GwinnettForum.com
Number 3.87, Feb. 13, 2004
Happy Valentine's Day

TODAY'S ISSUE: Georgia To Launch New Encyclopedia on Web Today
ELLIOTT BRACK: Bush Team Must Be Considering Whether to Keep Cheney
McLEMORE¹S WORLD: Logical Excuse for no Valentine Gift, Right?
FEEDBACK: Local in Movie, New Book to Discuss and Happening at Howell Park
NEW FEATURE: Begins Today: Georgia Encyclopedia Tidbit
TODAY'S QUOTE: Why American Military Is Different from Others

WALK IN THE WOODS. This painting, "Walk in Suwanee Woods", 30x36 inches, by Ingrid Bolton, is currently on display at Suwanee Crossroads Center. A Suwanee area resident, Bolton derived ideas for the paintings from Sunday morning walks along the Suwanee Creek Greenway and trails at George Pierce Park. Bolton, 62, has dabbled in painting most of her life, but became more serious about her artwork nine years ago when she began taking lessons. She earned a bachelor's of fine arts degree from North Georgia College and State University in 2002. She is a member of the Artisans of Flowery Branch and the Dunwoody Fine Arts Association; both organizations have honored her work. The Crossroads Center, at 323 Buford Highway on the other side of the fire department from City Hall, is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and during court sessions, most Wednesday evenings until 7 p.m. Bolton's paintings are available for purchase at $985.

Our sponsors

"The main difference between the U.S. military and any other military force in human history is that our most important military assets are the lives of the US soldiers."

-- Allan Hytowitz, Norcross

A few months ago, some of us had the chance to attend the world premiere of the movie, the "Adventures of Oicee Nash."One of the stars of the movie is from our favorite live theatre, Anthony Rodriguez, of Duluth's Aurora Theatre.

Now it is hitting the big screen. Check the theatres in metro Atlanta and keep an eye open for this movie in your area. It is a wonderful, old-fashioned family movie.

It also stars Janice Aiken who regularly appears at the Georgia Shakespeare festival...and for those of you who watch Trading Spaces, Ty Pennington has a small part.

Sounds like a great way to spend some time during Valentine's weekend.

-- Marsha Bomar, Duluth

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TODAY'S ISSUE
Online Georgia Encyclopedia being launched today
By Jamil Zainaldin
President, Georgia Humanities Council
Special to GwinnettForum.com

FEB. 13, 2004 -- Politicians complain about the loss of appreciation for Georgia history among students. Long time residents don't recognize their hometowns as metro Atlanta spreads across them like kudzu. Musicians and artists die, and new generations are left without access to their unique talents. Teachers and researchers complain that online content cannot be trusted. Cultural tourists seek a place to find detailed information on "The Empire State of the South."

On today, February 12, the State¹s capitol building will host a ceremony launching The New Georgia Encyclopedia, an online resource that will begin to address these concerns in a new way. This groundbreaking project is an online reference work that will be available to anyone in Georgia with Internet access at www.georgiaencyclopedia.org. It is a project of the Georgia Humanities Council in partnership with the Office of the Governor, the University of Georgia Press and the University System of Georgia/GALILEO, the state's online virtual library.

The first state encyclopedia to be conceived and developed for online publication, The New Georgia Encyclopedia includes articles, photos, audio and video clips. Easily accessible for revisions and updates, it is an evolving resource and, therefore, always "new." Initially, visitors won¹t find everything they search for, but as content expands over the next two years from its current 700 to more than 2,000 articles, much of Georgia¹s history and culture will come to life for visitors.

The articles are all original works of scholarship, and future plans call for state-wide historical coverage of every county and city, as well as most towns.

Although the state is a leader in developing this resource, some insist on asking: Why develop an online encyclopedia? Georgia¹s demographics show the need. More than half of Metro Atlantans were born outside the state, and 42 percent of all Georgians are not natives. A powerful case can be made that Georgia cannot truly move forward without a strong awareness and appreciation of its past and its cultural underpinnings.

Unlike a standard encyclopedia, this at-your-fingertips resource offers instant access to information about Georgia, with no physical limitations. Because space is not an issue, The New Georgia Encyclopedia can offer limitless information and sources.

Another advantage of The New Georgia Encyclopedia over print editions is its cost. You can¹t buy much for a nickel, but five cents is about all that each Georgian contributed to develop the resource, which was funded with a combination of federal and state dollars with significant donations from community-minded foundations, organizations and corporations.

