Organizing Again to Support the Arts as Education/Economic Development

Even as yesterday's elections send shivers through many of us, we once again face a Virginia General Assembly session (without Morgan Griffith, thank God; the only good aspect of his election to the House) that is poised with a meat ax, ready to cut programs that affect most of us.

Laura Rawlings, director of the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge (I'm on the board) sent the following letter from Trish Poupore of the Virginians for the Arts,to those who see value in state support of the arts. The United States is one of the few First World countries that does not support the arts at high levels on the national level and state support has slipped to dismal levels under Republican domination. Some are finally beginning to understand that the arts comes under the headings of "Education" and "Economic Development" in addition to the sheer pleasure it provides.

Here's the letter:

"Anticipating that state budget support for arts grant funding could face continued challenges during Virginia's coming legislative session, Virginians for the Arts is working to expand its grassroots membership and its list serve, which it uses to send advocacy alerts, calls to action and news about arts funding in Virginia. Grassroots support was pivotal during the 2010 legislative session to the survival of funding for arts grants made through the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

"The News & Advance in Lynchburg reported (Mar. 24, 2010) about Del. Scott Garrett’s (R-Lynchburg) account to his local chamber of commerce at the end of the legislative session: “Public reaction to a proposed cut in state funding for arts agencies led him to believe arts should be regarded as an economic development tool and not just a quality-of-life issue. ‘I had 1,983 emails about the arts after the House of Delegates proposed to cut state support entirely by 2012.’

"In the final budget, most of the funding was restored. ‘What I heard, loud and clear, from our business partners is that arts are what brings businesses into our community,’ Garrett said. ‘I absolutely agree with that.’”

Our efforts this past year included reducing threat of elimination of the Virginia Commission for the Arts (proposed by the Virginia House of Delegates) to a 16 percent cut. VFTA organized a protest, bringing nearly 300 advocates to the state capitol the day the VA House of Delegates finalized its budget.

Efforts during the legislative session resulted in TV news coverage and more than 60 editorials and news articles drawing attention to proposed cuts to the arts. As we face the next legislative session, we need your help and would like to count you among our advocates for public arts funding for the arts in Virginia.

Here's What the 9th District Lost

The loss by Rick Boucher (above) to Morgan Griffith in the 9th District of Virginia is especially serious if you care anything about the future of the Internet specifically and technology in general.

Boucher was a member of the Energy/Commerce Committee (chairman of the subcommittee on telecommunications) and the important Judiciary Committee. His work on keeping the Internet free and open has been vital and his high level of intellect has been especially crucial because of the complexity of various issues he's worked on.

Republicans did not target Boucher's seat because they wanted Morgan Griffith there. Boucher had become an important (though soft-spoken) voice regarding the technology industry and was enormously influential in a number of areas.

His work on the cap and trade bill--which was distorted by the Republicans in the campaign as a "job killer"--was important in getting something the coal companies could live with, though it was not nearly as good an environmental bill as it should have been. Without Boucher, a Southern conservative, the bill would have been far closer to what the EPA wanted and what would have been to coal's detriment and the environment's benefit.

Boucher, for 28 years, has been a man who could work with Republicans as readily as he worked with Democrats. He and Republican 6th District Representative Bob Goodlatte were often called "the mountain technology boys" because they were so influential in that area. Don't expect Griffith to do anything but watch and walk with a pompous swagger. His intellectual capacity, put in a room with Boucher's is the light that went out in the corner lamp.

Politico quoted Bruce Mehlman, a partner at Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti, this morning, thusly: “Boucher is one of the smartest, most engaged members on these issues. He is generally a force for a thoughtful approach. I don’t always agree with him, but you can guarantee he is very judicious and fact-based. He is a constructive force in the mix that generally doesn’t play these issues as a partisan hack.”

According to Boucher’s Web site, he “has long recognized the importance of deploying broadband networks, and for more than 10 years he has encouraged local governments in his Ninth Congressional District to find means to increase access to high speed Internet services. Largely due to his efforts, Southwest Virginia today has one of the most capable broadband networks to be found in rural America.” One just went up, in fact, in the past month.

Boucher has added more than 5,000 jobs into a district that is poor, rural, spread out and not exactly a hot spot for industrial expansion. My guess is that the jobs issue is an area where Griffith will be a dismal failure. I am not aware of any jobs he helped create in his Virginia General Assembly district while a delegate. In fact, I'm not aware of anything he did. I am aware of a lot he blocked that would have been of benefit to the district, but I can't recall a positive (unless you count securing money for the Salem Museum and the Taubman Museum--whose board of directors is seeded with his financial supporters--as a positive).

Point is, the 9th District shot itself in the foot, and not with a .22 rifle. It used a bazooka this time and it will suffer for its own irrationality.

(Photo: mucullagh.org)

A Haunting, Beautiful New Voice in Song

I don't normally go around promoting music--truth be told, I don't even listen to much of it, 'cept for some occasional light jazz--but this is simply fabulous. Kid named Frazey Ford (above) singing a Dylan song that he couldn't sing any better than he sings anything else.

Here it is. Frazey used to be part of the three-female singer group the Be Good Tanyas, which I've never heard of until this minute. 'Course I never heard of her until tonight. Ordered as much of her music as I could find. What a voice. I'll sleep with this one (song, not girl).

And the Lord Has Proclaimed: Griffith-Free Congress

When Biblical law was being laid down (in a draconian manner) in Leviticus 18, one of the admonitions not mentioned as directed by the LordGod was the election of Morgan Griffith to Congress. Guess it slipped God's mind with so much going on.

My feeling is the oversight wouldn't slip through the cracks today--one day before voting--and the the directive would be thus in a 31st verse: "Nor shall you vote for a Morgan Griffith, to defile yourself with thus vote, for verily I say, he doth not represent unto the 9th District, nor even unto the 6th. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It also is perversion."

Same could be said to a slightly lesser degree over in the 5th District where Tom Perriello has the LordGod's blessing as a man of the people facing the representative of kings and nobles who would apply hidden taxes to the masses in the form of lower wages and lost jobs.

It hath been proclaimed throughout all the land to be thus.

(Graphic from choose-law.com)

Hey Book Babies! Here's a Reading for YOU

Jeanne Larsen (right), Keith Ferrell (near right) and I will be reading from new works next Sunday (Nov. 7), 8 p.m. at Studio Roanoke during the third meeting of the Literary Lounge, a Hollins University sponsored event. It's free.

The Lounge, like the Music Lounge--and so much more that happens at Studio Roanoke--puts the spotlight on our local talent and gives you the chance to judge for yourself if we are of national quality. I can assure you that some are. In our little group, Jeanne and Keith both have strong national followings. Jeanne, a marvelous storyteller who writes in whichever genre occurs to her at the moment, will be reading from her new book of poetry and Keith, who has written more than a dozen books--mostly non-fiction--will read from his new novel, which I can assure you will be thoughtful, insightful and scary on several levels. Keith is an intellect wrapped in a North Carolina drawl. I'll be reading from CLOG!, the novel I'm polishing for a final push to publishers.

