Hampton Roads and NYC comparison from space

Hampton Roads, Virginia from space:

(from Wikipedia) This view from space in July 1996 shows portions of each of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads which generally surround the harbor area of Hampton Roads, which framed by the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel visible to the east (right), the Virginia Peninsula subregion to the north (top), and the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel to the west (left) and the 3 branches of the Elizabeth River which drain into the harbor from the south (bottom), running through many communities of the South Hampton Roads subregion. To the west of the harbor, are the mouths of the James River (upper left) and the Nansemond River (lower left). Crossing the James River, the 4-mile (6 km)-long James River Bridge is also clearly visible, connecting Newport News with Isle of Wight County. NASA photograph

NYC, NY from space: I chose an image from 9/11 to give an accurate picture of where lower Manhattan is located (the approximate "middle" of NYC).

Public Use Permitted. Credit/Source: NASA. For more information Visit NASA's Multimedia Gallery Credit: Additional source description and credit info from NASA: Plume of smoke on 9/11/2001 from the World Trade Center attacks. As NASA explains: This image is one of a series taken that day of metropolitan New York City by the International Space Station's Expedition 3 crew that shows the smoke plume rising from the Manhattan.

The similarities (vice differences) in the two regions are apparent.

When did we become the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA?

An excerpt from The Virginian-Pilot© June 30, 2008

Postscript: Champion of local regionalism started out as a DJ
By Brown Carpenter

According to former Norfolk Mayor Vincent J. Thomas, Harrol Brauer was "the king of Hampton Roads regionalism."

Brauer helped spearhead the 1984 merger of the Peninsula and five south side cities into one Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA), a federal designation that defines an urban region. It is not just a government label, Thomas said. The combination put this region, with about 1.7 million population, into the nation's top 50.

SMSAs are used broadly by government and industry, said Thomas, chairman of the board of the Future of Hampton Roads. "We went through a five-year process to get that done," he said. "Harrol was a key man in seeing it through."

Before the merger, south side ranked 58th and the Peninsula was 112th, said Dale Bowen, the third man in the troika that created modern Hampton Roads. At the time, he was ad manager for The Virginian-Pilot.

"Businesswise, we didn't even show up," said Bowen, who owns a consulting firm in Gloucester. "Businesswise, the merger was the greatest thing that ever happened to Hampton Roads. It also makes a difference in attracting cultural events."

Unlike many Peninsula business leaders who feared that the larger south side economy would dominate, he aggressively supported combining the two regions.

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/06/postscript-champion-local-regionalism-started-out-dj

Sounds like another good historical marker to support my previous post.

Hampton Roads has a history of consolidation

A recent article in the Daily Press reminds us that, in 1950, "several municipalities on the Virginia Peninsula — Warwick County, Newport News, the town of Phoebus, Elizabeth City County and Hampton — embarked on the idea of becoming a political counterforce to the larger cities and counties on the Southside." They wanted to call the new metro area "City of Hampton Roads."

It didn't work. There was no way to confine "Hampton Roads", not then nor today, to just the Peninsula and thanks to a handful of voters in the town of Phoebus. However, in 1952, Elizabeth City County, Phoebus and Hampton. And, in 1957, Warwick City and Newport News voted to consolidate, and they officially merged on July 1, 1958.

Thanks to Wikipedia.org, I also found that the city of Chesapeake was formed in 1963 by consolidation of the City of South Norfolk and Norfolk County, which dated to 1691. (Yes, some things take a while to work out!)

In 1974, the city of Nansemond (which had been a county earlier) and the outlying unincorporated towns of Holland and Whaleyville consolidated to become today's city of Suffolk, creating the largest city geographically in Virginia.

The most populous city in Virginia is Virginia Beach which became a small city independent from Princess Anne County in 1952. In 1963, the city of Virginia Beach and Princess Anne County consolidated to form the city as we know it today.

I found this enlightening post with stats showing the strength Hampton Roads would have as a consolidated region (think NYC) from fellow blogger, "Foundation For A Greater Hampton Roads". Imagine having the regional power with the likes of NYC, LA, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philly and putting us AHEAD of San Antonio, San Diego and Dallas!

This blogger has also found some great older articles from Port Folio Weekly about the subject:

Moving Hampton Roads

Greater Norfolk, Why Not?