Acknowledging that one of the great weaknesses of the World Wide Web is the abundance of unreliable information, each article in The New Georgia Encyclopedia, written by a scholar or expert, is carefully reviewed and fact-checked by a team of editors. The New Georgia Encyclopedia will become a premier and dependable site on the web because it is a reliable and authoritative source of information on hundreds of Georgia topics.

The New Georgia Encyclopedia will benefit Georgia residents, students, educators, journalists and tourists alike. Though Georgia history is mandated as a course of instruction in the eighth grade, it is not consistently taught everywhere. The nation's ignorance about its past ­ what some have referred to as "historical amnesia"­ is a trend that must be reversed. This project is a critical step in the right direction. By revealing where we¹ve been and where we are today, The New Georgia Encyclopedia will help to guide the state¹s future leaders towards a better tomorrow.

ELLIOTT BRACK
Will Bush dump Cheney and pick another Veep on ticket?
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

FEB. 13, 2004 -- Whether President Bush wins a second term may not be a major topic for a lot of people, but you can bet the Bush Administration is alert to this topic. A smart team must be addressing every possible scenario for the upcoming election, if nothing else because of the closeness of the 2000 election.

You figure, if the country was 50-50 divided in 2000, with the Supreme Court finally allowing the Florida vote in the president¹s favor to cop the Electoral College, where is the United States now?

Consider a few factors:

• No doubt even some Republicans would fault the president for the Iraqi invasion. Some GOP members are anti-war, per se. Others lost family or friends in the war. Will they still vote Republican?
  
  
• For others, the economy is the key. How many people voting Republican in 2000 no longer have jobs, or have far lesser jobs, than in 2000? Will they vote Republican?
  
  
• How many one-time Bush supporters are upset over the way the GOP has mishandled the ethics questions, from Enron to drilling for oil in Alaska, to military contracts in Iraq. Will they still vote Republican?

Consider, too, the continuing revelations of Halliburton and the way the firm is going about first, getting favorable government contracts in Iraq, then botching some contracts enough to warrant outright admission of corruption and mishandling, and even millions in payback to the government! How many people feel a dis-connect to the President because his vice president is the former head of Halliburton?

With all this said, a new theory is being heard: President Bush will figure that Dick Cheney is too much of a liability, and dump him from the next ticket for vice president. The official reason will probably be the vice president¹s health, of course, for the President would not want to simply scuttle the vice president. (However, some might vote positively for Bush should he openly break with Cheney.)

And who would be the logical contender to take Cheney's place? You would almost have to pick from someone within the Cabinet, to show that it was still a "team approach." But you sure would not pick Donald Rumsfield, who himself might get bumped after one term (age and health reasons again, of course) as the people of this country feel most entangled in Iraq, and point a lot of the blame to Rumsfield.

The logical nominee for vice president: Secretary of State Colin Powell. Though he would be reluctant to take the post, we feel the president could sell him that his country needs him in this position. And though Powell has recently had his own health problems (prostate cancer), being vice president would probably be far less toil on his health than the globe-hopping he has had to do as Secretary of State.

Far out idea? Maybe. But stranger events take place in politics.

The year 2004 is here. The president will need a strong team to go into the election and no doubt is exploring every possibility. Does keeping Dick Cheney as vice president give off an aura of reasoned strength, or would another choice make it easier for the President to get re-elected? We¹ll soon know.

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Dear Irene:

This from Phil Hoskins at the Gwinnett Dept. of Parks and Recreation:

As part of the 1997 Sales Tax Program for parks and recreation, Shorty Howell Park was expanded with the purchase of 25 acres on the southern section of the park (some frontage on Hill Drive). Working with a citizen-steering committee, needs identified at the park included:

• Development of a multi-purpose trail at the park;
  
• Development of an activity bldg (which will overlook the existing small lake);
  
• The need for a nicer group picnic pavilion and amenities (restrooms, playground, etc.)
  
• Additional parking to accommodate current youth sports programs at the park;
  
• Redevelopment of the existing youth baseball/softball complex and the addition of a football field;
  
• And, other park improvements.

Funding for these park improvements were included in the 2001 Sales Tax Program and work began on the Shorty Howell Park expansion/renovation project in the fall, 2003. The work is being "phased" to allow the youth sports program to use part of the facilities this spring. The County hopes that the entire park project will be completed by the end of 2004/early 2005.

• What's your favorite saying? Share with others through GwinnettForum. Send to elliott@gwinnettforum.com.
  

MORE: Contact Gwinnett Forum at: elliott@gwinnettforum.com

© 2003, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA.