OK, So Cut It Out With the Shot Shot!

OK, TV news breath, I've had it! The notion that there is some kind of federal mandate that you show people getting shots--all the gory details--every time you have a story about the flu or anything else that might require, or even have as a low-level option, a shot has run its course.

Some of us react viscerally to needles. We know what a shot looks like and feels like. You don't have to keep showing it story after story after story. So cut it out, dang it!

A Short Evaluation of Morgan Griffith

Griffith with his mouth open>

My good friend Kurt, a man who tends toward dignity and brevity, tells me he ran into Salem Del. Morgan Griffith at a football game Friday night and said to him, simply and ... well ... elegantly, "You are a disgrace!"

Kurt's lovely wife was dumbstruck (though I suspect she agreed with the assessment). Kurt admitted, "That was the marguerita talking." But sometimes the marguerita speaks volumes of truth in one simple blurt.

Griffith is at best disgraceful as a representative of anything associated with grace and civility, with logic, kindness, compassion or any of the human characteristics so many associate with his mother, a long-time teacher in the Salem system. Somebody once explained him as a "demon seed." He said, "No way that woman could have given birth to that man."

Maybe not. Maybe so. Who knows? But Kurt got it right and it delighted me. Griffith's response: "Are you in my district?" It's about the votes. Always the votes. Only the votes. If you see Griffith, remind him that he's a disgrace. It's only fitting.

Major Leaguer Pitching for Salem in Playoffs

As one who's been complaining for many, many years about the way minor league baseball pushes its players around from league to league and team, never considering whether the fans like it or not, we have a new wrinkle for the Salem Red Sox. A major league star will start the first game of Salem's quest for a Carolina League title Wednesday in Winston-Salem.

Is that legal? Is it fair? Just what is it?

I have no idea, but Daisuke Matsuzaka gets the start and one must assume Winston-Salem (the unfortunately re-named "Dash," dropping back from the wonderful "Warthogs" of yore) is royally pissed. The game--which I'd say will be a sellout--starts at 7 p.m. at Wake Forest Baseball Stadium.

"This is a great way to kick off the 2009 post season for the Salem Sox," understated Salem General Manager John Katz, who will be watching his last series in Salem. He's leaving the organization at the end of this season. "It's always exciting to have a major-leaguer on the field, and to have a pitcher the caliber of Daisuke Matsuzaka on the bump in game one is really something special."

The Red Sox pitcher--commonly referred to as something similar to Dice-Kay by Sox fans--was signed in 2006 and has started 69 major league games. He has a 34-20 record with a 4.11 ERA and a fat salary. He is ranked third among major league pitchers in most strikeouts and most wins in his first two years of play. He is 28.

He injured his throwing shoulder earlier this season and had a 1-5 record before being put on the disabled list. He started for Pawtucket (the Sox AAA club) Sunday and, in 67 pitches, allowed four hits and two earned runs in a little over four innings.

You Simply Can't Give Up On the Guys

My pal Tommy Denton and I at the Wake Forest-Baylor game yesterday^

Two years ago after I'd bought tickets for the Duke-Virginia game for an outing with my wife and my sister and her husband, Virginia opened the season with an ignominious 23-3 loss to Wyoming. When I heard that score--Wyoming was terrible--I was crestfallen, believing my $70 or so investment was in the toilet.

We went up anyway and watched Virginia beat a so-so Duke team 24-13. Then, in succession UVa beat North Carolina by 2, Georgia Tech by 5, Pitt by 30, Middle Tennessee by 2, UConn and Maryland by one each, before losing for the second time (NC State by 5). Virginia bounced back beating Wake by 1 and Miami--in one of the most surprising reversals of fortune in UVa history--48-0. All this represented one of the most exciting football seasons I've ever watched. Christina and I went up for the UConn game and watched most of the rest on TV.

I had been at the verge of giving away the Duke tickets and had no idea what I'd do with the already purchased UConn tickets at the time of the Wyoming disaster. College football, though,is a game of redemption and a game of constant hope. I think that's why I dearly love it--far beyond the game at any other level. Pro football is too dry and the players too good. High school football is slow and flawed. It's the college game, so full of life, enthusiasm, youthful error and astonishing talent, that keeps me interested 12 months a year.

Tommy and I, pulling for different teams yesterday, each enjoyed what was given us. His team (for which he played guard in the 1960s) won, but I don't think that made a lot of difference to either of us. It was a marvelously competitive game with a lively crowd, warm sunshine and even those cell phone calls to my brother son to see how Tennessee was doing in its opener (it won 63-7) and to my wife to see how UVa was progressing (it was, of course, regressing).

So Saturday--in spite of Virginia's embarrassment against William & Mary--we're going to Charlottesville to see the Cavs play ranked TCU in a game where it will be a prohibitive underdog, remembering that if we'd ditched Virginia after the Wyoming game two years ago we would have missed one of the most exciting seasons in the history of the Cavs.

Iron Chef Roanoke at a Civic Center Near You

If you’re looking for some hot competition and football’s not your bag (too violent), baseball’s over, cross country’s ... well ... cross country then we have a dandy for you. It involves iron, chefs, food and gas stoves.

Give up?

