Church on floor of NSCA
Written by Joyce L Chow & William Hoehne March 16 2006
MBN
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MONTEBUBBLISM: At a event if those infront of you stand and block your view you stand and block the views of those behind you.
DOD CASUALTY LISTINGS
DoD Release Sexual Assault Report for 2005
FiberPlex, Inc announces its advanced LightViper
More distance requires more technology - The new r7 425.
House of Worship program on the show floor of NSCA
Local Media in New Orleans on rebound
Procter and Gamble Company SEC FILINGS ALERT
DOD CASUALTY LISTINGS
A Multinational Division Baghdad soldier was killed yesterday in a mortar attack southwest of Baghdad, military officials reported. The soldier's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. In other news from Iraq, members of Iraq's 3rd Public Order Brigade found a roadside bomb in front of a trade school southeast of Baghdad on March 14, military officials reported today. The bomb consisted of a 155 mm artillery round, two batteries and a block of explosives, officials said.
The Defense Department has announced the names of three Marines who died recently in Iraq and Afghanistan: - Lance Cpl. Nicholas R. Anderson, 21, of Sauk City, Wisc., died March 13 in a non-hostile vehicle accident in Afghanistan. Anderson was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. - Lance Cpl. Kristen K. Figueroa, 20, of Honolulu, died March 12 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province. Figueroa was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. - Lance Cpl. Bunny Long, 22, of Modesto, Calif., died March 10 from a suicide car bomb explosion in Iraq's Anbar province. Long was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
DoD Release Sexual Assault Report for 2005
The Department of Defense announced today the release of the second annual report on the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) program. The report provides data on alleged sexual assaults reported to military officials during calendar year (CY) 2005 in which members of the armed forces are victims or offenders.
The data indicate that the department has made great progress in establishing a robust and effective sexual assault prevention program. All of the military services implemented aggressive education and training programs designed to build a climate of confidence. Fundamental changes to reporting procedures were also adopted across the department.
This integrated program resulted in 2,374 reported allegations of sexual assault involving a service member as either a victim or perpetrator. Previous DoD studies and commissions found that some victims chose to forego support services rather than participate in the investigative process. To address this barrier, the department instituted two methods of reporting: restricted and unrestricted. Unrestricted reporting gives victims support services and initiates the criminal investigation process. There were 2,047 unrestricted reports in CY 2005.
Restricted reporting allows members to access care without automatically starting the investigative process. Implemented in June 2005, there were 435 restricted reports. The new restricted reporting option accounted for 65 percent of the 674-report increase over CY 2004. In addition to removing barriers, DoD designed this option to provide the time, care and empowerment necessary for some victims to request a criminal investigation of their assault. In 2005, 108 (or 25 percent) of the victims who chose restricted reporting subsequently changed to unrestricted reporting.
At the close of the reporting period on Dec. 31, 2005, criminal investigations had been completed on 1,386 cases. This resulted in 163 unidentified alleged offenders and 44 alleged offenders where either civilian or foreign authorities had jurisdiction. Another 641 alleged offenders had cases that were either unfounded, unsubstantiated or there was insufficient evidence to prosecute. When the reporting period closed, 352 offenders were awaiting final action and another 274 had punitive action completed. The 2006 report will detail the status of the 661 investigations that were pending completion and the action taken on the 352 offenders awaiting final action.
This second annual report demonstrates the department's commitment to eliminating sexual assault from its ranks by removing barriers, creating a climate of confidence in reporting and ensuring care is accessible for all victims. Recognizing that this will be a long term effort, the Joint Task Force for Sexual Assault Prevention and Response has transitioned to a permanent office under the direction of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. The department will continue to refine the SAPR program and ensure its vigorous implementation throughout the armed forces. To view the executive summary of the department's report to Congress, click here [http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2006/d20060316SexualAssaultReport.pdf] .
FiberPlex, Inc announces its advanced LightViper
VIS-4832 fiber optic all-digital audio transport system has been deployed for use in Silicon Valley’s San Jose Center For The Performing Arts. The high-tech capital city’s 2,665-seat theater, designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, hosts numerous events in one of the nation’s busiest multi-purpose public venues — from ballet to music-only concerts, boxing championships to video game developer’s conferences. Because of an eclectic mix of continuous public events with widely varying needs for audio reinforcement, a portable, yet state-of-the-art sound system with fiber optic digital audio and control technology was recently specified by Richard “Woody” Woodward, principal of Kari Productions. Kari, the Performing Arts Center’s house sound music production provider, worked with South San Francisco firm, Hi-Tech Audio, to configure the unique system which features the world’s first 64-channel rapidly deployable, all-digital, large-scale fiber optic audio and control system.