A Path Not Taken

all by Alex Marshall, NYC journalist

The blogger, "Foundation For A Greater Hampton Roads", even notes:

...recently the Hampton Roads Partnership started their "America's First Region" campaign. This is a great step in the right direction but it must keep going forward. The region will be able to run more efficiently and at a lower cost if certain services are combined.

When you look at it this way: Hampton Roads doesn't look so different from NYC, does it?

BeatTheGridlock.com, now here's a great suggestion!

From the Daily Press

4-day workweek
June 28, 2008

Virginia's government is meeting to try to fix the state's transportation problems. Unfortunately all the solutions they are looking at will take many years, if not decades, to impact traffic problems. There is a solution that would relieve the congestion problems this year, with many additional benefits and provide immediate cost savings to all Virginians.

The legislature should declare a transportation and energy state of emergency, and require all employers with 10 or more employees to immediately implement a 10-hour workday, four-day workweek with 20 percent of the employees off each day of the week. This would provide immediate relief for the traffic congestion problems of Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, as well as providing statewide energy, pollution and cost savings.

There will be an immediate decrease in rush-hour traffic of at least 20 percent, which would greatly reduce traffic jams in the worst bottlenecks. The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission study done five years ago shows the rush-hour traffic volume at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel was 3,600 vehicles per tube each hour (which is maximum capacity) with a seven- to eight-minute delay each way, and we all know it has gotten worse since.

Every worker would see an immediate 20 percent decrease in fuel costs. Workers would have an extra day off each week to spend with family or for recreation.

Ralph DeSimone, Toano VA

BeatTheGridlock.com

Check out BeatTheGridlock.com. There's a must-see video and information on the transportation problem here in Virginia (the full script of the video is on "Links" page).

As a "citizen warrior" myself, the here-we-go-again, round-and-round nature of the transportation issue (upcoming General Assembly Special Session is on Mon Jun 23) isn't going to capture the attention of reporters or legislators at this point. Only a people-driven campaign will get some action.

BeatTheGridlock.com isn't advocating a position or partisanship. Simply trying to get SOMEthing done and enabling Virginians, all across the Commonwealth, to have one rallying cry…. BeatTheGridlock and Fix it Now!

Pass it on and let's all help make a difference!

If you have less than one minute, here is the Trailer of the Video:



If you have four minutes to spare, here is the full-length video:

Be sure to check out the BeatTheGridlock.com YouTube Channel and add yourself as a Friend on the MySpace page.

Let's get as many BeatTheGridlock.com Banners in our car windows to get our message across.

Another Slow News Day? More "Hampton Roads" Discussion

What's in a name?

The Virginian-Pilot© June 6, 2008
Tim McGlone

The comedian Lewis Black has, at least twice on visits here, poked fun at our region's official name: Hampton Roads.

A 2006 conversation with a fellow staff writer went like this:
"I think it's funny that you call yourselves Hampton - whatever it is. The first time someone said, 'Oh, you're going to Hampton Roads,' I said, 'Oh, where is that?' They said, 'It's Virginia,' and I said, 'No, it's Virginia Beach or Hampton. Come on! Where is it?' "

Black had similar thoughts, laced with profanities, during an earlier stand-up routine at a Virginia Beach nightclub. Funnyman Rodney Dangerfield used to say, "I don't get no respect." So, too, Hampton Roads.

Outside the region, "Hampton Roads" has been trying to catch on since the 1980s, when business and government officials convinced the U.S. Postal Service to change the region's postmark from Tidewater to Hampton Roads. Then Chamber of Commerce President Frederick J. Napolitano said the name "Tidewater" made him cringe.

The name is still struggling to catch on. Even The Weather Channel doesn't routinely call us that.
"They usually say Norfolk or the Tidewater of Virginia," Weather Channel spokeswoman Melissa Medori said of the channel's weather forecasters.

Which to some is odd, given that the history of the name dates to the 17th century. Even New York City's moniker, "The Big Apple," is only about 90 years old.

Most sources say the name Hampton Roads originated with the Third Earl of Southampton, Henry Wriothesley, a wealthy English nobleman from the southern port city of Southampton, England. (And a close friend of William Shakespeare.)