Jeanne's book is Why We Make Gardens (and Other Poems) and Keith simply says his book "involves a murder," but he's not passing out titles or plots yet. "It's still very early in the process," he says, "but this is a great time to get feedback on the development."

Both Keith and Jeanne will join us as teachers at the Jan. 28-29 Roanoke Regional Writers Conference IV at Hollins. Keith has been a teacher at each of the previous three and Jeanne taught last year.

My book is a fictionalized account of the square dance team at my tiny high school (380 students) in the far northwest corner of North Carolina. Teams from Cranberry High School won two national championships in the 1950s and 1960s and piled up eight state titles and retired Old Smokey at the Mountain Youth Jamboree in Asheville. The book imagines a threat to the school's dominance by the 10-times larger high school in Asheville with the backing of an autmobile dealer whose daughter is on the team and wants Old Smokey. He spares no expense at a time when the little school's team has been hit by mono and the coach has to go into the student body to find dancers.

DRI Blows It On Halloween Contest

Downtown Roanoke Inc.'s mis-fire in not scheduling the 2010 Halloween costume contest on Roanoke City Market can be forgiven once, but if it happens again next year, there's a chance there will be a "trick" in DRI's goodie bag. I'll put it there.

The contest, which drew at least the three ghouls pictured here (they said they didn't hear a word about it not being held and went to a lot of trouble to dress up), has been a popular fixture at noon, drawing not only a big crowd, but plenty of press coverage. I went down, camera in hand, only to be disappointed.

It's a fixture, DRI. Get with the program. The little trick-or-treat dealie you sponsored last week was a problem on two fronts: it was a week off and nobody cares. Let's give the adults a chance to share the holiday.

Another Triumph at Studio Roanoke

There was a point deep within the first act when I nearly lept to my feet to do my Kenley Smith Celebration Dance, the one that is warranted at some magical moment in every play he writes.

It was right there when Mary the Reverand's wife, playing Mary the mother of Jesus in the passion play, was explaining to Bobby Pence, who was playing Jesus in the passion play, what she liked about the Holy One. "When I pray, I see Jesus on a custom hard-tail" Harley-Davidson, she said. A few minutes later, Bobby Pence is trying to fight off the advances of Mary the Reverend's wife and escapes, saying, "God bless you and shit."

Somebody suggested that latter line should be a bumper sticker, sold to benefit Studio Roanoke where all this is taking place.

Kenley Smith's "12 Stations of the Cross" is the second in his Bobby Pence triology and the second installment brought back some of the key actors with their roles and combined them with fine new talent (including Rae Norton West, the wonderfully bawdy double Mary, who had been toiling in a children's play across the street when Kenley found her recently).

Also back in the role of Bobby Pence's executed-for-a-crime-he-thought-Bobby-commited brother Harleigh Pence is the fine actor Paul Stober of Lynchburg, whose underplayed presence is vital here, since Austin Alderman is a bit over the top--often shrill--as Bobby. There are times when Alderman is near perfect, as well, but those are the rare quiet moments. One moment in particular is almost distracting in its clumsiness: Bobby and potential love interest Veronica (played by promising Shonte Wilson, whom Kenley found at the Dumas Center in a play) share a tender moment, accentuated with a kiss. The kiss is so cold and so obviously difficult for the actors (lips closed, not puckered, limp, no emotion at all) that the scene is ruined. Open your mouths, kids, and kiss each other for Christ's sake.

The story is Bobby's battle with inner demons and Harleigh's post-death revelation to Bobby about his origins, which are as painful as the life he's been living.

In the hands of Kenley Smith and his keyboard, the characters are multi-dimensional, alive and people you care about--whether or not you like them. It is a fine second part to this series and we are left to ponder what mischief Kenley will delve into for Part III, coming in February as "The New Testament."

Another interesting element of this play is the 12 pieces of artwork commissioned for it, which are used with the theater's new projection system to great effect. The artworks are varied and always appropriate for the scenes they match (and they are for sale).

Once again, Studio Roanoke has taken a chance with an edgy, imaginative piece of theater and for at least one of us, it is a delight. Highly recommended (and cheap, brothers and sisters; cheap). The play runs at Studio Roanoke on Campbell Ave. through Nov. 7 at 8 each night, with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.

Greenway Bridge: It's Ugly, But It's Finally Up

Crowd awaits the dedication of the new greenway bridge.^

Christina Koomen shoots video of Mayor David Bowers, who couldn't shut up.^

The inevitable baby carriages bring up the rear as pedestrians cross bridge.^

Pedestrians and bikers wait for the bridge to open.^

Mayor David Bowers points the way ... to something ... the bridge is behind him.^

Long line of celebrants makes its way to the food tent.^

Here's the bridge: judge for yourself whether it's the ugliest structure in Roanoke.^

OK, so forget for a moment that the new Roanoke Valley Greenway bridge over the Roanoke River in Wasena Park is one of the monumentally ugly structures of all time. Even more impressive than its level of Army Corps of Engineers Standard Issue design is its price tag of $1 million (half of which the Corps paid, apparently so Roanoke would let it be the designer).

In any case, the bridge linking Vic Thomas Park with the greenway proper is finally complete and the bikers, hikers and double-wide baby carriages can now add another few hundred yards to their exercise routine on the way to what Mayor David Bowers promises will soon be an 11-mile stretch all the way to the Water Treatment Plant in the east and unspoken points west of Memorial Ave.

The bridge was built in the flood plane where water towered 20 feet over where it now sits in 1985, says Bowers. "I'm glad we have a solid, sturdy bridge here," he said when asked why it was so ugly. Liz Belcher, who is the Goddess of the Greenway, explains that "the Corps of Engineers designed it" with a shrug. It is, she says, "part of the flood control project and it is just above the flood level" of 100-year floods.

Artist Eric Fitzpatrick, who was sketching the dedication proceedings at 12:30, smiled when he was asked about aesthetics. "I just love boxy," he smiled.

The bridge leads to what had been an often-flooded trailer park for many years and is now a pretty park named for a former General Assembly member, Vic Thomas, who championed both the outdoors and the common man. When he left the General Assembly about 20 years ago, he left these words, "Don't forget them that don't have nothing." Vic was a humanitarian, not a grammarian, but this sentiment is as elegant as anything ever said by any politician anywhere.

New Yorker Piece Looks at Perriello the Lonely Hero

Tom Perriello (above), the 5th District Congressman who is scratching and clawing against a Republican empty suit/empty head to retain his seat, has become the poster child for what a 2010 Democrat ought to be, but most often isn't.

