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Ever figure out width of your own ethical
valley?
By
Jerry Queen
Special to GwinnettForum.com
(Editor's Note: Former Gwinnettian and ex-Marist
School championship baseball coach Jerry
Queen draws parallels between sports and life in this discussion
of sports strategy. He is now a resident of Louisiana..---eeb)
LAFAYETTE, La., Oct. 9, 2007 -- How is a set of parallel lines
related to the strategy employed recently by two football coaches?
Queen |
One of the most satisfying rewards I experienced in working with
young high school baseball coaches was watching them formulate their
own set of basic principals. Often in training sessions with them,
I would reach into my bag of math lessons (sometimes, tricks) for
an illustration.
I distinctly remember one of these sessions. It occurred during
a rainy day when we were not able to practice with the players.
The topic of "stealing the opposing team‚s signals"
came up. Was it legal? Was it ethical? I walked to the chalk board
and drew two vertical parallel lines -- very close to each other.
I then defined a "straight line."
I told them: "A 'straight line' has only one dimension, length.
And that length is infinite. The line has no width, no depth, nor
height but it divides an area (a plane - a definition for another
time) into two parts."
Next I sketched a right-walking stick figure to the left of the
parallel lines, specifying this man represents us, and that his
direction should be our career path. I removed, temporally, the
left-hand line. While pointing to the right-hand line (of the two
parallel lines), I defined the vast area to its left as "playing
within the rules," implying the area to its right was not a
place for us to wander. "There is no sitting on this line.
Remember it has no width, depth or height," I said.
After redrawing the left-hand line, I called it the "ethics
line." Applying the same analogy as the right or "rules
line," I insisted that to the left side of this line is where
we should live.
Someone then asked, "What about the area between the two lines?"
This was a response I had hoped would result.
"That, my friend, is totally within your control," I
said. "If you are either timid or insecure, that area may be
really very wide. However, the longer you stay in any profession
these lines inch closer and closer together."
Baseball is a game of signals. If we can decode what our opponents
are passing, by all means do so, as long as "we" (meaning
players and coaches on the bench or the field) are using our eyes
and ears with paper and pencils. Technology, audio and/or video,
should never be allowed.
A recent episode in the NFL had Bill Belichick, the New England
Patriot's football coach, using video for the "sole" purpose
of stealing signals. If true as reported, that was way on the wrong
side of my lines.
On September 29 I saw Urban Meyer, the University of Florida football
coach, call a purposely "late" timeout in an attempt to
"churn the belly" of the Auburn field goal kicker. How
close are Urban's parallel lines?
It would be interesting to know if Urban Meyer ever had anyone
try to "distract" him during the two seasons he spent
playing minor league shortstop for the Braves.
How close are your parallel lines?
Common ancestors bring Gwinnett's Livsey family
together
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
OCT. 9, 2007 -- Interest in genealogy around the country is spreading
fast today, perhaps because of the internet and other recent developments
for research.
Brack |
We saw evidence of this recently, when invited to Gwinnett's Promised
Land, a community south of Centerville, which was once a center
of black population. Ancestors of Robert Livsey have lived on the
land since before the Civil War. Robert Livsey acquired 110 acres
there in the early 1920s, paying $2,500 for it, and many of his
descendants still live in the area.
I was invited to the area by Tom Livsey, along with his father,
Thomas, who was born at the Promised Land 77 years ago. He moved
away to Chicago for years, but took a native of the area, his wife,
Dorethia Austin of Loganville, with him. Three of their five children
were born in Chicago. But the pull of the land brought the Livseys
back in 1966, where they have lived since.
Tom Livsey was specific for the time to come, for he wanted Avis
Livsey Hannah of Snellville and her sister, Annette Livsey Merritt
of Decatur, to be there, too. They were both born in the Frank (Mink)
Livsey house (in the "birthing room" upstairs) near No
Business and Do Little Creek on Mink Livsey Road. This is northeast
of Centerville.
It took a little getting used to in understanding this four-person
group, who were soon joined by Thomas' wife, Dorethia. You see,
the group consisted of three black people, and two obviously white
ladies, Avis and Annette.
But soon everything fell into play. You see, they are all cousins.
Tom Livsey sums it up: "For the first time, last summer the
white and black Livseys celebrated a family reunion together. It
was a wonderful occasion. No one owed no one an explanation or excuse
for the past, no animosity, no guilt. We must question our past
in order to determine our own future. We all left with a whole new
family tree."
