text: Timing is everything in life. The last several years of the exhibition event ShoWest will always be remembered to a certain degree with the phrase "just around the corner " a reference to the frustrations of getting the digital cinema transition in full gear. In contrast the inaugural CinemaCon is likely to be remembered with phrases such as "gold rush" as an astonishing number of business deals were announced during the show's four days. This is often the case at trade shows when there are few major new technology introductions. There were virtually none at CinemaCon 2011 and probably as a consequence people felt even more empowered to move forward. There was one special first at the convention and that was the keynote address given by newly named head of the Motion Pictures Association of America Christopher Dodd former Democratic Senator from Connecticut. Speaking on just his ninth day on the job Dodd promised to be an enthusiastic industry supporter and obviously a strong advocate in Washington. Anyone reading this article will probably find it difficult to believe that there are still a few exhibitors who believe they can get by without digital. Others who insist that 3D is a fad yet again. I don't know specific names but they attended various functions that I did. Getting their names didn't seem worth the effort. Any exhibitor – certainly in North America – who has not made the move to digital in the next 12-24 months at the latest will be out of business very soon. Of that there is little doubt. In his state of the industry address John Fithian president of the National Association of Theatre Owners made that point rather bluntly: "For any exhibitor who can hear my voice who hasn't begun your digital transition I urge you to get moving " he said. "The distribution and exhibition industries achieved history when we agreed to technical standards and a virtual print fee model to enable this transition. But the VPFs won't last forever. Domestically you must be installed by the end of 2012 if you want to qualify. Equally significantly based on our assessment of the roll out schedule and our conversations with our distribution partners I believe that film prints could be unavailable as early as the end of 2013. Simply put if you don't make the decision to get on the digital train soon you will be making the decision to get out of the business." Fithian said this in the context of an otherwise upbeat speech. "It remains a great time to be in the cinema business " he said. "Global box office receipts have climbed 30 percent over five years to a record high of 31.8 billion dollars in 2010 and domestic box office has climbed 15 percent to 10.6 billion. The rate of inflation by comparison rose only 8 percent during the past five years. Compare that to other segments of the entertainment industry such as home video where sales have declined by 13 percent over the past five years." Much of this success can be directly attributed to digital cinema technology he said. "The digital revolution has simply exploded since a year ago. Here in the U.S. we have nearly 16 000 digital screens out of a total of 39 000. Almost 9 000 of those digital screens are equipped to project in 3D. We will add thousands more this year." If the number of business announcements that were made at this event are an indicator Fithian's predictions – both positive and negative – could well be understatements. Business Christie and Harkness Screens announced that they have teamed up to help exhibitors more easily transition from film to digital projection. With the transition to 3D well underway as a result of this partnership exhibitors can help cut operating costs roughly in half as gain screens use smaller lamps that are cheaper last longer and consume less power. "We are thrilled to partner with Christie to educate further our customers on how to maximize their transition to digital " says Andrew Robinson Harkness Screens managing director. "Through this collaboration we are able to offer a quality and cost-effective solution." In other Christie news Rave Motion Pictures announced a services alliance with Christie Managed Services. A longtime user of Christie projectors Rave is now entrusting CMS to service its entire Lobby Entertainment Network . "As a large and decentralized operation we were having a hard time finding a good outsourced provider for our digital signage needs " said Brad Wardlow vice president of operations for Rave Motion Pictures. "We have 61 locations in 21 states and all too often outages resulted in inoperable displays in the common areas of our lobby and concession spaces with the resultant repairs being expense and taking a long time to complete. We needed find a worry-free solution so we could concentrate on our business which is to deliver a total theater experience to our movie-patron customers." In addition to movie projectors Rave provides a Lobby Entertainment Network air show display over concession areas more than 500 digital menu boards LED way-finder signage and extensive LED signage in its box offices. A previous provider had often used distant non-local technicians causing high travel and accommodation costs and longer time frames to service and support these products. In contrast CMS created a one-stop manageable strategy that addresses ongoing preventive maintenance as well as immediate attention to any problems. "This solution makes total sense for us operationally financially and aesthetically " said Wardlow. "The only question we have been asking ourselves is 'why did we take so long to make the decision?' We're getting faster service more preventative/proactive management of our signage program and all at lower costs." "Christie and Rave collaborated to identify sites create inventories of assets and to develop a more planned life-cycle approach to managing these assets versus a reactive approach to emergencies " said Sean James vice president Christie Managed Services. "The CMS approach is to provide a support strategy which minimizes the amount of down time and expense associated with deploying the technology cinema owners want to use. By leveraging our technology and national networks of people and parts we are able to significantly improve the availability of displays and projection systems." Dolby Laboratories announced that Ramesh Sippy Entertainment's Dum Maaro Dum will be released on April 22 in India with Dolby Surround 7.1. Produced by Ramesh Sippy Entertainment and distributed by Fox Star Studios Dum Maaro Dum is a dramatic thriller set among the beaches side streets and raves of Goa. The film stars Abhishek Bachchan Bipasha Basu Rana Duggabati and Pratiek Babbar and will feature a soundtrack created by Pritam. It is a pleasure to be first off the block with mixing my film Dum Maaro Dum in Dolby Surround 7.1. Viewers will be delighted with the enhanced sound experience of this phenomenal product said Rohan Sippy the film's director. Dum Maaro Dum a thriller for the audience will have more depth more realism and an even greater sense of being in the middle of the action. Dolby Surround 7.1 takes the excitement of movies to the next level. The Dolby Surround 7.1 mix was conducted by FutureWorks Media with Manas Ranjan Choudhury as sound designer and Debojit Changmai as sound mixing engineer. Dolby has been helping filmmakers realize their artistic visions through continued innovation in audio and visual technologies for forty years said Matt Cuson senior director marketing Cinema Market Segment Dolby Laboratories. We are pleased to support Indian filmmakers with Dolby Surround 7.1. This technology gives filmmakers greater control over the definition and placement of sounds and is designed to help them unleash the full depth and power of their creative visions. NEC announced that its NC3240S (7kW and 4kW versions) 4K DLP Digital Cinema Projectors are shipping to customers. The NC3240S was first shown to the public in October 2010 at ShowEast as a pre-production model. "We are delighted to be launching these projectors as we approach the summer season with the wave of new 3D movie releases " said Jim Reisteter general manager for Digital Cinema Projectors at NEC Display Solutions. "With both increased resolution and brightness patrons will enjoy advanced imagery that is especially noticeable on very large screens. Our engineering team has excelled in furthering the use of premier components and manufacturing processes to guarantee the reliability that is renowned in NEC products." In other news from NEC Wehrenberg Theatres selected NEC digital cinema projectors for its 210 screens in the Midwest. Wehrenberg will deploy NEC digital cinema projectors - the NC1200 NC2000 and NC3240S models - to replace its 35mm technology for its cinemas across Missouri and other central states. Sixty-five digital systems already have been installed. NEC Financial Services provided the financing for the Wehrenberg deployment while Ballantyne Strong is supplying 4K digital projection systems installation and ongoing maintenance services after installation. Cinedigm is responsible for structuring and implementing the underlying VPF agreement that enables Wehrenberg's conversion to digital cinema as well as providing the entire administration responsibility of the VPF program for Wehrenberg. GDC Technology will provide the cinema servers. "We selected NEC projectors because of their reliability and our strong working relationship with NEC over the last number of years " said Ronald P. Krueger chairman and CEO of Wehrenberg Theatres. "As we complete our migration to digital technology and explore alternative content we're grateful to have NEC and its partners contribute to making the Wehrenberg experience that much more memorable for our guests." The NEC deployment is scheduled to begin in April and slated for completion in September 2011. "Wehrenberg Theatres will enjoy all the benefits of the NEC technology such as lower operating costs centralized operations and the highest digital cinema projector quality on the market " said Pierre Richer president and COO of NEC Display Solutions. "Wehrenberg has built a reputation for innovation over their 105 years of existence and we're proud to support them in this next phase of their growth." "Wehrenberg has created a unique theater experience for movie-goers in the Midwest and upgrading to the latest in digital projection equipment will no doubt be well received " said Gary Cavey president and CEO of Ballantyne Strong. "We are delighted to once again partner with Cinedigm as well as both NEC Financial Services and NEC Display Solutions." "Cinedigm is grateful to be working with valued partners NEC Display Solutions and Ballantyne in the Wehrenberg Theatres deployment " said Chuck Goldwater president media services sroup at Cinedigm. "We welcome the opportunity to help Wehrenberg build upon its past successes and forge relationships with new customers." Sony Electronics announced a new program for exhibitors to participate in the 4K digital cinema conversion. The Exhibitor Managed Financing Program allows a theatre to own their installed digital cinema equipment and through participation in Sony's Virtual Print Fee program with major Hollywood studios reduce their total cost of ownership as they convert to digital technology. Under this new program exhibitors will purchase equipment and extended warranty on the projector from Sony directly with Sony managing the back-end VPF billing and collection process on their behalf. Exhibitors will also enter into a long-term services agreement with Sony for equipment maintenance. "Sony is committed to making our 4K Digital Cinema equipment available to exhibitors of all sizes " said Pat Leon senior manager business development. This new Exhibitor Managed Financing Program