He is a man of principle, courage, determination and political savvy and he doesn't have his party's moral or financial support, as George Packer points out in a scorching New Yorker piece here. Packer says the Republican plan in race after race is to return to the George Bush II philosophy of wrecking government so Democrats can get elected amid the wreckage and then Republicans can blame them for the destruction, which is exactly what is happening. Cut taxes, de-regulate everything, do absolutely nothing to support good ideas because if Dems get credit, Repubs get sent to the woodshed. As Packer points out, that's not just bad government, it borders on treason.

Perriello, properly credits his party and his administration with passing a monumentally important (but still not fully sufficient) health care bill and various economic stimulus packages to try to rectify some of Bush's disasters. The health care bill is far from perfect, but the health care system is an absolute farce and any bill is better than none. The Dems have done a lot right in the past two years, but they refuse to take credit for it in the heat of Republican rhetoric that begins with the demonized Nancy Polosi's name linked to every candidate--including Rick Boucher in the 9th, who has so little in common with her that they might be different species.

In any case, Perriello, who had such strong party support two years ago, is on his own. My guess is that he's better than his party and my sincere hope is that he shows all of us--in winning--that we are smarter than it appears.

(Photo: Richmond Times-Dispatch.)

Ah, Young Love, Circa 2010

So I'm driving in to work on I-581 this morning and the radio is on 101.5 The Music Station and I'm about half-listening to a disjointed little tune from a guy who couldn't carry one in a bucket. Then I hear him sing off-key, "If you need someone to bomb, I'll be there."

I'm not quite sure what to think about that. Don't know if the change is the love, the music or the old man sitting here typing.

(Department of Energy photo.)

Another Winning Production at Hollins

With the production of Melanie Marnich's "These Shining Lives," Hollins University Theater has once again demonstrated that the line between professional level theater and outstanding student productions is thinner than a one-pound trout line.

Marnich's story is perfect for a performance at a woman's college: the story of four close friends working in a factory painting watch faces with radium so they glow. They don't know the radium is killing them, but the company does. It leads to a heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting conclusion and a fascinating study in character between the opening and closing lines.

Hollins' theater, for the past several years, has been Roanoke's best showplace, even when professional Mill Mountain Theatre was operating. Hollins took on and continues to take on much more difficult and challenging material because it is not required to draw big audiences (which it does) or make a profit (which is probably doesn't).

Hollins also has Ernie Zulia, the area's best theater guy. He teaches at Hollins and once worked at Mill Mountain, but he outgrew the part and is in his element molding outstanding productions using a combination of student novices and veterans. The list includes scene and lighting designer John Sailer, consume designer Julie Hunsaker (former owner of the Grandin Theatre), technical director John Forsman and stage manager Lilly Gray.

The obvious stars of the most recent production are the four lead actresses. Annalee Hunter plays Catherine Donohue, whose lawsuit brings down the offending watch maker. Her three friends are played by Lianne Jackson, Emma Sperka and Emily Elliott. Lianne Jackson nearly steals the play with her portrayal of the smart-mouthed, often bawdy Charlotte.

Excellent support comes from the males in the cast, borrowed from other theaters: Chad Runyon (who is now a grad student at Hollins, but has been acting in Roanoke circles for some time) and veteran Ross Laguzza.

It is a fine ensemble performance of a solid play with something important to say.

It continues through the weekend, with evening performances at 7:30 and a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 online and $15 at the door and they're worth every penny you're spending. Order them here.

'artview' Artists Selected for Installations

Virginia Tech Professor Emeritis of Art Ray Kass has selected six artists to create new contemporary art installations throughout Roanoke. These site-specific installations will be displayed during “artview: visions & voices,” an international art show Nov. 5-7 at the Roanoke Civic Center Special Events Center.

Kass is founder of the Mountain Lake Workshops and Symposiums. His picks are: Jennifer D Anderson (Roanoke); Martha A. Olson (Blacksburg, pictured); Christine Kosiba (Blacksburg); Judith Love Schwab (Newport); Charlie Brouwer (Willis); and John Wilson (Roanoke).

Their works can be seen at the three day event alongside artists from five of Roanoke's seven sister cities. Those artists from Roanoke Valley Sister Cities will also create on-site installations based on their two week residency in southwest Virginia.

They are: Robert Suchinski, Opole; Poland; Kuk-Hyun Park, Wonju, Korea; Jane Motin, Saint-Lo, France; and Grigory Guerivich, Pskov, Russia (pictured); and Patricia Secco, Florianopolis, Brazil will arrive in Roanoke over the next two weeks.

The artists will conduct workshops and demonstrations during their two weeks in the city. Admission to “artview: vision & voices” is $8 for adults; students are $4 and children 12 and under are free.

Meze World Cafe--One of Our Best--Closes

What a bummer! Meze World Café in downtown Roanoke has closed and now I’m down two eateries in a month or so (a whole lot more if you count all the restaurants in the City Market Building in Roanoke).

Meze was a little oasis of good, healthy food in a sea of salt, grease, flour and sugar (the four Basic Southern Food Groups). Its salad bar was as good as any I’ve ever eaten and featured a lusty helping of fruit and two delicious soups, potato feta and vegetable. It was owned by the same people who own Isaacs in Grandin Village, a mid-Eastern-flavored restaurant that is immensely popular.

I often took people to Meze for lunch and never heard a discouraging word about Meze’s food, especially the salad bar. Its menu, which could get expensive because each item had a separate price and no sides, was healthy, tasty and marvelously prepared.

I’m going to miss the restaurant, another victim of George Bush’s bad economy. As if I needed one more thing to blame on that bastard.

CityWorks Features Minnis Ridenour

Developer Ed Walker, one of Roanoke’s real Renaissance Men, is having a series of discussions at his office that are open to the public and are not only free, but come with beer and wine. His next iteration of what he’s calling CityWorks is a 30-minute conversation with Minnis Ridenour (right) set within a one-hour (5-6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19) block.

Here’s what Ed says:

"Minnis Ridenour, is the former COO of Virginia Tech. This will be one of the best Q&As this year because Minnis is one of the most exceptional leaders in Virginia of the last 50 years. As they say in Blacksburg, 'Presidents come and go but Minnis remains.'

"Even now, five years after retirement, he is as active as ever advancing the causes of higher education, leadership, integrity, arts and design, good government, and sophisticated commerce. To me, he is a giant in our midst and is generous to make this time available.

"For those interested in how Roanoke and Blacksburg work together to achieve great things in the coming decades, don't miss this."

Perriello's Race Appears To Be Tightening

I can't vouch for the accuracy of the Roanoke College poll in the past, but here's its latest on the Tom Perriello-Robert Hurt race in the Fifth Congressional District of Virginia, a race between a far right Republican (Hurt) who wants to take the seat of one of the most competent, honest and noble people in Congress.

