TODAY'S ISSUE
Tips for keeping warm this winter with higher heat bills
By Greg Brooks
Walton EMC
Special to GwinnettForum.com

NOV. 25, 2005 -- All homeowners should prepare to spend more to keep warm this winter, some more than others.

Gary Bunce, Walton EMC vice president of customer and energy services, says: "The Energy Information Administration forecasts the average electric customer will spend about five percent more for heating than they did last year, translating to about $38. The real shock will come for those who heat with fossil fuels, like natural gas and liquefied propane gas (LPG)."

The Administration goes on to forecast households using natural gas will spend 48 percent more ($350) for heating this winter and those using LPG will spend 30 percent more ($325).

"The weather could have quite an impact on the final figures," said Bunce. "For our region, chances are equal that it could be colder or warmer than normal. Whatever it does will have a direct bearing on energy bills."

Bunce says the size and efficiency of heating equipment, condition of the home's insulation and weatherization and living habits of the occupants also have great influence on energy bills.

Walton EMC offers these easy tips to help reduce winter energy bills:

• Turn the thermostat down. Each degree lower saves three to five percent in heating costs.
  
  
• Install a programmable thermostat to automatically drop the temperature while you're at work or sleeping.
  
  
• Lower the thermostat at night and keep warm with an electric blanket.
  
  
• Put on extra clothes. A light sweater worn indoors makes you feel warmer.
  
  
• Run ceiling fans in reverse on low speed. This pushes warm air at the ceiling down to living spaces. Turn the fan off when you leave the room.
  
  
• Regularly change the heating system's filter.
  
  
• Make sure heating vents are not covered by rugs or furniture.
  
  
• Check to see if the fireplace damper is closed.
  
  
• Use a well-insulated cover on spas and hot tubs.
  
  
• Insulate hot water pipes with easy-to-install pre-formed pipe insulation.
  
  
• Fix hot water leaks and dripping faucets.
  
  
• Wrap the water heater with an insulating jacket.
  
  
• Add attic and floor insulation.
  
  
• Re-caulk cracks around windows and doors.
  
  
• Replace torn or missing weatherstripping around windows and doors.
  
  
• Replace broken or missing window locks. Window locks pull sashes together to keep out cold air.

For more information on saving energy, click on "Energy Library" at waltonemc.com.

Walton EMC is a customer-owned power company that serves 110,000 accounts over its ten-county service area between Atlanta and Athens.

ELLIOTT BRACK
Atlanta takes it on the chin in recent announcements
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

NOV. 25, 2005 -- Metro Atlanta took it on the chin last week.

First came the announcement that Georgia-Pacific Corp. was being gobbled up by Koch Industries of Wichita, Kan.

Soon that was followed by the surprise announcement that Gwinnett-based Scientific-Atlanta was being purchased by Cisco Systems of California.

Wow! In one week, two major Atlanta corporations moved their focus from Atlanta to other places. With their headquarters no longer here, the two acquiring firms may no longer be as generous in contributions to Atlanta area charitable organizations. With both these corporations being major players in the community, this alone is a mighty blow to the local economy.

On the heels of these major changes, then came the announcement that General Motors would be eliminating 30,000 jobs across the nation. Included in plant closings was the sprawling Doraville assembly plant of GM. And out the window with this announcement went 3,000 jobs in the local economy. That's a major blow for Atlanta, and specifically, for a lot of people who worked at the Doraville GM plant, and make their homes in Gwinnett.

These announcements came after Delta Air Lines said recently that it would cut 9,000 jobs, and that perhaps as many as 3,000 of them would be in Atlanta.

Two other news releases in Atlanta during the past week also served to shake the city. The president of Grady Hospital, Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, announced that he would become chief operating officer of St. Joseph's Health System, which has 14 hospitals in California, New Mexico and Texas. A few days later, the head of MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority), Nathanial Ford, resigned to become executive director of the Municipal Transportation Agency of San Francisco.

This hits Atlanta hard, too. After all, good public executives are first of all difficult to find, their replacements will take months to get on board, plus have a steep learning curve to get a handle on their organizations. Meanwhile, with both Grady and MARTA having financial problems, it means that these agencies are perhaps years away from getting their houses in order.

About the only positive business news to come Georgia's way came recently out of Columbus, where the large cancer insurance firm, Aflac, announced that it would add some 2,000 jobs, many of them in Columbus, over 5-7 years.

The recent announcements came as Atlanta was beginning a new branding campaign to entice others to consider Atlanta. And it came while the new Aquarium was ballyhooing its opening, hoping to attract more tourist dollars.

However, there some glimpses of hope in these stories.

No one has said anything about moving either Georgia-Pacific or Scientific-Atlanta out of the Metro Atlanta area. Many of the jobs will remain here, though the key executive decisions may come out of other areas. In addition, both firms have independent foundations, which no doubt will continue to focus on community activities.

Then the Doraville plant closing, set for 2008, will open up a 157 acre tract of land in a prime spot. Already the real estate speculators are talking about what can be done with that land. It is valuable, as seen by the hubbub of new development that has come to surround the General Motors site in recent years. Some have even talked of the Doraville land eventually becoming a site for "another Atlantic Station," remembering how this onetime steel plant has been spiffed up in recent months.

Since World War II, Metro Atlanta has had fabulous growth, both in the number of people moving to the area, and in the number of businesses that have come here. While growth will no doubt continue, this week negative business developments cast a temporary cloud over the area.

Soon, however, there will be other announcements of firms locating here, or expanding in the Metro Atlanta area. The area has enough momentum to ensure that, and will continue to be an attractive site for new businesses and the arrival of more people.

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS

Today's sponsor is Wheeler/Kolb Management Co. The company evolved from the name change of Hudgens Management Company in November, 1991. Tom Wheeler and Tom Kolb have been principal owners since 1985. Wheeler/Kolb has offices in Duluth and has 28 employees. Online: www.wheelerkolb.com

For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: http://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm


McLEMORE'S WORLD
More bird flu

Another great cartoon by Bill McLemore:

FEEDBACK
11/25: Recent Forum is classic example of what America is facing

Editor, the Forum:

GwinnettForum provides a wonderful service by raising important issues. The November 22 issue raises what I believe is a classic dilemma facing America and our role in the global community.

The first story about smuggling Bibles into China, which is described as enjoyable, tells the tale of American citizens knowingly breaking the laws of another country in order to spread their beliefs in this foreign land. I wonder how the story would have played out if the scanners at the arrival airport had been working and the American travelers had been arrested for smuggling.

If the past is any indicator, there probably would have been outrage in the U.S. that our citizens were arrested for spreading the word of God. There would have been calls for the State Department intervention and condemnation of China for suppressing religious freedoms.

It never ceases to amaze me at the tolerance for some behaviors in the name of God while there is intolerance for other behaviors in the name of a different God. I guess it depends entirely on which God is "Our" God.

Scrolling down the November 22 issue is a continuation of the scathing indictment of the United States' involvement in bringing some degree of freedom and democracy to a part of the world that has long suffered under the whims of a brutal dictator. It seems our initial involvement in Iraq was "flawed" and our continued presence there is seen as justification for the continuing violence. After all interfering in the affairs of another country is "wrong" unless it's done for the "right" reasons. (For definitions of "right" and "wrong" see "Your God").

So nobody likes to be occupied by another country? I wonder how South Koreans feel about the more than 50 years of U.S. assistance that produced their economic powerhouse and the political and religious freedoms available to them today. How about the Germans and Japanese, who were assisted for decades by occupying US forces so they could rise from the ashes of tyranny and become major players in the free world.

Many will point to the 2000+ lives lost and thousands of other US soldiers injured and maimed in the war on terror to differentiate it from spreading the word of God and the reason to justify a "cut and run" strategy. No American should ever feel good about the loss of any life or any injury suffered by any U.S. soldier in the execution of their mission. And yet, throughout the history of the civilized world more lives have been taken and more mayhem inflicted in the name of God than in any political conflict.

And so, as I see it, we have this dilemma of trying to decide when it is a requirement that we, as a nation or as individuals, interfere in other countries and when is it an abomination. Clearly there are no easy answers. But perhaps GwinnettForum and others like it provide an opportunity to look at a variety of perspectives.

-- Patrick Malone, Snellville

11/25: Cooperation with Indians one reason we mark holiday

Editor, the Forum:

The Pilgrims (losing a good percentage of those who came over on the Mayflower with them), after having a bountiful harvest the next year, became friends with the Indians, who showed them much kindness and how to plant local crops like corn. (They brought many other types of vegetables and hops with them to plant). So they had a big feast that went on for days with sports and games. This took place in early fall, not November.