fills a gap in the market. It enables small exhibitors who for strategic or financial reasons wish to own the equipment outright to give their customers the Sony 4K experience while simultaneously benefitting from the lower total cost of ownership that a VPF program affords." The program includes Sony's 4K Projector a central storage server a Theatre Management System and 10-year equipment warranty as well as transportation installation and regularly scheduled maintenance of the projector. As usage fees are paid on the projector Sony will bill and collect those usage fees on behalf of the exhibitor and retain a percentage of the total usage fees as compensation for Sony's administrative services. To support this model Sony has arranged non-exclusive relationships with financiers including GE Capital to help exhibitors who are interested in exploring new financing options. However exhibitors are under no obligation to use GE Capital. Exhibitors who have existing relationships with preferred financing partners are able to maintain those while still participating in this program. Sony stressed that exhibitors have the right to seek financing from any source including GE Capital and are under no obligation to use GE Capital. In other Sony news Sony said that it has selected Arqiva as their technology partner for the live global 3D distribution of the 2011 Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships to worldwide cinemas. This will be the first time this famous tournament has been transmitted live to cinemas or seen in stunning high-definition 3D and so it represents an innovative and unique viewing opportunity for tennis enthusiasts all around the world. Four key matches will be transmitted: the men's semi-finals the women's final and the men's final. Working closely with Sony and their theatrical distribution partners Supervision Media Arqiva will provide the complete global transmission chain via Arqiva's Digital Cinema Satellite Distribution System including SNG teleport services and satellite capacity. Arqiva's Digital Cinema platform on IS-905 will electronically distribute Sony's feed to European cinemas with multiple international satellites used to reach 3D capable cinemas around the globe. George Eyles head of digital cinema at Arqiva Broadcast & Media said "We have an excellent working relationship with both Sony and Supervision and are delighted that they have asked us to distribute this famous sporting event in such an innovative and high-tech medium. We will provide considerable input into the many technical aspects of the transmissions drawing on our previous experience of delivering 3D cinema events including the 2010 Rugby Six Nations 2010 Football World Cup and the world's first live 3D Opera. Our digital cinema platform on IS-905 is well established for European HD and 3D cinema distribution while our integrated international network delivers the necessary global reach for a truly international sporting event." David McIntosh director of digital cinema for Sony Europe said "Arqiva's international infrastructure offers us the flexibility and reliability we need to bring this prestigious sporting event to appreciative audiences all around the world. They have proven expertise of successfully delivering major sporting events in 3D so we will be drawing extensively on their experience and knowledge to ensure that cinemas around the world can show the matches in the highest possible quality and with maximum confidence. Sony's 3D broadcast experience combined with Arqiva's track record in 3D distribution and Sony Digital Cinema 4K projection of 'easy on the eye' superior 3D will ensure we bring the best 3D experience to fans in cinemas." Daniel Webber managing director SuperVision Media said "Having worked with Arqiva on previous international events we are delighted that they will be providing the distribution elements of these important transmissions. With a huge anticipated take-up by cinemas spread right across the world it's vital to have a technology partner who understands and can professionally handle all the regional variations in equipment and standards – Arqiva is that company." Screenvision announced a new long-term agreement with Allen Theatres the largest theatre operator in the State of New Mexico. As a result of the deal Screenvision broadens its presence throughout New Mexico and continues to have exclusive selling and exhibition rights in the Late Preshow. Headquartered in Las Cruces New Mexuco Allen Theatres operates 14 theatres and 95 screens in the Albuquerque-Santa Fe area. Additional cities include Roswell Cortez and Carlsbad. "The extended partnership between Screenvision and Allen Theatres further illustrates that exhibitors continue to see the value that comes with partnering with Screenvision " said Darryl Schaffer executive vice president operations and exhibitor relations Screenvision. "We are delighted to continue bringing unique entertainment to Allen Theatre's with this extended agreement." The cinema ad company Spotlight Cinema Networks announced that it has formed a dedicated exhibitor relations department. The cinema advertising market has been very receptive to Spotlight since its launch last year. Given this success we felt that this was the right time to launch an exhibitor relations department and bring aboard Ronnie Ycong as vice president " said company president Jerry Rakfeldt. "Ronnie is one of the most experienced exhibitor relations executives in the U.S. and will lead the development of key niches to drive our growth." Prior to joining Spotlight Ycong was director of exhibitor relations at Screenvision where he was charged with maintaining and growing its exhibitor network. "I am excited about the opportunity with Spotlight and to work with a team focused on bringing a new approach to the cinema space " said Ycong. AMC Theatres unveiled AMC Stubs a new spend-based rewards program that will replace the company's previous points-based MovieWatcher program which debuted in 1990 as the industry's first-ever guest loyalty program. The program is designed to provide frequent moviegoers with more value as they earn rewards for every dollar spent at AMC Theatres nationwide. "AMC Stubs is unique in that it provides members with a choice of rewards which will be brought to life by three movie bloggers who we've invited to embark on the Search for Stubs Challenge " said Stephen Colanero AMC's chief marketing officer. "We're excited to show how AMC Stubs will reward AMC's most loyal and frequent moviegoers while giving them an opportunity to let their moviegoing experiences live online." As part of the launch AMC officially kicked off the Search for Stubs Challenge inviting three prominent movie bloggers – Steve Weintraub of Collider Mike Eisenberg of Screen Rant and Wilson Morales of Black Film – to participate in a competition to visit the most AMC Theatres and see the most movies possible from April 15 - May 6. Each blogger will post everything from actual movie reviews to their theatre experience while also earning and randomly rewarding their followers and fellow moviegoers with all the aspects of the new AMC Stubs program. The name AMC Stubs plays off the classic paper movie ticket stub that guests collect to preserve long-lasting movie memories. Now each AMC Stubs member will have their own online AMC Stubs book that brings the paper ticket stub concept into the digital age by automatically populating a virtual movie ticket stub in members' online AMC Stubs book for each movie they see. "This online stub functionality extends the movie experience into relevant social media by enabling members to tag friends and family they attended with rate the movie make comments and share them within the AMC Stubs member network or on their Facebook pages " said Colanero. "This creates an online interactive movie experience never before seen with a theatre-industry loyalty program." AMC Stubs is a paid program with an annual fee of $12. Every time guests spend $100 they receive a $10 AMC Stubs Reward which is good for anything in the theatre from tickets and concessions to gift cards and membership fee renewals. The enrollment fee goes toward the first reward as well. "If it's in the theatre your AMC Stubs Rewards will cover it " said Colanero. Barco announced that it is outfitting 81 screens in ShowPlex's theatres with the company's 2K DLP projectors. ShowPlex acquired 10 theater locations in Missouri Kansas Arkansas Oklahoma and Nebraska from former owner Dickinson Theatres in May 2010. This move establishes ShowPlex as an all-digital circuit. Barco and Cinedigm are providing full financing and VPF for ShowPlex's deployment as part of Cinedigm's turnkey Phase 2 deployment program while GDC Technology will supply cutting-edge digital cinema servers. "The opportunity to get the industry's best and brightest projectors with extremely attractive financing enables us to move forward with the conversion of our entire circuit. This allows us to rapidly establish the new ShowPlex brand as a high quality movie exhibitor " commented Al Lane CEO of ShowPlex." "As a brand new exhibitor looking to make an immediate impact ShowPlex has chosen to launch its business with the best combination of digital cinema quality and total cost of ownership in the industry. Al and the ShowPlex team bring deep cinema experience to this new venture and we are proud to partner with them as they create their new all-digital circuit " commented Patrick Lee vice president digital cinema for Barco North America. Barco also announced that in the first quarter of 2011 it received new orders for more than 1500 units in Greater China. To continue to meet this strong market demand the production capacity of Barco's Beijing plant was increased from 200 to 500 digital cinema projectors per month. Barco also established a new digital cinema R&D centre in Beijing. New orders received in the first quarter of 2011 from many well-known theatres and theatre investment companies included new and existing customers such as China Film Group Corporation Pearl River Jinyi Lumière Pictures Stellar Film Investment Beijing Red Star Cinema Investment and Guangdong South China Film. Barco retains a digital cinema projector market share of over 65 percent in Greater China and over 80 percent in Hong Kong and Taiwan. "Barco performed extremely well in digital cinema in 2010 particularly in China " said Wim Buyens senior vice president Entertainment at Barco. "Overall China has played a vital role in our global performance. Recent acquisitions will also support Barco's broader strategy to move up in the value chain from digital cinema projector supplier to provider of digital cinema visualization solutions. In the following years Barco will not only continue to be the technology leader in digital cinema projection but will also expand its product portfolio to include digital signage theatre management systems and more." Cinedigm announced the signing of a long term VPF deployment agreement with Goodrich Quality Theateres that will provide for the digital conversion of 255 screens at 28 theaters. The rollout is expected to begin in April and be completed by the end of the year at which time all Goodrich Quality Theatres will be 100 percent digital. "Upgrading our theaters with state-of-the-art digital cinemas continues our tradition of delivering the best movie-going experience possible " said Bob Goodrich CEO/owner. "Cinedigm is a great partner and have worked with us to customize a deal that fits our specific needs for equipment and financing enabling us to continue to meet both our customers' expectations and our own operational goals." Goodrich Quality Theaters is all about quality and it shows in their attention to detail in everything they do said Chuck Goldwater president media services group. And because of that precision we are exceedingly proud that after evaluating all their options Goodrich Quality Theatres chose Cinedigm to entrust with their digital cinema future. Cinedigm also announced a successful deployment with Sun Theatres for the first Theatre Command Center installation in Melbourne Australia. This six-screen complex also marks the first successful integration with Qube Cinema in a fully networked and automated DCI 2K digital projection environment. "We converted to digital in mid 2009 but until now have still needed mediaologists to operate and monitor our daily screenings. As an independent cinema we want to provide the best experience for our loyal audience while seeking the efficiencies and operational benefits that Digital should deliver " said Michael Smith owner Sun Theatre. "Cinedigm Qube and Venue Ticketing worked together collaboratively with our engineer and mediaologoist to ensure a smooth installation and commissioning. The system has run seamlessly over the last month and our staff love the ease of use and confidence in its reliability." In other news Cinedigm announced long-term agreements with the Canadian Cinema Buying Group members and APCCQ (Association des proprietaires des Cinemas Cine-Parcs du Quebec) for the digital conversion of 106 Cinedigm-certified screens at 15 sites. Cinedigm enables this through their structuring and implementing the underlying VPF agreements for this conversion to digital cinema as well as providing the entire administration responsibility of the VPF program. We are thrilled to continue our leadership role in pioneering digital cinema in Quebec said Raffaele Papalia executive board member of APCCQ and president of Les Cinemas Cine Entreprise. After extensive due diligence and research we are extremely happy and confident in our decision and the APCCQ will now recommend to our membership Cinedigm as the best integration partner. This will permit our exhibitors to remain at the cutting edge of technology and to guarantee our continued contribution to the Quebec film success story. Setting aside the established 3D entertainment experience our audiences will benefit from flexibility offered by digital cinema including engaging alternative programming such as 2D and 3D concerts independent films and foreign films. We are exceedingly proud that this outstanding group of visionary exhibitors in Quebec has selected Cinedigm to be their digital cinema partner said Goldwater. With these new deals Cinedigm has now signed agreements with close to 60 CBG NATO exhibitors and more than 1400 of their screens. And we are especially delighted to be extending our geographic reach as Cinedigm continues to grow our business beyond the continental United States. And in still more Cinedigm news the company also announced a partnership with Contenido Alternativo to integrate a satellite platform for digital content distribution throughout Mexico Latin and South America. The partnership will facilitate the distribution of alternative content programming including live 2D and 3D sporting events and concerts as well as movie delivery into cinemas. We are very excited to continue our collaboration with Contenido Alternativo bringing the most innovative scalable and cost effective DCP delivery multi-cast Live 3D and terrestrial distribution solutions to additional international markets " said Gerd Jakuszeit president of digital media services at Cinedigm. Our partnership with Cinedigm will enable us to strengthen our leadership as digital content distributors in Mexico and expand it to the rest of Latin America contributing to the digital cinema conversion in the region " said Juan Manuel Borbolla CEO of Contenido Alternativo. The Australian owned software services company Remasys announced that it has been selected by Hoyts to monitor all of its digital cinema systems corporate offices and trading websites. As part of the continued roll out of converting its cinemas to digital projection Hoyts has engaged Remasys to provide monitoring for all of its 54 cinema complexes covering over 450 screens. The CIO of Hoyts Adam Wrightson said that the ability to monitor all of these systems would provide a better level of service to the business and to its customers. "Monitoring of our digital systems in our circuit and businesses is critically important to us in the new era of digital cinema. Remasys' Eagle-i solution enables us to do this non-intrusively across a wide diversity of hardware and software platforms. It will enable us to be very responsive to systems issues and become increasingly predictive through the excellent analytical capabilities of Eagle-i". Remasys CEO Sean Farrell said that Remasys was very pleased to have been selected by Hoyts and to be part of such a cutting edge cinema technology project in which Hoyts Australia was one of the industry leaders worldwide. "Hoyts' digital strategy to provide digital cinema will provide a far superior experience to all of its Australian audiences. Our unique and patented ability to monitor all of these systems will provide more accurate and timely information to Hoyts and ultimately a better service to their customers. We are very excited to be a part of this project " he said. PVR Cinemas India's leading cinema brand and operator of the country's top-performing multiplexes today announced an agreement to install digital IMAX theatre systems in four key locations throughout India. Under the terms of the sales deal which is subject to standard Indian regulatory approvals the first two systems are scheduled to be installed within the next 12 months at two of India's top-performing multiplexes in the cities of Mumbai and Bangalore. There is a growing appetite for premium entertainment in India and with the massive popularity of the IMAX brand worldwide it has become very clear to us that now is the ideal time for us to enter into the IMAX business said Ajay Bijli chairman of PVR. IMAX is one of the world's most recognized premium entertainment brands and it fits perfectly with our mission to offer our guests the ultimate in movie-going experiences. India has a vibrant movie-going culture and it is one of our most important and largely untapped growth markets said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. PVR Cinemas is a top-performing exhibitor with a very strong brand and we believe our association with them will raise the visibility of our own brand with consumers and of our business model with other exhibitors in the market. KIT digital's Brickbox division and XDC have partnered to become a global one-stop shop digital content services provider. Alan Christensen digital cinema director of KIT digital said Combining our initiatives was a natural step in evolving our aim to expand both our services further across the continent offering a pan European reach to international studios and local distributors alike. XDC has the most aggressive deployment roll out growth in Europe and by partnering with them we will have the opportunity to further expand the role of exhibition in digital cinema. Both organizations bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table and I look forward to building on innovative ideas developing new technologies and providing end-to-end solutions across all currently covered and future territories." Alexandre Weiser content services sales director of XDC said This agreement is an important milestone for XDC content lab. It allows XDC to access markets where KIT digital is already present and inversely. By joining forces we will benefit from extensive experiences in the digital cinema home video TV and new media areas. Together we will be able to offer a full package of services to major Hollywood studios independent film producers and distributors movie sales agents and digital cinema alternative content producers right-owners and distributors globally. Cinema City International the third largest multiplex theatre operator in Europe announced that it has chosen MasterImage 3D as its new 3D cinema system supplier. CCI Group now has 866 screens in 90 multiplexes operating in seven territories: Poland Hungary Czech Republic Israel Romania and Bulgaria. The Group is continuing its expansion with 35 more multiplexes currently under development which will add 360 new screens. The entire CCI circuit is expected to be fully digital by 2013 with up to 60 percent of its screens supporting 3D. Moshe Greidinger CEO of the CCI Group said MasterImage 3D offers a high quality low maintenance system. Their single-use glasses eliminate the practice of having to wash and manage 3D glasses which makes life easier for us the cinema operators. We have tested thoroughly MasterImage systems and were very much convinced by its top quality. Cinema City International is a force in Central and Eastern Europe known as much for keeping the ethos of a family-owned company as they are for their success and size said Brian Kercher managing director of 3D Cinema Europe for MasterImage 3D. They have a strong team of cinema engineers who understand the needs of exhibitors and we are really pleased that our systems and approach have earned their respect and business. We look forward to a long relationship with CCI and its theatres. The Digital Funding Partnership a limited liability partnership representing over 120 independent exhibitors and some 400 screens in the UK has agreed to contract with XDC. XDC's VPF funding scheme will facilitate the deployment of digital cinema systems with all DFP members. Steve Perrin chief executive of the DFP said XDC offered us an extremely competitive VPF financing solution and were very receptive to the individual needs of our members offering them the widest possible choice of systems and complete freedom of choice of local integrator. Now the priority is to start the deployment as soon as possible and we have agreed an aggressive schedule of 100 systems in the first six months." David Pope XDC's director of operations for the UK and IR said The mission of the DFP is to make sure that no one gets left behind in the switch over to digital cinema and the UK's rich heritage of small independent cinemas will be preserved thanks to this scheme. I would like to make a special thank you to our integrator partners who have been especially supportive in our bid to win the DFP contract. Under the terms of the agreement with XDC the DFP will have Series 2 DCI-compliant digital projection systems installed into the member exhibitor complexes currently estimated at totaling over 400 screens. A content delivery network will also be implemented by XDC in order to allow distributors to deliver films directly by satellite and/or broadband connection to the cinemas as well as giving the opportunity to receive live 2D and 3D transmissions. GDC Technology announced the signing of a digital cinema deployment contract with Zhe Jiang Time Cinema. The contract is a repeat order which involves the deployment of 200 units of GDC SX-2000A Digital Cinema Server with Integrated Media Block by the end of 2011. Zhe Jiang Time Cinema World was founded in 2003 and spearheaded the establishment of a provincial-wide cinema circuit under the banner of Zhe Jiang Time Cinema. "The close partnership between GDC and Zhe Jiang Time Cinema was established in 2005. We have chosen GDC SX-2000A Digital Cinema Server with IMB for its superior 3D screening quality support for 4K resolution and in addition its added advantage of being awarded industry's first FIPS Level 3 Certification meeting DCI security requirements " said Qian Da Jun general manager of Zhe Jiang Time Cinema. "To invest further in digital cinema to fulfill our expansion needs we have decided to deploy another 200 units of GDC server. This will help us maintain