On Tuesday, September 8, 3:30-6 p.m. at the Roanoke Civic Center Special Events Center hospitality industries of the Roanoke Valley (150 competitors) will compete for bragging rights.

Sponsored by The Roanoke Valley Hospitality Association, the Olympics will feature games such as Water Waiter Relay, Your Turn to Play Engineer, So You Think You Can Housekeep, Hospitality Hockey and The Hunt for Hospitality. New to this year 's event is the Copper Skillet Competition.

Set up like the "Iron Chef," local chefs will be given a "mystery box" in which they must create the best dish as judged by Chefs and culinary foodies. They will be given 45 minutes to complete the task with a 15 minute brainstorm. Great visuals and all going to support the Roanoke Valley Hospitality Scholarship awarded to a student pursuing a career in hospitality.

This one’s sponsored by National Business College, The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, Holiday Inn-Salem, U.S. Foodservice, Ovations, Residence Inn Marriott, Courtyard By Marriot, The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center, Roanoke Civic Center, Holiday Inn-Tanglewood, and Hunting Hills.

What Are Your Rights as a Writer? David Paxton Will Tell You Sept. 15

David Paxton

Ever wonder who owns that story you just sold to a small publication? You do. Contrary to popular belief, unless you've signed away your ownership, the story is yours to resell as often as you want, once the publication has published its "first rights."

I learned that at lunch today with Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore attorneys David Cohan and David Paxton, a couple of corporate lawyers who know writers' rights--and the rights of those big, scary publishing companies, as well.

David Paxton will share some of that knowledge Sept. 15 at Center in the Square in the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge's fifth edition of its Writers Workshops series. David's presentation will be the first by a non-writer, but it will also be as important as any verb conjugation, dangling participle or gerund you've ever known anything about because David's words can protect you from those who would prey upon you and your talent.

We asked David--and next month CPA Joe Schaban--because there's more to writing than writing and knowing the rights of writing is ... uh ... right. Forgive that. I got carried away. Anyhow, David wanted to know what you need to know and I gave him this outline:

• Who owns my stories?
• Do I own the story if I write it to a specific assignment?
• Who owns my photos that go with the story?
• Can I resell any of this?
• What is first rights; second rights; etc.?
• How do I protect myself from liable suits?
• What is the publisher's responsibility for my freelance story?
• Can a publication force me to write only for it in a specific market? What are my rights?
• What if I don't get paid for a piece that is published? Do I have any rights?
• What if the story I write as an assignment does not publish; must I be paid? What are my rights in this situation?
• Do I have any rights as regards uses beyond what we initially agreed to: publication in a print edition? If it is published online, is it my right to demand additional payment?

These are some of the pressing questions writers have about their legal rights and David will answer most or all of them. This class may not be as entertaining as some of the others, but it's one you won't want to miss if you sell your words.

The Program
David Paxton, Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore attorney
Your Rights as a Freelance Writer
Sept. 15
7-8 p.m.
Presented by The Arts Council of the Blue Ridge
2nd Floor Galleries Center in the Square Roanoke, VA

Admission: FREE

For more information or to register for these free workshops please contact:

Rhonda Hale
rhale@theartscouncil.org
or 540.224.1205

Alfred Dowe Is Slowly Coming Back

Alfred Dowe is slowly climbing out of the pit, the disgrace that he has worn like a heavy coat for months since he left Roanoke City Council a thief.

Dow was caught heavily padding his expense account and ultimately resigned when the heat became intense. He was not prosecuted for a felony (though he was held accountable for misdemeanors), but the payback has been severe. Dowe had been a successful banker, an NBA role model for minor league players who played for the Roanoke Dazzle and a popular member of Roanoke City Council.

But that all went away suddenly.

Today, though, Dowe--a man with considerable energy, a large smile, a backslap for anybody who passes--remains a popular figure. At William Fleming High School's graduation today, he was constantly surrounded by well-wishers, few of whom avoided Dowe's troubles, virtually all of whom said they had offered a prayer or two for him. For that, and for the outpouring of support he has received for many months, Dowe is grateful.

"Some days are harder than others," he says. "Every day, I think of another person I hurt or affected in some negative way, somebody I disappointed. It's day by day, but the community helps. The people continually offer support.

"I remain positive; I've never lost that. I'm the same guy I was, but a different man. You know that there was a reason I was popular, that I could build consensus, that people listened to me and, frankly, I'm still a decent guy.

"Life offers its lessons as a present to us. It all comes down to how we get up and define ourselves."

These days Dowe, who appears to have bulked up a bit in recent months, is defining himself by contributing work to people who toil for ESPN and the NBA. He's been as a basketball talent scout for years. He says he is also an independent contractor, "contributing at Owens/Corning as a design consultant" for homes. It's all pretty unclear, but when you're in Alfred Dowe's shoes these days, that's what you're dealing with.

(Note: Eleanor S. DeVane, associate general counsel for ESPN, writes: ""Please be advised that a quick search of our electronic records failed to produce any confirmation that Mr. Alfred Dowe is working for ESPN in any capacity." I mentioned to her that a volunteer would likely not be listed as an employee in HR records.)

Whole Grains and the Writers Group

Your correspondent, in his Tennessee orange (lovely, delicate, tasteful) shirt, addressed the Penn Women of the Roanoke Valley today at Mama Mia's in Salem. The topic was the future of the publishing industry and the question-answer portion was informed, intelligent and lively. Good bunch of accomplished women.