Here's the RC release:

"Republican state Senator Robert Hurt holds a six-point lead (46 percent-40 percent) over Democratic incumbent Tom Perriello in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional district according to a poll conducted by The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College. Independent candidate Jeffrey Clark is a distant third with 1 percent of the vote, and 13 percent remain undecided with two weeks until Election Day.

"The poll includes interviews conducted with 567 likely voters (registered voters who said they were likely to vote) in the Fifth Congressional district between October 5 and October 14. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percent.

"The percentage of undecided voters remains high this late in the campaign: 13 percent of likely voters have yet to make a decision in the contest for U.S. Representative. Perriello holds a slight advantage among undecided voters, 19 percent-16 percent, while 92 percent of the Hurt’s supporters and 86 percent of Perriello’s supporters say it is very certain they will vote for that candidate. Hurt voters were more likely to have paid a lot of attention to the campaign (54 percent-42 percent) and are more likely to be very interested in the campaign (66 percent-50 percent) when compared with Perriello voters.

"There is a significant gender gap in this campaign with men supporting Hurt (52 percent to 31 percent) and women supporting Perriello (48 percent to 40 percent). The majority (80 percent) of those who are undecided said they are very likely to vote. The undecided voters also trend toward being Independents who are moderate or conservative."

Endorsers for Wind Farm Piling Up

The few dogged holdouts insisting that the wind farm planned for Bent Mountain is a bad idea are slowly becoming overwhelmed by numbers. When the Sierra Club of the Roanoke Valley endorsed the project last week, it brought the number of environmental groups on the side of the farm to six. That's not counting local governments and others who favor the farm.

The Bent Mountain protesters, who live in the shadow of the proposed wind farm (which will be quite imposing from its sheer size) have presented a substantial case against the "industrial" farm, but its argument has been countered consistently by the groups listed below.

It's looking increasingly like the farm is coming and we'd all better just get used to it.

Roanoke Group, Sierra Club: Founded in 1892 by the legendary John Muir, is the largest grass-roots environmental organization in the world. The Roanoke Group has over 700 members.

U.S. Green Building Council Southwest Virginia Chapter: Devoted to sustainable building practices and listing almost 500 subscribers in Southwest Virginia.

Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition: An all-volunteer organization devoted to reducing regional greenhouse gas emissions with over 200 affiliates representing more than 25,000 citizens in this region.

Greater Roanoke Valley Asthma and Air Quality Coalition: Pulmonologists, nurse practitioners, respiratory care practitioners, registered nurses, allergists, and other representatives of health and environmental groups working to improve air quality and respiratory health for the Greater Roanoke Valley through education and partnerships with other organizations with similar goals.

Renewable Energy Electric Vehicle Association: Local volunteers from a wide variety of professions who undertake do-it-yourself renewable energy projects.

Chesapeake Climate Action Network: The first grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting global warming in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.; educating and mobilizing citizens of the region to foster a swift transition to clean energy and energy-efficient products.

(Photo: sustainabilityninja.com)

I Need Help With a Magazine Story

HELP!

I need to get in touch with people of the following description for several magazine stories I'm writing (please give me their names and contact info):

• A happily married couple 30s or 40s with kids
• A housewife who is fit, involved and loves what she's doing
• Grandparents raising a kid or two and enjoying it
• An old man--75-85--who is still in pursuit of the fairer sex
• A young couple happily living together who have not even considered marriage

E-mail me directly at editrdan@msn.com if you know people in these categories. And thank you. I'll owe you one if you have good contacts.

Writers Group Features Hot New Lynchburg Author

My buddy Betsy Ashton of Valley Writers tells me that a fine new voice in novel writing is the guest speaker at the next meeting Nov. 4 at the Unitarian Universalist Church on the corner of Grandin Rd. and Brandon Ave. in Roanoke. Gametime is 6:30 p.m.

The writer is Kathleen Grisson (right) of Lynchburg who has, as Betsy says, "written a highly-praised historical novel, Kitchen House." She will speak and sign copies.

No, Dear, That Is NOT Me!

A Christiansburg man with the perfectly wonderful name of Dan Smith is doing a bad thing and I don't want to get blamed for it. He's having a party to raise money for the Tom DeLay of Virginia, Snarling Morgan Griffith, a Republican drunk driving lawyer who is running for Rick Boucher's 9th District seat in the U.S. Congress.

I want to assure you that I have nothing to do with this, save sharing Mr. Smith's glorious nom de plume. It's Oct. 20 in Christiansburg (I'm not giving the address because I'm not into promoting mischief). If you see Mr. Smith in the mean time, tell him he might want to reconsider what he's doing here.

October Cover--Angel in My Pocket: An Investment Guide

Executive Summary: Investors with wings come in all sizes, shapes, bank account sizes and, as of lately, locations. The new kid on the block in this region is home-grown.

by SUSAN AYERS

For entrepreneurs searching for financing, the thought of an angel investor is enchanting. But an entrepreneur who links arms with an angel must be prepared to be partners with a source who will have a high degree of interest in ROI, his raison d’etre.

Being an entrepreneur with a start-up company is not for the faint of heart. Being an angel investor is an exercise in taking on the entrepreneur’s risk. The pressure for the company to perform can be intense. In return for their investment in companies, angels receive an equity stake in the company. But for many angels in this region of Virginia, it isn’t all about the money and that’s where remaining true to their name comes into account.

Many angels are successful former or current entrepreneurs who genuinely want to help entrepreneurs get their businesses, off the ground as well as to benefit the overall region where they live. They bring a depth and breadth of knowledge to the new entrepreneurs. Securing angel funding can consume great chunks of time. Angel investors are taking significant risks on a relatively unproven ventures and it is understandable that they like to carefully examine the business from all angles. Angels research the business to determine whether the investment should be made. This due diligence includes looking at a wide spectrum of elements including the people, products, projected sales, financial and legal issues.

“It’s getting more and more difficult to get early stage funding,” says David Poteet of Nomad Mobile Guides in Blacksburg. “Some investors write a check with no involvement and others interested in the company also do mentoring.”

“A lot of things can be overcome, but you must have good people in the deal,” says attorney Mike Drzal of LeClair Ryan in Blacksburg. “[You need] people highly motivated with a tremendous work ethic, flexible to make adjustments, and honest and forthcoming regarding competitive challenges. Angel investors are looking for good people.”

Angel investors do not have to be accredited investors as designated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Still, most of the money coming from angel investors comes from accredited investors. Accredited investors—as defined by the SEC—have income and asset requirements that must be met. Angels are filling a void of sorts that began occurring when many venture capital funds were no longer available for the new companies.