our leading position in Zhe Jiang and expand early into other important up-and-coming cities within the province while continue providing our customers with the highest quality cinematic experience." "We truly appreciate that Zhe Jiang Time Cinema has chosen GDC again as its server provider. It gives us great honor to be involved in Zhe Jiang Time Cinema's expansion program and we promise to continue the close partnership to grow our business together " said Dr. Man-Nang Chong founder and CEO of GDC Technology. "GDC has earned its reputation on the basis of quality products reliable services and most importantly continuous product innovations. We are encouraged by our success in Zhe Jiang province and feel optimistic to continue our success as we expand into other provinces in China." Technology Sony Corporation announced that its digital cinema 4K projection systems are the industry's first to successfully complete the full range of compliance tests for specifications required by Digital Cinema Initiatives. Both the SRX-R220/LMT-200 and SRX-320/LMT-300 integrated systems including projector and media block have passed all DCI compliance tests and are listed on the DCI web site. Sony was accredited under the DCI specification for its "integrated projection systems." These systems are based on the Sony 4K projector that can present ultra-high-resolution images and a server that can securely store digital cinema content and transfer it to the projector. Each of the Sony systems were certified as "a working system that can be fully deployed in theatres " according to DCI. Research Institute for Digital Media and Content Keio University Japan which is qualified by DCI for compliance testing conducted the DCI compliance tests for Sony's systems. The compliance test consists of two parts a procedural test to confirm if the devices work exactly as prescribed by the DCI Specification and a design evaluation to examine if their security design meets the requirements of the DCI Specification. Dolby Laboratories showcased a comprehensive set of new products "Dolby is excited to announce new products across our full line of 3D and digital cinema solutions. In addition to previewing our new 4K-compatible server we will feature our new low-cost 3D glasses in both adult and children's sizes " said Matt Cuson senior marketing director cinema Dolby Laboratories. "As we have done in years past Dolby will continue to innovate and develop solutions that deliver on the premium entertainment experience people have come to expect from us." Dolby featured its upcoming Dolby Screen Server which has been optimized to work exclusively with a 2K/4K Integrated Media Block. The DSS220 significantly reduces the cost and size of the server chassis while providing the same reliable performance as the market-proven DSS200. Expected to be available later this year features and key benefits of the DSS220 server include: Compact form factor: the 2U 17.7-inch (50 cm) deep chassis fits easily in shallow racks projector pedestals or equipment rooms. In addition Dolby will soon release a software maintenance update to its Digital Cinema System Software v.4.3 which improves on Dolby's Web Services API to support Theatre Management Software and integration partners incorporating Dolby servers into their solutions. The new software is expected to be available in April. New features of the DCSS v.4.3 include: Automation of the playback mode based on the property of the current selection replacing the need to manually switch from 2D to 3D. Support for both Series 1 and Series 2 dual projector 3D installations. Dolby Show Store and Screen Server and Dolby Show Library are now updated using a single disk image. With over 8 000 Dolby Screen Servers shipped since April 2005 Dolby has played an instrumental role in driving the convergence of digital cinema around the world. In other news Dolby announced that recently the major China-based cinema company Dadi Media Group ordered 600 Dolby Digital Cinema systems. The orders include 600 Dolby Screen Servers (DSS200s) and 600 Dolby CP750 Digital Cinema Processors. Dadi plans to have these digital cinema systems installed by the end of 2011. Dolby also announced its next-generation Dolby 3D glasses which are high-performance stylish reusable 3D glasses that are now available to exhibitors at a list price of twelve dollars or lower when purchased with a Dolby 3D bundle. Finally Dolby announced that currently over 1 300 global installations of Dolby Surround 7.1 have been conducted since the technology launched in June 2010. Dolby Surround 7.1 has been used by major studios including 20th Century Fox DreamWorks Animation Paramount Pictures Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The following upcoming films feature Dolby Surround Sound 7.1: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures' Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides May 20 2011 DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda 2 May 26 2011 Disney/Pixar's Cars 2 June 24 2011 Paramount Pictures' Transformers: Dark of the Moon July 1 2011 Dolby Surround 7.1 continues to have international adoption recently being released with Lord of Dance 3D in the United States United Kingdom and Ireland. In addition RS Entertainment will release Rohan Sippy's Dum Maaro Dum on April 22 in India and the United States with Dolby Surround 7.1. In Spain a theatrical mix of Torrente 4 was conducted in Dolby Surround 7.1. Sonic Equipment Company and Christie announced the continuing rollout of digital cinema conversions using Christie's CP2210 digital cinema projector. The first conversion using the CP2210 will be a single screen project in Edwardsville Illinois. Sonic has also chosen the new smaller size projector for upcoming conversions in April in Wisconsin and Missouri where smaller auditoriums make the systems more economical. "Since we launched the Christie SolariaT series exhibitor acceptance has been phenomenal and we're pleased to be the projector-of-choice for our valued partner Sonic Equipment Company " said Craig Sholder vice president entertainment solutions at Christie. "The Christie 2210 features a dual power connection to help protect the electronics and ensure a smooth recovery in power failure situations. Another advantage with this projector is it does not require an external exhaust system while it delivers optimum 'in warranty' hours for its bulbs " said Mike Covey production manager at Sonic Equipment. Jonathan Thompson senior sales manager at Sonic added "This projector is a great solution for the smaller screen markets which are the pride of Sonic's customer base." Sonic has recently converted the Village 8 Cinemas in Dodge City Kansas to digital cinema using the GDC Integrated Media Block and SX-2000 server. The conversion is the first for Sonic using this server technology. The Village 8 is also B&B Theatres first theatre equipped with GDC's newest product. "We are delighted to say that we have forged a reliable and synergistic partnership with Sonic whose expertise and relentless efforts have yielded mutually beneficial and measurable results in the U.S. " said Man-Nang Chong. "GDC's continuous technological innovations including our state of the art IMB technology and our unbending commitment to deliver the highest caliber products in the industry have won us many fans worldwide. It is an honor to be entrusted by such a visionary company as B&B Theatres in the continued roll-out of their digital cinema conversions." "Sonic has been at the forefront of the digital wave since its inception. We chose the IMB model for the Dodge City conversion because Sonic is going to stay ahead in the industry and the IMB is a step in that direction " said Mike Covey production director at Sonic Equipment Company. "By looking ahead to the future of cinema Sonic was able to step in and help independent exhibitors convert their cinemas at the beginning of the digital cinema wave when many thought the independents would have to wait. Since 2009 Sonic has fully converted 40 locations including a few new theatre projects. Outside of those numbers are several partially converted locations with plans to fully convert in the future." Doremi Cinema said it is poised to release the software needed to meet the rigorous demands of the Compliance Test Plan. Passing the CTP is required for all digital cinema equipment to become DCI Compliant. The soon to be released software will meet all requirements of DCI Specification Version 1.2. In addition to providing all logging requirements necessary for VPF deployments the software will also provide the additional Doremi benefits like the CaptiView closed captioning software and server generated 2D and 3D subtitles. "Our number one goal has been to pass the CTP with our IMB/ShowVault product. This release affords us all the requirements necessary to pass the CTP and achieve DCI compliance " said Michael Archer vice president digital cinema. Pilat Media Global announced the launch of TrafficCentral a new traffic management console for the company's Integrated Broadcast Management System. IBMS TrafficCentral provides a single point of control from which to drive end-to-end traffic functions for complex broadcasting operations that encompass large numbers of channels or networks spanning many regions. For today's large multichannel and multiregional broadcast operations traffic can be one of the most complex functions to manage effectively. To support hundreds of channels or networks across a large number of regions requires hundreds or even thousands of playlist variants combining national and regional programming and national and local advertising. Manual data entry and monitoring is no longer feasible given the large number of actions required said Bob Lamb chief technical officer of Pilat Media. Through such features as power actions mass-processing visual indicators and exception-based user intervention IBMS TrafficCentral directly targets the challenges of massive centralized multichannel and multiplatform operations — providing a centralized console with which to analyze and act on services and advertising performance. Barco featured its DCI-compliant DP4K-32B the same projector that was the first to project 4K onto an 80-ft screen the first to surpass the image quality of 15/70mm film presentation in a side-by-side comparison and the first to present numerous 3D technologies in a single venue. Leveraging its technology leadership to move beyond the projector system Barco also exhibited its latest offerings for optimizing theatre enterprise management encompassing a wide array of products and support services designed to enhance cinema operations and customers' movie-going experience. With the acquisition of dZine last summer Barco offers customers the benefits of a "one stop" solution for their entire digital signage needs. This new venture brings Barco's theatre know-how and dZine's content creation and management software expertise together under one roof to create high-impact visualization solutions tailored for the cinema market for both indoor and outdoor applications. In other news Barco has added two new classes Projector Operations and Basic Troubleshooting and Theatre Systems Integration to augment its existing curriculum of installation operations and service training programs. The first is an introduction for individuals new to digital cinema explaining the technology behind 2D and 3D digital cinema and basic operations. The new Theatre Systems Integration" class is a Barco-exclusive providing in-depth instruction encompassing the entire digital cinema workflow with a focus on hands-on participation and the importance of computer networking in the digital cinema domain. Previews of these classes as well as an overview on