TODAY'S ISSUE
Gwinnett Ballet's "The Nutcracker" starts annual run today
By Holley Calmes
Special to GwinnettForum.com

DEC. 3, 2004 -- For 23 years, the Gwinnett Ballet Theatre (GBT) has charmed local audiences with its own version of "The Nutcracker," a piece of dance-theatre that continues to be an ultimate holiday experience for little boys and girls. And their parents! Why this phenomenon has enjoyed such loyalty from its audiences isn't hard to figure out.

The Gwinnett Ballet Theatre's version, performed at the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center December 3-19, offers all of those best-loved moments.

• There's the Christmas tree that magically grows bigger and bigger, drawing the audience into an "under-the-tree" experience.
  
  
• There are the adorable baby mice, galloping across the stage with tiny tails swaying from side to side.
  
  
• There is real ballet - the Arabian Princess, Russian folk dancers, and of course, the pink and gold Sugar Plum Fairy and her handsome consort, performing one of ballet's most beautiful, and difficult, pas de deux.

All of these visuals come with some of the most exquisite music ever written, created by the tormented but adored Russian composer Tchaikovsky. (By the way, the Nutcracker Ballet is NOT the "Nutcracker Suite." A "suite" is a collection of pieces of music, furniture, etc. The Nutcracker Ballet is just that, a ballet.)

With such richly beautiful music and a sentimental fairy-tale story, it is no wonder that versions of "The Nutcracker" pop up all over town from Thanksgiving through New Year's like tinseled little mushrooms. But Gwinnett Ballet Theatre's version is different.

For one thing, they have Bill Kress, an Atlanta businessman. However, he is also a skillful illusionist who has toured the world with his magic. He owns and protects exotic birds and animals. One of these, a delightful Cockatoo, is part of this Nutcracker's first act, and never once has she made an unplanned tour of the auditorium! Bill portrays Drosselmeyer, the weaver of dreams, the godfatherly protector of the little heroine, Clara, and her Nutcracker doll. Bill becomes this character with great aplomb and quite a bit of magic of his own.

The GBT production is also sporting brand new choreography this year, highly embellished costumes and sets, and new characters. Not to mention that the dancing is on an extremely high level of difficulty and quality.

GBT is an honor company with the Southeastern Regional Ballet Association. Its dancers are all taught within its non-profit dance academy. Many ballet companies are non-profit, but their schools are for-profit. GBT's school is one of only two non-profit ballet schools in the Atlanta area. The other belongs to the Atlanta Ballet. The Academy boasts alumni now dancing professionally all over the country. One such young lady, Alessandra Ball, won the bronze medal at the Prix de Rome two years ago and is this year a nominee for the Princess Grace Award. These testaments to excellence and character building are all overseen by GBT's artistic director, Lisa Sheppard-Robson.

It is not difficult, then, to imagine a caliber of movement with a bit more aplomb, more professionalism.

Of course in the eyes of a youngster, it's the color, the lights, the music - the enchantment that matters. No matter how old the child.

Tickets for Gwinnett Ballet Theatre's "Nutcracker" are available by calling TicketMaster at 404-249-6400 or by visiting the Gwinnett Center Box Office. Tickets run from $12 to $27. Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30, with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.

ELLIOTT BRACK
Court penalizes Gwinnett in interpreting of discharge level
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

DEC. 3, 2004 -- Build a better mouse trap, and what will people want? An even better one!

That's about the situation for Gwinnett County when it comes to return of treated water to where it ought to go, Lake Lanier.

The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed on November 23 Gwinnett returning treated water to Lake Lanier, which some homeowners on Lake Lanier had sought to stop in a law suit through the courts. Yet in that same ruling, Gwinnett was most surprised, since the Court came with a requirement that Gwinnett must do more than any other government in Georgia has done, and treat water to an even higher standard before releasing it to the lake.

What makes this ruling so frustrating for Gwinnett County water officials is that Gwinnett had proposed treating its water to standards never seen in Georgia before returning it to the lake.

Put it this way: When Gwinnett takes water from Lake Lanier, the water is already at a high quality, less than two parts of suspended solids per million, the way the engineers say it. When Gwinnett cleans its sewage, and is ready to return water to its source, it is at a level of less than one part suspended solids per million.

In other words, Gwinnett proposed that it return water to Lake Lanier cleaner than it had pulled from the lake. But, the Court said, that isn't good enough….even though no sewage treatment plant in the state does it that well.

Let's look at the judicial wording. The Supreme Court said that the treatment plant was at issue, since "the Hill Plant, is capable of removing more pollutants from the discharged water than the permit requires, the permit violates the anti-degradation rules."

But Justice Harris Hines, in a dissent, thought differently. He maintained that the Court majority "not only substitutes its own judgment for that of the (Administrative Law Judge), but effectively re-writes the regulation to read 'the highest and best possible' rather than 'the highest and best practicable."

Note that the entire ruling seems to turn on the one word "possible," rather than "practicable." On the face of it, that Gwinnett's doing better than any other government in treating sewage!

As one water official told us, "because it is a possibility for our plant to increase the treatment level a little more, even though we are doing it better than anyone else, we are penalized, operating cost will go up, and it will cost us more to discharge to the lake."

Chairman Wayne Hill was specific, saying that this will mean unnecessary higher operating costs for the plant, resulting in higher water costs, which must be passed on to Gwinnett consumers. He added: "We clearly proved that we were protecting the lake and all its users."

One important factor: at least the Court ruled Gwinnett could return the waters to Lake Lanier. This is today an even more important factor, because of the "water wars" surrounding the Chattahoochee Basin, and Georgia's being at odds with Alabama and Florida. While Gwinnett pulls all of its water from the Lake, currently it discharges a majority of it to the Atlantic Basin. Now with this ruling, it can eventually return the water to the Chattahoochee Basin, where it should be, and be of help in moving the "water wars" talks forward.

