|
|
Issue 8.88 | Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009 | Forward to your friends! |
|
|
FEEDBACK UPCOMING NOTABLE ALSO INSIDE ___::
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Meet a sponsor |
ABOUT US GwinnettForum.com is a twice-weekly online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. Contact us today. SEARCH GWINNETT FORUM |
|
TODAY'S
FOCUS
ATLANTA, Ga., Feb. 10, 2009 -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC), a local leader in digital, print and direct mail, has introduced AJC Media Solutions, an integrated platform for delivering the AJC's advertising and marketing capabilities to business clients. The AJC Media Solutions brand encompasses products and services to advertisers across its portfolio of digital, print and direct media vehicles, enabling advertisers the flexibility to access, target and measure their audience through a more effective and cost efficient solution. This unparalleled portfolio is a competitive strength and positions the AJC as the number-one media company in metropolitan Atlanta, reaching 73 percent of the market through print and digital combined and an additional 1.5 million households of coverage through shared mail direct marketing programs. Solo mail programs complete a multi-media solution that offers up to 100 percent coverage of the market to advertisers. W. Michael Clay, AJC Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer , says: "We have fundamentally changed our organizational structure and go-to market approach based on research and feedback we heard from our advertisers and prospects about their continued challenges. We're responding with AJC Media Solutions. We're more than a newspaper, we're now a one-point-of contact solution across digital, print and direct marketing platforms that can help businesses navigate their messaging to the audiences and consumers they seek and that will truly help them grow their businesses." In conjunction with the launch of AJC Media Solutions, the company also unveiled a web site, www.YourAudienceDelivered.com, that links advertisers with the information and expertise needed to create custom-targeted, cross-channel advertising campaigns. The web site and the AJC Media Solutions brand will be promoted via a market-wide advertising campaign that launched earlier last week. The AJC Marketing department partnered with award-winning agency, IQ Interactive, to develop an extensive marketing campaign and Web site. The sales division has been reorganized into a one-point-of contact, multi-media consultancy to allow account executives to sell across all three media platforms and service offerings, and began previewing AJC Media Solutions to clients in mid-October, with excellent results. AJC Media Solutions brings together Atlanta's leading digital, print
and direct mail advertising vehicles in one effective and cost efficient
solution. Clay observes, "It's the effortless way to reach the right
audience and to get more for your ad dollar." * * * * * The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the leading source - both in print and online - of news, information and advertising for metropolitan Atlanta, reaching a total print and online audience of more than 2.2 million people each week. Every month, nearly 2.5 million unique visitors access the newspaper's Web sites, including ajc.com and accessAtlanta.com. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., one of the nation's leading media companies and providers of automotive services. An extension of the AJC, AJC Media Solutions, is Atlanta's most complete
regional resource for advertising success, with digital, print and direct
marketing resources. In addition, AJC Media Solutions offers consultative
insights to help advertisers find the right combination of reach, frequency
and cost-effectiveness, optimizing media buying and advertising strategy
for greater results. ELLIOTT
BRACK FEB. 10, 2009 -- Be wary of easy answers.
In hard times, you can be sure someone will suggest easy answers. And if you go there, you're probably going to get burned. With the Georgia General Assembly now meeting, already put before those two bodies was a suggestion that the simple way for the State of Georgia to find a new source of revenue for the state in these recessionary times was for the City of Atlanta, and in particular Underground Atlanta, to be a venue for legal gambling. Proponents of the measure point out the many ways they feel Georgia can benefit from such a scheme. It would attract many visitors to Atlanta, and in particular the once-popular-and-now-rundown Underground Atlanta. Many of these visitors would be tourists and conventioneers, thereby boosting another way to dip into the pocketbooks of others besides Georgians. These gambling advocates are saying, in effect, "Come look! Come look! See the new-found money!" While pointing to the tax revenue that the City of Atlanta and state would gain, you can also bet those proposing the scheme were saying: "Let's grab some for ourselves." In a recent novel, Tom Shannon of Snellville points out the unsavory ways that legalized gambling corrupts a community. He shows how a structure is created where cash from other illegal operations (drugs, prostitution, etc.) is taken to a casino, where it is "invested," and comes back to the gamblers in winnings, from casino operators on the take. That way the gamblers can launder their illegal money into quite legitimate legal monies, grinning all the time. Not only do the gamblers benefit, but so do the crooked casino owners, who get their rake-off. What it will do in the long run is produce nothing less than a culture of crime for downtown Atlanta, right under the noses of the unsuspecting state casino regulators, who in effect, may be on the take themselves. You question Tom's idea? Take a look at Las Vega, Nev., or any city in that state where gambling is legal. Now are you going to assert that all is hunky-dory in Nevada when it comes to the corruption from organized gambling? If so, among other matters, may we talk to you about buying that bridge in Brooklyn? * * * * * People in the state of Georgia think of themselves as law-abiding citizens, conservative in nature, and very much a part of the Bible Belt. Now Georgians are governed by Republicans, who have control of most state offices, including the executive office and both branches of the legislature. These Republicans also like to tell you that they are rock-solid conservative. Yet some of the legislation that comes from them would make an average person wonder how this far-out legislation got out of committee. (We're thinking of the measures to shift taxes from property based to sales based, a lame-brain idea that we cannot imagine is being proposed in a recession, when clearly sales tax collections are down.) So this proposal for legalized gambling in Georgia comes during the days of leadership by the Republican Party. Is this the type of moral government that the people of Georgia want? We think a majority of Georgians will generally reject legalized gambling anywhere in the state, whether in Atlanta, or off shore. We urge the leadership of both political parties to repudiate legalized gambling. It may seem like an easy way to increase state revenues, but what it will do to the moral integrity of the State of Georgia is nothing good.