maximizing digital cinema ROI will be offered at the show. Barco also announced that it is continuing to boost its customer service and Network Operations Center services to maximize projector system uptime ensure enhanced image quality and brightness and promote ease-of-use for its customers. Customers that select Barco's customer service plans receive 24/7 call center support; dedicated phone support from certified Barco Service Engineers; and installation service and maintenance support from the most highly trained teams in the industry. NOC subscribers also enjoy proactive perpetual monitoring and servicing of their entire digital cinema network including remote network analysis 24/7 site schedule with content verification and enhanced real-time network snapshots. "Barco's 4K projectors are the latest innovation in projector technology and represent the evolution of an exciting path in digital cinema. However our DCI-compliant 2K projectors continue to remain the workhorse models for the majority of exhibitors and are readily available " said Todd Hoddick vice president entertainment for Barco North America. "We are very proud of Barco's outstanding reputation for industry-leading digital cinema projectors especially in light of our recent Guinness World Record for brightness. We are eager to address the full realm of exhibitors' needs taking our digital cinema expertise to the next level as we provide content-rich digital signage solutions and additional training and technical support to optimize our customer's bottom line " he said. Finally Barco announced the commercial launch of its new range of 4K cinema projectors including the DP4K-32B (for screens up to 32 meters) and the DP4K-23B (screens up to 23 meters). In addition Barco reported that its Enhanced 4K DP4K-32B projector has obtained DCI certification and that the DP4K-23B will finalize DCI certification soon. The DP4K series share the same modular platform as Barco's DP2K line enabling customers to easily swap spare parts and keep learning curves short. Moreover with its patented cooling system the DP4K-series has the coolest 4K engine in the world. "The new Barco DP4K-series projectors provide premium image quality for premium movie experiences " said Buyens. "These two models are an important addition to our existing range of high-quality digital cinema projectors. The DCI-compliance of the 4K models unique in the market at the moment means that we have the most complete line of DCI compliant projectors. The many benefits our digital cinema projectors including spectacular brightness and lowest TCO allow movie theaters to constantly improve their standards while saving money." Harkness Screens announced that its Digital Screen Selector application has passed the 500-user threshold. Officially launched at ShoWest 2010 the Digital Screen Selector is intended as an aid to theatre operators seeking to optimise their investment in digital cinema by helping to reduce operating costs for 2D as well as optimise light levels for both 2D and 3D. "We are delighted that our Digital Screen Selector has become such a popular aid to customers since its debut last year " said Andrew Robinson managing director of Harkness Screens. "We created the Selector to identify cost-effective solutions for digital cinema conversion and encourage theatre operators throughout the world to utilize the wonderful insights the application provides." By answering a few quick questions about the screen size and equipment being used in a particular theatre the Selector suggests Harkness screen options to optimize performance and cost. Available through the Harkness Web site the Digital Screen Selector features a user-friendly interface with no software download required and uses industry-accepted standards and vendor data to compare different operating scenarios. The Selector is intended to be a guide for theatre operators when consulting with projector lamp and 3D technology providers. In addition to its 500 registered users the Selector has had over 2 000 non-registered visitors use the application. "We are committed to the trend in digital cinema and will continue to develop our products to optimize this application " Robinson said. THX announced that it has certified five new cinema and studio partners around the world. The State Kremlin Palace Moscow; Labodigital Screening Room Mexico City; the Indiana University Cinema Bloomington Indiana; Cinemark theaters in Brazil and Kitag Cinemas in Switzerland have all have met THX's exacting standards for architectural design acoustics sound isolation and audio/visual performance. These new partners join a rapidly growing list of more than 2000 THX certified global cinemas and studios. Marchon3D and UltraStar Cinemas have teamed up to create the first in-theater self-service vending machine for Marchon3D's patented 3D glasses. Marchon3D has created a custom vending machine. Beginning in the summer 2011 – just in time for the summer blockbuster season – 3D movie-goers in San Diego will be able to purchase the newly released line of EX3D glasses with patented M3D lens technology in the UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas. "This is the first time we'll be offering our EX3D glasses for sale in theatres and the first time we've ever built a self-service installation like this. 3D has become so pervasive in our culture and 3D theaters are the most popular venue where we consume 3D content – having our glasses in-theater with a reputable partner such as UltraStar Cinemas makes perfect sense " said David Johnson president Marchon3D. "Today's consumer has a vast digital footprint using more digital devices than ever before. Marchon3D glasses are designed to easily move them through the 3D component of their digital life. The EX3D glasses delivered in this vending machine can be used across all passive 3D platforms including movies video games 3D televisions and laptop computers and they offer a mix of style comfort and affordability." Movie fans can choose from adult tween and children's sizes in a variety of trendy colors and fashionable shapes. Marchon3D will also offer smart solutions for prescription glasses wearers including clip-on lenses that easily work on any prescription frame as well as frames that comfortably fit over the entire prescription frame. Prices will range from $25-$80. We want to provide the best possible 3D movie experience to our customers and there is no better way to do that than to offer best-in-class and best-in-value 3D glasses from Marchon3D said Damon Rubio vice president of operations for UltraStar Cinemas. With well over 40 3D movies coming out within the next year it makes sense to invest in a comfortable well designed pair of glasses that will deliver a top-notch movie viewing experience." The test in the San Diego theatres is slated to begin in June and last three months. Marchon3D plans to roll out additional vending machines in other markets in the upcoming months. "Marchon3D is the first company to really take a 360 degree look at today's consumer and think about what they want in a pair of 3D glasses " said Hannah Sarbin vice president of new business development Marchon. "They want an exceptional 3D experience from a technical standpoint and they want something that fits their lifestyle and personality. They don't want the same old black frames and flat lenses that come with the cost of a movie ticket. Studios and manufacturers spend hundreds of millions of dollars pushing the boundaries of 3D technology why settle for the generic 3D glasses for that experience?" French 3D glasses designer Volfoni showed their next generation of 3D glasses designed with the movie theatre in mind: Edge 1.2. "We guarantee theatre owners top-quality service and a staff dedicated to their every need. Today we are proud to launch a new model that is completely devoted to the theater owner " says Thierry Henkinet CEO of Volfoni. Edge 1.2 3D glasses are equipped with RF technology that works as an anti-theft system. Thanks to this innovation theatre owners are guaranteed the utmost security for their 3D glasses. Edge 1.2 glasses do not require anti-theft security gates at the exits of screening rooms allowing a significant reduction in set-up costs. Added features include a new surface coating for the glasses as well as adaptable arms to provide a comfortable fit for all head shapes. Qube Cinema was showing the new Qube Xi 4K a high-speed redundant Gigabit Ethernet-based system which will allow exhibitors to place their storage servers anywhere within or even outside the theater complex. Besides saving valuable square footage Qube's new system will allow for whole new theatre designs making boothless projection a practical reality. The Qube Xi 4K is designed to work with any digital projection systems that support an IMB. The Qube Xi 4K uses redundant Gigabit Ethernet to connect to the server decrypting and decoding content in real time. With this system all of the exhibitor's server storage can be located in a secured central room. The Qube Xi 4K technology overcomes the significant restrictions of PCI Express-based IMBs so there are no practical limitations of distance and no potential shielding issues. "Instead of loading up projection rooms with more and more complicated electronics we are streamlining and simplifying the setup " said Rajesh Ramachandran CTO of Qube Cinema. "Exhibitors have much more flexibility in how they use their space and how they manage their operations. The Qube Xi 4K is the smart way to do Digital Cinema." The new Qube Cinema system also opens the door to powerful centralized storage options. "This is where theater owners can start realizing the benefits of Digital Cinema instead of just the hassles " explained Ramachandran. "With a QubeShare central cinema storage solution exhibitors will be able to change content on the fly such as adding a new theater when ticket sales for a film exceed expectations or moving a showing to a different screen." The Qube Xi 4K supports HD 2K 4K and stereoscopic 3D content in a wide variety of DCI-compliant formats. GDC Technology announced enhancements for its SX-2000 Digital Cinema Server with Integrated Media Block. There are currently more than 8 000 GDC digital cinema servers in operation worldwide. "Perfecting our Integrated Media Block was not an easy task " said Man-Nang Chong. "Being the first in the industry to receive the FIPS 140-2 Level 3 security certificate demonstrates GDC's deep understanding in the design of digital cinema servers and our commitment to the industry." Meyer Sound was showing its EXP series of cinema sound systems. "With digital cinema presentation of picture and sound cinema audiences can finally enjoy the full impact and detail as intended by the filmmakers. Now cinema exhibitors need the powerful low-distortion loudspeakers to complete the experience " said Steve Shurtz technology director EXP. The EXP line of cinema loudspeakers includes the Acheron 80 100 and Studio loudspeakers the HMS-10 surround loudspeaker as well as the Acheron LF low frequency screen channel loudspeaker X-800C cinema subwoofer and Galileo loudspeaker management system. MikroM unveiled its new 4K/2K Integrated Media Block for Series 2 projectors. The new product called MVC201 comprises state-of-the-art features including DCP playback of 4K/2K as well as 2D/3D content 3D processing subtitle rendering in 2D and 3D and a comprehensive Application Programming Interface for control by external servers. "With our 4K/2K IMB we have realized the highest level of integration that serves as a powerful hardware platform for our valuable OEM partners allowing them to differentiate and to address today's and future market requirements just by software update " said Holger Krahn CEO of MikroM.


