But now it’s 2010, and white-collar jobs aren’t the ticket any more. Every day, more and more college-educated workers in America lose their job to “outsourcing” –especially to India, Ireland, and Eastern Europe, all of which have an abundance of highly educated English speakers capable of doing white-collar work.

So do you still need a good education to get a good job? Yes. But what is a good education? And what kind of good education will lead to a good job?

from Rita D. McClenny, Director of the Virginia Film Office

The 2010 General Assembly has finished its work, and it has resulted in a ground-breaking victory for the Virginia film industry! The General Assembly has approved:

• A new tax credit incentive program with $2.5 million to be invested in film-related projects beginning January 2011.
• $2 million in funding for the Governor’s Motion Picture Opportunity Fund, effective July 1, 2010 for the biennium.

As we all know, this was a very serious and difficult budget year and we all owe a debt of gratitude to Governor Bob McDonnell, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling and our bill patrons Senator Louise Lucas and Delegate Ben Cline. We are also grateful to all the members of the General Assembly. Even those who did not ultimately feel they could vote for the legislation gave it their careful and thoughtful consideration.

There are so many people whose hard work and dedication contributed to this victory. I would like to acknowledge the contributions of the people and organizations who made this great accomplishment possible.

• The Virginia Production Alliance, an incredible organization representing Virginia’s exceptional film, television and production community.
• Terry Stroud, Chairman of the Virginia Production Alliance, who has been championing this cause for longer than anyone can remember.
• VPA President Mark Remes whose leadership in this effort was invaluable, along with board members Anne Chapman, Kahil Dotay, Jennifer Pullinger, Alfred Shapiro and Hunter Thomas.
• The Virginia Production Alliance’s lobbying team at Advantus Strategies, including Bud Oakey, Josh Myers, David Anderson, May Fox and Margaret Ivy-Smith.
• Everyone who participated in Film Day or “Two-a-Days.” These dedicated people went one-on-one during the session with our lawmakers to personally make the case for the need for film incentives in Virginia.
• The many people who took the time to contact their lawmakers. These emails and phone calls were instrumental in making this new legislation and financial resources possible.

Congratulations to everyone and thanks for your support of this important legislation!

Now that we have these important incentives, let's be certain to support the Hampton Roads Film Office. And don't forget the 2010 Virginia Screenwriting Competition deadline of May 21st.

In encouraging each of us to consider choosing a DOT (or "doing one thing" differently), we are engaging the community in brainstorming about how each of us can contribute to making it a more sustainable place. In sharing them publicly, over Facebook and in our Swem Library installation, we are committing to those changes with one another's support.

“Who else has made a DOT?” More than a thousand people have already chosen DOTs since the campaign pilot last fall at the Mason School. W&M President Reveley has chosen two DOTs: to print double-sided and to use nondisposable coffee mugs whenever possible. Some of our most prominent alumni have also chosen DOTs, including James Comey (’82), former Deputy Attorney General and now Senior Vice President of Lockeed Martin, who pledged to trade in his SUV for a hybrid in support of DOT.

“What about the Earth Day party?” Details to come, but plan on joining us for a campus-wide celebration of the DOT initiative at our Earth Day event, April 24.

from Prof. Erin Ryan, Associate Professor of Law at William & Mary, guest blogger

And on the Google Ultra High-Speed Internet front:

HAMPTON, Va. — More than 50 people gathered at the Hampton Roads Convention Center Tuesday, March 16th, as the city raced to finalize its bid to become a trial area for Google's upcoming high speed Internet tests. Learn more on the city's new website: http://www.First2Fast.com

A "Google war" has erupted across America...

For years our region has been content to let its public transit infrastructure dwindle to the point that it is used only by the poor, the handicapped, the elderly and others who have no other choice. In some ways, we are a victims of our own affluence. The price paid for suburban sprawl is low population density that makes it difficult to provide cost-efficient public transportation.

But, in fact, our poor public transportation system is doing us even greater harm, particularly as we work to create a reputation for our region as a dynamic, progressive and fluid place to do business.

