quite some time ago but was slightly shocked by the date - 1974 !
This is one (it's a triptych) of a series of eight Rapidograph drawings I did straight after leaving college for a little exhibition at Cheltenham Public Library.
I don't know if I've got better or worse at drawing but I think the thing to is to keep on doing it.
These days I'd never even think of trying to put so many ideas into one composition.


text:
Q: django complex postgres query parsing The user in my frontend can submit an arbitrary nested query string on the id of my model like so
querystring="(driver = 1 AND routes = 3) OR ( driver = 2 AND weather = 1 )"

I want to use djangos complex Q function to query this string in the backend, meaning I need to turn querystring into something like
criterion = \
(Q(detail__drivers=1) & Q(routes =3) ) | (Q(detail__driver=2) & Q(detail__weather=1) )

in order to be able to filter using
self.queryset.filter(criterion)

But how can I automatically translate the string into the criterion while maintaining the parentheses structure?

A: Try this one:
self.queryset.filter(Q(detail__drivers=1, routes =3) |(Q(detail__driver=2, detail__weather=1))


text:
Brent South was a constituency for the House of Commons of the UK Parliament; the areas of the constituency chiefly fell into the new Brent Central for the 2010 general election which was the date of its abolition. It elected one member (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

From its creation in 1974, the constituency consistently elected Labour MPs with large majorities. At the 2010 general election, Brent South was abolished and split between neighbouring Brent North and two newly created constituencies: Brent Central and Hampstead and Kilburn.

Boundaries
1974–1983: The London Borough of Brent wards of Alperton, Barham, Chamberlayne, Harlesden, Kensal Rise, Manor, Roundwood, St Raphael's, Stonebridge, and Wembley Central

1983–1997: As above less Chamberlayne ward, plus Tokyngton ward

1997–2010: As above plus St Andrews ward

Constituency profile
Brent South was a constituency covering various suburban and inner city areas of Brent, namely Kensal Green, Harlesden (including Park Royal and Stonebridge), Neasden (southern part), Wembley (town centre, including Alperton, Tokyngton (from 1983) and southern Sudbury), and (from 1997) southern Kingsbury.

It is one of the most multicultural areas in the United Kingdom. The 1991 census revealed that 55.4% of the constituency was from an ethnic minority background, the second-highest figure in England at the time behind Birmingham Ladywood.

Members of Parliament

Election results

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 2000s

References

External links

Politics of the London Borough of Brent
Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1974
Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 2010
Parliamentary constituencies in London (historic)


text:
Home Contractors Structured Development to build 33 'affordable' East Garfield Park townhouses, 14 to...
Suppliers/materials
Structured Development to build 33 'affordable' East Garfield Park townhouses, 14 to be modular
Structured Development says it has launched the second phase of Harrison Row Townhomes, an affordable for-sale townhome community at Harrison and Francisco streets in Chicago's East Garfield Park neighborhood. A total of 33 new three-bedroom, 1.5-bath townhomes will be added, including 14 duplex townhomes, or 28 units, built using modular construction, the developer says in a March 2 statement.
The townhouses created under Chicago's Affordable Requirements Ordinance (ARO) are priced from $245,000. The developer says they will be build in phases over the course of the year and reserved for households earning up to 120% of the Area Median Income.
Buyers will be sourced through the Chicago Community Land Trust (CCLT), a nonprofit corporation administered and staffed by the Chicago Department of Housing that seeks to preserve the long-term affordability of homes created through city of Chicago programs, including the ARO.
A total of 33 new three-bedroom, 1.5-bath townhomes will be added, including 14 duplex townhomes, or 28 units, built using modular construction.
"Teachers, police officers, firefighters, healthcare professionals, factory workers – they form the backbone of our city, yet they typically struggle to find affordable workforce housing," Mike Drew, founding principal of Structured Development, said in the statement.
"Ironically, their income levels disqualify them for low-income housing options yet they don't earn enough to afford market-rate homes, especially those that are newly constructed and large enough to accommodate a family. Harrison Row will give more people the opportunity to achieve the dream of homeownership, putting down roots in the community and building equity from the day they close."
Chicago-based Kinexx Modular Construction will assemble the modular townhomes off-site in its Southwest Side factory, significantly reducing the construction timeline for each home to approximately 90 days, including on-site installation. Founded in 2020 by Joshua Braun and Paul Tebben, Kinexx is the first company to design, build and install a modular home in Chicago, with plans customized to the city's typical lot size. Harrison Row is the first townhome application of the company's modular designs.
"We started Kinexx in the hopes of addressing Chicago's affordable housing shortage. This is exactly the type of project we envisioned when we created our mission statement, 'We make homes that make communities,'" said Braun, principal and CEO of Kinexx. "Our modular homes are indistinguishable from homes built using traditional construction methods, and we believe Harrison Row will prove the viability and scalability of our model as we look to partner with the city and developers like Structured to create homeownership opportunities for low- and middle-income households that, until now, have been severely underserved."
The idea to explore modular for Harrison Row's second phase originated from Fain's LLC, a Black-owned development firm based in East Garfield Park. Led by Kevin Brinson and Quentin "Q" Addison, who both grew up in the neighborhood, Fain's originally specialized in renovations and other contracting work before shifting its focus to development.
Following an introduction by 27 Ward Ald. Walter Burnett Jr., Fain's began receiving mentorship from Structured Development on the first phase of Harrison Row and is now a partner on two of the units in phase two. As part of the ownership group, Fain's will share in the fee revenues and profit and losses while gaining the foundation to develop projects independently in the future.
Structured Development is fulfilling part of its ARO obligations for The Shops at Big Deahl, a mixed-use, mixed-income community the firm is developing at the southeast corner of Blackhawk and Kingsbury streets in Lincoln Park.
Under the ARO, the Harrison Row Townhomes are required to remain affordable for at least 30 years.
Previous articleBrick Industries Association recognizes Chicago project as "best in class" for educational projects
Next articleMcShane building $5.3 million Waukegan affordable housing project
Kinexx installs Chicago's first two-unit prefabricated homes in East Garfield Park project | Chicago Construction News March 13, 2022 At 1:42 pm
[…] approximately $245,000 townhouses are part of the Harrison Row project, built by Fain's Development and Structured Development. They have about 1,500 sq. […]
McHugh starts vertical construction on $43 million Uptown mixed-use development
Illinois Works accepting applications for pre-apprenticeship program funding