“Woody” Woodard, principal of Kari Productions and FOH Engineer for many of the Center’s music productions, was enthusiastic about his experience with the LightViper fiber optic transport system:“I am tremendously impressed with how well the LightViper performs; it’s just awesome! My fiber cable runs approximately 300 feet for a typical show set-up to the orchestra area from front-of-house position in the rear of the auditorium. One of the great benefits with this LightViper system is that I now have full control of up to sixty-four [64] stage mic preamps from the console. Just this aspect alone saves me lots of valuable time, not to mention the faster set-up you inherently have with a full multi-channel audio cable run that’s smaller in diameter than my little finger! It’s so much easier now to deal with the tight set-ups that are typical at the Center.
My LightViper system replaced a conventional copper audio snake, and more. It’s been ultra-reliable and well worth the investment. I can’t begin to tell you how much easier my life is now. It saves me from a lot of headaches on every gig.”
The custom AES all-digital LightViper audio transport system at Kari Productions features eight (8) Yamaha digitally controlled mic preamplifiers mounted in two (2) compact, roll-around electronics rack. Each AD8HR Mic Pre can handle up to eight (8) mic inputs for a total system input configuration of sixty-four (64) mic channels. From these devices, normal analog audio is then fed to a pair of LightViper VIS-4832 “head end” stage units (also mounted in the same electronics racks) which converts the signals to multiplexed digital audio. In addition to taking the inputs from the mic pre’s, the VIS-4832 sends RS-422 control signal data to the mic pre’s (this control generated at the FOH console position).
The control signal at the stage-end is simply “daisy-chained” to all eight 1-U rack preamps. The digital audio, as well as bi-directional control data for controlling the mic preamps, is sent back to FOH (and to monitor splits when required) from the remote stage rack down a single multi-mode, four fiber tactical grade fiber optic cable furnished with the LightViper system. The “primary” fiber optic cable is routed on a perimeter run to the FOH position in the left rear of the large auditorium. Each VIS4832 features up to three (3) signal splits.
At the typical FOH position in the San Jose Center, a Yamaha PM5D digital console handles the mixing and audio control. The primary fiber optic cable run terminates into a pair of LightViper VIM-1832 FOH units which, in turn, feed the optional “recallable head amps” (MY16AE 96 AES interface cards) installed in the PM5D console (this console configured for 64 inputs with 24 mix buss outputs and 16 returns to stage). The console generates an RS422 control signal (as well as 48 kHz Word Clock to the entire system) which are fed into the local VIS-1832 units for the bi-directional control data sent via the LightViper system to the remote stage electronics racks described earlier.
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Editor’s Technical Notes:
The new LightViper VIS-4832 digital snake system is an AES3 digital audio alternative for the company’s highly-acclaimed VIS-1832 Fiber Optic 32 x 8 Analog Snake Head and consists of two (2) 1U electronic rack mount units and the requisite fiber optic cable. The VIS-4832 stage “head” will accept sixteen (16) AES3 digital inputs (32 audio channels). The system’s outputs consist of four (4) AES3 digital outputs and eight (8) analog line level outputs. Two (2) additional Fiber Split outputs are available for monitoring.
A dual fiber optic “tactical grade” cable connects the system’s two (2) components to provide a “pure digital signal transmission path” of up to thirty-two (32) channels of remote microphone preamplifiers. By simultaneous use of the system’s digital and analog outputs, it can transport digital mix busses to a digital, analog, or a mixed drive rack.
The VIS-4832 will also handle an optional 10/100 Ethernet portal over fiber and it features both 48 and 96 kHz Word and Super Clock outputs. All LightViper 1832 systems will support 48 kHz sampling rates (VIS-1832, VIM-1832, VIM-1032, VIS-4832, VIM-1808/0808) as well as native 24-bit/96 kHz. The 48 kHz mode is selected by feeding 48 kHz Word Clock into the clock input.
This new feature allows for greater channel density when interfacing with digital consoles (e.g. Yamaha PM5D, DM2000 digital consoles with “Y cards”) and is also useful for direct digital feeds to computer-based recording systems. Additionally, all 1832 Systems will support an optional 10/100 Ethernet portal over fiber (VIS-1832, VIM-1832, VIS-4832, VIM-1808/0808) with the use of a four (4) fiber connectors and a 4-core fiber optic cable.