Such a gathering is something that would not have happened several
years ago in Gwinnett. Yet here the five were talking about their
common ancestors in a relaxed and civil manner. It made me proud
of them, proud that these very different representatives of one
larger family could come together and calmly and civilly search
out their background.
Right now the focus is to determine if Green Livsey was a common
ancestor. He came from Culpepper, Va. to Wilkes County in 1815,
married Barbara Poss and was an overseer on the Robert Toombs Plantation.
In 1822 they had a son, Sandy, from whom Thomas and Tom are descended.
He and his wife came to the Gwinnett-Walton area in 1940. The tracers
of the Livseys know that their forebearers were from Livsey County,
Lancaster, in England.
Complicate all this with another blood mix: many of the Livseys
now know that they also have Indian ancestors. So the family is
tri-racial. Now they are seeking to tie in the other Livsey relatives.
They know they are related, and getting others involved, but still
have some loose ends to tie up.
One of the Livsey offspring, Bill, of Fayetteville, who is a retired
four-star U.S. Army general, is coming to Gwinnett on October 20
at Lake Sheryl at the Promised Land, to talk to a gathering of 30-40
cousins.
Continuation of efforts by the Livseys, and their relatives can
only bring families, often with differing views, closer together.
It's a good sign to see such open and intimate discussions going
on right here in Gwinnett County.
 The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers. Today the sponsor is Gwinnett Village
Community Improvement District. Formed in mid-2006, Gwinnett
Village Community Improvement District (CID), is a self taxing revitalization
district that includes just under 500 commercial property owners
with a property value of just under $1 billion dollars. Gwinnett
Village includes the southwestern part of Gwinnett County including
properties along Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Buford Highway, Indian
Trail, Beaver Ruin, Graves, and Singleton Road. Gwinnett Village
is the third CID to be created in Gwinnett County and is the largest
of all 13 CID's in the state. Gwinnett Village's mission is to improve
property values through increased security, a decrease in traffic
congestion, and general improvements to the curb appeal of the area.
For more information visit www.gwinnettvillage.com
or call 770-449-6515.
Cartoon draws ire of reader, who misses lampooning
view
Editor, the Forum,
Bill McLemore's editorial cartoon depicting two men at a bar lamenting
spending billions on a war and not a dime on children's health is
yet another example of yellow journalism in your publication. The
talking heads in President Bush's administration made it clear that
the President would veto the bill because it did more than just
expand program funding per the previous definition, it expanded
the program to make families earning up to $80,000 per year eligible.
Redistribution of wealth from productive people to the poor is questionable
at best as I read our Constitution. Socialism is extremely offensive
to me, sir. Please stop insulting your readers by propagating another
of the "Big Lies" being vomited by the Democratic Party.
-- Wayne Buchheit, Dacula
Dear Wayne: You need a lesson in cartooning:
cartoons are political comment in its most simple, reducing the
subject to an often laughable, sometimes irrelevant, and most
basic concept. Such is the case no matter what political viewpoint.
Nearly always it must have a bias to make its viewpoint. You can't
have a non-viewpointed opinion, and this one happens to be in
drawn form. ---eeb
Here's another lamentation
on wanting to pay lower taxes
Editor, the Forum:
Obviously Alvin Wilbanks, Lillian Webb and you are much smarter
than I when it comes to the Speaker's tax idea. You all saw the
issue as one of control. I thought the speaker's idea was a much
fairer way to collect revenue rather than only taxing property owners.
I now realize the issue is, in fact, control.
However our local school boards and municipalities would not be
losing control to the state but rather to the individual taxpayers.
Under the speaker's proposal if I wanted to pay less taxes all I
would need to do is reduce my consumption. I would save money by
not consuming as much and reduce my tax burden at the same time.
A truly novel idea.
It's little wonder that local politicians and liberal Democrats
think this is a bad idea. Looking forward to your usual retort.
-- Patrick Malone, Snellville
Dear Patrick: Why do people always talk of paying
less taxes, when taxes are just the price it cost to live in the
United States? Not only that, but the USA tax rate is far less
than most developed countries. What never fails to surprise me
is how many otherwise successful business people moan and groan
on taxes when they are living in high style in what many feel
is the greatest, and safest, country in the world. Go figure.--eeb
More on those pesky
"pocosins" along the coastal plain
Editor, the Forum:
The Encyclopedia Tidbit in the October
5 edition was a very informative article on Grand Bay. I noticed
reference was made that hunting is allowed there. Indeed, it is
a state wildlife management area, administered by the DNR.
