Today's Events:

President Mike Mills presiding

We welcome all of our visitors:

Ann Wendschuh (Peter)  - what amazing cookies!! 

You’re such a lucky man, Peter!

* * * A N N O U N C E M E N T S  * * *

Cathy Miller – RI Foundation:

Rotary Club members support international projects through the programs of the Rotary Foundation. In addition to Polio Plus, the Rotary Foundation supports projects that provide health care and supplies, clean water, food, job training and education -- particularly in the developing world.

Monday, May 5, 2008 @ 6:00 P.M.

RCSM Board Meeting

Board meetings are open to all members.
If any Board members are unable to attend, please let President Mike know asap.

The Foundation Board meeting will be immediately following the Club Board meeting.

JENNIFER DEWSNAP:
~~South Miami Middle would like us to do the Atlas project on
May 14^th in the morning.

~~Sunset Elementary – looking at May 8th possibly to distribute the dictionariesAtlas Project at the end of May

All members are welcome to participate and see how the kids are all smiles and open the books as soon as they receive the books.

Cathy Miller: 

Last Saturday

Annual Rebuilding Together Volunteer Day

in Coconut Grove

http://www.rebuildingtogethermiami.org/index.html

A huge thank you to:

Carolyn, Asaad, Fabio and Cathy

For showing up & representing our club!

http://rotary2008.com/la2008hoc/

BY THE NUMBERS …

As of 12/31/2007 there are: 1,205,518 Rotarians worldwide in 532 districts and 32,841 Rotary clubs. Those clubs support 7,105 Rotaract clubs with 163,415 members, and 11,255 Interact clubs with 258,865 members.

SOUTH MIAMI ROTARY ARTS FESTIVAL

Saturday & Sunday, February 21 – 22, 2009

www.southmiamiartfest.com  (official site)

 www.myspace.com/southmiamiartfest (unofficial site)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Miami_Rotary_Art_Festival (wiki encyclopedia article)

$$$ PRINTER CARTRIDGES FUNDRAISER $$$

Our club goal is 100% Attendance!

If you miss a meeting, it can be made-up within 2 weeks, before or after, of the missed meeting date.

For online make-ups:

http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/downloadcenter/pdfs/eclub_list.pdf

For make-ups anywhere around the world when traveling internationally: http://rotary.org/support/clubs/index.html

2007-08 RCSM OFFICERS:

President:  Michael Mills
millsmike@aol.com

President Elect:  Bill Enright

bill@handsonmiami.org

Vice President: Linda Kaplan

lk@lindakaplan.com

Secretary:  Doreen Reitnauer

dhiker217@aol.com

Treasurer: David Jacobs

david@jnccpas.com

Sergeant at Arms:  Hampton Booker

Hg262@bellsouth.net

To send an E-mail to the Rotary Club of South Miami’s Board of Directors, board@southmiamirotary.org

South Miami Rotary Club:
www.southmiamirotary.org

Rotary District 6990:

www.rotary6990.org

World Organization:
www.rotary.org

Mission Statement

The mission of Rotary International, a worldwide association of Rotary clubs, is to provide service to others, to promote high ethical standards, and to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.

THE 4-WAY TEST OF THE THINGS WE THINK, SAY OR DO:   

Benefits of Being A Rotarian (Membership)
Rotary membership provides the opportunity to:

¨       Become connected to your community.

¨       Work with others in addressing community needs.

¨       Interact with other professionals in your community;
assist with RI's international humanitarian service efforts.

¨       Establish contacts with an international network of professionals.

¨       Develop leadership skills.  Involve family in promoting service efforts.

Renewing or Joining
To Renew ($250) or to become a New Member ($300) contact

Asaad Massoud, at www.racharters.com

Fundraisers
Interested in putting together a fundraiser? Contact Club Service Chair Linda Kaplan at lindakaplan@lk.com

Ann Fisher, April’s Programming Chair, introduced today’s speaker

Steve Ellis

Channel 10 (WPLG)

3900 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33137

(305) 576-1010 / www.local10.com

“How  the Change to Digital TV Will Affect Us”

Digital television is coming soon. Steve is WPLG (Phillip L. Graham) Channel 10’s Chief Engineer which was originally owned by National Airlines.  He started with WBFS Channel 33 in 1983 –
went to Channel 39,  and then back to Channel 10.

Steve is the one who answers all technical calls from viewers.  He’s the pied piper fielding all comments and questions about the advent of this upcoming big change. 

The mission of WPLG is to respond to the community to serve and inform.  This goal is taken seriously.  They are affiliated with the Washington Post and the Graham family.

Steve has lived in Dania Beach and Hollywood since 1979.

Today’s discussion is to raise awareness of a looming date

February 17, 2009, the date by law television stations must switch from analog to digital broadcasting

Why Digital Televsion (DTV)?
~Dramatically clearer picture
~Better sound quality
~More televsion programming options
~More efficient and more flexible than analog

From Cable and Satellite providers you can find a “digital tier”
~10.2 channel – youthful Spanish
~Channel 6 has Weather Plus
~WPLG Channel 2 – digital lineup
~Channel 39 has music videos

Channel 6 got good luck to have radio broadcasting.  It is way up in the UHF band in the 30’s.  Their radio station will be gone in February.

The perfect signal is over the air with a digital tuner not cable. 

Who’s effected?
Every household in America that receives free over the air broadcasting signals through antennas on analog television sets will be affected by the transitions.

19.6 million households are owners of analog televisions
15 million receive signals on analog sets without cable or satellite service

For at least 3-4 more years, cable companies will provide the analog signal.

How do I prepare for the DTV transition
Purchase a converter box

What is a DTV converter box?
~Converts digital signal to analog costing $50-$70
~Plug in only – no battery
~Radio Shack, BestBuy, electronic equipment stores has them
~The Federal government offers $40 coupons available online or by phone to help to defray the cost. Send up to two coupons per household.

800-DTV-2009

or
www.dtv2009.gov

What else can I do to be ready?
New televisions have digital tuners
Subscribe to a paid cable, satellite or telephone company television service

For more info:

The official web site of the National Association of Broadcasters digital television transition campaign

Portable battery operated television probably won’t work. For  $199 you can purchase a handheld digital tv at Radio Shack.  His suggestion is to wait until next year when technology catches up as creating mobile digital tv’s the big topic at this year’s Las Vegas Electronics Show.

The broadcasting industry is setting up a new standard.  Digital receiver – will make mobile viewing much better.

There needn’t be severe landfill issues from tossed out televisions if people hold on to their sets and get a transmitter.  Analog transmitters are being dumped by the broadcasting stations.

Analog channels were mandated to be freed up in 1998-99.  This also gave broadcasters a chance to get a second channel

Broadcasting on channels 52-69 had stop.  Then the Federal Govt. sold this bandwidth.
Qualcom bought 59 to broadcast cell phones which will be a new mobile technology RF technology will be booming with the freeing up of all of these channels

Digital tuners started production first in any tv bigger than 42 inches, then 32 inchers and now all sets since 2005

HDTV has more 1080 lines of resolution versus digital TV which offers 480 lines

Channel 10 broadcasts in a 720 P progressive scan which is the same format as your computer screen.  It is better for viewing sports and high action video

HDTV broadcast in 4X3 mode. Local tv stations don’t originate HDTV shows from their studios, so they stretch the picture or cut the sides off.  This will happen for a few years until new equipment (billions of dollars to upgrade equipment) is purchased and installed.

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