“Angels are having to fund bigger and bigger rounds [because] many venture capital funds, particularly in our region, are moving downstream to where there’s less risk such,” says Attorney Ken Maready of Hutchison Law Group in Blacksburg. “[That includes] companies with actual recurring revenue, which is not typical in seed and early-stage startups.”

One of the ways that a region can benefit from new small businesses is job growth. According to a recent Kauffman Report, businesses less than five years old account for the creation of two-thirds of total new jobs. In 2007, there were 12 million new jobs in the United States with young businesses responsible for 8 million of those.

In our region, there have been several successful technology startups including—but certainly not limited to—Luna Innovations, WebMail (MailTrust), ADMMicro, TechLab, Meridium, Optical Cable, VTLS, Pixel Optics and Synchrony.

“Small homegrown businesses and entrepreneurs play an important role in our local economy,” says Sam English of CIE Partners in Roanoke. “Smart entrepreneurial people are attracted to the area and an infrastructure is established that supports creativity and risk-taking. An entrepreneurial economy benefits on multiple levels: creating profitable businesses in the region; [creating] quality jobs; [improving] local wealth for entrepreneurs and investors; and strengthening the community with additional tax revenue [and] philanthropy, [creating] business leaders and [generating] investments into other businesses.”

Until recently, angels have been difficult to identify, mostly because individual angels wanted a low profile for obvious reasons. Now, many angels are forming groups to become more visible to people with ideas and the groups are becoming more organized. That said, there are still many angels who quietly invest individually.

“The 460 Angels Group is more of an idea of the 460 Capital Partners,” says Bob Summers, its director. “We started working on it three years ago. The group is meant to be regional—Southwest Virginia. The initiative kicked off last October to the network people. The advantage of the group is [that individuals are] pulling together. I anticipated getting 10 accredited investors the first year. We have 30 accredited investors between Roanoke and Blacksburg.” “We have a lot of work to do. We need our angels being more sophisticated in terms of strategy to be like other regions. It’s a work in progress. “It’s all about networking and matching the right company with the right angel investor.”

***

There has been a tremendous amount of growth over the last one to two years on the angel investor scene in Blacksburg, the New River Valley and Roanoke area. On one side of the equation, the angel community appears to be coming together and on the other side at the same time; there is considerable guidance available to entrepreneurs along the lines of how to present to angels, the process as a whole, how deals can be structured and what an angel-backed company looks like. As a result, there are opportunities galore.

This guide will help you start your search.

Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (CRC) is home to more than 100 companies engaged in leading-edge research in diverse areas of technology. The Center’s mission is to develop a growing, prestigious research park for high-technology companies. Concurrently, the CRC will, in collaboration with the university, advance the research, educational, and technology transfer missions of Virginia Tech (VT). CRC currently has 27 completed buildings totaling 956,000 square feet housing 2,200 employees on 120 acres of land. Total build-out is planned to be another 28 buildings totaling 950,000 square feet housing 3,000 employees in Phase II. CRC is a for-profit wholly owned, private subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, and is, therefore, not a state entity.

VT Knowledge Works is a regional business acceleration center serving technology-based enterprises at all stages of the corporate lifecycle. With conference and incubation facilities located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, VT Knowledge Works encourages and supports entrepreneurs, executives, and investors as they plan, launch and grow companies to financial independence.

VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit is an annual two-day comprehensive workshop custom designed for prospective company founders, entrepreneurs launching or re-vamping a business, growing companies seeking expansion capital, and individuals interested in investing in early-stage companies. Originating in April 2009, the Summit includes business concept competitions, open angel forum and educational seminars.
The NewVa Corridor Technology Council (NCTC) is a non-profit member-driven association of businesses and organizations in the greater NewVa Region encompassing Roanoke and Blacksburg, VA and the surrounding counties for the purpose of driving prosperity and working together to promote the growth and success of the region’s technology sector. Access to Capital Committee was established in 2009 by NCTC to increase communication between technology firms that need funding and investors willing to fund them.

The Angel Capital Association (ACA) is North America’s professional alliance of angel groups. The association brings together many of the angel organizations in the United States and Canada to share best practices and collaboration opportunities. ACA serves as the public policy voice of the American angel community.

460 Angels is a seed and early-stage angel investor group facilitated by the NCTC Access to Capital Committee. The group just kicked off last October to the network people and focuses on funding and coaching hi-tech entrepreneurs with scalable business models based in the New River Valley and Roanoke region of Virginia. This group is seeking technology based product companies, which can scale to a global marketplace. The group’s members are experienced in engineering, software, finance and management. The 460 Angels follows the ACA’s Best Practices.
Pitch & Polish Clinics that help tech-related companies prepare for raising Angel capital are hosted monthly by the NCTC Access to Capital Committee. The entrepreneur is allowed 10 minutes to pitch an idea/company and receives feedback on how to improve from a seasoned panel consisting of four to eight panelists. The entire session takes approximately 30 minutes. Additional representatives from the entrepreneur’s company may also attend, but otherwise this is a private session between the entrepreneur and the panel of advisors. This opportunity is open to any tech-related company seeking early stage investment and is the first step to accessing capital. Pitch & Polish clinics are held monthly at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center. The first clinic was held in May 2010.

DayOne Ventures is a seed stage investment and mentoring program for technology-based startups, funded and operated by experienced, successful entrepreneurs who are also angel investors. The entrepreneurs are experienced in both building and selling technology businesses. The program launched on March 12, 2010 and is housed at the VT Knowledge Works Business Acceleration Center, located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, home of Virginia Tech. Each spring, up to three early stage enterprises are selected through a competitive evaluation process. Those winning teams selected receive benefits including up to a $16,000 stipend to cover personal and business expenses in relation to participation in the program, free furnished office space, Internet access and hosting, free company formation and legal documents, and free brand development and logo. Accomplished entrepreneurs work closely with the teams for three months to maximize the opportunity in each start-up and remove unnecessary risks. The program normally begins in late May and concludes in late August. Each firm then has the opportunity to present to potential investors via a demo day event. In exchange for the package of benefits provided, DayOne Ventures receives an equity stake in the emerging enterprise.

Virginia Active Angel Network (VAAN) is a professionally managed and member-led group of accredited investors that meet monthly in a dinner model in Charlottesville. Founded in 2005, VAAN has members from Southwest Virginia to Northern Virginia and to New York City and Georgia who participate either by driving to the Charlottesville dinner or through on-line access. In this model, VAAN allows the presenters to still reach a large investing membership while reducing the number of members that must travel to local dinners (as was the model the first four years of VAAN). VAAN considers opportunities to provide funding and mentor capital to early and seed stage ventures primarily in the central and southern Virginia region, and the greater region, including Maryland, Washington DC, North Carolina, Kentucky and West Virginia. VAAN also syndicates opportunities with other Angel Capital Association angel groups.