The buffet? Pedestrian and like so many restaurants had absolutely no concession to those of us whose old fart diets obviate things like heavy cheese and white flour pasta. The Italian restaurants need to take a page from the book so beautifully written by Olive Garden on how to treat Baby Boomers. Whole grains, baby, and the Italian world opens to us.

It's the Icing on the Cake

Daniel Moorman, the six-year-old son of Gail Terry, head of the data processing department at Lewis-Gale Clinic in Salem, found his opportunity at the cupcake table when nobody was looking this afternoon and went to town sampling the icing on several of the treats. Daniel was part of the gathering celebrating the health care organization's 100th anniversary.

Carter Turner: Maybe a Chance Against Morgan Griffith

I was pleasantly surprised at what I found in an hour of conversation with General Assembly candidate Carter Turner--a guy I had dismissed as an academic without a chance--this morning at a coffee shop in downtown Roanoke.

Turner is running for the seat being held hostage by Republican drunk driving lawyer Morgan Griffith, a man who has no business in public office--or public anything else. This is a seat Democrats have mostly conceded, even when they had an opponent for Griffith in past years. They've run intelligent people who are accomplished as community participants, political activists and professionals, but who simply have not had the heart for the kind of earthy--that would be muddy--politics necessary to beat Griffith.

Griffith is a man whose mother is a beloved school teacher (she taught Turner) and who has, frankly, corralled enough power and influence within a small segment of the General Assembly and the electorate to frighten and intimidate many, including some of those who give money to him. I've had business people tell me they reluctantly give to his campaign because "I'm afraid of what he'll do if I don't."

Griffith, who was married several years ago in a graveyard (a fact Republicans would hammer a Democrat with if the Dem did something that creepy), is looking at his second Radford professor opponent within a couple of months. The Dems put up Radford nursing professor Ginny Weisz, but she thought better of it after a bit and the party turned to Turner, who teaches religion (and has been to seminary) at Radford. He's a former Salem High football player and a Christian with portfolio, both important in this solidly Republican (gerrymandered that way), conservative district where high school football is as important as a job.

Turner talked about his agenda, which is quite a bit more conservative than I am comfortable with, but which sounds wildly liberal compared to Griffith's Cro-Magnon Kunckle-Dragging subset of the Repubs. I would easily stick Turner in a philosophical room with Mark Warner, Rick Boucher, Tim Kaine and even some moderate Republicans like Preston Bryant and John Chichester: effectively, mainline Virginia.

We chatted about strategy, history and the simple fact that calling Griffith a "representative" is a misnomer since he's represented few outside his small circle, his own interests and rarely--and only coincidentally--the economic interests of the people and the businesses of his district. Griffith, who sees himself as anti-tax, is one of those guilty of sending the tax money his constituents pay to Northern Virginia and Tidewater. His truculence on the budget has several times threatened the state's AAA bond rating, a rare and valuable rating for a state government. That rating means the state can borrow money at low interest rates. If we lost it, we pay more for borrowed money and that is an additional tax, one easily avoided.

We need roads, Northern Virginia needs roads and you can guess who gets them. We need educated children and post secondary students, but Griffith doesn't want to take the necessary steps to make sure these kids are educated. Tuition at our colleges is a disgrace. (My son went to the University of Tennessee as an out of state student, paid double tuition and it was still cheaper than Virginia Tech.) We need business services, health care, support of the arts and on and on and Griffith supports none of that in deed, only in words.

I honestly hope that Turner (surrounded by a group of allies and advisors that includes Mudcat Saunders, veteran political marketer Stephanie Kohler and, perhaps most important, a key member of Tom Periello's impressive campaign staff) can overcome what is necessary to overcome here. A good start would be in the money area, the one that worries him most. His Web site is here and you can use it to donate to him.

Let me strongly urge you, whether or not you can vote for Carter Turner (I can't), to give him the money (I will) to get Griffith out of office and back to wherever it is he crawls out from. Turner, a gap-toothed, easy-going, smart guy who I suspect of having a tough gene, will be a monumental improvement.

(Valerie Garner asks for a photo credit on Carter Turner's pix and she can have it: Photo Roanoke Free Press. Yeah, Roanoke Free Press. Good job, guys.)

A Tour With a Tale To Tell

Our Star City Rollergirls contingent gets a shot of the Transportation Museum's Mercury rocket^

Christina Koomen Smith (my wife) talks about the emergence of Studio Roanoke and its remarkable design^

The tour stops in front of The Taubman Museum for some background^

This shot of the Link Museum with a train passing in front is instructive^

I like this shot from this morning's tour because it is an introduction to Roanoke: Link Museum, Wachovia Tower, Dominion Tower, Taubman Museum all behind a welcome sign^

Eldon Karr's notion that a walking tour of downtown Roanoke that was accompanied by information about what was being viewed and an idea of how to photograph it proved to be nearly irresistible this morning. A total crowd of 22 showed up for the first Heart of Roanoke tour and the planned one hour visit turned into an hour and a half of lively conversation and photography. (The group was an odd mix of roller derby participants, professionals, news types and the simply interested.)

