China - a View from the back of the bus - Prologue

Bus #3, Passenger #68
By Missy Schmidt (Chinese name: “Sweet Lioness” Mandarin naming 蜜狮 Pronounced mee-shee)

Traveling to China is a lot like “Amazing Race” with a little “Survivor” thrown in for good measure. The following is a recount of our adventures, a once in a lifetime experience with the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.

Prologue: When my former classmate, Meg Pier, and I recently reconnected (thanks Facebook), I enjoyed reading her professional blog, View From The Pier, where she republishes her words and pictures from such high profile publications as the Boston Globe. I was delighted when she invited me to guest author a post for her blog when, on my Facebook status, I declared myself "going off the grid in China."

Neither my husband nor I are the group tour types. My last was 35 years ago with my high school French class tripping to Paris, Brussels and London. In hindsight, I didn't appreciate the experience, evidenced by my lack of interest in the simple act - at the energetic age of 15 - of climbing the Eiffel Tower.

My husband and I are both Type-A personalities, independent in spirit and mind. Our jobs are such that we engage daily with the public. I work for the Hampton Roads Partnership, a core group of regional leaders working to improve Hampton Roads' competitive position in the global economy. I write for and manage my organization's blog, several websites, member and stakeholder communiqués, annual reports, meeting presentations, executive summaries and briefs, etc. Practicing my career, according to Mother Nature's wisdom, I do my best to write ten times as much as I talk (10 fingers, only 1 mouth), and anyone that knows me can tell you, I talk a lot.


The Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce (Hampton Roads Chamber) tempted us with an unbelievably low price for a 9-day trip to China – all transportation (ground and air), 4- & 5-star American hotels (which we find to be VERY important on a trip to Asia), 3 meals per day, English-speaking tour guides (another important feature) and entrance to first-class attractions including the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.


While China had not been on either of our "bucket" lists, who could refuse such a deal!?!

Slideshow on Flickr

Read the series...

• Prologue
• Day One
• Day Two
• Day Three
• Day Four
• Day Five
• Day Six
• Day Seven
• Day Eight
• Travel Notes
  

200 Years Ago

During James Madison's first presidential term, the United States conducted its third census in 1810. The population totaled 7.2 million, including 1.4 million African Americans, of whom 1.2 million were enslaved.

The population west of the Appalachian Mountains was only 1 million. Can't wait to find out how things have changed in 200 years when the 2010 Census results are published.

From James Madison University's Madison magazine.

Urgent message regarding WHRO state funding

The Virginia General Assembly will vote on the governor’s amendments during the scheduled re-convene session on Wednesday, April 21.

WHRO needs your help. The need is critical, and it’s urgent. I’m referring to Governor Bob McDonnell’s proposed budget amendments to phase out all state funding for public television and radio over the next four years, beginning July 1, 2010.

Under these amendments, over the coming two-year budget cycle, Virginia’s public broadcasters will lose over $2.2 million – funding that provides on-air and on-line instructional programming, as requested and used by teachers in the classroom all over the Commonwealth. All funding would be terminated in the subsequent two years.

The governor’s amendments would also implement a four-year phase-out of all state funding to support public broadcasting’s programming in the arts, cultural matters and public affairs. Statewide, the reduced funding in this category totals $592,835 beginning in 2011, with total elimination scheduled over the following two years.

This is NOT a question of saving Big Bird. The on-air general viewing programs are funded by our members/donors. This is a question of maintaining the educational services that public broadcasting stations provide to the schools, educators and students of Hampton Roads. The funds allocated to public broadcasters like WHRO in Virginia budget's are used to provide direct support to public education in Virginia...NOT to fund general viewing programs, as too many assume.

It is critically important that the Hampton Roads legislators hear from their constituents, and to that end, we’re asking you to email or call your legislators within the next 48 hours, urging them to restore funding to public broadcasting to the level recommended by the Conference Committee and approved by the House and Senate...and continue to give the public school teachers in Virginia valuable tools for the classroom.

The Virginia General Assembly will vote on the governor’s amendments during the scheduled re-convene session on Wednesday, April 21. I can’t stress more emphatically the influence your voices have on the General Assembly. Please let them hear from you within the next 48 hours, and please share this message with your friends who value what we provide to education in Hampton Roads.

Please call and email your representative of the Hampton Roads delegation. If you’re not sure who that is, you can visit the “who’s my legislator” page of the Virginia General Assembly website.

1.8 Billion and growing

The world-wide economic crisis, or Great Recession, had no effect on Internet growth. On the contrary, we see growth in all parts of the world during year 2009.

The following table shows the estimated population for each geographic region, the number of Internet users, and the penetration rate (this term means the percentage of the population that uses the Internet) in each region.

From this table, the year 2009 ends with 1,802,330,108 Internet users. This represents a 26.6% penetration rate.

Source: http://www.InternetWorldStats.com estimates for December 31, 2009. Notes: a) Population data comes from the US Census Bureau; b) Internet estimates come from ITU, Nielsen Online, GfK, official telecommunications regulating agencies and other trustworthy sources; c) Mexico is included in Central America and Turkey is included in Europe, according to the United Nations grouping; d) P.R. means the Penetration Rate, in percentage.