The earl took an interest in the new English settlement on what is now the Peninsula. The city of Hampton was officially named in 1610. Roads comes from the centuries-old nautical terms "road" and "roadstead," meaning a stretch of deep water safe for passage. But when those two words were put together the first time is a bit of a mystery.

"Hampton Roads," the channel linking the James, Elizabeth, and Nansemond rivers with the Chesapeake Bay, is identified in an act of the General Assembly in 1755. The oldest Virginia map listing the Hampton Roads channel is dated 1807, according to both the Norfolk Public Library and the Virginia Historical Society.

A neighborhood in Hampton is called Hampton Roads. It was built after World War I and borders Hampton Roads, the waterway.

As for the name spreading to the region, that's been a more contentious issue.

A movement launched in the 1950s to turn the lower Peninsula into the city of Hampton Roads died a quick death in the General Assembly, according to Virginian-Pilot archives.

More recently, a push to name the region Hampton Roads emerged from the business community in the 1980s. It began with the change in the region's postmark in 1983.

From there it spread. Or tried to.

On a recent flight from New York, the captain cruised over Hampton Roads, the waterway, touched down at Norfolk International Airport (not Hampton Roads International Airport), and announced, "Welcome to Norfolk, Virginia Beach and the greater Tidewater area."

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/06/whats-name-hampton-roads

More on "Hampton Roads" to come...

I heart Dad

Bert's birthday in Syracuse
Checking out the new school locker

Colorado Rockies, May 2008

Bert and I traveled recently to Denver to visit his brother, Mark, and his wife, Marie. We enjoyed a Rockies game, some friendly brotherly competition(s) ... actually EVERYthing is a competition to these two - throwing baseballs, who looks older, etc. LOL ..., wine and cheese in the mountains, birthday parties and good company.

Why People Participate in Social Media?

What drives people to participate in social activity online? THAT is the question...

The reasons are varied, as varied as the participants themselves. Here's my short list. Care to add yours?

1. Need to make business connections: enough said, this is basic networking, albeit online

2. Need to connect with old friends: keeping up friendships, connecting with people you know, to find out what's up with them

3. Need to make new friends: according to surveys, one in five online singles has viewed or participated in online dating in the past year; marriage statistics last year put newlyweds meeting online at a rate of 12-12.5% (that's 1 in 8!); that's a lot of new friends

4. Need to please others: yes, succumbing to pressure to participate in anything from your peers is still around, it's just found a new face (facebook, that is)

5. Need to help others: paying it forward, contributing in any way possible, it's an altruistic impulse; it's what made Wikipedia possible

6. Need for lust: some social networking is basically an endless parade of exhibitionism and hedonism

7. Need for a creative outlet: are you a photographer, writer, or videographer? the Web is the perfect place to show off your skills

8. Need for validation: people who post information like to be seen as knowledgeable experts

9. Need to connect within similar interests: whether it's a bowling league, a school, or your fellow baseball team fans, what better way than to share interests by connecting online


Not everyone wants the same things within social networking. What's your reason?

Why Hampton Roads?

As a relative newcomer to Hampton Roads (just celebrated one year here), I will DEFEND the moniker. I was compelled to comment on this particluar "news article", and I use the term loosely, as this is certainly not news but evidence of a slow news day. The author even dissed the U.S. Post Office which, despite its apparent shortcomings, is WAY better than the postal system in any other country:


Nothing's wrong with a regional name that has a sense of place

Kerry Dougherty
The Virginian-Pilot©
June 8, 2008

REMEMBER WHEN you learned hell was a place, an ass was an animal, and there were two kinds of dam? It was such fun to toss around those naughty words in front of our parents.

I'm experiencing that giddiness today.

Because I get to use the T-word.

Here goes: Tidewater.

On occasion, I've tried to sneak the T-word into print. Most times, I was thwarted by stern editors, reminding me that Tidewater doesn't exist.

Neither does Atlantis, I once argued, but I'm allowed to mention that.

No dice, I was told.

Here's what our stylebook - the newsroom bible - has to say about the T-word:

Tidewater: Use Hampton Roads...

Regional honchos set out to eradicate "Tidewater" from the lexicon a few years ago. They wanted to replace it with the geographically vague "Hampton Roads."