My wife, Christina, provided the details about several downtown buildings and I gave a few tips on photographing, but the star of this morning's event was Eldon Karr and his idea to stir up some feeling about the Roanoke center city, which has been missing for some time. Karr was one of the literal and figurative architects of Design '79, the downtown plan that revitalized what had become a failing, deteriorating area and made it the middle of a renewed vibrancy that seems to have taken hold, even as it changes to this day.

Eldon--with his social media guru Jill Elswick in tow--plans more of these events and I recommend them for what they will become and for what can result from this renewed interest. One of the most interesting conversations this morning, for example, occurred in front of the Virginia Museum of Transportation where questions were asked about how an exterior display could broadcast attractions and how some type of pedestrian-friendly plaza could help make the transition from street to museum.

Could be that nothing will come of this because it affects The Roanoke Times' parking areas and my guess is the RT would rather give up lives than parking. Still, it was the start of a conversation and that's where solutions begin. Watch for announcements of future events of Facebook and Twitter (Jill's specialty) and for heaven's sake lend your voice. It's your city.

Teaching Smokers Neater Habits

Downtown Roanoke Inc. is taking up my wife’s personal mantle with its Friday noontime campaign to deal with cigarette butts and the butts who deposit them on our streets.

Volunteers are meeting on City Market Friday noon-12:30 p.m. to hold signs, yell at people discarding cigarettes and generally get the message out that if you toss cigarettes, you’re a creep … or worse.

If you’re willing to get involved, call Lyndsay Smith at 540-342-2028 x11 or email lyndsays@downtownroanoke.org by later today. Here are some factoids Lyndsay coughed up:

• Every littered cigarette butt can take up anywhere from 2-12 years to biodegrade;
• About 95 percent of cigarette filters are composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic which does not quickly degrade and persists in our environment;
• Cigarettes are often littered within 10 feet of a permanent ashtray;
• Most littered cigarette butts travel into waterways through the storm water system.
• Just imagine what that looks like;
• Only 10 percent of cigarette butts are deposited in litter receptacles; In a span of two blocks and Century Park Plaza right here in Roanoke, 1,399 butts were collected. 654 of them were found in Century Park Plaza alone.

So show up and discourage a smoker--already something of a parriah--from also being a slob.

Poetry for the Masses From My Pals

That's Mary Hill above and Melanie Almeder, my homie, at the right>

You’d never know it unless you knew it, but the Roanoke Valley is a veritable hotbed of sizzling poets. Three of them—all of whom teach at Roanoke College—will be reading and talking Friday, Sept. 11 noon-1 p.m. at the Taubman Museum of Art downtown and I insist you go. It’ll be good for you. Like chocolate spinich.

The women, Melanie Almeder (one of my best friends), Mary Crockett Hill (whom I absolutely adore) and Cynthia Atkins (whom I've known through a conference) will each read from her own works and they are quite different, quite good.

Melanie’s On Dream Street is of such depth, good sense, and so thoroughly accessible that I’ve always thought she was something of a miracle.

Mary’s a lot like that, as well with A Theory of Everything: smart, senisble, sensitive and so thoroughly full of life.

Cynthia, who has taught in Lexington and Roanoke, among other places, has the dark edge of the group, delving into the darkest corners of the mind, especially with Psyche's Weathers, her latest book of poetry.

These are pleasant, brilliant, lovely, accomplished people whom I think you’ll enjoy as I do, so be there. I mean it. Your grade depends on it.

(By the way, Mel and Cynthia has each taught at our annual Roanoke Regional Writers Conference, which is scheduled Jan. 15-16 at Hollins next year.)

Kenley Smith's New Play Fulfills the Hope

Kenley Smith with director Pat Wilhelms just before the opening curtain^

Kenley Smith's "Shade of the Trees," a 75-minute, one act drama that premiered tonight at Studio Roanoke downtown is exactly the kind of fare I hoped against belief would be the standard for this new, experimental undertaking. It is a story of friendship, growth and evolution that has its roots in Kenley's grandmother's oft-told tales and a play that began in a young adult writing class at Hollins University.

It was expanded and filled out--and given a good bit of maturity--before it found the stage as--in Kenley's words shortly before curtain time--"a Kenley Smith play."

It is, in short, the recollection of a grandmother's early years on the farm during the Civil War when she clandestinely befriended a runaway slave who taught her to read in exchange for her kindness. The ramifications of that relationship at that time are splattered all over some marvelous writing, something for which Kenley has earned a solid local reputation during his several years with No Shame Theater.

The production showcases the directing talents of my friend Pat Wilhelms, who was at one time a Mill Mountain Theatre staple, but who was fired during the theater's waning, troubled days. She took her act across the street to the Taubman Museum of Art, where she started a successful children's theater. "Shade of the Trees" featured a solid ensemble case of Roanokers (Heidi Klockenbrink, Dorian Dozier, Martha Boswell, Chris Brumback, Barry Bedwell, my pal Mary Best Bova [who once played my wife in a production], and a scene chewing performance by Brian O'Sullivan as a thoroughly dispicable neighbor) and an appropriately simple, believeable set by Jimmy Ray Ward.

Pay close attention at the end of this one--after, it appears, everything is settled--because there's a subtle, powerful plot twist that will drop your mouth. It's quite a touch and if you don't watch and listen closely, you'll miss it.

