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TODAY'S
ISSUE
Gwinnett "Hams"
in emergency demonstration on weekend
By Norman Schklar, wa4zxv
Public Information Officer
Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society
Special to GwinnettForum.com
JUNE 24, 2005 -- Over the past year, the news has been full of
reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications
in emergencies world-wide. On the weekend of June 25-26, local residents
will have a chance to meet and talk with ham radio operators and
see for themselves what this "radio service" really is
about.
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Schklar
at the helm
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GARS, Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society, will be holding a demonstration
of emergency communications abilities at Rhodes Jordan Park, 100
East Crogan St., Lawrenceville, on Saturday, June 25 at noon, through
Sunday, June 26 at 2 p.m. The Gwinnett event is part of a nationwide
observance, all taking place simultaneously.
This annual event, called "Field Day" is the climax of
the week long "Amateur Radio Week" sponsored by the ARRL,
the national association for Amateur Radio. Using only generators,
batteries or solar power, the hams construct emergency stations
in parks, shopping malls and back yards to test their skills under
all situations.
The slogan, "Ham radio works when other systems don't! "
is more than just words to the hams as they prove they can send
messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet
or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis.
More than 30,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated
in last year's event.
"We hope that people will come and see for themselves, this
is not your grandfather's radio anymore," said David Adcock,
president of GARS. "It may be called 'Amateur Radio' because
we are unpaid, but like your 'Amateur Volunteer Firefighters' that
does not mean we're backwards!"
Over the weekend hams will be demonstrating AM, sideband, FM, digital,
code and even satellite communications. Several clubs will also
be experimenting with TV signals and incredibly high frequency equipment.
It was from their practical experience as hams that many electrical
engineers went on to develop the marvels of today's communications.
There are 670,000 Amateur Radio operators in the US, and more than
2.5 million around the world. Through the ARRL hams provide emergency
communications for the DHS Citizens' Corps, Red Cross, Salvation
Army, FEMA and many state and local agencies.
To learn more about Amateur Radio, contact me at 770-313-9410)
or go to the GARS or ARRL web sites, www.gars.org
or www.arrl.org/newham.
The public is invited to come, meet and talk with the hams. They
might even help you get on the air!
ELLIOTT
BRACK
More strict enforcement of zoning is good
for Gwinnett
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
JUNE 24, 2005 -- Homeowners near Dacula last week won a partial
victory, when the county Planning Commission failed to approve a
request to build 400 homes on 53 acres off Progress Industrial Road.
The proposal now goes before the Gwinnett County Commission on Tuesday
for a final decision.
The homeowners were primarily concerned about the utilization of
the land for a multi-family residential area, adding to the congestion
in the area. The land is presently zoned industrial.
The proposal before the County Commission is a typical action,
since in recent years industrial land has not been selling well.
The upshot is that the landowners seek to move land by converting
their industrial holdings to residential, usually multi-family.
The upshot is two-fold:
- It's inferior residential land, often adjacent to either other
industrial property, and perhaps, adjacent to interstates or other
major throughways. It results in a poor quality of life for the
eventual residents.
- Re-zoning industrial land for residential purposes reduces the
amount of revenue that the county can get from the land, while
adding totally to the educational burden. Had the land been built
for industry, there would be no educational strain on the school
budget from people living here.
In addition, re-zoning such tracts to residential purposes impacts
the long-term financial future of the county, marginalizing the
land. This could have repercussions for the county.
You see this everywhere these days.
- A new housing development stuck between Brookhollow Parkway,
Interstate 85 and Malibu sports complex. Quality living with that
traffic and constant hum, exhausts and sirens from the highway?
- Between Breckenridge Boulevard and I-85 across from Primerica's
offices is a new multi-family development. Again, quality?
- Consider other tracts along thoroughfares, such as Peachtree
Industrial Boulevard, Highway 316 and U.S. 78. Would you want
to move your home and family to these locations to expect a high
standard of living?
The problem, of course, is that landowners want to turn their properties,
and feel the tax burden of unsold land. Multi-family housing execs
want cheap land close-in. This marriage creates this situation,
which if continued unchecked, will become a major problem for the
county.
County Commissioners, each time they re-zone a property, create
the atmosphere of lax interpretation of zoning ordinances. Should
the commission try to arch its back and reject such measures, the
courts may look upon past lax enforcement of zonings, and overturn
any rejected re-zoning. It's nearly a Catch 22!