I never describe our little corner of Virginia as Hampton Roads. Neither does anyone else. When asked, I tell people I'm from Virginia Beach. Or Tidewater. Or the Norfolk area (sorry, Meyera).

A story about our murky moniker in Friday's Pilot noted that even The Weather Channel prefers "Norfolk or the Tidewater of Virginia" to "Hampton Roads."

We've been bullied into using Hampton Roads over the past two decades. Still, no one does. The biggest victory for this futile effort came when the post office agreed to stick "Hampton Roads" on our postmarks.

As if postmarks matter.

Genuflecting at the altar of regionalism, the newspaper and TV stations foolishly joined the movement to purge our area of its poetic name.

Pity. Because Tidewater rolls off the tongue and makes you think of, well, tidewater. Hampton Roads makes you think of roads. Ugh.

One entity that's wisely resisted the regionally correct crowd is the airport.It's Norfolk International Airport. If you don't like it, land somewhere else.

"It will never be the Hampton Roads Airport as long as I'm chairman," declared Peter G. Decker, Norfolk lawyer and chairman of the airport authority. "If we had to change the name, it would be something like the Tidewater Airport.

Now that's got a special ring to it."

Bless you, Uncle Pete.

Decker said Friday he has a soft spot for "Tidewater" and that he and his wife never tell anyone they're from a place called Hampton Roads.

You go to Europe and say you're from Tidewater or Norfolk and people know what you're talking about," Decker said. "You say Hampton Roads, and they have no idea."

Yes, Hampton Roads has historical roots. Something to do with nautical terms from the 17th or 18th century. I hesitate to point this out, but it is the 21st century.

We've lost our powdered wigs and monocles. If only we could lose Hampton Roads, too.

News researcher Maureen Watts contributed to this column. Kerry Dougherty

MY COMMENT:
I must share this from the Hampton Roads Partnership (HRP): "...regions – not cities or counties – are the units of economic competition. Only regions have the necessary scale and diversity to compete in the global marketplace. Only regions have an asset profile capable of projecting overall strength to compensate for profiles of individual localities which lack either essential infrastructure or a sufficiently skilled pool of labor. "

It is more important to act and cooperate regionally rather than to hold onto archaic notions reminiscent of high school sports. Certain tenets come to mind: "United we stand, Divided we fall" and "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

Hampton Roads is a globally vital region, together. Not so much, city by city or town by town.

We are Hamptons Roads. Yes, the MSA we occupy is slightly different from our typical notion of who we are. But, nothing has been forced on us here by "regional honchos". Being recognized as a region with a single all-encompassing designation such as "Hampton Roads" is simply called branding. And, it's smart marketing. We just need everyone on the same bandwagon versus in-fighting and silliness such as my-city-is-better-than-your-city. Na-Na-Na-Na.

We are not Tidewater. Tidewater refers to the coastal plain of the Southern United States: eastern parts of Virginia and North Carolina and South Carolina and Georgia.

Let's hear it for the home team, Hampton Roads!

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! in VB

Spread the word! Listen to the broadcast from the NPR site.

Get the MP3 of the show from iTunes which played on Saturday, June 7th, posted to iTunes on June 8th.

Be sure to listen all the way to the end for Bert's station's credit. And, for more:

http://mgblankenship.blogspot.com/2008/06/wait-wait-dont-tell-me-naw-just.html

http://mgblankenship.blogspot.com/2008/06/my-rebuttal-to-wait-wait-taping-was-va.html

My rebuttal to 'Wait, Wait' taping was Va. nerd heaven

I share with you now from the Daily Press:

'Wait, Wait' taping was Va. nerd heaven

The popular NPR program did a show at the Sandler Center that revealed the number of a senator's tattoos.

BY MARK NEWTON
June 7, 2008

The lights came down June 5 in the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts in Virginia Beach and so did a disco ball.

In NBA fashion, the stars of National Public Radio's "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me" emerged from the sidelines to take the stage.

However, it was the news radio veteran and show judge Carl Kasell that ran on stage with his arms above his head.

To say that the program's collision of humor, politics, stupid criminals and other weird items was about the nerdiest event ever would be an understatement.

But, the Peabody Award-winning show attracts 2.6 million listeners on nearly 450 NPR stations nationwide, and its podcast edition recently surpassed 1 million downloads.