I will not go another line without mentioning that the funniest woman in Roanoke, Michelle Bennett, introduced the play, something she did hilariously for years at MMT before being banned from the stage by the now-gone administration. Michelle's return is as welcome as anything about this theater.

Let me strongly recommend you plunk down your $15 and see "Shade of the Trees," then sign up for what's coming next (that would be "Eliss Blossom" by Sunny da Silva Sept. 22-27). Kenley has good sense when it comes to theater and his own work is not all that recommends Studio Roanoke. You can find out everything you need to know here.

The Market Seems To Be Exercising Responsibility

As more and more advertisers express their displeasure with talk show host Glen Beck for his ill-tempered appraisal of Barack Obama as a "racist," it appears that some sense seems to be gaining sway in our national debate--a direct contribution of the marketplace.

My business partner Tom Field, a conservative, constantly hammers at me about the power of the marketplace to shape its will and I'm constantly hammering back that I'm not in the mood to trust big business or the marketplace to make moral judgments. This time, though, morality and good business seem to be aligned with the stars.

Beck is one of those loose cannon-mouths who's far more concerned with his ratings--and, thus, his income--than in truth, justice and the American way. And we're seeing, from the blue streaks following his former advertisers as they flee (33 of them by latest count) that he's not able to leap tall buildings and bring them home, either.

I thought it instructive that Kathleen Dunleavy, a marketing manager at Sprint, is quoted as being surprised at how quickly and dramatically the news of the Beck abandonment shot across the social media spectrum and how the advertisers responded to that phenomenon. We're even hearing marketing people make a lot of sense: a spokesman for Clorox (which has a truly clean image ... heh, heh, heh) was quoted on Huffingtonpost as saying, "we do not want to be associated with inflammatory speech used by either liberal or conservative talk show hosts."

That decision may be more important than rounding up and re-instituting the Fairness Doctrine, whose death at the hands of Reagan Administration judges is at the root of so much of the uncontested hate speech today, mostly and most prominently from the far right, but some of it eminating from the left, as well.

What Was the Camera's Role in the Behavior?

Tianenman Square (above) and Tea Party protesters: Which was affected by the camera?^

Roanoke Times Managing Editor Michael Stowe wrote an interesting piece this a.m. about a "complaint about a feature photo [by photographer Kyle Green] we published showing a 13-year-old Roanoke boy jumping off a second-story stairway onto a trampoline."

One reader was outraged at the publication of something she thought might promote the activity. Stowe asked around for the rationale in the publishing and ultimately agreed with it. I wrote the following letter to Stowe:

"Your photo controversy column this a.m. was interesting but for the omission of one vital element: Did your photographer's presence at the site encourage the children to engage in dangerous behavior?

"As a photographer, I have seen the very fact that I have a camera in the presence of people--children and adults--suddenly change the nature of what they are doing. Children act out, adults pose or run away. It's the nature of the beast and a camera is a powerful tool to affect a situation in positive and negative ways.

"Two examples of a photographer's presence or lack of profile affecting a photo: The protester in Tiananmen Square stood in front of the tanks, unaware of a camera. Protesters often arrange their activities around the needs of the photographer (where's the light, is he close enough, etc.?). Some of those "Tea Party" and town hall protests were far more animated than they might have been because of the camera's presence.

"I have often shot children willing to do nearly anything I might ask of them. Given the facts you presented, there is no question the photo should have been published, but with this question of cause and effect, I think we need to await the full information before passing judgment."

An Evening of Elegance at a Stately Park

It doesn't get much more elegant than the 74-year-old Calfee Park in Pulaski at dusk^

Older fans like to park their lawn chairs on these bleachers^

They measure the speed of the pitcher's heat from these seats^

Eating outside as the sun goes down with a ballgame in the background^

This is the place where burgers are designed--not made^

From right to left Christina, me desguised as an empty seat, Richard, Luanne, Grace, Jean and Tommy^

Ruth, Lucy and Ralph Berrier. Lucy wants some of Dad's burger^

Calfee Park in Pulaski is--officially--an historic landmark. But it's more than that. The Pulaski Mariners' stadium, which has served minor league baseball since 1935, is a piece of the way it was ... that still is. Why else would groups of people travel 50 miles through driving rain storms to see the very lowest level of professional baseball--the rookie Appalachian League--when they could stay home and see it played at a much higher level in a modern stadium with a spectacular view?

Maybe it's the burgers. Could be that grilled sausage dog or the big soft drink or the circle-cut Mariner fries--all for about $7. The burgers are as good as any I've eaten anywhere. They're fried to a crisp and loaded with vegetables I'd swear somebody within a block of the park is growing in a garden. The tomatoes and onions are sliced by real people with real knives--I'd guess gray-brown carbon steel--and the lettuce is broken by hand. The pickles cover the whole bun.

But I think it's the park. On one side, the shed-covered bleachers don't have permanent seats. They're deep concrete steps where you can put your lawn chair. Older people sit there. The old Salem Municipal Field had bleachers like these. On the opposite side--the home side--is a patio-like feature that businesses or individuals can rent for gatherings.

Part of the attraction could be the right field oddity of having two fences, one low on the hill, one near the top of it. A ball that goes between the fences is a double. If you see the ball disappear and take a high bounce off the roadway behind it, that's a home run. Often people sit on the porch of the houses overlooking right field and take in a free game as the sun goes down.