- Bookkeeping, (Monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or as arranged.) This service includes the completion of HST returns.
- Payroll services – weekly, biweekly, monthly, including Payroll remits and WSIB remittances.
- T4's, T4A', T5's as well as T5018's for our construction clients.
- Corporate and small Business Year Ends and Tax Filing.
- Training and installation of Quickbooks and Simply Accounting.


This course is designed for health and mental health professionals who are involved in the evaluation or treatment of persons who use cannabis, either illicitly or as an adjunct to medical treatment.
In support of improving patient care, NetCE is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. NetCE has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6361. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. NetCE is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. As a Jointly Accredited Organization, NetCE is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. NetCE maintains responsibility for this course. NetCE is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). NetCE complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices. As a result of this accreditation, NetCE is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0021.This course is considered self-study by the New York State Board of Mental Health Counseling. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0033. This course is considered self-study, as defined by the New York State Board for Social Work. Materials that are included in this course may include interventions and modalities that are beyond the authorized practice of licensed master social work and licensed clinical social work in New York. As a licensed professional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities that are defined in law as beyond the boundaries of practice for an LMSW and LCSW. A licensee who practices beyond the authorized scope of practice could be charged with unprofessional conduct under the Education Law and Regents Rules. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists. #MFT-0015.This course is considered self-study by the New York State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy.
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 5 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit(s) for learning and change. NetCE designates this enduring material for a maximum of 5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. NetCE designates this continuing education activity for 5 ANCC contact hour(s). NetCE designates this continuing education activity for 5 pharmacotherapeutic/pharmacology contact hour(s). NetCE designates this continuing education activity for 6 hours for Alabama nurses. NetCE designates this continuing education activity for 2 NBCC clock hour(s). Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 5 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit. Completion of this course constitutes permission to share the completion data with ACCME. Social workers participating in this intermediate to advanced course will receive 5 Clinical continuing education clock hours. Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the activity with individual assessments of the participant and feedback to the participant, enables the participant to earn 5 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics' (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABP MOC credit. AACN Synergy CERP Category A. NetCE is authorized by IACET to offer 0.5 CEU(s) for this program.
This course has been approved by NetCE, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits, NAADAC Provider #97847. NetCE is responsible for all aspects of their programming. NetCE is approved as a provider of continuing education by the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals. Provider Number 5-08-151-0620. NetCE is approved as a provider of continuing education by the California Association for Alcohol/Drug Educators. Provider Number CP10 889 H 0620. This activity is designed to comply with the requirements of California Assembly Bill 1195, Cultural and Linguistic Competency. NetCE designates this continuing education activity for 5 continuing education hours for addiction professionals.
The purpose of this course is to allow healthcare professionals to effectively identify, diagnose, treat, and provide appropriate referrals for patients with cannabis use disorders.


Periodical monitoring and certification of microbiological & biochemical quality analysis of seafood.
Extraction of sulphated polysaccharide, mineral content, phycocolloid & utilization of seaweeds as agriculture manure.
Multiplex PCR method were developed for the identification of multidrug resistant methicillin resistant Staphyloccocci (MRSA), Pathotyping of E.coli and Fungal pathogens in seafoods.
on hygienic handling, drying of fishes and value addition of fishery products to the Sidi tribal community.
Developed value added fishery products such as shrimp samosa, Traditional Gujarati style shark curry, squid momos, Jawala shrimp chutney powder, Jawala minced meat, fish skin gelatin, collagen, preparation of low sodium dried fish, salting and drying kinetics of fish,Surimi balls, crab stick etc.
Popularised improved fishing gear and methods and upgrading of traditional fishing gear for the responsible utilization of important fishery resources of North west coast.
Developed bycatch reduction devises (BRD) for Bag nest to save hilsa juveniles of Narmada estuary.
Design development and popularisation of four seamed Semi pelagic trawl system for coastal and deep waters.