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African-Native American Genealogy Forum
Re: Joe Hutton, Sr./Creek Freedmen
In Response To: Re: Joe Hutton, Sr./Creek Freedmen ()
I am great grand daughter of Louisa Beans Hutton, and grand daughter of Rebella aka Rebecca Hutton Baccus. Do you have any info on my grandmothers siblings Lizzie, Sarah, Tooka, Jeff or Ben? I think Tooka married a Crabtree. I know Lucy married a Perkins and moved to AZ Fannie married a Chiles. I met one of Fannie's grand daughters 2 yrs ago. You can email me @ firstname.lastname@example.com Would appreciate any info you have. Thanks
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text: Warning: strpos(): needle is not a string or an integer in /home/allisona/public_html/kcocco/index.php on line 31 Warning: strpos(): needle is not a string or an integer in /home/allisona/public_html/kcocco/index.php on line 37 Warning: strpos(): needle is not a string or an integer in /home/allisona/public_html/kcocco/index.php on line 43 KCOCCO ~ photo Bhutan Pictures part I Saturday, June 25, 2005, 12:26 AM - Photo, Travel The following are a few quick selections from Bhutan....I will break these down and include more later.360 Panoramic above the mountain village Laya just south of the Tibet border. Secret lake can be seen on the left.Jhomolhari MountainTigers Nest MonasteryA few of our horses crossing a pass.Herd of 70+ blue sheepTory enjoying some morning tea The Awcto or Cordyceps worm like fungus that is harvested in the high Himalayan mtns. Laya boy washing clothsWalking the mini cow.Passed a school getting out of class. The kids loved to see their picture on the digital camera. | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink | related link Kangchendzonga Mountain Sikkim, India Friday, June 24, 2005, 01:31 PM - Photo, Travel, Climbing The rocky sharks tooth shaped peak is Kangchendzonga the worlds 3rd largest peak (28,169 ft).Picture was taken from Goecha La trail (16,100 ft), Sikkim, India.Well I am back in the states after 30 hours of traveling yesterday... more pictures to come as I edit through 1100 pics! | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink | related link Belize Dive Marine Life Wednesday, May 4, 2005, 05:57 PM - Photo, Travel Okay running out of time, I leave for Thailand, Bhutan, India tomorrow AM....here are some of my quick pics from the hundreds of underwater shots from Belize...Nurse SharkBlue Striped GruntGrouperTasty LobsterHomosapiensBaracuttaQueen Angelfish & Blue ChromisScrawled Cowfish | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink | related link Belize Night Dive Wednesday, May 4, 2005, 05:22 PM - Photo, Travel A moray eel searching for dinner at the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Any light source even my wimpy little rented light attracted swarms of little critters the guide called bugs.Doug, Pete, Kurt and I saw endless rays covering the sandy areas of the dive.Black Grouper hanging out...can you find the little shrimp also?We saw the crustations out and about, here is a crab feeding | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink | related link Belize Blue Hole Wednesday, May 4, 2005, 05:00 PM - Photo, Travel Doug and Julie swimming around the stalagmites of the deep Blue Hole cave.Our max depth was 135ft. Here is a zoom of Doug's gauge...130ft...Doug kick'in it in the deep hoping for a little nitrogen narcosis.Horse-eye jacks hanging out in the deepWe saw two 9 ft. reef sharks swim below.Big fat grouper fish following us like dogs.The sandy slope entering the 480 ft. blue hole. That is not grass on the slope, they are tiny eels poking out of the sand. | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink | related link Back Next Links HomeContact MeStatsSNOW~ UT Avalanche Forecast SLC~ Cottonwood 24h report~ Skiutah Snow Reports~ Snowbird Snow Report~ Brighton Snow Report~ Solitude Snow Report~ Alta Snow Report ~ Powder Mountain ReportTECHNOLOGY~ SproutLoop.com~ SolarCue.com~ kcocco tech blog posts~ GlassNode.comLogin Most Recent Entries Power Practical USB Power MeterSolSource Solar Cooking Chicken stock in pressure cookerSolarCue Maker/Hacker ProjectBryce Canyon UtahCocco GardenThe Bug GuyGoogle Glass Side Effects, Opti-Grab v.2?Google Glass Glasses Specifications (Guessifications)Google I/O 2012 - Cloud Platform & Big DataGoogle I/O Road Trip Pictures Categories Photo Tech Travel Climbing Ride&Ski Food Search Calendar « June 2005 » MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293005/24/19 Archives View Archives 2013 December October July April March 2012 August July March February January 2011 December November October September August July April March February January 2010 December September August April February 2009 October September August July June May April March January 2008 November October September August July June May April March February January 2007 December November October July June May April March February January 2006 December November October August July June May April March February January 2005 December November October August July June India, Agra, Taj Mahal 06/27/05 Bhutan Buddhist Paintings 06/27/05 Bhutan Pictures part III 06/26/05 Bhutan Pictures part II 06/25/05 Bhutan Pictures part I 06/24/05 Kangchendzonga Mountain Sikkim, India 06/24/05 May April March February January Subscribe to Newsletter Email: Copyright © 2007, Kevin Cocco - Page Generated in 0.0311 seconds // Google Analytics


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Vitamin D3 is a nutrition supplement made by Pure Encapsulations, manufacturers of high quality, hypo allergenic nutrition supplements. Every batch of finished products are tested and certified by independent laboratories. All products are manufactured under conditions similar to those employed in making pharmaceutical grade drugs and complies with the FDA GMP guidelines. More Information on the Manufacturing and Quality Control of this supplement.
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Despite the pre-show hype, there were no blockbuster announcements on "American Idol" last night. Just a tongue-in-cheek "apology" issued on behalf of Season 10's wackiest, and most unpredictable, judge: Steven Tyler.
"American Idol would like to apologize for last week's outrageous behavior by Steven Tyler," the announcement flashed on the TV screen at the start of last night's show, the fifth audition episode of the new season. "Mr. Tyler has been warned and assures us it will never happen again."
Just seconds later, a new video clip was aired, showing a young Idol hopeful auditioning in Austin, Texas. He introduced himself, and Tyler was amused by his name.
"My name is Jake Muck," said the blond-haired kid with the tank top, ripped jeans and baseball cap, who looked like he was getting ready to go skateboarding, or maybe jamming with an emo band.
"You know what Muck rhymes with, don't you?" Tyler asked him. "Duck?" he replied, nervously.
"Read my lips!" Tyler snapped back. His next word, which was obvious, was edited out of the clip.
So, why did the show start out like this? And why did Ryan Seacrest tease Idol fans on his radio show yesterday, saying there would be a major apology issued by the show's producers?
My theories: (1) It was an obvious ploy to boost the ratings, which so far have not been as strong as last season's viewership. (2) It was a way to combat the criticism by some fans that this season's judge panel has been too soft.
And what exactly was last week's outrageous behavior?
I'm not sure. The only thing I can remember that was even close to outrageous was Tyler's use of the F-word, which got bleeped out during one broadcast when he was rattling off some senseless rhyme about a duck.
He also was a bit flirtatious with a gorgeous 19-year-old contestant, a former Miss Teen U.S.A. winner. And he was practically drooling over a hot Aerosmith fan. That stuff wasn't nearly as controversial as the opening week, when Tyler was flirting with female contestants as young as 15 or 16, and praising one for her very short skirt.
• Corey Levoy, a 21-year-old Texan who didn't meet his older sister until he was 14 because of "parental differences," and now the two are best friends. (Okay, I'm not gonna throw in any redneck jokes about family members being a little too tight.... so don't even go there.) The Idol judges invited the sister to sit on the panel during Corey's audition. ("I Can't Make You Love Me," by Bonnie Raitt) He has a good voice, but he's not among the best ones heard this season. His sister's review: "I think he was amazing. He gives me chill bumps." (Hey, no redneck jokes!)
• Hollie Cavanaugh, a 17-year-old student who had a rough time keeping her emotions in check, sang two songs ("At Last" by Etta James, and "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus). I thought she was ok, but not stellar. Randy Jackson didn't like her first song but told Hollie she "nailed" the second one. (He's wrong. She didn't.)
• John Wayne Schulz, (yep, that's his real name – what do you expect from Texas?) a 23-year-old cowboy (yep, that's his real occupation – what do you expect from Texas?). Turns out his voice is almost as big as his belt buckle. He's got the looks and the potential to make it through the Hollywood rounds.
• Courtney Penry, a 17-year-old from Missouri City, Texas, is a Ryan Seacrest worshipper – and possible stalker. Her take on the longtime Idol host: "Ryan Seacrest is the sexiest man alive… like, he's amazing," she said. "Ryan Seacrest will be mine someday. You know you love me, because I love you, and I've loved you forever." Her voice was pretty impressive on her audition song ("Stay" by Sugarland). Courtney is heading to Hollywood, and Ryan Seacrest might want to hire some extra bodyguards…
• Shauntel Campos, a 24-year-old sales rep from Albuquerque, New Mexico, might look vaguely familiar to some Idol fans. She made it to Hollywood Week during Season 8, a fact not mentioned on last night's show. In the brief audition clip, she looked great and she sounded great. Keep your eye on her in Hollywood.
• Caleb Johnson, a 19-year-old banquet server from Asheville, N.C., had a strong rocker vibe.
• Mystery blonde, a very attractive woman wearing high heels and a low-cut dress. Was there any doubt Steven Tyler would be impressed by her? "Where is your pitchfork, you little devil?" he asked her.
• Jacqueline Dunford and Nick Fink, a young couple from Scottsdale, Arizona, who entered the audition room together. She's an attractive blonde receptionist, and her fresh-faced boyfriend is a suit salesman who looks like he just walked off the set of "Glee."
Jacqueline sang the Duffy song, "Mercy" and Nick sang the Maroon 5 hit, "Sunday Morning." Both injected their own styles into their songs, and that impressed the judges enough to give both golden tickets to Hollywood. Steven Tyler liked their passion, and also complimented their looks. "You're gorgeous looking," he said to the girl, and to the guy: "You're a beautiful looking man." J-Lo called them her "favorite couple on Idol in ten years."
• Janelle Arthur, another beautiful blonde contestant with a bright smile and a sweet country twang. She's a 20-year-old musician from Tennessee, and she had one of the best voices of the night. Another one to definitely watch in Hollywood.
• Casey Abrams, a bearded guy with curly brown hair who acts a bit goofy and loves to play his melodica. The Idol video editors purposely set up his audition to make us think Abrams was a total loser. Instead, we were treated to a nice surprise. He has a powerful bluesy voice. He sounded terrific on his take of Ray Charles' "I Don't Need No Doctor." The judges loved him, and he's going to Hollywood.
• Rodolfo Ochoa, a 17-year-old Texan who looks like he used an entire container of hair gel to grease up his hair, made a mess of "Circle of Life" from "The Lion King." I was actually impressed that Jennifer Lopez finally showed a little backbone. "You actually have a vibrato," she told the teen, "but basically it's so out of tune and there's no melody."