Copyright © 2010, Miniwatts Marketing Group.

Vision Hampton Roads is ready; Governor McDonnell Speaks at Regional Day

Make valuable connections at Regional Day on Thursday, May 6 from 8:00-10:30a.m. at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, Virginia.

This inaugural event brings business and civic leaders, government and citizens together to learn more about the region, build relationships, share ideas and celebrate “living regionally” and the comprehensive “Vision” for our region’s economic future. Regional Day is a time to share information, provoke ideas and collaborate among the region’s citizens, elected officials, municipal and public agency representatives and anyone else who has an interest in the future of Hampton Roads and wants to be involved in shaping that future.

Festivities will include a Regional Crier taking a roll-call vote from each local government’s chief elected official (or their designee) to support the “Declaration of Interdependence,” a regional compact for our municipalities addressing such issues as legislative unity, education, public safety, transportation, and public communication. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell will deliver the keynote address. Breakfast will be served. This event is open to the public.

To register as an individual ($25) or sponsor a table ($500), visit: VisionHamptonRoads.com and click on “Register for Regional Day” or call the Hampton Roads Chamber’s Reservation Hotline at (757) 664-2558, dial extension 5.

This event is brought to you by the Hampton Roads Partnership in collaboration with:
• Franklin/Southampton Area County Chamber of Commerce
• Future of Hampton Roads
• Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism Alliance
• Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement
• Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce
• Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance
• Hampton Roads Planning District Commission/ Transportation Planning Organization
• Isle of Wight/Smithfield/Windsor Chamber of Commerce
• Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
• WHRO’s Center for Regional Citizenship

Thank you to our Regional Champions: CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Corporation.

What is Vision Hampton Roads? Against a backdrop of challenging economic conditions, community leaders and organizations throughout the Hampton Roads region collaborated to create Vision Hampton Roads, a five-year plan, developed with input from the public, for expanding and diversifying the local economy and positioning Hampton Roads as a strong, competitive and internationally recognized presence and global thought leader. It is the goal of Vision Hampton Roads that Hampton Roads will be recognized as a region fueled by innovation, intellectual and human capital, viable infrastructure and a strong sense of place. Achieving this vision will call for careful and continuous planning, diligent governance, dynamic regional cooperation and engaged citizens. Visit VisionHamptonRoads.com to see the final document and implementation plan.

Published in the Virginia Maritimer

My blog post covering the Virginia Dept. of Rail and Public Transit's Public Hearing on high-speed rail in January was picked up by the Port of Virginia and published in their March-April 2010 issue of Virginia Maritimer. Click on the magazine cover graphic above to download the PDF (36 pages, 2.7MB).

Visit the blog to see the original post on SmartRegion.org.

Thinking, acting and living as one in Hampton Roads, Virginia

Public Comment Period
January 5 - February 5, 2010

The Vision Hampton Roads document (draft) was released on January 5, 2010.

This is a 30-day public comment period required by the Economic Development Administration (EDA). You can view/download the document, i.e., our regional roadmap, at http://VisionHamptonRoads.com. We encourage you to take the Public Comment Survey and pass this link along to your friends, neighbors and colleagues.

During the next 30 days, the plan's link will appear on the websites and e-correspondence of many regional organizations. We're depending on word-of-mouth (and email) to help create meaningful public participation in order to promote democracy and civic engagement, build public trust in government and enhance credibility within the community.

The Vision document is the product of over eight months of work, involving over 150 community volunteers.

A Public Responsiveness Summary will follow the 30-day comment period, showing respondents how their feedback impacts the plan. In early February, the final document will be developed for final review, approval and submission to the EDA.

Vision planning has placed Hampton Roads on a path to regional transformation by embedding a working process in all that we do...to think, live and act regionally.

Seeing is believing

"Climate change is a really abstract thing in most of the world. Whether or not you believe in it is based on your sense of whether, for example, it is raining more or it is raining less, on whether it is getting hotter or colder. Or on what the computer models say about this, that and the other measurement? All of that, strip it away. In the world of the arctic and alpine environments, where the ice is, climate change is real and it’s present. The changes are happening. They’re very visible. They’re photographable. They’re measurable." -- James Balog

If you don't believe that we're losing ice from our planet, then you need to see this presentation at TED Global:

Here's a complete transcript of the talk.

The Extreme Ice Survey is the most wide-ranging glacier study ever conducted using ground-based, real-time photography. EIS uses time-lapse photography, conventional photography, and video to document the rapid changes now occurring on the Earth's glacial ice. The EIS team has installed 27 time-lapse cameras at 15 sites in Greenland, Iceland, Alaska, and the Rocky Mountains. EIS supplements this ongoing record with annual repeat photography in Iceland, the Alps, and Bolivia.