What to do?
Homeowners may have the upper hand here. With protests like the
red-shirted Dacula residents showed before the Planning Commission,
those appointed to boards and those elected by the people begin
to feel impact. When officials hear homeowners often, they may start
becoming more stalwart in the enforcement of long range land plans.
This will not set well with large tract landowners, nor the people
who want to develop them. But those in the land business are a minority
to the majority of homeowners.
If the people are loud and clear in their determination to restrict
current zoned industrial land to its intended use, it could benefit
the county for years to come. But if the people are lax on this
matter, which the elected officials interpret as no interest, expect
to see more land zoned industrial to continue to move to residential
use.
It won't be a good sign for Gwinnett County.
ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
 The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is the Aurora Theatre,
Gwinnett County's First Choice for Professional Theatrical Entertainment.
The theatre is located in historic downtown Duluth and is committed
to producing quality, professional theatre for all of North Georgia.
The 2004-2005 Master Season includes: Neil Simon's comedy Last of
the Red Hot Lovers; Das Barbecü, a country western Ring Cycle;
Hometown Holidays, now in its 9th smash season; Jamie Pachino's
coming of age drama, Waving Goodbye; the romantic play Enchanted
April; and 4 Guys Named Jose and una Mujer Named Maria. To purchase
individual tickets, season tickets or for more information, visit
their website at www.auroratheatre.com
or call 770-476-7926.
For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: http://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm.
McLEMORE'S
WORLD
6/24: Bureaucrats
having fun!
Another great cartoon from Bill McLemore:
FEEDBACK
6/24: One
guy on how another approaches the game of life
Editor, the Forum:
Fall will not be here soon enough for many people---especially
those who hate hot weather and love football. I urge you to put
loyalty aside for a moment and read Terrence Moore's article in
the AJC sports section on Tuesday, June 21 about UGA football coach
Mark Richt who has been questioned by some on his handling of recent
events. The article speaks for itself, but I would like to quote
the ending, just in case you are not a sports fan:
Coach Richt: "I promise you that every decision I make is
prayed over. I don't just flippantly make a decision based on emotion
or on what someone may want to hear. For me the only person I choose
to please with my decisions is God."
I'm glad he takes this approach to a "game" and wish
we all could do the same in our decision- making! Go DAWGS!
-- Charles Summerour, Duluth
6/24: Mars about to come closer to Earth than in last 5,000 years
Editor, the Forum:
 The
Red Planet is about to be SPECTACULAR! This month and next, Earth
is catching up with Mars in an encounter that will culminate in
the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history.
The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287!
Because of the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs
its orbit, astronomers can be certain that Mars has not come this
close to Earth in the last 5,000 years, It may be as long as 60,000
years before it happens again.
The encounter will culminate on August 27 when Mars comes to within
34,649,589 miles of Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest
object in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and
will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide. At a modest 75-power magnification
Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. Mars
will be easy to spot. At the beginning of August it will rise in
the east at 10 p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.
By the end of August when the two planets are closest, Mars will
rise at nightfall and reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30
a.m. That's pretty convenient to see something that no human being
has seen in recorded history. So, mark your calendar at the beginning
of August to see Mars! grow progressively brighter and brighter
throughout the month.
Share this with your children and grandchildren. NO ONE ALIVE TODAY
WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN!
-- Linda and Joe Parrish, Rock Hill, S.C.
6/24: Forts McPherson,
Gillem should not be on BRAC closing list
Editor, the Forum:
Anyone who visits Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport will
see hundreds of United States Soldiers deploying to and returning
from the Global War on Terrorism. The only people who would be happy
with Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem closing would be our enemies.
Fort McPherson is the headquarters for Forces Command and the Army
Reserve Command. They coordinate the deployments of our soldiers
to fight our enemies, and part of this process is arranging travel
for units who move through Hartsfield-Jackson International. These
commands are in a strategic location that is vital to winning the
war.
Also, Fort Gillem demonstrates the success of civilian organizations
such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American
Red Cross operating with the U.S. Army, like when aiding hurricane
victims last year in Florida. The Base Realignment and Closing Committee
should never have put Fort Gillem and Fort McPherson on their list.