We sat in the nickle seats Friday night, all seven of us who drove down from Roanoke. One of us--Richard Rife, an architect, is a real baseball fan. My friend Tommy Denton and his wife Jean are or have been around journalism for years, Tommy as an editorial writer (and former college football player), Jean was a sports writer (and college basketball player) long ago and is now an artist of some note. Journalist Luanne Traud and her daughter Grace--like the rest of us--appreciate baseball festivals more than we appreciate baseball games. (See update below.) My wife, Christina, likes sports, but pays little attention to baseball.

Sitting behind our posse on this night were another journalist (funny how we bunch up), Ralph Berrier Jr., who can tell you everything about this stadium and a lot about its teams, his delightful wife Ruth and a charming little blonde named Lucy, who spent the night flirting with everybody.

Pulaski lost a doubleheader to the Elizabethton (Tenn.) Twins (Louanne wanted to know if it was really pronounced Eliza-BETH-ton), but I'm not certain anybody in our group cared. When I mentioned that Pulaski's catcher was a No. 1 draft choice this year, Tommy seemed interested until he learned it was No. 1 for Seattle, not for everybody. And the talk--as goes the talk among journalists--was not so much of baseball, but of hardball: politics.

My guess is that if you turn back the clock 74 years, the conversation would have been much the same with the people sitting in this spot on that night (Roosevelt being hammered or praised for the Depression he inherited), munching those burgers and dogs (about 5 to 10 cents apiece), pouring down soft drinks that'll eventually kill us (a nickle then), and all and laughing a lot.

(Update: An annoyed Luanne takes exception with my lumped-in characterization of her as a fan more of the baseball festival than the game itself: "I was raised on a front stoop with a transistor radio listening to Pirate games." The presence of the Salem baseball franchise in the Roanoke Valley, she says, was an important lure when she decided to move here. Sorry Luanne; I owe you a Pulaski Mariners cap.)

The Other Way To Eat a 'Mater Sammich

OK, so I went to all that trouble to make gourmet mayo (see below post) and send up the recipe for a proper 'mater sammich and Christina comes home, finds the heirloom 'mater in the 'fridge (the one I used for my lunch sammich), plunks it down between two slices of white bread (oh, yuck) and ... well ... I can't go on ...

'Mater Sammich Time in the Mountains

Heirloom tomatoes, chives, good bread and fresh mayo make the perfect summer sammich^

My colleague Jane Dalier, a master gardner (and senior ad rep for Valley Business FRONT), brought us some of her marvelous heirloom tomatoes yesterday, so I have determined it is time to drag out the mayonnaise recipe again and get you people fed the way you should be.

Pictured here is the result of all that mixing and chopping, and all of Jane's garden expertise. This one's served on an Arnold's oat bran bread (I can't stand white bread, though many whose neck is less red than mine swear it's the only way to eat a 'mater sammich; they also insist upon Miracle Whip) and is put together simply: mayo, tomato, bread.

Once you've scored the tomato of choice (this time of year, they're all choice), get ready to make the mayo. Here's what you need:

• 1 whole egg and the yolk of a second
• 1 1/8 cups of vegetable oil (I used Canola and olive combined; this is a healthy mayo if that's not an oxymoron)
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped scallions or chives
• 1/4 cup cilantro (very optional; my wife hates this stuff and I love it)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown mustard
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar, lemon juice or lime juice (the lime can be spectacular)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• (You can also throw in 1/2 teaspoon of dill, but I find that guilding the lilly)

Put everything but the oil into your blender or mixer. Slowly drizzle in the oil, stirring at a moderate speed until it is all poured into the mayo. Oil must be drizzled slowly, otherwise, you get mayo the consistency of milk. It takes about 10 minutes start to finish.

Enjoy your sammich. Tell 'em Mother Smith sent you.

Goodlatte Schedules Town Hall Meetings

Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-6th District) will hold his first face-to-face town hall meeting of the current congressional break Thursday, Sept. 3, 7-9 p.m. at Hidden Valley High School in Roanoke County, a heavily-Republican area.

Goodlatte has scheduled a meeting in Bridgewater Sept. 5 (Turner Ashby High School, 7-9 p.m.) and intends to hold a third in Lynchburg, but that has yet to be scheduled.

He held his annual telephone town hall meeting--a meeting that was much more easily controlled--Aug. 18, but during this hot political season, market by contentious town hall meetings in person, Goodlatte determined it would be best to meet his constituents face to face. “I feel it is important to keep an open line of communication so I can best serve the interests of the 6th Congressional District,” Goodlatte says.

Murray Run, Early Morn

This was my view along the Roanoke greenway trail Murray Run early this morning. This view is 10 minutes from the center of the city and about 10 minutes from my house.

A New Weekly Newspaper for Vinton

Chris Manning at tonight's writers workshop>

Chris Manning, who was once the advertising director for Main Street Newspapers in the Roanoke Valley, will launch his own weekly newspaper, the Vinton Voice, Aug. 26 because he believes Main Street no longer serves Vinton adequately.