The Sandler Center, which housed the Virginia Arts Festival event, was packed, and only the most expensive seats remained available a few days prior.

Peter Sagal hosts the game show with a panel of celebrity judges and a celebrity guest. During the show, listeners call in and answer a series of questions based on current events.

June 5, the panel included Kasell, P.J. O'Rourke, a correspondent for "Atlantic Monthly;" Roxanne Roberts, author of the Washington Post's "Reliable Source" column, and author Tom Bodett.

The celebrity guest and contestant on the "Not My Job" segment was U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., who told an entire auditorium of people — and soon the entire nation — that when he's wearing a swimsuit, you can see two of his three tattoos.

In the "Not My Job" segment, he had to answer questions about an area with which he was unfamiliar. His topic: the life of A&P heir Huntington Hartford.

The senator, who was playing for a caller, correctly answered only one of three questions, so he did not win the prize: Kasell's voice on the caller's home answering machine.

Sagal says the prize was originally offered as a joke and is "priceless and worthless at the same time." But the fans love it.

During the two hours of taping for the 45-minute show, Sagal repeatedly praised the audience saying, "you help us perpetuate our scam."

Sagal says the show has wonderful fans, which is "gratifying" because they're "not the kind of people to tear our clothes off."

News to Use "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me" airs locally on WHRV 89.5 FM on Saturdays at 11 a.m. The podcast is available from iTunes or the "Wait Wait" site, http://www.npr.org/waitwait, on Sunday nights.

Copyright © 2008, Newport News, Va., Daily Press

MY COMMENT:

"Nerd heaven"? That's a bit harsh. Does this tell us something about the quality of reporters at the newspaper? You think Intelligent humor = nerd? Shame, shame! Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! is a wonderful respite from the banality of typical potty-mouth comedy. Now, don't get me wrong; I enjoy an R-rated or smutty joke as much as the next person. And, for your information, Show Host Peter Sagal has written a mischevious missive called "The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them)". So, "nerds" can be randy, too! But, how great to combine wit and wisdom! Just remember: the "nerds" from high school now rule the world! Thank you Virginia Arts Festival, WHRO, NPR and the Wait Wait crew for one of the best events ever in Hampton Roads! Come back anytime, and (just for you, Tom Bodett) we'll leave the light on for you.

More pictures from the Downtown Corporate Olympics

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11479789@N04/sets/72157605480067640/
Thanks, Bobbie and Annie!

WHROlympians Win Three Awards, including 1st Place Overall

Congratulations to the WHROlympians!!!

In spite of public broadcasting's reputation as being smart, but not athletic, the WHROlympians dominated at the inaugural Downtown Norfolk Corporate Olympics, a kickoff of Norfolk Festevents' HarborFest 2008.

There were seven events and eleven teams, including Nauticus, Goodman & Company (accounting firm), Bank of America, Virginian-Pilot.

First, Annie powered her way through a tricycle riding time trial.

Second, Chuck was blind folded and was instructed by Kim through a maze while sitting in an office chair. They blew the field away and came in first by a long shot.

Third, Homer and Michelle tossed a egg back in forth until it cracked in Michelle's hand on the fifth toss. (We still maintain the egg was defective.)

Fourth, Robin and her strapping husband Mark, performed a great synchronized chair routine to the music of Thriller. They were one of the top three teams that were allowed an encore performance for the entire crowd at the end of the Games. The kiss was a great addition!

Fifth, the five person team of Robin, Kim, Michelle, Joe and Annie took turns dressing and undressing in a timed race (you can ask them about the details). I think they came in second overall.

Sixth, the girls came through again when I joined Debbie, Kim and Robin to give Bobbie great moral support as she single-handedly dominated the competition with a perfect 10 score in the "pass the message" game. What a memory!

And finally, the whole team came together for the big event of the day, the Tug of War. In a bracket format competition, the WHROlympians ran through the brackets winning four straight matches (in probably less than 15 seconds cumulatively) to win the Tug of War. Bert was interviewed by one of the local TV news stations with the team in the background shouting and cheering (and he even got a pitch in for membership).