CIE Partners is an independent Roanoke-based organization promoting innovation and assisting entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations in the western region of Virginia. The organization began in 2006 as the Center for Innovation and entrepreneurship with the mission of assisting inventors and entrepreneurs. Building on that success, in 2008, the organization added staff, expanded its offerings to include services to nonprofit organizations and changed its name to CIE Partners to reflect its expanded capabilities.

From Charlottesville to Roanoke to Blacksburg, CIE Partners has an available network of resources to accelerate the development of successful businesses and to enhance the operation of nonprofits. The organization provides advice and consultation, works side-by-side with its clients to actively advance their interests. Its expertise is tailored to meet different client needs as the organization assists in designing and carrying out feasibility, financing, and follow-through activities. CIE Partners specializes in working with inventors at the idea stage, entrepreneurs in the start-up phase, and nonprofits at any point of development.

Hutchison Law Group Angel Investment Education Series offers a series of workshops and seminars for prospective angel investors and for entrepreneurs seeking angel investment funding. Founded in 1996, Hutchison Law Group expanded into Virginia with the opening of an office in Blacksburg in January 2010.

LeClairRyan SCOUT (Startup Companies Originating Unique Technology) Award recognizes and assists an entrepreneur or emerging business with high growth potential. The recipient may receive up to $15,000 in complimentary legal services over a 12-month period. In order to be eligible for consideration, applicants must have a commercially viable business model based on proprietary technology or innovations. A cogent business plan demonstrating high growth potential is required. Companies seeking or preparing to seek angel or venture capital financing are eligible. This is the second year of the SCOUT award. Submissions will be accepted until November 1, 2010. The winner will be determined by the leadership team of LeClairRyan’s Venture Capital Practice, along with outside assistance, and will be announced on December 1, 2010.

A Spat Inside the News Bid-ness

The scoop squabble that has broken out between Roanoke's local daily newspaper and WDBJ7 television is a comic opera in full flower. It's a classic "did not/did, too" scenario with the TV station initially reporting big doin's at the Taubman Museum of Art and the paper saying the report was inaccurate.

Effectively, the TV station's team of reporters (and I've counted at least three working on it so far) reported that "sources" told them the Taubman, which has been under considerable financial stress of late, is looking for partners and for working models that would change its operation formula. I'm not so sure that's big news, since most arts organizations are doing the same things on an on-going basis, but the report comes on the heels of the resignation from the board of Jenny Taubman, who raised a great deal of money for the $66 million project. So, it looks suspicious to an enterprising young reporter and if somebody inside bends the reporter's ear, that ear gets bigger.

The local daily's arts reporter, Mike Allen, is a veteran news reporter with an interest in the arts (he writes and acts) and he has good sources. His report effectively said the TV station was overreacting and that nothing important is going on.

For as long as I've been in the news business (since 1964), the nasty squabble between print reporters and TV newsies has been escalating. The print boys arrogantly dismiss electronic reporters as pretenders and often believe themselves to be the only legitimate source for news. The electronic sector--which has some very good reporters, like Joe Dashiell--has always had something of an inferiority complex balanced by that local stardom that comes with being familiar to people ("Hey, didn't you used to be ...").

This a.m., Channel 7 hit back at the local daily's report, saying, "Is, too!" (I also noted that the TV station refused to say the newspaper's name publicly, calling it "a local newspaper.")

Stay tuned. Those institutions don't have much use for each other and this could get good.

Shooting Starts Tuesday on SML Movie; Seymour headlines Cast

Sarah Elizabeth Timmins' Smith Mountain Lake-based movie "Lake Effects" begins shooting Tuesday and the cast is lined up with the most recognizable name being that of Jane Seymour (right). Sarah has done some fine work organizing this movie when it looked like it had failed more than a year ago. She's a tireless worker and a charmer who should give classes.

Here's her release on the cast and the movie:

"Filming is planned to begin Tuesday and is slated to last four weeks. Main character, Sara Tisdale will be played by Virginia born, Scottie Thompson.

Thompson grew up in Richmond, VA. Thompson graduated from Harvard University in 2005 with a Bachelors degree in Performance Studies and Literature. Since graduating, Thompson moved to New York to pursue her acting career. She’s appeared as a guest on several television shows such as, “Brotherhood” and “NCIS.” Thompson is also the female lead in the Universal’s highly anticipated thriller “Skyline” due to hit theatres this November. "

Jane Seymour has been cast to play Vivian Tisdale, Sara’s mother in the film. Seymour, has played in hundreds of television and film productions. Her most famous role was as a Bond girl in the 1973 movie “Live and Let Die.” Many may also remember Seymour in her later role Dr. Quinn on the television show, “Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman."

Sara Tisdale’s boyfriend Ash, will be played by Casper Van Dien. Van Dien brings 20 years of acting experience to the set. He began his career with two big breaks; on the daytime soap opera, 'One Life to Live' and prime time drama, 'Beverly Hills, 90210'” Since then, many will remember Van Dien from his role as Johnny Rico on the sci-fi action film, 'Starship Troopers.'

"Sean Patrick Flanery will take on the role of Mark Futterman, host of a science fiction exploratory channel. Flanery has appeared in over 53 films since 1988 including 'The Boondock Saints,' 'Powder' and 'Simply Irresistible.' Most recently, Flanery is in the 2010 SyFy horror film, 'Mongolian Death Worm' and 'Saw 3-D'.

"Madeline Zima will take on the role of Lily Tisdale, Sara’s sister. Zima began acting in front of the camera as a little girl when Woody Allen discovered her for the movie, 'Alice.' Over the years Zima has honed her comic timing while working on the television show, 'The Nanny' and as a wicked stepsister opposite Hilary Duff in the movie, 'Cinderella Story.' Many will recognize her as a series regular on both 'Californication' and 'Heroes.'

Ben Savage will play Carl, a local lake monster enthusiast. Many know Savage for his lead role, Cory Matthews on the NBC television show, 'Boy Meets World.' Old Vic will be played by Richard Moll, mostly notable for his role as Bull Shannon on the television show, 'Night Court.'

Jeff Fahey has been cast to play Ray Tisdale, Sara’s father. Fahey is a seasoned actor with over 30 years of acting experience under his belt. Most recently Fahey played Captain Frank Lapidus from the hit show 'Lost' and is in the movie, 'Machete' with Robert DeNiro.

There are many other experienced actors and actresses cast for the film. They include: Eyal Podell, Richard Riehle, Ron Canada, Mary McDonough (Erin from 'The Waltons') and Barry Papick."

So, Which Polls Should We Trust? (Hint: None of Them)

Morgan Griffith at his best (right)>

Polls are both a blessing and a bane during election season, which, like professional sports, seems to have no beginning or end.