A primary application for the VIS-4832 digital snake is the transmission of signals from the output of existing high-quality microphone preamps directly to the inputs of a digital console. This eliminates the need to convert signals from the digital domain into an analog signal, send these converted signals through a conventional copper snake, and then, subsequently re-convert them from the analog domain back into a digital one at the mixing console.
The digital snake system may also be deployed as a “drive rack snake.” Digital outputs of a mixing console may be sent directly through a LightViper fiber optic cable to the digital inputs of power amplifiers; this topology maintains an all-digital signal path throughout the entire audio signal chain. In addition, the digital snake system will simultaneously route the console’s digital output to both high-end power amps with digital inputs and to conventional monitor amps with analog inputs.
LightViper’s fiber optic cable offers total signal path isolation between both stage and mixer as well as between the mixer and power amplification; the cable is totally immune to ground loops, RFI, EMI and electromechanical noise, and runs of up to 1 1/4 miles (6,600 feet) can be easily accomplished without signal loss or degradation.
FiberPlex includes a limited lifetime warranty with all of its LightViper system components.
Additional information can be obtained at www.fiberplex.com or www.lightviper.com.
NOTE: LightViper™ is a registered trademark of FiberPlex, Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
—For more information, contact Ron Neilson, Neilson/Clyne, Inc.: Tel: (615) 274-2263;
Fax: (615) 274-2595; Email: rneilson@neilsonclyne.com; Web: www.neilsonclyne.com.
More distance requires more technology - The new r7 425.
Taylor made: R 7425 More Movable weight, More Clubhead size,more shaft technology, even more distance.
Large 425 cc clubhead offers exceptionally high MOI and forgiveness for consistently long, straight results» Choose from six sets of launch conditions by utilizing 28 grams of movable weight that can be utilized across four widely-spaced TLC ports» New TaylorMade RE*AXTM shaft with jointly-developed Fujikura technology reduces ovaling in the mid-section while promoting greater stability, shot consistency and clubhead speed » Inverted Cone Technology provides a larger area of the clubface to deliver higher ball velocity and greater distance, even on mis-hits » Ultra-Thin Wall Technology saves critical weight and permits the clubhead walls to be 0.6 mm thin, 25% thinner than the walls of the r7TM quad and r5TM dual drivers.
How does the r7 425 differ from the original r7 quad?
The r7 425 features 28 grams of movable weight divided between two widely spaced TaylorMade Launch Control (TLC) ports, allowing for a lateral shift in CG position of up to 5 mm. Testing indicates that the r7 425 delivers a lateral trajectory change of up to 13 yards when the TLC cartridges are configured to promote the maximum amount of either draw or fade. Likewise, players can configure the TLC cartridges to increase or decrease their spin-rate to promote changes in the height of their tee shots, either higher or lower. After a trajectory is chosen, the r7 425 makes it easier to achieve that trajectory over and over, thanks in part to the club's exceptionally high MOI and its large 425 cc head.
Compared to the original r7 quad, the r7 425 boasts:
- 17% more movable weight
- 7% increase in MOI
- 45% larger span of horizontal CG movement
- 30% broader range of lateral shot adjustment
- 13% increase in backspin-rate adjustment
- 9.3% larger address footprint
- 25% thinner clubhead walls (40% thinner than the average cast metalwood)
- 33% lower CG location relative to the center of the clubface
All of the above means that the r7 425 promotes a wider change in shot-shape and trajectory; that it is more forgiving; and that it visually encourages increased confidence.
In what other ways does the r7 425 differ from the r7 quad?
Compared to the original r7 quad, the r7 425 is engineered to deliver a larger draw bias when the cartridges are configured to promote a draw. The r7 425 is also engineered to launch the ball on a higher flight when the cartridges are configured to promote a high-neutral trajectory. A third, critical difference between the r7 425 and the r7 quad concerns CG location relative to the center of the clubface. The r7 425's CG is positioned 3.3 mm below the center of the clubface compared to 2.5 mm for the r7 quad. That gives the r7 425 more usable clubface area above the CG, which is the area that activates vertical-gear effect. Vertical-gear effect occurs when the top of the clubface rotates back and away from the target at impact, promoting a higher launch angle and a lower spin-rate, resulting in the kind of launch conditions that are the most favorable for producing added distance.
How can the r7 425 deliver a broader span of horizontal CG movement compared to the original r7 quad?
The combination of the r7 425's larger clubhead, more widely spaced TLC ports and increased movable weight allows for increased CG movement. That increased movement allows the r7 425 to promote larger lateral changes in trajectory from right-to-left. Specifically, the r7 425's CG can be moved 4.9 mm horizontally compared to 3.4 mm in the r7 quad. From front-to-back, the 425 boasts 22% more CG movement; 5.0 mm compared to 4.1 mm in the r7 quad.