Chris was at our Arts Council of the Blue Ridge Writers Workshop tonight and talked a bit about the genesis of the Vinton Voice, which he will publish and edit. He teamed with Gene Marrano, who also was with Main Street as an editor until he was laid off last February, to talk about freelancing in the area.

Chris, a native of Vinton who wrote a book (One Team, One Dream) about his William Byrd High School state championship baseball team, says he has "a passion for my hometown" and that he will "try to generate the kind of excitement that has been lost in the last few years. It's a small town and it needs something to be passionate about."

Chris will produce what has become a successful formula over the years for weeklies: a mixture of community news and features with a heavy emphasis on schools and sports. Lots of names and photos. In this economy. In this newspaper climate. "I read recently in Quill magazine," he said, "that the only newspapers showing growth in recent years are community newspapers."

A number of years ago--make that a large number of years ago--I was the editor of the Vinton Messenger, which, insiders have told me, Main Street has talked about closing because it makes little money, when it makes any at all. It has no presence in town since the closing of its office several years ago.

A subscription will cost $25 a year. The print run, says Chris, will be 3,000 (Vinton has 3,200 households) and about a third of them will be mailed free to homes initially.

"I announced this in 600 e-mails," he said tonight. "In two hours, I had 50 responses. That told me something."

Great Mascots of the 21st Century

The boys and girls at Access, one of Roanoke's best ad/PR firms, do things a bit differently from the rest of this. The little guy pictured above is the company's unofficial mascot. I photo'd it on the way out the front door this a.m. Cute guy. And that tail! Oh, my!

Roanoke River, Blue Heron, Today

Shot this blue Heron in the Roanoke River this a.m. Pretty bird.^

A Trip Simultaneously Back and Forward

Nick's Riverside is the building just ot the left of the Yorktown Bridge ^

A few observations on a lovely weekend in Williamsburg where Christina and I celebrated nine years together (tying my personal best for longevity in marriage).

Williamsburg is a strange place where we were transported to 1780 and 1980 at the same time. The 1780 is what all the talk is about, but the 1980 came quite by surprise when I determined that this city's cellular telephone service was designed by Ben Franklin. I spent the entire weekend cell phone-less (which Christina celebrated) because, as a bored hotel clerk explained "AT&T is new here" and so are a couple of other biggies and there simply aren't any towers. I saw one person talking on a cell phone the entire weekend. I'm not so sure how Williamsburg--with its extremely tight sign ordinances and an architectural review board from hell--would deal with normal cell towers. But right not, it doesn't appear to be dealing at all.

I also saw two--TWO--people smoking cigarettes during the weekend, which may put Williamsburg up to 2080. That is certainly progressive.

We ate dinner Saturday night at Nick's Riverside in Yorktown, the same great seafood restaurant I ate at 30 years ago on a visit to that gorgeous little riverside town about 30 minutes from Williamsburg. The food was pretty much the same (and I remember it 30 years later). I recommend it. That's the view (above) from the small beach beside Nick's.

"Informed, Inclusive and Respectful" is not Beck

Those of us who've been hammering Wal-Mart for one ghastly act or another for years are raising our eyebrows these days. The largest--and often greediest--retailer in the world has done some strangely marvelous things of late (See "Food Inc.") and the latest is to pull its advertising from cable nutjob Glenn Beck's show. Wal-Mart is one of 20 huge advertisers reportedly dumping Beck (we wish we could say "dumping on Beck," but proprietary prevails).

Eight pulled out today, according to several sources, Daily Kos among them. Others among the eight (whom we hope you will patronize) include Allergan (Restasis' maker), Ally Bank (GMC Financial Services), Best Buy, Broadway Security, CVS, Re-Bath and Travelocity. Others on the gone list are ConAgra, GEICO, Lawyers.com, Men's Wearhouse, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, RadioShack, Roche, SC Johnson, Sanofi-Aventis, Sargento, and State Farm Insurance.

Understand, if you would, that pulling an ad--a very, very lucrative ad--from a network show is a big deal. It is the kind of market pressure that could offer a civilizing effect to loose cannons like Beck, who recently called President Obama a racist and said Obama "has a deep-seated hatred for white people."

CVS' corporate communications VP Carolyn Castle is quoted as saying, "While advertising on Fox is part of our communication plan, we had not requested time on Glenn Beck's show specifically. We have instructed our advertising agency to inform Fox to ensure Glenn Beck's program is not part of our advertising plan.

"Our position is simple: We support vigorous debate, especially around policy issues that affect millions of Americans, but we expect it to be informed, inclusive and respectful, in keeping with our company's core values and commitment to diversity."

Goodlatte on Tour: Presidential Homes, Town Meeting

Congressman Bob Goodlatte talked before a packed house (including a guy wearing an orange hat, which he left in the seat to take photos)>

OK, gather up your bruised tomatoes, your old eggs and your worst language. Sixth District Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R) said tonifght that he's planning more than just the "teletown" meetings this trip home. He'll have a couple of live ones and you Democrats can give him the business in the way the Repubs have been savaging people like Tom Perriello (D-7th District).

Actually, I was chatting with Goodlatte before he gave a talk on presidential homes at the History Museum tonight and I mentioned to him that I was on the phone recruiting some of my peeps to come disrupt his talk this evening when my wife butted in with, "DAN SMITH! It's not that kind of meeting. Now you be nice!" So I did, but I promised the congressman we'd be there for the fireworks.