A great example of this Jekyl-Hyde duality is the SurveyUSA poll yesterday that had the despicable Morgan Griffith (boooooo!) trailing the intelligent and effective Rick Boucher (yaaaaaaaaaaay!) in Virginia's 9th District by 15 points, 53-38. Meanwhile, Tom Perriollo (hooooray!), has been trailing his Republican opponent Robert Hurt (hisssssssss!) over in the 5th District Congressional race by as much as 46 points recently, an assertion that has brought the Perriollo camp to the brink of apoplexy, especially when a conservative group's poll has the race at about four points' difference.

Griffith has been using the "He's Nancy Polosi and Barack Obama rolled into one" tactic, which is simply preposterous, and he's also "blaming" Boucher for support of cap and trade, which was the right vote. The problem with Griffith thus far, it appears, is, as one of the old boys from the coal fields might put it, is, "You ain't from around here, are you?" Griffith doesn't live in the 9th, but as a pal o' mine says--using the Palin reference every time she gets the chance--"Griffith can see the 9th District from his house." I said months ago that I'd be surprised if Griffith got 40 percent of the vote (the same 40 percent that votes "no" to everything).

Perriello is on familiar turf looking at an opponent's backside. He trailed Virgil Goode two years ago up until just about the last week, but this time his opponent is not taking incumbency for granted because he doesn't have any. Goode had been routinely elected by wide margins for years, but Goode faced the recognition of his incompetency in a year when people finally figured out that George Bush had screwed up just about as completely as a human being can and that his policies were spelled "ruination."

According to Politico.com, pollster Pete Brodnitz, "SurveyUSA’s polls have been a consistent outlier in the race for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District." Perriello's people have called the numbers "mathematically impossible." Politico.com quoted a Democratic Congressional Committee spokesman as saying,“High-quality, reliable polling done by Democrats and Republicans have shown this race to be neck-and-neck ..."

The Virginia Board of Elections notes that far fewer than one percent of voters have cast ballots early, but Survey USA reportedly says that number is seven percent, a significant difference.

In any case, wherever you go, it looks like Perriello is trailing an empty political suit, a situation that is unacceptable. Perriello is the very definition of what a good representative should be.

Religious Ignorance: Preaching Without Understanding

The Great Unlearned speak for God.^

There is a lot of hand-wringing and head-scratching over the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life poll that tells us half of our countrymen don't know much about even their own religions, not to mention the religion of others. I'm not sure why anybody is surprised.

Americans are basically incurious, disinterested and aggressively ignorant of even that which seems to be important to them--unless it's football. The average American, I'll venture, has far more in common with George Bush than with George Orwell. We have consistently voted against our interests in electing Republicans to office, shopped at Walmart (which would be the third-leading importing country of Chinese goods if it was a country) and killed our own jobs, watched "reality" TV and killed our minds, fouled our nest and resisted the obvious truth about global warming, refused to learn what caused our monetary problems, gone to war for no good reason time after time, continued to use fossil fuels even with the knowledge that they are killing us in several different ways, and on and on, ad infinitum.

We are a nation of morons, so what's the big deal about not understanding something as complex and often contradictory as religion? Christians often incorrectly quote the Bible in making their arguments and they are not above taking directives out of context. That whole litany about the various "abominations" on which homosexual bigotry hangs is a great example. Homosexuality and football are equally banned, but nobody mentions the football. I just love how Mark 6:5-6 is ignored by those who pound us over the head with their religion, trying to convert us.

Religious conservatives of every stripe are often among the most ignorant of what they claim to worship. Islam, for example, is a religion of peace, as is Christianity, but you couldn't tell it if you look at the record of war the world history. The numb-skull practitioners of the right in both those religions think that soldiering is God's personal directive and the non-believer must be converted or killed.

The poll, in fact, revealed that those most knowledgeable about religion are agnostics and atheists. I have as little use for atheistic philosophy as I do for Bible thumping, but the agnostic is the person who questions, who seeks, who tries to understand and I think that deserves our respect if not our strong support.

Maybe if we all adopted the notion that we need to know more, we'd be better off. We certainly would read "love thy neighbor as thyself" in a different light.

Tech Grad Sets One-Day Jeopardy! Winnings Record

Virginia Tech College of Science alumnus Roger Craig (above with Alex Trebek), who set a one-day winnings record of $77,000, ended his reign as the show's champion this week, amassing a seven-day total of $231,200 in cash winnings.

He was beaten by Winston-Salem writer, commedian and marathon runner Jelisa Castrodale (right). She beat Craig with a one-day total of $39,399 (which is about what Craig averaged over his run), but lost the next night. (Her interesting Web page is here.

Castrodale beat Craig in Final Jeopardy (coming from behind) when the category was "Sports and the Media." She has a communications degree from Wake Forest and writes for the Winston-Salem Journal and NBC.com.

Craig, a 33-year-old graduate student at the University of Delaware earned a prominent place in the show's history by becoming the third highest winning contestant on the quiz show (excluding tournaments), right behind Ken Jennings ($2,520,700) and David Madden ($430,400). Jennings’ $75,000 one-day total was the previous best.

“I had no idea that I became the third highest winner until Alex Trebek announced it," Craig is reported to have said. "I was totally shocked. It obviously helped by having set the highest single game record and by my large Daily Double bets.”

A native of Newark, Del., Craig will earn a Ph.D. in computer science this fall. He says he plans to use the money to pay off school loans, buy a new car, travel and donate to charity.

(Photo of Roger Craig from the Jeopardy! Web site. Jelisa Castrodale's photo from nbcsports.com.)

Perriello Is Apparently Closer Than Thought

Apparently Tom Perriello (right), the 5th District Congressman who some felt had been given up for toast by the national Democratic Party, is apparently not only alive, but running well against his faceless Republican opponent, a guy appropriately named Hurt, who won't debate Perriello.

My pal Tom Cain sent two reports my way today saying, in effect, that Perriello is running nearly a dead heat and that he has $1.2 million to pump up the volume if need-be. Apparently, Perriello's intense work, his town meetings, his ability to listen and take principled stands has earned loyalty among Democrats and admiration among Republicans.

His campaign pits his stances for his constituents--mostly blue collar working people--against corporate interests represented by the Repubs. SurveyUSA had Perriello trailing by 61-35 percent a week or so ago, but the reports Tom Cain sent me say the difference is closer to two percentage points.

A report on the Huffington Post says Perriello is one of a handful of Democrats that national progressives are banding behind five candidates they especially like and Perriello--appropriately--is one of them. They're sending money and rooting out volunteers, which can be invaluable in a district as wide-ranging as the 5th.

Perriello is the kind of honest, courageos and principled man we all would like to have representing us, even if we don't necessarily agree with all of his stances. The Repubs would like to give you George Bush lite. Here's hoping the good people of the 5th know the difference.

(Image: Politics Daily.)