• Lame and nameless -- There was a whole montage of Idol wannabes decked out in wacky outfits (including one in a giant armadillo costume) and brimming with overconfidence, and the usually tame Randy Jackson turned into a mean old junkyard dawg.
"Next!" he yelled at one hapless contestant. "What kind of audition is this?" he barked at another. After that, he rolled off a series of sarcastic comments, a la Simon Cowell.
Hey, what a surprise! No sob story last night. Did they run out of diseases and ailments and accident victims down in Texas? Not sure, but here's the latest golden ticket tally…
• Austin: 50
• Nashville: Number not announced
• Milwaukee: 53
• New Orleans: 37
• New Jersey: 51
If you haven't done so already, you can still cast your vote in our Idol poll from last week, asking what you think about the new judges.
As of early this afternoon, with 1,408 votes counted, it seems lots of Idol fans are impressed with J-Lo and Steven Tyler. Here are the stats (updated):
• J-Lo and Steven Tyler rock! .................... 44% (625 votes)
• Bring back Simon! ................................. 26% (366 votes)
• Steven Tyler is great, J-Lo is too soft........ 15% (206 votes)
• Simon who??? ........................................ 8% (112 votes)
• J-Lo is great, Steven Tyler is clueless........ 5% (66 votes)
• Bring back Kara and Ellen! ....................... 2% (33 votes)
Thursday, Feb. 3, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., on FOX, featuring auditions from Los Angeles. Just two more episodes left before Hollywood Week kicks off...
Len Melisurgo is a news editor at The Star-Ledger and a self-professed reality TV addict. During the past year, he spent many sleepless nights blogging about Season 9 of 'American Idol,' Season 5 of 'America's Got Talent' and Season 21 of 'Survivor.'
• 'American Idol' recap: Teen in Nashville might be 'the one'
• Milwaukee auditions heavy on wackiness, also on talent
• A chubby Justin Bieber wows the judges in New Orleans; a J-Lo fan shows off his abs
• 'American Idol' Season 10 recap: Just not the same without Simon Cowell
• New Jersey singers make star-studded splash on 'American Idol'
• Tiffany Rios of Morris Plains gets three thumbs up on 'American Idol'


text: ...at a friends birthday gathering a couple of weeks ago and hit it off pretty well with her. yes, she was beautiful too. I have a girlfriend for 9 years though and have learned to be comfortably frustrated. today i notice she's found my personal myspace page (I only have around 12 friends) and invited me to be a friend. so I go to her page to tease myself. I find this in the first blog of hers that I click on..... "It's 1:20 am and I totally should be sleeping, but I'm feeling so damn good right now! I just saw an incredible show.... Victor Wooten, and every time I see him, my mind gets blown away a little more than the time before.... "' Women like this never existed before!?!??? God has a very nasty sense of humor.


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Some users have received emails with malicious attachments that try to encrypt all files/directories that the user has rights to. In most cases it is not possible to decrypt files unless paying a "ransom" to the author of the malware program. Basically it is possible to recover from this kind of situation only by restoring files from backups. These kind of viruses are usually called ransomware.
Messages are often disguised as invoices they contain for example a zip file with the virus and opening them activates the virus.
General advice for all users:
Anti-virus Applications are not bulletproof, so do not open suspicious emails and in particular their attachments. Delete them immediately!


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Just in time for the height of holiday shopping season, Opening Ceremony comes to the rescue with deep discounts at its sample sale. Items from brands including Acne, Opening Ceremony, Band of Outsiders, and more will be on sale from 70-90% off. Now you can afford to give everyone presents for the holidays, and have enough money for yourself. Open up your calendars app and set some time this weekend from Friday, December 14 to Sunday, December 16 to visit the sample sale at the address below.Opening Ceremony Sample Sale76 Mercer St. (btwn Spring and Broome Streets)New York, NY 10012
Friday, Dec 14 11-8 PM
Saturday, Dec 15 11-8 PM
Sunday, Dec 16 11-7 PM


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A Never-Ending Cocktail Party
How to Get Smarter, Richer and Better-Looking with Twitter
By Dan Hollings
Twitter is one of the most dynamic, nonstop marketing and networking tools ever to hit the Internet or mobile web. Once you adopt the fifteen-minutes-a-day strategy offered in this article, you'll have time to interact socially (as social media requires) and fill your 24-hour timeline with high-quality, interesting tweets so that no matter when a follower tunes in, you'll be "on the air" with cocktail in hand.
Get million-dollar tips from our experts and success secrets from top earners.
Join below and receive our FREE "Network Marketing Is..." prospecting tool validating our business and profession in 28 powerful quotes!


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Doorway of a ruined building in the Swat Valley 10031153
Photographer: Caddy, Alexander E.
Medium: Photographic print
Date: 1896
Photograph of a doorway of a ruined building in the Swat valley from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections taken by Alexander E. Caddy in 1896. This print shows a distant view taken from a high viewpoint of a ruined doorway at an unidentified location in the Swat Valley. The ancient kingdoms of Udyana (Swat) and Gandhara (Peshawar) corresponded fairly closely with the northern part of the North West Frontier Province and the sculpture of the area, referred to as Gandharan, was influenced by Graeco-Roman elements. In 1895 Surgeon-Major L.A.Waddell went to the Swat valley to undertake archaeological research and obtain sculptures for the Indian Museum in Calcutta. Whilst there he met Major Deane, the Chief Political Officer, and well-known archaeologist who, 'generously said that he would make over to me all the numerous sculptures found in the Swat Valley, of which he had already got possession.' Later in 1895 Alexander Caddy was sent to collect the objects and made a photographic record of them, together with sites in the area, early the following year.


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Today, I set aside some time from preparing for my defense to read through the New York Times' tribute to September 11, 2001, and reflect upon what that day and the events which have followed mean to me. I did not expect to feel so profoundly moved as I read through the stories, and in particular, I could not help but feel struck afresh with anguish and cry as I carefully paged through the moving slideshow of the rise and fall of the towers of the World Trade Center.
Still, other articles reminded me of my core belief in our country — in the people of our country. In spite of the willful erosion of personal privacy and civil liberties and civil tongues, in spite of the tragic sacrifice of human lives both domestic and foreign, in spite of ongoing anti-intellectualism, in spite of continuing sexual, religious, and racial intolerance, in spite of a bitterly polarized political climate, in spite of our continued mismanagement of our environment — in spite of all this, I still believe that the story of the United States of America is one of hope. If ever there were a country to break pre-conceived notions, to defy intolerance, to unite for a greater good, to show that change can be for the better, to overcome adversity, then it must be ours.
Ten years ago, I stood with friends in an undergraduate dorm room and watched the World Trade Center towers collapse and the Pentagon smolder. Now, here I stand to defend my Ph.D., and I can not help but feel grateful for all the opportunities I've had thanks to having a life here in the USA. I am not always proud of our country's actions, but I am proud of what our country stands for: truth, liberty, and justice for all. Our story is marked by tragedy and marred by missteps, but it is, indeed, the story of hope. I will always remember.


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Renting from Hills Residential
We are proud to offer a personal and professional letting service throughout Salford, Trafford and Manchester. With a dedicated lettings team working on your behalf we aim to provide the complete lettings solution, offering peace of mind and reassurance that all landlord and tenants should want from their letting agent. At Hills Residential we understand the importance of 100% confidence in your agent and are committed to the highest levels of care and attention.
Tenants – Renting with Hills Residential
- Over 15 years' experience working in the local area
- Available for viewings, evenings and weekends
- Full inventory and schedule of condition provided
- Sound knowledge of current tenancy laws and the Housing Act
- Zero Deposit Option and Income Protection policies available
- Tenancy deposit protection through the DPS
- Weekly Email of all available properties
- Safe in the knowledge we only use approved local contractors
- Call (0161) 7479379 or fill in the contact form for further information to arrange a free, no obligation valuation of your property.
Tenant Fees
£234 per tenancy for application and referencing fees. This will conduct your reference checks and must be paid to secure the property.
If applicable a £72 guarantor application/reference fee.
First month's rent. This is required to be paid before you move into the property.
Deposit. This is required to be paid before you move into the property (this may be requested between applying and moving in) All payments are required to be cleared funds, by direct debit, bank transfer or bankers draft. We do accept credit card payments for which there is a 3% surcharge. Cash payments are also accepted. We do accept cheque payments but they must clear before we can proceed.
Important information If you are a tenant in a property managed by Hills Residential, please be aware we do not offer 24 hour management services. The residential lettings team are available during regular working hours. Outside of these hours tenants may wish to arrange their own emergency remedies by contacting the relevant utility providers or the emergency services as follows: Gas leaks – National Grid on 0800 111 999. Fire service on 999. Break in – The Police on 0161 856 5228.
Note Tenants are reminded that the cost for any repairs they commission will need to be authorised by Hills Residential before they can be deducted from the rent or reimbursed to tenants. By instructing your own repairs prior to obtaining this consent (even though our approved contractors) you risk not being reimbursed if the Landlord concludes the cost of the repairs are excessive or that the landlord is not liable for them. The vast majority of property issues can usually wait until the office is open. In line with the consumer rights act 2015 we do hold client money protection Please contact Hills Residential lettings and management on (0161) 7479379 or email email@example.com


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The 8 stages of interning abroad (individual results may vary)
Why do an internship abroad?
Because you get to experience things you've never felt before!