The other night my wife and I had dinner at a friend’s home with a young man from Chile who is doing research at Jefferson Lab and taking classes at Christopher Newport University as part of his Master's degree program. He will only be in Hampton Roads for six months. Yet he is attempting to be part of our community in the same ways he was when he studied in Switzerland and France. As time allows, he attends local events and plays in two of the region’s smaller symphony orchestras.

This young man has a modern, international perspective and a bright future. He will “go places” in life. He will take and spread impressions of the Hampton Roads region with him wherever he goes in the world.

Unfortunately, the impression he is getting about our region is that we care very little about those who do not have or wish to use automobiles.... Read more...

From WTKR-TV3: New survey ranks Hampton Roads 4 out of 100 when it comes to car dependency, and Hampton Roads drivers know a thing or two about sitting in traffic. A new survey gives high marks to drivers stuck in the Hampton Roads traffic jam. Men's Health's Motor Cities, USA Poll gives the Virginia Beach area an 'A-' on its list of most car-crazed metro areas. Hampton Roads ranks number four on the list of 100 areas surveyed.

The magazine looked at the number of people who used the government’s Cash for Clunkers program, the amount of money spent on car care and repair, and the availability and usefulness of public transportation.

Most traveling in Hampton Roads requires a trip over a bridge or through a tunnel, or both, suggesting those in Hampton Roads are more dependent on their cars than drivers in other areas. <end WTKR>

I took a look at this article in depth and found it very interesting as to who our "peer" metro areas in car-craziness were:

#1 – Arlington, TX
#2 – San Jose, CA
#3 – Sioux Falls, SD
#4 – Virginia Beach, VA (actually the Hampton Roads MSA)
#5 – Anchorage, AK
#6 – Salt Lake City, UT
#7 – Charlotte, NC
#8 – Austin, TX
#9 – Fargo, ND
#10 – Riverside, CA

While Hampton Roads has certainly compared itself to the likes of Charlotte, I doubt that anyone would have thought to compare the region to sparsely populated areas such as Alaska or the Dakotas.

Unfortunately, Men's Health didn’t bother to use a real picture from the region; instead showing what appears to be a Pacific coastal shot of a winding road with small mountains and thunderous waves. The old convertible pictured was pretty cool, though.

This survey / article is one more example of the Hampton Roads region's identity crisis, not to mention the public transit issues. It's been said on more than one occasion: if you are in a Port/maritime- or DoD/defense-related industry anywhere in the world, then you know Hampton Roads. Not so much with other industry sectors.

SmartRegion: we've got work to do.

The first organizational meeting of Women in Defense (WID) Greater Hampton Roads (GHR) will be held on Thursday, April 8, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at the Marriott Hotel, 725 Woodlake Drive in Chesapeake. WID's International Vice President will handle the welcome and introduction of GHR WID Board of Directors and provide a brief overview of the goals and objectives of the organization. Charter members will be recognized as well.

Speaking on “Women In Leadership” is Rear Admiral Michelle Howard Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group.

Please RSVP no later than Friday, April 2, 2010 to Jennifer Walsh at walsh_jennifer@bah.com.

Rear Admiral Michelle Howard is a 1978 graduate of Gateway High School in Aurora, Colo. She graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982 and from the Army’s Command and General Staff College in 1998, with a master's degree in Military Arts and Sciences.

Howard’s initial sea tours were aboard USS Hunley (AS 31) and USS Lexington (AVT 16). While serving onboard Lexington, she received the Secretary of the Navy/Navy League Captain Winifred Collins award in May 1987. This award is given to one woman officer a year for outstanding leadership. She reported to USS Mount Hood (AE 29) as chief engineer in 1990 and served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. She assumed duties as first lieutenant onboard the USS Flint (AE 32) in July 1992. In January 1996, she became the executive officer of USS Tortuga (LSD 46) and deployed to the Adriatic in support of Operation Joint Endeavor, a peacekeeping effort in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. 60 days after returning from the Mediterranean deployment, Tortuga departed on a West African Training Cruise, where the ship’s Sailors, with embarked Marines and U.S. Coast Guard detachment, operated with the naval services of seven African nations.