They made and drank beer, but not to get drunk, as that would keep Pilgrims from being productive. The Indians were most impressed with how the Pilgrims bowed their heads and gave "Thanks to God." The Indians would watch this 'practice,' each time a meal was eaten, and, thus, asked about this 'God' and why they worshiped Him.

This is "why" those of us over 50, observe Thanksgiving and go to so many "Thanksgiving Day Plays" in our schools, nationwide. Well, at least there was a time when our public schools could teach "American History," esp. from 1622 on!

-- Deborah Seay Willis, Peachtree Corners

11/25: Lions International spreading sight programs to China

Editor, the Forum:

Appreciate your thinking of Lions International while you were on vacation (GwinnettForum, 11/15). The picture you sent me is of the pavilion built by the Lions Club in Hong Kong, and provides an observatory deck high on the peak above the city.)

Lions Clubs are in over 190 countries. We recently have been allowed in China, and over the last couple of years have been able to perform about seven million cataract surgeries in that country. This was accomplished through our Lions SightFirst Program, by which we raised $145 million in the early 1990's. We are about to launch SightFirst II over the next three years and raise a similar amount.

-- Dan Stuart, Watkinsville

NOTABLE
Yellow River Park reopens for recreational enthusiasts

One of Gwinnett's premier recreation spots for walking, horseback riding and mountain biking enthusiasts, Yellow River Park, has re-opened after being closed recently for several months for trail improvement construction.

Yellow River Park, located at 3232 Juhan Road, in Stone Mountain, is known for its rolling landscape of pristine natural beauty. The park boasts 566 acres of wooded upland deciduous forests, traditional pine woodlands, and mixed pine and hardwood forests. Yellow River Park's 13-mile trail system is being refurbished in two phases. Trails on the east, or "river" side of Juhan Road, are re-opened, along with a restroom building and adjacent changing station for mountain bikers, an equestrian parking lot, and two Yellow River overlook areas off of the one-mile, paved multi-purpose trail.

The remaining trails on the west side of Juhan Road will re-open next spring.

When the trail project is complete next spring, 19,500 linear feet of existing mountain bike trails will have been repaired and 16,978 feet of new bike trails added to total 6.9 miles of mountain bike trails. Existing equestrian trail feet repaired will total 21,288, with 11,569 feet of new equestrian trails added, to total 6.22 miles of horseback riding trails.

Yellow River Park hours are from 7 a.m. to sunset.

RECOMMENDATION
Lunch at the Piccadilly, by Clyde Edgerton

From Paige Havens, Lawrenceville:

"Clyde Edgerton has become one of my favorite authors. Thanks to Gwinnett County Public Library for turning me on to Clyde through their summer reading program last year.

"After reading Walking through Egypt, I knew I had to read everything this man publishes. I savored every page of Lunch at the Piccadilly! I loved the humanism, the satire, the honest opinions. His characters just come right out and say what we all wish we could!

"From the rambling sermons to the idle front porch chit-chat, it was simply hysterical. This one really left my sides hurting! If you've ever had those painfully awkward moments visiting with people in a nursing home or people-watched during lunch at the Piccadilly, this is a must read!

"Edgerton's The Floatplane Notebooks is next on my list."

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

GEORGIA TIDBIT
Georgia governor imprisoned as Civil War comes to an end

As the Civil War ended in early May 1865, Georgia's Confederate governor, Joseph E. Brown, surrendered to Union authorities and was paroled. After attempting to convene the Georgia General Assembly, however, he was arrested and briefly imprisoned in the District of Columbia.

Brown

Brown left behind a war-ravaged state, devoid of civil order and fast approaching chaos. Politically rudderless and economically destitute, Georgia faced the future with a white population, which had numbered more than 590,000 in 1860, depleted by some 40,000 Georgians who had been killed or permanently dispersed by the conflict. The state's black population, principally more than 460,000 newly freed slaves, confronted a new world with hope and uncertainty.

In late June 1865 the Military Department of Georgia was established. For the state's whites and blacks, the U.S. Army provided a measure of stability, as well as much-needed food rations in some portions of the state. The soldiers' numbers during the period from 1865 to 1871 fluctuated greatly, from around 9,000 (June 1865) to more than 15,000 (September 1865), but for most of the period their numbers totaled less than 1,000.

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

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Different way to consider what the Pilgrims went through

"The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving."

-- H.U. Westermayer

• 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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