How many TLC cartridges are included with the r7 425?
The r7 425 comes with four TLC cartridges: (2) 2-gram and (2) 12-gram for a total of 28 grams of movable weight. The r7 425 also includes a TLC Torque Wrench.
Besides TaylorMade's Movable Weight Technology, what other key technologies does the r7 425 employ?
The r7 425 employs Ultra-Thin Wall (UTW) Technology, which allows for extremely thin yet strong clubhead walls. The weight saved by the thinner walls helps make Movable Weight Technology possible. The r7 425 also employs TaylorMade's renowned Inverted Cone Technology (ICT), which increases the size of the COR zone, the portion of the clubface that delivers consistently higher ball velocity, resulting in consistently longer drives. An added advantage of ICT is that the exceptionally light clubface allows weight to be applied to TLC.
Does the r7 425's Inverted Cone Technology differ from previous generations?
The r7 425 features TaylorMade's third generation of ICT, which was introduced in the R500 Series.
The key improvement since the advent of ICT is that now we're able to produce drivers whose clubfaces are subject to much tighter tolerances from one to the next. That means we can deliver consistently faster clubfaces from driver to driver without exceeding the "speed limit" imposed by the USGA.
What is "ovaling?"
"Ovaling" occurs when the normal forces of the forwardswing contort the shaft, forcing it from a circular shape into an oval shape. Ovaling causes inconsistencies in the way that the shaft loads and releases energy, and in the manner in which the shaft delivers the clubface to the ball.
How does RE*AX technology diminish ovaling?
RE*AX technology incorporates a sheet woven from two high-grade graphite strands. This sheet is wrapped around a strategic portion of the shaft beginning just below the grip and ending just above the tip, taking up approximately one-third of the shaft's length. Critical to the performance of RE*AX technology is the computer-generated pattern used to weave the graphite tightly together, which provides the strength necessary to help the shaft resist ovaling.
How does RE*AX technology enhance the performance of the shaft's tip?
The RE*AX graphite sheet covers one-third the length of the shaft, stretching from just below the grip to just above the tip. That stabilizes the portion of the shaft that's most vulnerable to ovaling. Adding strength to the shaft above the tip also allows the tip to remain flexible so that it kicks faster, increasing clubhead speed through the hitting zone to promote increased ball speed and a higher trajectory for added distance.
House of Worship program on the show floor of NSCA
NSCA has partnered with the Fellowship for Technical Ministries to present a special House of Worship program on the show floor. Set up to showcase the latest technologies and techniques through training sessions, the House of Worship Pavilion at this year’s Expo is bringing manufacturers, systems integrators, and church customers together and providing a unique forum for networking and education.
Greg Silsby, executive director of the Fellowship for Technical Ministries, worked with NSCA to develop the program. “It’s an opportunity for electronic systems industry members and the customers they serve to get better acquainted for the mutual benefit of each,” explains Silsby. “Church technical directors and media technicians represent the single largest market segment within the installed sound and AV businesses in the U.S., so it’s very important that integrators and manufacturers get to know those customers better.”
NSCA executive director Chuck Wilson says, “Traditionally, NSCA has been focused on distributors, dealers, and contractors, and this year, we’re opening it up to these qualified end users to come in and see what we do.”
The customers also need an effective venue for gathering information on products and product categories, and the Pavilion serves as a forum for a new stream of NSCA attendees. In addition to the manufacturer-led educational sessions offered throughout the show at the Pavilion, technical directors from some of the nation’s largest houses of worship will lead several workshops and seminars.
“The manufacturers can extend their brands to these facilities. They still sell their products through the distribution channel, but this way, they can get their name and product out in front of the customers—give them a visual so they can see how these products can integrate into their environments aesthetically.”
Among these offerings will be a course on transitioning church television facilities to digital, growing a technical team, and directing the capture of live events on video. Other courses on the schedule will address lighting design, developing consistency in audio performance, and the planning and implementation of multi-site worship venues. The Fellowship of Technical Ministries will also sponsor an interdenominational Christian Worship & Praise event open to all Expo participants and attendees on Saturday, from 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Local Media in New Orleans on rebound
Hurricane Katrina swept over New Orleans and the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29. The real devastation for New Orleans, however, came the next day, as the levees surrounding the city broke and flooded neighborhoods, causing residents to evacuate in droves, scattering them as far as Houston, Chicago and even New York. Not all have returned, but some have, and six months later are starting to figure out how to rebuild their homes and lives.