But mainly: Gwinnett built a better mouse trap, and the court wants more.

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McLEMORE'S WORLD
12/3: Modern information trove could cause problems

The latest from cartoonist Bill McLemore:

FEEDBACK
12/3: University's proposed diversity policy raises a question

Editor, the Forum:

I guess my son should bring back my family's umlaut to get into UGA next fall?

-- Brian Lüders, Duluth

12/3: Encourages Commission to remove MARTA member

Editor, the Forum:

After the MARTA board voted to accept an opinion from its Ethics Board that Mychal Walker violated the MARTA ethics code when he clearly accepted consulting fees from a lobbyist representative of a company seeking a $100 million MARTA contract, the Gwinnett County Commission (BOC) has elected to take no action on this matter to this point.

I must question the reluctance of the BOC to act after MARTA officals asked the BOC to remove Mr. Walker. In fact, the MARTA board attorney has been involved in "numerous conversations" about this matter. However, for some unknown reason(s), the BOC has decided not to schedule a hearing which is required before a vote can be taken on the removal of Walker as the MARTA representative from Gwinnett County.

Gwinnetians expects the Gwinnett BOC to conduct county business exercising the highest degree of ethical standards. Since our Gwinnett County leadership team has continuously advocated excellence in their efforts to conduct local and state affairs on behalf of all Gwinnetians, I strongly encourage them to schedule this hearing and allow the citizens an opportunity to understand and decide for themselves whether Mr. Walker's actions were considered ethical and served the interests of Gwinnett County. If there are extenuating circumstances that could shed any constructive light on the actions taken by Mr. Walker, perhaps they will surface during the hearing.

-- Tony Arakawa, Berkeley Lake

NEWS
Norcross plans second historic tour of homes on Dec. 4

The second annual Historic Norcross Tour of Homes is set for Saturday, December 4, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. There will also be candlelight tours from 6 until 9 p.m. that same day.

Tickets, being sold by the Norcross Homeowner's Association, are $20, and are available at the starting point of the tour, Norcross First Baptist Church, 706 North Peachtree Street, or online at www.NorcrossHolidayHomeTour.com.

Five distinctive Norcross homes will be on tour this year. They are the homes of :
Norcross Councilman Bruce Smith and wife Carolee, 126 North Peachtree Street; Stacy Williams and Terry Wilcox, 161 North Peachtree Street; Dr. R. David Remaley and wife Jane, 409 North Peachtree Street; Mark Price, 282 Thrasher Street; and Pierre and Sara Levy, 75 Williams Street.

Carolers, bell choirs and music will be a feature of the tour. In addition, an Antique Toy Exhibit will be on display at the Norcross City Hall.


Philharmonic Yule concert premieres Atlanta brass group

The Gwinnett Philharmonic has a Christmas gift for the entire Metro Atlanta area. The premiere performance of a new classical music organization, "The Atlanta Brass Society," will occur on Tuesday, December 14, 8 p.m. in the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center of the Gwinnett Arena complex. This special event in the "Gwinnett Philharmonic Presents Series" is titled "Christmas Brass," and it is sure to put concert-goers in the holiday spirit.

Leading this new group is Fred Mills, a 24-year veteran of the illustrious "Canadian Brass." Mr. Mills‚ tenure with "Canadian Brass" led him to create a similar organization here in the Atlanta area. This new group, the "Atlanta Brass Society," is made up of professional musicians from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Opera Orchestra, the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra and the Gwinnett Philharmonic.

These musicians are coming together to create the "Atlanta Brass Society." Their premiere concert is indeed a unique and appropriate addition to the Gwinnett Philharmonic's Tenth Season.

For tickets to this premiere concert call TicketMaster at 404-249-6400 or visit the Gwinnett Center box office at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway. Visit the Gwinnett Philharmonic web site at www.gwinnettphilharmonic.org.

BOOK RECOMMENDATION

• An invitation: What books have you enjoyed? Send us your best recent book along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus what you plan to read next. --eeb
  

ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBIT
12/3: Bailey White finds popularity writing about South Georgia

Bailey White first achieved popularity reading her local color essays on National Public Radio. Her distinctive, gravelly voice and her gift for portraying eccentric people and unusual situations with a gently self-deprecating wit won her a national following. White has published two essay collections (Mama Makes Up Her Mind and Sleeping at the Starlite Hotel) and one novel (Quite a Year for Plums), and her work has appeared as well in numerous periodicals. Her oral and written stories evoke a vivid picture of life in south Georgia.

White was born in 1950 in Thomasville, Georgia. After graduating from Florida State University, White returned to Thomasville. She taught elementary school for more than 20 years. She developed a folksy persona who observed the local townspeople and reported on their activities, opinions, and conversations in her essays, many of which she read on All Things Considered for National Public Radio. As a narrator White sounded like anything but the shy elementary schoolteacher who actually wrote the pieces.

The oral essays-colored with the dialect and dialogue of the area-drew an enthusiastic listening public. As a result, publisher Addison-Wesley published the volume in 1993.

In 1999 White took a break from her teaching position to devote herself to her writing career full time from her family home in Thomasville. She retains close ties with her south Georgia heritage and shares her southern wit and wisdom in oral presentations as well as in her writings.

• To access the Georgia Encyclopedia, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
  

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Sometimes when it is close, you might as well go ahead

Marshall Miller of Lilburn writes: "A good quote from pro football player turned major league baseball umpire Cal Hubbard (1900-1977) 'Boys, I'm one of those umpires that misses 'em every once in a while so if it's close, you'd better hit it.'"

Marshall adds: Cal Hubbard is the only person to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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

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

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