I noted another reference to "pocosins" (Carolina bays)
in the article. I first became aware of these features when making
"military hops" from NAS Norfolk to NAS Jacksonville when
I was in the Marine Corps back in the early 1950's. We could go
to the flight station, put our names on the flight board, and fly
free to Jacksonville, courtesy of Uncle Sam!
While on these particular flights, I noticed these circular ponds
or bays all along the coast in South and North Carolina. When I
re-enrolled at the forestry school at the University of Georgia,
aerial photography was part of the curriculum. That's when I learned
what a pocosin was.
There are two schools of thought on what caused them; one is they
were caused by wave action, swirls, when the Atlantic Ocean covered
that part of the southeast, and another, that meteorites or meteor
showers caused them. I don't know, but would lean toward "wave
action."
Grand Bay seems like a great place to visit. We may just do that
in the near future.
-- David Earl Tyre, Jesup
Dear David: As long as you are leaning, I lean
with you on this one.-eeb
Chamber breakfast on Friday features Alvin
Wilbanks
Wilbanks |
The October 12 "Success Lives Here" meeting of the Gwinnett
Chamber of Commerce will feature Alvin Wilbanks, superintendent
of Gwinnett County Public Schools. The breakfast meeting will be
at 7:45 at the 1818 Club in Duluth.
Mr. Wilbanks was named the "2005 Georgia Superintendent of
the Year" and earned further distinction as one of four finalists
in the "2005 National Superintendent of the Year" program.
Cost is $45 for Chamber members; $55 for non-Chamber members. RSVP
to Laurie McKenzie at laurie@gwinnettchamber.org,
or call 770 232-3000.
Two groundbreakings
to take place in Suwanee this week
The City of Suwanee will hold groundbreaking ceremonies for two
long-anticipated projects this month. The public is invited to both
ceremonies.
The groundbreaking for Sims Lake Park will be at 3:30 p.m. Friday,
October 12, at the park site, 4600 Suwanee Dam Road. The 62-acre
property is considered the jewel of Suwanee's award-winning open
space program.
City Council has authorized $2.6 million in remaining open space
bond funds for phase one of the park, now set to get underway. Elements
to be included in the park's initial development include a one-mile
multipurpose trail, public restrooms, paved parking, irrigation,
picnic areas, and open play fields. The City anticipates opening
Sims Lake Park next summer.
Groundbreaking for the pedestrian underpass that will run beneath
the railroad track and connect City Hall and the Town Center area
with the Gwinnett County Public Library branch and historic Old
Town district will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, October 23, just before
the monthly City Council meeting and public hearing. The ceremony
will be held behind City Hall, 373 Buford Highway.
The 62-foot tunnel, which is being paid for largely by a Livable
Centers Initiative grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission, also
is expected to be completed next summer.
Technology Forum to
hear of future at Scientific Atlanta
Join Larry Payne, chief demonstration officer of Scientific Atlanta,
a Cisco company, as he discusses the future of his company at the
October 16 meeting of the Gwinnett Technology Forum. The meeting
is at Gwinnett Technical College.
Mr. Payne is currently the director of Vertical Market group for
the State and Local Government and Education markets for Cisco Systems,
Inc. In this role, he is responsible for Cisco's strategy and go-to-market
activities for the United States and Canada. Mr. Payne has been
with Cisco for 12 years..
There is no charge to attend, but reservations are required. To
RSVP, contact Jo Anne Wymer no later than October 12 at Joanne@gwinnettchamber.org,
or call 770 232-3000.
"God's Got Grayson"
prayer walk to be held on October 15
The community of Grayson will gather on October 15 at 8 p.m. for
a Prayer Walk. The "God's Got Grayson" group will gather
near the front entrance of Grayson High School).
Those invited to participate in the event include Keith Chaney,
principal of Grayson High School; Grayson Football Coach Mickey
Conn; Rusty Maddox and Bob Evans of a Men's Fellowship; Brain Krawczyk
and Tom Mayfield, of Young Life; Jill McEwen, Mothers In Touch;
Dr. Rusty Newman and Steve Traylor, Snellville Baptist Church; Buddy
Hoffman,Grace Fellowship Church; and Jonathan Howes, Graystone Church.
Individuals, businesses, civic organizations and others interested
in participating in Prayer Walk are welcome to attend this event.