Broadcasters from the area will be making the rounds to agencies and advertisers in Chicago, New York, Atlanta and Dallas to communicate what Ms. Gentilini saw -- that the Gulf Coast is back in business and a place worth spending major media dollars. The local newspaper and outdoor industry are also eager to let advertisers know they are still delivering an audience that will be spending big. But advertisers going back into New Orleans will have to do so without the usual measures guaranteeing an audience has seen their ads.
The latest estimate from the city’s Emergency Operations Center, released March 7, found that the New Orleans population had risen 35% from December to January to 180,000 residents. The daytime population, which includes those visiting residents and paid laborers (but not daytime commuters to offices and restaurants) was estimated to be a little more than 260,000. Still, both are far below the 2000 federal census that listed the city’s population at 484,674. The Emergency Operations Center also determined that approximately 20,000 people were staying in hotels, 2,742 were living on cruise ships and 5,900 students were in college dormitories. Adding those into the population brings the total to about 210,000.
While the city proper has lost many of its residents, the broadcasters serve the entire DMA, and areas outside of New Orleans are operating much as they always did. Mr. Delia and his cohorts at other New Orleans TV and radio stations will hit ad agencies armed with stats. In 2006 and 2007, they expect the market to see an influx of $100 billion in government money earmarked for recovery.
The residents who will be spending it need virtually everything -- cars, flooring, household goods, fast food. The broadcasters association is using a variety of public and private studies to present a picture of who is living in New Orleans. Their pitch stresses that while the number of residents in some of the hardest hit parishes -- Orleans, St. Bernard and Plaquemines -- remains significantly reduced, the head count in neighboring parishes has risen as much as 160% since the storm as residents of flood-damaged areas seek lodging close to their homes. St. Tammany Parish has swelled from 79,260 households to 111,554 households. And those people are spending: local sales tax receipts from fall 2005 in several lesser hit towns were running 50% or more ahead of the same year.
The bid from the New Orleans broadcasters is bolstered by a recent Kagan Research report that says the five-year period beginning in 2005 will indicate higher growth levels for the market, driven by increased activity among categories such as home improvement, autos, insurance and banks.
Not too surprisingly, the online version of the market’s largest newspaper, The Times Picayune, continues to be a bright spot in local media. The first few of weeks after the storm, Nola.com, which houses the paper’s content, had four million unique visitors but since then has settled into about 1.2 million or 1.3 million unique visitors a month -- roughly two-and-a-half times as many as were using the site pre-Katrina.
The storm was enough to force a bit of a tipping point in the habits of newsreaders. Prior to the storm, the average reader was visiting 14 to 21 news pages a day and now those news pages are in excess of 44 a day. The Times Picayune executives are also working toward getting national advertisers to understand that the paper serves the entire New Orleans market, which has about 80% of its pre-storm population
Resuscitation is a slow process, before Katrina there were about 13,000 home deliveries in St. Bernard Parish, one of the hardest high areas. Two weeks ago they re-entered the area, delivering 1,000.
The outdoor industry is also working hard to rebuild signs in the area, said Stephen Freitas, chief marketing officer for the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. The two biggest suppliers in the area are CBS Outdoor and Lamar, which is headquartered in nearby Baton Rouge. CBS estimates about 70% of its inventory in the market is up and running. Lamar, meanwhile, has reported it is back up in every Gulf Coast market except Gulfport-Biloxi and estimated Katrina will cost the company $1.8 million in the fourth quarter. “In the long-run the Mississippi Gulf Coast is going to come roaring back,” said Sean Reilly, chief operating officer and president of Lamar’s outdoor division
But the market is still without some of the important tools on which broadcast media buyers and advertisers rely -- Nielsen and Arbitron ratings.
According to media buyers and sellers who’ve been briefed on the plans, Arbitron could be back in the spring and Nielsen won’t resume TV audience reporting until at least the fall if not early 2007. The Times Picayune is not yet ABC audited and doesn't expect to be before the end of the year. Last week, it delivered about 185,000 to 190,000 papers, compared to a pre-storm total of 250,000.
The city’s entire ethnic makeup could shift if many of the African-Americans who left choose not to return and if Hispanic temporary workers choose to stay in the market permanently.
Buyers are improvising, using historical data and internal research to come up with their own estimates. Some are advocating adding a direct-response component to ads, and others say it’s a logical, intuitive buy.
The big hesitation is do you have a true measurement of what your client’s dollars are delivering?