Goodlatte's "teletown" meetings (is that related to teletubbies?) are a way of meeting the constituents without actually getting any spit on you. They call in, get into a cue on the telephone line and ask civilized--screened, I'd bet--calls in a polite manner. I told Bob I thought it was wise--and gutsy--of him to do the real town meeting. That is participatory democracy and since he's willing to expose himself to that democracy in action, I think it is incumbent upon the loyal opposition to clobber him.

In any case, Goodlatte has visited homes of most of our presidents and he gave an interesting talk tonight. He doesn't know how many homes qualify under his loose definition as a "presidential home," but he thinks it "could be hundreds," many of them still occupied by somebody or other, some closed to the public, others lived in, but not available for visits. He says he's visited some of those: "I did what politicians do--knocked on the door. Met some nice people."

Virginia has eight presidential home sites: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Wilson and Harrison, which are open; Tyler and Zach Taylor, which are not. I found it facinating that two presidents--Nixon and Harding--lived in Sears kit homes in California and Ohio. We saw a presentation on Sears homes a couple of months ago.

So there's your travelogue and your marching orders. When Goodlatte announces his town hall meetings, mark your calendar. And say howdy to me when you get there. I'll be the guy on the front row with the orange hat.

Salem Amphitheater: That's It?!?

Officials in Salem have to be pleased with themselves for the one they pulled on Roanoke today. The amphitheater Salem is planning to build in December, the one that caused such a stir yesterday, is a puny 35-by-20 feet with a roof standing 15 feet over it. Its initial construction is $48,000 (and I really can't see where that's going) with more to come later. That will be borne by a civic group, not the city.

The premature announcement yesterday had Roanoke officials scurrying around looking for a response. Roanoke is considering a $13 million amphitheater.

The "seating capacity" for the Longwood Park-based amphitheater is estimated at about 2,000, but that's not permanent seats. It's your chair in the grass around the structure. In the future, the facility could see lights and a sound system.

Frankly, you have to wonder why the news conference. This has the look of an auxiliary building in a public park that will be a nice addition, but not much to write home about.

Gene Marrano on 'Writing for This Market'

Gene Marrano is probably the best known freelance journalist in this region, and with good reason. He's everywhere: newspapers, magazines, television and radio. He has worked nationally for a number of publications, as well, mostly covering sports.

For Gene, journalism is a relatively new undertaking, but he has gone at it with an enthusiasm that has kept him busier than anybody else who is plying the trade as a freelancer in this region. Many will tell you that this is a difficult place to make a living as a freelance journalist, but Gene Marrano will tell you how to do it Tuesday 7-8:30 p.m. at Center in the Square (second floor) in downtown Roanoke as part of the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge's Writers Workshop Series. The event is free and open to the public.

For anyone who wants to break into the freelance market or simply wants to know how it works (what the editors want, what they pay, how much time it takes to produce a story, whether you should bother to learn photography, and a lot more), Gene will get into the specifics at this workshop.

Here are the details:

Gene Marrano - "Freelance Writing in This Market"
August 18
7-8:30 p.m.
Presented by The Arts Council of the Blue Ridge
2nd Floor Galleries Center in the Square Roanoke, VA

Admission: FREE

For more information or to register for these free workshops please contact:

Rhonda Hale
rhale@theartscouncil.org
or 540.224.1205

Listen First, Then Blow It Up

My friend Janis Jaquith says in a Facebook posting this a.m. that Congressman Tom Perriello, who faced a tough crowd at a town hall meeting in Bedford the other night, looked into the eyes of support Monday in Charlottesville. I'm not at all surprised by that. Charlottesville is a wealthy, educated, liberal place and it is, in Janis' words, undeniably "civilized."

Bedford is civilized, too, but it is poorer, older, more Republican and much, much more frightened--with good reason. Southside and Central Virginia, which comprise the bulk of Periello's district (one he won in the biggest upset of the most recent election cycle), are in the midst of a depression with the loss of thousands of jobs, two industries (tobacco and furniture manufacturing) and education levels that are far less notable than those in Charlottesville. These good people don't want to lose their health insurance (those who have it), don't want to see dramatic change even though what they have rarely works and are listening almost exclusively and intently to the negative take on the Obama plan. They're showing up at Perriello's meetings angry and with a lot of questions.

It's a scenario that will take place in Franklin County next week and all over the country in the coming days. It would be to the benefit of the good people of Franklin County and Bedford to go to these meetings with some good, specific questions about health care and not worry so much about other issues: immigration, abortion, gay rights, all the trigger issues that the hard right wants to bring up in order to fire the pitch of these meetings and change the subject.

I'd like know the details of the various proposals, but the more people scream, the less we know about the policies being considered. I am not suggesting for an instant that those with serious reservations be anything but good citizens, people who question and argue. But do it in a manner that is fair to everybody and gives the legislators a chance to answer the questions. Be thoughtful of the other people in the room because this is about all of us, not simply a mad sliver of the citizenry.

Let's understand what we're either opposing or supporting before we blow the roof off the building. And frankly, I'm not opposed to that scenario, either, once we know what's going on, but to blow it up on assumption is just stupid. And it's bad PR, which may be worse for those in opposition.