US Pavilion at Shanghai: Incisive Commentary from China Daily

"Fear not: The pavilion will not resemble the mobile home shacks the Bush administration gave to Southerners displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Do expect a nice blast of air and a spray of water - in a good way..."

China Daily copy editor Brad Webber wryly spells out the struggles the USA Pavilion has overcome to bring itself into existence, conveying the spirit and optimism of the enterprise, and remembering his own visit as a youth to Spokane Expo 74. Well-written, well-informed and well-observed.

Update: Monday 16 Nov, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits the expo site and calls for more sponsorship support.

Update: US Pavilion is recruiting for a variety of positions.

Update: Pasadena Rose Parade to feature Shanghai Expo 2010 float.

Jumana Broderson's transition from Busch Entertainment Corp exec to independent businesswoman

This article by Jumana Brodersen explains how she's adapted to being an independent after having always worked for large firms - most recently, 10 years as director of creative development at Busch Entertainment Corp. It's an inspiring story of a resilient and successful business person, and it has struck a chord in the themed entertainment industry. It's been widely read and commented upon, and Brodersen herself has received many complimentary notes from people who find it resonates with their own experiences. Read the article here.

How Giant Screen Theaters are Faring in the Recession

For the monthly newsletter LF Examiner, which supports the giant-screen industry, I wrote this pair of articles looking at giant screen theaters and museums in the US and internationally. Depending on the region and the type of venue, some have been doing better than others but all are showing resilient and imaginative strategies for making the best of existing resources and growing their audiences wherever possible.

The articles first ran in the August and Sept 2009 issues of LFX and were later republished online at Blooloop.com. Part 1 looks at US theaters and Part 2 chronicles international theaters.

Photo of Imax Theatre Melbourne courtesy of LF Examiner.

In dome theaters and planetariums, digital and optical systems combine

I wrote this article for IMERSA, the trade group that is working to spread the word about fulldome digital technology to the planetarium community and to the themed entertainment community at large. The issue is that Most digital projectors do not produce true blacks, but instead fade to a uniform gray sky. The traditional optomechanical projectors give you the deep blacks but not the versatility of fulldome. This is prompting manufacturers to come up with combination systems and also to strive to produce blacker blacks with digital systems. The article was first published in Sept 09 in The Planetarian (International Planetarium Society quarterly) and then online at Blooloop.com here.

Photo: Central placement of the 2 JVC video projectors on either side of the GOTO CHIRON allow for 100% fulldome coverage with no starball shadow on the dome at Fujisawa, Japan the most recent HYBRID dome. Image courtesy GOTO.

Audiovisual Technology in the Classroom

Planning for Classroom Technology workshop Nov. 2, 2009 in Denver provides knowledge and tools that will benefit anyone involved in the planning of audiovisual technology in the classroom or providing system support. Participants will learn how to approach the integration of audiovisual systems into classroom buildings and identify potential problems. This workshop is led by Steve Thorburn of Thorburn Associates.


Click here to read full article.
Click here for the Thorburn Associates workshop website.

Miriam makes pickles

My sister Miriam Rubin is a trained chef and pro food writer, gardening writer and recipe developer. She lives in the Pittsburgh area and here she is demonstrating pickles at the Slow Food Pittsburgh event.

USA Pavilion at Shanghai 2010 reaches milestone

The very, very good news is that the USA Pavilion is officially moving forward -- with a signed participation agreement between the US Fed and the Shanghai Expo, an official groundbreaking in Shanghai on July 17, and a first-rate project team headed by Nick Winslow and Ellen Eliasoph, with veteran expo designers Bob Rogers of BRC Imagination Arts and Clive Grout of Clive Grout Architect.

I've written two articles about it, both published on Blooloop:
July 16: USA Pavilion Groundbreaking in Shanghai shares the details of the project's graduation to official status
July 30: Not an Architectural Handstand focuses on the sustainable design of the pavilion

Also of interest is Knute Berger's July 24 article on Crosscut, "Chinese Puzzle," about the diligent efforts of US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke (third from left in the picture above) to galvanize support for the USA Pavilion.

The USA Pavilion official website is here.

World Expos: From One Expo to the Next, Transfer of Knowledge is Tricky to Achieve

Transfer of knowledge is all-important to world's fairs because these gigantic, expensive undertakings are one-off events. A city or region gets one chance to do it right and the potential long-range benefits are huge. Accurate documentation of an event provides material for future organizers to draw upon and the opportunity to bestow (and receive) credit where it is due.

Click here to read my new article about the Edmonton 2017 expo bid, and transfer of knowledge, on Blooloop.

More promising news for USA Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010

Some good news from Hank Levine's blog, Behind the Curtain, about US-China relations.
"Shanghai Expo: A Corner Turned

Readers may have noted the most recent bit of positive news regarding the US Pavilion for the Shanghai Expo: the adding of Yum Brands as a sponsor (here’s one report from AP via LA Times.

But the fact is, something much more profound has taken place. Secretary Clinton and her senior staff are now actively engaged in support of the fundraising efforts by the State Department approved group that is working feverishly to get the Pavilion built..." click here to read the full post.

Hank Levine has worked for the US State Department as well as the American Embassy in China. He also blogs at Behind The Curtain and speaks fluent Chinese. He has held positions in the Office of Chinese Affairs at the State Department and in the US Embassy in Beijing, as well as serving as US Consul General in Shanghai and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Asia.