Beethoven After Midnight: A Roanoke Show

My pal Cara Modisett has been busier than a one-legged Texan in an ass kicking contest since "retiring" from Blue Ridge Country magazine as its editor. Cara (who's no more retired than your favorite editor) has been using her time before starting school again to the best advantage of everybody around here.

One of her projects is Music After Midnight, following No Shame Theatre (which starts at 11:00 p.m.) Sept. 17 at Mill Mountain Theatre (yes THAT Mill Mountain Theatre, the one that died). There will be additional performances Oct. 8, Nov. 12 and then in December, January and February.

This is the second installment the concert series in downtown Roanoke. This month's performers: The piano trio of Gordon Marsh (head of the Roanoke College music department), violinist Geronimo Oyenard and cellist David Feldman who will perform Beethoven's Archduke Trio.

Says ara, "This is not your typical classical music performance. Music After Midnight has been launched to get rid of the old notions of traditional concerts. Musicians wear jeans, not formal black, and the audience shares the stage with them. There's free food and soft drinks, and conversation is encouraged between musical pieces. It's sort of concert-hall-meets-living room, or a recital/salon/classical jam session."

Music After Midnight is the brainstorm of Kandinsky Trio violinist Benedict Goodfriend and pianist/writer/pal o' mine Cara, who performed the first Music After Midnight in August, with food provided by the Texas Tavern. October's concert will be a program of Spanish music by mezzo soprano Ada Lis Jimena and guitarist Bill Krause.

Admission is left open to your own sense of value: pay what you can and proceeds benefit Center in the Square and its member organizations.

Tennis Grunters: Oh, Just Shut Up!

Michelle Larcher de Brito is the champion grunter at 109 decibles. A lion roars at 110.^

At the risk of sounding like an old fuddy-duddy, I'm hoping the International Tennis Federation will stick a cork in the mouths of those players like Maria Sharapova and the unbelieveably shrill 16-year-old Portugese player Michelle Larcher de Brito whose grunts and screams are as annoying as the soccer trumpets.

The grunters insist they simply can't play without grunting (though players through time did without the grunts until Jimmy Connors and Monica Seles started bellowing more than two decades ago). Not many of their opponents have complained that the grunts leave them at a disadvantage, but that's beside the point. When you're paying $50-$100 for a ticket to watch these dorks play, it would behoove tennis not to annoy you. You're paying the players' salaries.

Same with soccer, where those damn horns kept me from watching more than a minute at a time of the World Cup a few weeks ago. The horns were too annoying to allow enjoyment of what many described as good soccer (I wouldn't know, truth be told; 0-0 ties don't strike me as good anything). I complained a few years ago to the management of our pro basketball franchise in Roanoke (the unfortunately-named Dazzle) and indoor football team (the late, lamented Steam) that the music they played was giving me a headache and raising my anxiety levels and they toned it down. That was good business.

The tennis grunters, according to several published reports (like this one in the London Sunday Times) are hitting decibel levels that are dangerous to our ears. A lion roars at 110 and de Brito screams at 109. Sharapova comes in at 101. Serena and Venus Williams are at 89 and 85, so imagine watching them play doubles. No letup.

Hearing damage begins at 85 decibels. A normal car or home stereo at max volume comes in at 100. Pain begins at 104-107. One of those often banned 6X9 car stereos turned up full tilt is the equivalent of de Brito grunting. A grenade "very close" is 191, but you'd never hear it. Your head would be gone first.

Here is de Brito at her shrieking best. And here's one just for fun. Or not.

Wind Power Coming Strong; Creating Jobs

While would-be congressional carpetbagger Morgan Griffith (right), who is running for the 9th District seat even though he doesn’t live in the 9th, bemoans Congressman Rick Boucher’s support of cap and trade legislation because it could cost jobs, alternative energy continues to create them.

My pal Diana Christopulos informs me that the U.S. Department of Energy has just issued a report that tells us wind power in 2009 generated 10 gigawatts of new capacity and had a $21 billion investment. It accounted for 39 percent of all new U.S. electric generating capacity in 2009 (down slightly from 2008, but up dramatically from 2004, when it was 4 percent). The report says that for the fifth straight year, win was the second-largest new resource added to the U.S. electric grid, behind natural gas. It was ahead of new coal power.

Community colleges in areas where there are wind turbines (including Dabney Lancaster near Covington, anticipating turbines in Highland County) are teaching students how to work with and on the turbines (that's jobs, for those still guessing, in addition to jobs manufacturing and installing the generators).

Griffith insists that we must continue to generate dirty power, to choke children to death and to retain coal mining jobs (which also kill a whole lot of people every year), rather than going to alternate forms of energy that are cleaner, healthier and more dependable. It is an industry that could hire coal miners tired of going into a hole to work every day.

China, which has recognized alternative energy as a potential profit center, overtook the U.S. in annual wind generation plant additions (though the U.S. leads the world in “cumulative wind power capacity”), according to the report. The rest of the world is serious about wind power with countries like Germany, Spain, Portugal, Denmark and Ireland.

Texas leads the U.S. in wind capacity addition with Indiana and Iowa behind in the distance. Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota lead the U.S. in generating the highest share of in-state electricity from wind power.

(By the way, Griffith wants to serve in a city he apparently detests and whose name he can't pronounce, if his TV ads are an indication. Washington does not have an "r" in it.)

How Serious Is the Threat to Perriello?

My buddy Valerie Garner has an interesting post today, talking about 5th District Congressman Tom Perriello's (right) uphill battle to retain his seat in a year when Jesus would be challenged if he had a "D" after his name.

The 5th is one of those nutty, gerrymandered districts that the Repubs devised in an effort to smother Charlottesville's liberals with Southside's Rebel flags, tobacco culture and milltown education levels. It worked every time Virgil Goode was sent to Congress as perhaps the least competent representative in a body that hardly pushes the envelope on intellectual sophistication.

Perriello, as it turns out, is the darling of a whole lot of people, most of whom don't live in the 5th--though he has a nice following there, as well. He's a guy who doesn't bring to the party anything that Goode flaunted (including an accent that yelled, "I'm from around here, ain't I?"). Perriello is bright, accomplished, educated, and a man of considerable courage in a number of arenas (including helping to cast out an African despot while George Bush was cutting brush back on his ranch).

The Tea Party and its minions consider Perriello a perfect--and perfectly vulnerable--candidate for just those reasons. He ain't like us, they say. And that has him trailing, in one respected poll, 61-35 percent. Fact is that those are big numbers, but Perriello has trailed before and if he's anything, he's a good campaigner. Frankly, I've never seen a candidate with better TV ads ... the kind that don't foster hate, but that give you a good indication that the guy's bright and he's on your side.

We'll see how this works out in the long run, but if Robert Hurt beats Perriello, the 5th will have told us that George Bush and Virgil Goode were good enough for its sensitivities and that the Repubs really do know where our worst instincts are.