The studio is located in downtown Indianapolis. 9th and East Street.
How often should I book a lesson?
This really depends on how committed you are to becoming a guitarist. I would recommend one lesson per week, with more around examination time. Some students have one lesson every two weeks, this is the minimum I would recommend.
Can you travel to me for lessons?
Yes, I will travel to you however there will be a traveling charge. Please enquire for more details.
No, James has all the equipment necessary for your lesson.
What ages and abilities do you teach?
All ages and all abilities are welcome! Parents/ carers are always welcome to sit in during lessons.
Do you offer any other types of lessons?
Yes! I offer electric guitar, acoustic guitar and bass guitar lessons. As well as music theory lessons, which can be applied to any instrument.
Want to know latest news?
Professional Guitar Lessons from British guitarist James Knott.


text:
Police investigate if funeral home didn't bury bodies
TIPTON — Police are investigating whether a central Indiana funeral director didn't bury at least four bodies within a reasonable time as required by state law.
State police say an inspection this month of Porter Funeral Home in Tipton by an examiner from the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency Board found four bodies in a non-refrigerated area, 11 death certificates hadn't been issued and funeral director 62-year-old Kevin Porter's license was expired.
A call by The Associated Press to the funeral home was answered by Tipton County Coroner Brad Nichols. He said Porter, who also owned the funeral home, killed himself Thursday.
Police on Thursday had searched the now-closed funeral home and four bodies found inside were turned over to the coroner's office, which has been in touch with affected families.
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I want to be your sales representative in Ukraine. Do you allocate money for advertising? How is my commission paid?


I had the pleasure of attending 'How to Fund a Film' workshop by Producer Ivan Clements and Director-Producer Chris Jones.
Chris is the inspirational filmmaker who's short film 'Gone Fishing' was Oscar Shortlisted in 2009 and author of the Guerilla Filmmakers Handbook.
Ivan is a multi award winning Producer (winner 'BEST FILM' Producers Guild of America 2009 for 'Gone Fishing') with a long and proven track record in raising film finance, cashflow and tax credit structuring.
Film financing is a complex field and there are a plethora of resources online to pool information. Not all these sites are catered to filmmaker's creative backgrounds. Indeed the last time I spent an afternoon on the HMRC website to consult UK Film Tax laws, my desire to commit Internet Hari-kari was overwhelming (and I have spent 13 years in Finance)!!
Ivan and Chris have managed to inject a much needed dose of 'fun' into Film FUNding (confession, I have stolen borrowed that from Chris . Their combined experience and expertise makes this a fantastic workshop where audience engagement and networking is actively encouraged.
At the workshop, Ivan showed us how to set up SEIS and EIS schemes through a detailed 27 step process and also how to apply for Film Tax Credit. The complexities of the content are handled with due care and enthusiasm, taking plenty of time for questions and fun 'memgem' breaks! All sample materials and links are made available online to the delegates.
Chris gave a presentation on crowd funding and how that is changing the landscape for Independent / Micro Budget filmmaking. Noting that crowd funding has been around much longer than Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Their hugely successful short film, Gone Fishing, was crowd sourced. He notes the importance of constantly engaging your audience and giving them creative incentives to participate. That crowd funding should be treated as a project in itself, separate to and before Principal Photography. The success of Veronica Mars Kickstarter campaign (raising over $5 million!) shows the power of an existing fan base. And the increased awareness of these platforms can help new filmmakers raise funds outside the studio system.
The workshop drew a very diverse set of delegates and the hosts insistence of moving seats after breaks was a great idea. I met some wonderful Producers, Directors and Actors and was great to hear about their stories, projects and their experiences in the industry.
Delegates at the workshop (held at Regents College Film School).
The (encouraged) networking element is a fantastic feature of this and future events. The after drinks session gave me time to have a chat with Ivan, fellow delegates (and Chris though far too briefly since I had to leave early. Looking forward to the Filmmaker Master Class in a few weeks!). Ivan has just made his directorial debut on a short, written and acted by his daughter. He said that it was a lot more fun being on the creative side of the line.
I would like to thank both Chris and Ivan again for hosting this fantastic event, sharing their knowledge and inspiring a new generation of filmmakers! And would strongly recommend any of their future events. Also a thank you to all the delegates I met for giving me your time and sharing your stories. It would be a pleasure to write future posts about your projects so please don't hesitate to contact me!
Tnaks for the write up, even my head was spinning by the end of the day. Talk about process and procedure!
Really good day (had by me and everyone I spoke to), forced networking (actually a great idea when a room full of passionate people quickly get into deep conversations and forget to move on!) and my picture on your blog for a bonus!
Great to meet you and can't wait for the Guerilla Filmakers Masterclass!
Was great to meet you Mark. And intrigued by your 60 second film success. Don't know many folks who can get an f15 hired for a shoot… Nice ! See you at the master class !