-- Tyrone D. Scott, Smyrna
UPCOMING
Chateau
Elan gallery to show paintings of Pat Fiorello
Atlanta artist Pat Fiorello will showcase a variety of her paintings
at Château Élan's art gallery from July 2 through August
30,2005. Clinton Davenport, Marketing Coordinator of Château
Élan, says: "Pat is an accomplished watercolorist who
paints beautiful garden scenes, flowers and other natural settings.
Her vibrant and fresh watercolors are a delight to see. We are pleased
to be exhibiting Pat's work in our gallery." Château
Élan is located at 100 Rue Charlemagne in Braselton. Hours
for viewing are daily from 10-8pm
Not having painted since elementary school, Fiorello began painting
at age 35. Self-taught at first, she later took courses and workshops
with noted watercolorists, and studied privately to further develop
her artistic abilities and talents. Nearly ten years later, she
left her corporate marketing position with The Coca-Cola Company
to concentrate on painting full time.
She paints both in her home studio and on location. Fiorello has
painted while traveling to Ireland, Italy, Provence, Bermuda, New
Mexico and the North Carolina mountains, among other destinations.
She says: "My family name, Fiorello, comes from an Italian
lineage meaning 'one who lives near a wall of flowers', so I guess
I come by my love of painting gardens and flowers naturally,"
says the artist. "I am constantly amazed and inspired by the
beauty of nature and hope to share those feelings through my watercolors.
Painting has opened my eyes to things I never noticed before and
has brought me a new and deeper appreciation of the world we live
in," she said.
Many of her watercolors may be viewed at www.patfiorello.com.
RECOMMENDED
READ
- An invitation: What Web sites or books have you enjoyed?
Send us your best recent read along with a short paragraph as
to why you liked it, plus what book you plan to read next. --eeb
ENCYCLOPEDIA
TIDBIT
Georgian Nunnally Johnson
succeeds in screenwriting
After an early career as a journalist and short-story writer, Georgia
native Nunnally Johnson emerged as one of Hollywood's most accomplished
screenwriters and producers from the 1930s through the 1950s, when
he began to direct motion pictures as well.
 Nunnally
Johnson was born on December 5, 1897, in Columbus. His father worked
as a superintendent for the Central of Georgia Railway, and his
mother was an activist on the local school board. After graduating
from Columbus High School in 1915, Johnson worked briefly as a reporter
for the Columbus Enquirer-Sun before moving to Savannah to work
for the Savannah Press.
In 1919 Johnson moved to New York City and by the mid-1920s had
emerged as one of the city's leading newspapermen, reporting major
national events for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1919-25), the New
York Herald Tribune (1926), and the (1927-30). These writings were
mostly light satirical pieces depicting contemporary manners and
mores in New York City and in a fictionalized version of Columbus
that he called Riverside. Three of his stories won O. Henry Memorial
Awards in the late 1920s. In 1931 he published a collection of his
stories, There Ought to Be a Law.
In 1932 Johnson moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a screenwriter
for 20th Century Fox. Among the dozens of scripts he wrote, he excelled
at converting novels into screenplays. His most successful efforts
included screenplays for John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath; The
Man in the Grey Flannel Suit; My Cousin Rachel; and his final screenplay,
The Dirty Dozen. By the 1950s he was the highest-paid screenwriter
in Hollywood.
Two of Johnson's most important adaptations were of Georgia-based
stories: Erskine Caldwell's Tobacco Road, his third partnership
with the director John Ford, and The Three Faces of Eve. That film,
which Johnson also produced and directed, earned an Academy Award
for actress Joanne Woodward, a Thomasville native, in her first
starring role.
Johnson was married three times. His first wife was Alice Mason,
whom he married in 1919 and with whom he had a daughter. They divorced
in 1920. Johnson married Marion Byrnes in 1927, and they also had
a daughter. The couple divorced in 1938. In 1940 Johnson married
Dorris Bowdon, an actress he met while both were working on The
Grapes of Wrath; they had three children. Johnson died on March
25, 1977, in Hollywood. A collection of his correspondence with
famous friends and colleagues was published in 1981.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Another consideration
of the art of boredom
"The life of the creative man is led directed and controlled
by boredom. Avoiding boredom is one of our most important purposes."
-- Artist Saul Steinberg, (1914-1999).
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