She took command of USS Rushmore (LSD 47) on 12 March 1999, becoming the first African American woman to command a ship in the U.S. Navy. Howard was the Commander of Amphibious Squadron 7 from May 2004 to September 2005. Deploying with Expeditionary Strike Group 5, operations included tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia and maritime security operations in the North Persian Gulf.

Her shore assignments include: course coordinator/instructor for the Steam Engineering Officer of the Watch course; action officer and Navy’s liaison to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Military Services in the Bureau of Personnel; Action Officer J-3, Global Operations, Readiness on the Joint Staff from 2001-2003; executive assistant to the Joint Staff Director of Operations from February 2003 to February 2004; and deputy director N3 on the OPNAV Staff from December 2005 to July 2006; deputy director, Expeditionary Warfare Division, OPNAV staff from July 2006 to December 2006.

She was the senior military assistant to the Secretary of the Navy from January 2007 to January 2009 and currently serves as Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 2.

Cultivating and supporting the advancement and recognition of women in all aspects of national security is the mission of Women In Defense, A National Security Organization (WID). Members of this non-profit professional organization, which includes men and women, have careers related to the defense of the United States and national security. For more information, visit http://wid.ndia.org

Tech Nite 2010 will be held on Thursday 6-May-10 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Register now.

Nominations are now open through Sunday, April 18th. Nominate Now.

And the categories are:

The Hampton Roads Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPAHR) is holding their 2010 Symposium: “Rethinking Governance: Changing Roles, Operations and Organizations” on Friday, March 19th from 8:30am to 1:15pm at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Virginia Beach.

Sessions include timely topics: Joining Forces to Solve Community Problems; Effective Networks and Multi-Sector Partnerships; Assessing the Impact of Federal Regulation; Fiscal Stewardship: How to develop, implement and enforce tough decisions; Innovations in Maritime Security and Emergency Response Teams; and Strengthening Public Service Values. Featured luncheon speaker is Leslie Fuentes, Director of Information Technology for the City of Hampton on "MuniGov2.0 – Exploring Government Collaboration through Technology."

Detailed information on speakers, topics, participating organizations, exhibitors and directions may be found at www.ASPAHR.org. This Symposium is open to the general public but is specifically designed for public and non-profit organizations, students studying public administration, public policy or political science. For more information contact: John Dunning at johndunning@cox.net or (757) 898-4960.

The American Society for Public Administration, founded in 1939, is the nation's most respected society representing all forums in the public service arena. ASPA advocates for greater effectiveness in government and represents a diverse membership of 9000 government and non-profit administrators, scholars, educators, and students.

All Green, All Technology Event - Engineering Unplugged -
To Bring Leading Environmentalists to ODU

Tuesday, April 13, Norfolk, VA
One Powerful Green Day of Earth Month 2010

Light rail, smart grids, reduced carbon footprints, LEED buildings, Maglev, and wind energy are a few of the favorite things on the docket for the second annual Engineering Unplugged conference slated for Tuesday, April 13 at the Ted Constant Convocation Center at Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk.

The ‘all green, all technology’ conference provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity for environmental leaders to share real-world applications yielding measurable returns on investments in three areas - green buildings, energy conservation/alternative energy, and greenhouse gases.

The one-day learning/networking intensive designed for today’s green professionals, aligns with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s goal to “make Virginia the Energy Capital of the East Coast.” ODU president John Broderick opens the conference at 8:00 a.m. The Grow Green Marketplace wraps things up at 3:30 p.m. – green food, products, and social hour.

A statewide initiative, Engineering Unplugged is presented by the Virginia Applied Technology and Professional Development Center (VATPDC) of ODU. Attendees will represent architectural and design firms, military and government, construction companies, manufacturers, facilities managers, and others interested in green initiatives.

“Engineering Unplugged is a stellar example of how our faculty, students, corporate and industry partners come together with one goal: to explore, share, and create solutions that will improve individuals’ lives, our communities, and the planet,” said ODU’s Broderick.