1. Denial
When you decide you want to intern abroad, it doesn't quite register that you're actually going to live in a whole new country until much later. As much as you make plans and goals and read travel books, it doesn't exactly sink in. Then you make it "official" and pay for the trip. Still hasn't quite registered. Even after packing, taking the plane. Nope. Still hasn't hit you. All you're doing is eating peanuts in the air and listening to podcasts. Then you've arrived. You're walking through customs. And then, somewhere in between leaving the airport and arriving at your accommodations, you realize… this is your new life.
2. Honeymoon
All the smells and sights are different and new! Nothing you see is recognizable. The overflow of new sensory experiences overwhelms you. You are simultaneously exhausted and filled with energy. You are eager to chitchat with strangers, eat authentic local dishes and start exploring the city. Your Facebook status probably is some comment on something strange or interesting that just happened to you in this new country. You are living the life. Venturing out into the unknown and loving every bit of it.
3. ?!?!?!?
After the exciting honeymoon phase, you start to become a little less enamored with this new country and city you find yourself in. And you realize that moving to a new city is actually pretty hard. You have some rough moments. Maybe it's your second week at your internship abroad and you get cocky and take an alternate route to work and get completely lost and have a meltdown on a city street. Or maybe you just hit a wall with the local language and feel so discouraged and stupid, you don't even want to leave the apartment out of fear of not understanding what people are saying. Though you're really trying your best to appreciate the new culture, you can't help but feel a desire to be home, with the people you know, traveling the streets you are familiar with, speaking the language you know how to speak.
4. I got this
This phase is all about getting the hang of things. You start to slowly understand the new country, new internship, and new friends thing. If you're speaking a new language, you're starting to gain some confidence. You understand where you are and how the public transport works. Maybe you've even made some acquaintances who are local. Finally, you are no longer a tourist walking around like a chicken with its head cut off. Most importantly, you know what and how to order at the closest takeout restaurant to your apartment and remember all the names of your coworkers.
5. Homesick
The newness has definitely worn off and you're starting to really long for the comforts of home (often edible) that you can't find in this new country. You miss your pets/car/barista. Oh and your friends and family too. Even though you're enjoying this new country, you can't help but wish you could spend a weekend at home. Seeing pictures of your friends back home hanging out on Instagram doesn't help. You know you're enjoying your time abroad, but it doesn't mean the pangs of homesickness aren't real.
6. Killin' it
You are having the time of your life. You are finally feeling fully adjusted and proud of your work at your internship. You see legitimate improvements in your mastery of the local language or slang. You really feel like you belong and understand why you're there. You even consider coming back one day. You have some local friends and a few nuanced opinions about the country's politics, culture, food and language. You know multiple ways to get to work and get back home. You have no problem venturing out into the city, getting lost and pushing your boundaries. When you Skype with your family and friends you miss them but you can't help but gush about how great things are going. You've even started checking out how you could maybe work abroad in your future.
7. Denial (that you're home again)
You try to incorporate the traditions and language from your intern abroad country into your daily life, much to the annoyance of your friends and family. You insist you'll be back within the year. You haven't unpacked your clothes yet, except for the stuff you bought while abroad, which you wear every day. You continue to WhatsApp your intern abroad friends as if you were still living together. How did it go by so fast?
8. Enlightenment
You've accepted it. It's all over, but it changed your life. It's time to let your experience abroad shape your life in your home country and apply those professional and personal lessons to upcoming challenges. You enjoy being back home, but keep in mind that there's a whole world out there full of people with diverse traditions, lifestyles, beliefs and values. You let the intern abroad experience propel you into new cultural groups and professional circles in your home city and keep the multicultural adventure going however you can.
Apply now and boost your career!
Photo 1. based on travel shadow by Mario Mancuso, CC-by-2.0
Photo 2. based on [愛是唯一] AMEI x LOVE # IN PROUD & LOVE by Sony A7R by Luke Ma, CC-by-2.0
Photo 3. based on Jumping for Awesome by The Mighty Tim Inconnu, CC-by-2.0
Photo 4. based on travel luggage by anaa yoo, CC-by-2.0
The International Internships Blog is a collaboration by The Intern Group staff, alumni and current participants to give you career advice & tips, program information, & so much more!
To learn how to apply to our internship programs, click here.


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Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza / Various
- Artist: Various Artists
- Format: CD
- Release Date: 4/20/1999
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Mandolin, the sweet high voice that gives bluegrass that special flavor, is the focus of Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza, an extraordinary double CD featuring 34 tracks of traditional tunes. Artists featured: Sam Bush, DAvid Grisman, Ronnie McCoury, Jesse McReynolds, Bobby Osborne, Ricky Skaggs, Frank Wakefield and Buck White.
To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your version of Flash Player.


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Sleep Like Your Good Life Depends Upon It
Effects of the Nature of Lifestyle on the Quality of Sleep: Sleep is a physiological aspect of each and every individual's life. Human beings spend up to a third of their lives sleeping. In spite of this, most people do not appreciate the benefits of this essential undertaking. Quality sleep is a requirement; it is not optional. After a good night of sleep, changes are normally recognized almost immediately.read more
Does Sleep Make Us Smarter?
Whether you go to bed early or late, it is still important to get between 7 and 8 hours sleep, as that is good for your overall mental and physical health. Sleep experts assert that those who do not get adequate sleep tend to struggle more with stress, fatigue, negative emotions, obesity, and possibly a reduced life span. Granted, we can probably all agree that adequate sleep makes us feel a whole lot better the next day. How many times have you tried to function on a few hours of sleep, only to find yourself edgy and exhausted the next day?read more
Hope, Optimism, and Future-Mindedness Are Yours For The Taking
Sometimes life throws some curve balls at you when you least expect it. You're flowing along nicely when some sort of negative event or tragedy strikes. You might be tempted to get discouraged and stay there, but that won't do you any good. Understanding that life entails some painful circumstances will help you toread more
The Architecture of Good Sleep
You might not sit around and think much about your sleep patterns or even the reasons you might need a good night's sleep. In fact, many people never give sleep much of a thought unless for some reason they are having trouble sleeping. After all, when we cannot get the sleep we need, we can turn into tired, cranky adults for sure.read more
Feeding Ourselves to a Restful Sleep Naturally
If you've not been getting enough sleep due to one reason or another, chances are you'd do just about anything to get your ZZZ's. Insomnia can make for a cranky day for sure. If this is your struggle, before you head to your doctor for some treatment, think about incorporating the following foods in your diet…read more
What's the Big Deal about Sleep Anyhow?
If you've ever gone without sleep for any amount of time, you probably realize that the lack of sleep can affect you in various ways. Extreme tiredness can cause you to think and say things you wouldn't normally say and can take even the happiest person and turn them into a cranky monster. Adequate sleep certainly makes us feel betterread more
How To Make Love Happen In Your Life Every Day
The term "love" gets used a lot – so much so that we feel inadequate when we can't find love for ourselves. There's no magic list of criteria you can decode to figure out where to discover love, yet we always know when we have it and when we're lacking it. It's a complicated, yet beautiful thing that we just can't get enough of. But for those of you who are feeling a lack ofread more
Wipe Your Slate Clean this New Year and Begin Anew
With the New Year upon us, it's a great time to start thinking about new beginnings and formulating intentions that bring us our desires. After all, we all want our desires to come to pass so that we can continue to feel satisfied and at peace with life. With all the New Year resolutions that go forth each January, it's no surprise that energy levels are the highest come Januaryread more
Going Wide and Global with Gratitude
The Thanksgiving season is such a perfect opportunity to really delve into the topic of gratitude. What exactly is gratitude? Does a grateful heart really add to one's life? Do we take enough time throughout the year to express our gratitude? Over the years, researchers have done studies on the topic of gratitude and have come up with some interesting findings.read more


text: The Nest is one of the greatest things we have in Hudson. Chris makes it feel like we are in the stands/bleachers with the play by play and the excitement in his voice! I love the Nest and I do follow all the action, even in the sports I have never watched. Keep up the great work!!


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Investment strengthens Smart Materials growth engine and further expands leading market position
As strong partner of tire manufacturers, Evonik serves the high demand for silica
An additional capacity of 40,000 metric tons available from 2020
Evonik Industries is continuing to expand its silica production capacity in response to high demand within the tire industry. Precipitated silica are an essential ingredient in tires with reduced rolling resistance and, as part of Smart Materials, belong to one of the four strategic growth engines of Evonik with an above-average market growth and margin potential.
The company will increase its annual production capacity for precipitated silica at the existing site in Adapazari (Turkey) by 40,000 metric tons, investing a sum in the lower double-digit million euro range. Evonik and the EGE KIMYA company operate a joint venture in Turkey. Startup of the new production complex is scheduled for 2020. In addition to producing ULTRASIL® rubber silica, it will also serve the growing needs for precipitated silica.
"As a powerful partner for the tire industry and one of the world's leading producers of silica products such as ULTRASIL®, with this capacity expansion, we are reacting to the massive demand in the industry, strengthening our business partnership with the tire manufacturers," says Dr. Johannes Ohmer, a member of the Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH Board of Management.
"This is a consistent response to the challenge of reliably providing innovative products and custom solutions to our regional customers," points out Andreas Fischer, head of the Silica Business Line. Evonik is implementing this expansion in Adapazari to support the high level of demand for the highly dispersible (HD) silica used in producing Green Tires, particularly from customers in southeastern Europe and the Middle East. Thanks to a significantly reduced rolling resistance, Green Tires save a considerable amount of fuel compared to traditional vehicle tires.