2010

Looking for signs of life in 2010? √v^√v^√♥ (that's an EKG, btw) You can find/follow me over at: Facebook.com/Missy.Schmidt Twitter.com/Missy_Schmidt LinkedIn.com/in/missyschmidt YouTube.com/MissySchmidt08 Follow my work at: SmartRegion.org HRP.org

And, if you're a fan of fancy emoticons, symbols and art shapes, check out: http://facebook-emoticons-symbols.blogspot.com/

I haven't given up blogging here... just busy with blogging for work and Facebook, etc. is so much quicker/easier to update and connect with others on a personal basis.

Hartford, I'm coming for you!

Yes, Hartford Insurance, I'm coming for you! No, not because of any health care issue, but a customer service issue. And, not even MY customer service issue. It's an issue with literally hundreds of your customers and your customer's customers.

Confusing, you say? Explain, you say? Here goes...

I moved to Hampton Roads, the 757 area code, in May 2007. I did not want to give up my one and only mobile number of many years from the 540 area code. However, some people still tied to landlines are hesitant to call a "long distance" number. So, in order to accommodate my new found friends, neighbors and colleagues in the 757, I obtained my own personal toll-free number.

Little did I know that the toll-free number I now "own" belonged to the elusive (and evidently non-existent) "Deb Johnson" of Hartford Insurance Workers Comp Claims. How do I know this?

Because, I have received literally hundreds of calls from doctors' offices, patients, and who-knows-else looking for help from this person.

And, yet another one...today! Nearly 30 months later.

I've tried polite; I've tried to be proactive. I've called Hartford. I've asked everyone that called to please tell whomever gave them my number that I was NOT "Deb Johnson."

I've called back the many people who've left desperate voicemails searching for "Deb Johnson" despite my mailbox message clearly NOT by "Deb Johnson" including one from a Latino family that didn't speak English.

I've explained to people that despite NOT being "Deb Johnson," I also do NOT work for Hartford and am really sorry they have a problem that I cannot fix.

So what to do? Send Hartford a bill for services rendered? Give up on providing a toll-free, land-line way to reach me? Suggestions?

Hampton Roads' Identity Crisis

I finally had the opportunity to listen to the 8/31 Hearsay with Cathy Lewis radio show on WHRV via iTunes.

Someone called in and blasted the region for the moniker “Hampton Roads” again. It prompted me to share this with Cathy and her staff via her Facebook page and her new blog and now here:


Your caller re: "Hampton Roads" prompts me to suggest a future show on Regional Awareness. The region-wide Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) aka VisionHamptonRoads.com in process now has shown that Hampton Roads has an "identity crisis" that must be addressed, nationally, state-wide and locally.

Adjectives such as cul-de-sac, branch or tidewater just aren't the right descriptors. The SWOT (Strengths/Weakness/Opportunities/Threats) analysis under way has shown us to be a gateway, mainstream, largest, first and premiere in so many ways.

The collective "we" just don't know it... yet. We have so much going for us in Hampton Roads. We should all be proud to live in this wonderful metropolitan region, and I'm looking forward to big things on the horizon.

But, perception is everything, and we, the citizens of Hampton Roads, have to recognize and celebrate our own greatness in order to share it with the rest of the world.

Did I "drink the Kool-Aid"? you betcha! and, I'm helping to make the next batch!

It's the people-driven economy, stupid!

Is social media a fad? Or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution? Welcome to the World of Socialnomics ...

A Glass Half Full: The Better Man

by Felix Dennis hear the author read the poem

I was the better at getting and keeping,
You were the better at spend and spend;
I was the better at grubbing and heaping,
But who was the better man in the end?
Yes, who was the better man, my friend?

Who was the better man?

You were the better with lords and ladies,
I was the better at pillaging Troy;
You were the better at kissing the babies,
I was the better at search and destroy.
But who was the better man, old boy?
Who was the better man?

I was the better at improvisation,
You were the better at spinning the plate;
I was the better at procrastination,
You were the better at quiet debate.
But who was the better man, old mate?
Who was the better man?

You were the better at rolling a reefer,
I was the better with coke and rum;
Remember that night on the beach at Ibiza?
The Maori twins with the tattooed bum?
So who was the better man, old chum?
Who was the better man?

***

Envoi
Now we come down to it, relatives grieving
Out in the hall with their crocodile tears;
Now that you're out of it, now that you're leaving,
Now that they've sealed your arse and your ears,
What I've been meaning to tell you for years,
And years, and years, and years, old friend...
Is that you were the better man, in the end;
You were the better man,
My friend.

Searching for crab in Hampton Roads

I'm missing my family's reunion this weekend... an all day steamed crab eating and cold beer drinking extravaganza. Anyone know where I can pick some great steamed Chesapeake Bay blue crab around Hampton Roads?

While I like Dungeness, Snow, King, etc. crab, there's just nothing like Old Bay all over some succulent steamed blue crab.

Help!?!?

HarborFest in Norfolk, Virginia

Bertel under "DeVine," a human-grapevine hybrid gyrating around Town Point Park!

Parade of Sail from atop Norfolk's World Trade Center:

The new Town Point Park and tall ships from the Half Moone Cruise Terminal:

Bertel and his Independence Day cupcake... his words, not mine...

and the pièce de résistance.... an outrageous dual fireworks show!