At the awards ceremony, the special awards were:
Best Costumes - Scallywags (Targeted Publications)
Best Spirit - (hmmm, don't remember, must have been the heat getting to us)
Best Cheering - WHROLYMPIANS

And then, based on the 7 events, the overall winners were:
3rd - Nauticus
2nd - Bank of America
1st Overall - WHROLYMPIANS

The plaques and the traveling trophy will be sitting within WHRO's awards hallway.

Thanks to Ginny for being team captain and coordinator, Megan for the designer shirts, Bobbie for the team moniker and the entire team for doing so well.

For more photos from the Olympics and HarborFest, courtesy of the Virginian-Pilot, click HERE.

And, of course, it was really, really fun. I was glad to be a part of such a wonderfully cohesive group. Every workplace should be this lucky to have such heartfelt camaraderie. Hmmm, do I hear another award-in-the-making ? ? ? ?

Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me! Naw, just kidding...PLEASE TELL ME!

WHRO and the VA Arts Festival did it again. They brought a NPR radio show to Hampton Roads. This time it was the magnificently wicked and intelligent Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! This is NPR's weekly hour-long quiz show, and it came to life for me on the stage of the Sandler Center in VA Beach this week. I can't wait to hear the podcast and the version edited for radio (no, it's not aired live and now I know why! lol)

Each week on the radio I test my knowledge with real news and some that's just made up. I must say, I like the mixture!

WHRO and VAF had a joint event afterward to meet/greet the stars of the show. So, who did we meet?

Peter Sagal -- the show's host who, according to his bio, has had a varied career including stints as a playwright, screenwriter, stage director, actor, extra in a Michael Jackson video, travel writer, essayist, ghostwriter and staff writer for a motorcycle magazine. I was lucky enough to have him sign his new book The Big Book of Vices: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them). Thanks, Peter!

Carl Kasell -- is the "Official Judge and Scorekeeper". He's been on NPR's Morning Edition since 1979. If you're not familiar with the show, Carl's voice on your home answering machine or other voicemail device is the PRIZE for winning callers. What started as a lark (come on, they had little to no budget) has become a prized possession! One audience member and avid fan who had earned Carl's voice years ago sported a t-shirt espousing her success!

This week's panelists included Roxanne Roberts, a writer for The Washington Post's Style section; P.J. O'Rourke, a correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly and sometimes commentator on HBO's Real Time with Bill Mahr; and, last but certainly not least, Tom Bodett, an author and commentator, yet he will be forever immortailized by Motel 6 commercials for saying "We'll leave the light on for you".

What fun! Hope to SEE them again soon!

Add teacher to my credentials

For Tidewater Community College's Academy of Nonprofit Excellence, I presented a one-day course on Monday, May 20th to approximately 30 people working toward their Certificate in Nonprofit Management. My topic: "Discovering and Navigating Niche Markets"

This class will provoke you into action to reach your stakeholders, (donors, customers, members, whomever) with greater success than ever before using new twists on old methods, as well as cutting edge and emerging technologies, innovative marketing plans and resources, and some little-used, often-neglected techniques. By previewing your own marketing materials and learning from others’ successes, participants will explore ways to go from good to great. Some of the topics to be covered include common marketing mistakes, basic rules for marketing development, methods for discovering and navigating niche markets, the positioning statement and ways to use Web 2.0.

Note: most class surveys asked that this class expand to two days based on the large amount of material covered, so we could delve deeper and do more hands-on marketing materials review (only had time for 3 organziations).

Black Watch

As part of the wonderful 2008 season of the VA Arts Festival, we had the pleasure of seeing the moving play "Black Watch" at Norfolk's Scope Arena this afternoon. In a word: it was intense. The play was action from beginning to end! This is a production of the National Theatre of Scotland and is touring internationally. Norfolk is the better for their stop here.

What is the Black Watch?

In the autumn of 2004, 800 members of the storied Scots regiment, the Black Watch, shipped out for Iraq. Their mission: to replace 4,000 American Marines. The story of their experience is told in this shattering play, inspired by interviews with members of the regiment upon their return to Scotland. Brilliantly utilizing sound, lighting, and video, spoken word, tightly choreographed movement, and searing stagecraft, Black Watch engulfs the audience in the experience of the war—and ushers us into the hearts of the young men who willingly went, valiantly fought, and returned to sort out the aftermath of the war on terror.

Here is a trailer....