For current information and instructions on Prayer Walk, visit www.MensFellowship.info/PrayerWalk
or contact Chris Britt at 404.509.3333
Gwinnett
Medical Center seeks open heart surgery certificate
Gwinnett Medical Center is preparing to file an application with
state health officials to provide open heart surgery at its Lawrenceville
hospital and is launching a campaign urging local citizens to support
the effort.
Manfred Sandler, M.D., Gwinnett Medical Center's chief of cardiology,
says: "During a heart attack, time is muscle. The more time
that transpires before opening up a blocked blood vessel, the more
heart muscle dies. Gwinnett isn't getting any smaller and the travel
time to other facilities isn't getting any shorter. This community
needs its own open heart program."
GMC is required to file an application for a Certificate of Need
for open heart services from the state's Department of Community
Health. Currently, Gwinnett residents must travel over some of the
nation's most congested roads from GMC's main campus in Lawrenceville
to the nearest facility offering open heart services. To learn more,
visit www.openheartgwinnett.org.
.
Lawrenceville author
tells of publication of her first novel
Stone |
Local author Kelly L. Stone has published her debut novel, Grace
Secret (Mundania Press, September 2007).
Stone is a guidance counselor at Parkview High School in Lilburn,
GA. She is a licensed professional counselor and has worked with
children and families for over 20 years. She is the former director
of children‚s mental health services for the Gwinnett/ Rockdale/
Newton Community Service Board. Stone resides with her family in
Lawrenceville.
This story is about a young woman who willingly serves time for
a double murder that she did not commit. Upon release, she sets
out to solve the mystery surrounding the crime, all while protecting
a terrible secret about her past. The book is now available at Amazon.com
and all book stores.
King,
Kaiser, Tsar by Catrine Clay
 "The
relationship between these three people, the King, the Kaiser and
the Tsar, near the turn of the 20h Century, got my attention, primarily
because it was an area which was void for me. I never knew the relationship
that existed between these three leaders of mighty nations. Why,
they were FIRST cousins, all the grandsons of Queen Victoria of
England. The author uses personal correspondence between the three
and their families to show their closeness, and how intricate were
the connections between them. The book also details the major shortcomings
of the three cousins and their families. This in effect led to the
outbreak of World War I, which might have been prevented had the
personalities of these three people not been part of the problem.
Interesting, but sometimes tedious, read, and helps understand the
Russian Revolution, the fall of Germany, and modern England."
-- eeb
- 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
Here's
explanation for South Carolina red dot stores
(Editor's Note: While this space normally is
taken from the Georgia Encyclopedia, today's entry comes from
the South Carolina
Encyclopedia, about the origin of stores with red dots
on their outside in South Carolina. Reprinted with permission
from S.C.
Statehouse Report. ---eeb)
Red dot store in Pickens County, S.C. |
A phenomenon that piques the curiosity of both visitors and lifelong
residents: why do South Carolina liquor stores display red dot?
The answer lies in a heated battle between drys and wets that developed
when liquor sales became legal again in 1935 after Prohibition.
During the ensuing decade, those selling booze, diehard Prohibitionists
and the State Tax Commission (given the task of regulating this
revived trade) wrangled constantly over on-site advertising.
Storefront ads so infuriated Upcountry drys that in 1938 authorities
decreed that only a discreet "Retail Liquor Dealer" sign
could be displayed. Seven years later, they decided to reduce any
such sign to letters only a few inches high placed in the lower
right-hand corner of a display window or on the front door. Liquor
stores of that era had no back door.
Under these circumstances, Jesse J. Fabian, a successful Charleston
liquor dealer, hired "Doc" Wansley to create a legal sign
for one of his shops. When it was completed, Wansley realized that
few would notice such minuscule lettering and, inspired by a design
then found on every pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes, drew a bright
red circle around his masterpiece. Thus was born South Carolina's
famous red dot.
These now-familiar circles grew and prospered until January 1968,
when the ABC suddenly ruled that these constituted advertising and
should be banished from the landscape. The General Assembly voted
instead to save the dot, although members agreed that on each exterior
wall of a store, there could be only one dot, not to exceed 36 inches
in diameter. These subsequent rules have been relaxed somewhat,
but into the 21st century, the red dot remained a faithful beacon
for those seeking liquor, as well as a warning sign for those determined
to avoid it.
Feels foreign policy
wonks want war -- against small countries
"The foreign policy establishment is riddled with aging draft
dodgers agitating for more wars - against small countries, of course."
-- Georgia native and newspaper columnist Charley Reese, via
Marshall Miller, Lilburn.
Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves
or comments on any issue to Gwinnett
Forum for future publication.
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