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's featured sponsor is Mingledorff's, an air conditioning distributor of the Carrier Air Conditioning Company. Mingledorff's corporate office is located at 6675 Jones Mill Court in Norcross Ga. and is proud to be a sponsor of the Gwinnett Forum. With 23 locations in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina, Mingledorff's is the convenient local source with a complete line for the quality heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration parts and supplies you need to service and install HVAC/R equipment. Product lines include Carrier, Bryant, Payne, Totaline and Aeroseal. For all of your HVAC needs, and information on the products Mingledorff's sells, visit www.mingledorffs.com and www.carrier.com.
FEEDBACK Editor, the Forum: Our new Gwinnett County-owned baseball stadium, a wonderful site to behold with no one to pay for the naming rights. It should probably be called "Midnight Stadium," if only for the reason that Gwinnett County commissioners, under cover of darkness with developers, reasoned it was too good a deal. Residents that pay taxes and vote were not allowed to comment. It will be these same commissioners who decide on a mega-plex of dense housing, retail, hotel and other "exciting stuff" being proposed by Brand Properties. Can they seriously be objective and keep the best interests of taxpayers in hand? An example is the recent approval of a rezoning application across Georgia Highway 20 from "Midnight Stadium---a small, narrow strip of land zoned as OI classification serving as transitional property to protect homeowners in the adjoining sub-division. A request to rezone as a more intrusive C2 was requested and approved. Many emails were sent to voice concerns and reasons against the rezoning request. Even the Planning Department felt the same and recommended denial. But it seems that only developers have the ear and time of county commissioners, and in particular, District 4 Commissioner Kevin Kenerly, who would never return an email, comment or acknowledge our efforts. In the final motion, approval was given quickly and without comment, which included removal of a condition limiting operating hours. Correct, a sports bar can now exist an infield hit away from homeowners. It is a shame that our commissioners have forgotten what 'public service' means. But then, none of this is a surprise having seen where homeowners fall on the batting list. Another hit for developers as the taxpayers of Gwinnett County are left to only watch. See you at the ballpark!
Wants better service for recycling from garbage haulers Editor, the Forum: I have had service from all trash collectors in the county; I have seen others with the same service with the recyclable bins. When I inquired about bins through the service, no one would return a call and/or deliver the proper container for recycling. There are a lot of residents who would recycle if they did not run into so many roadblocks along the way. Not only that, but the providers want to sell or lease a container to you and they collectively make a lot of money two-fold from subscribers. This is not rocket science. Come on, service providers, get with the program!
Also wants to see more commuting lanes for bicycles Editor, the Forum: Some sidewalks could be doubled in width and designated for bike trails, leading to MARTA, shopping centers, etc. Expanding a sidewalk would be cheaper than expanding a street.
UPCOMING Realizing that education is a lifelong experience, Gwinnett Federal Credit
Union (Gwinnett Federal) is currently accepting Career Advancement and
Student Scholarship Applications. Sierra Club to hear pair about current legislative session Come hear lobbyist Neill Herring and Legislative Chair Mark Woodall as they discuss what is going on in the Georgia Legislative session and our 2009 Legislative priorities for protecting natural resources. Learn how you can be involved as a citizen lobbyist. The duo will speak at the February 19 meeting of the Sierra Club at Berkmar High at 7 p.m. in the media center. If you have any questions, contact Tom Morrissey at thmorrissey@bellsouth.net NOTABLE The president of Gwinnett Tech, Sharon Bartels, is the Gwinnett Chamber's annual Citizen of the Year, announced at the 61st meting of the Chamber on Friday.
Bartels joined the college's leadership team in 1986 as the school's director of marketing. Ten years later, she became head of the school. She led has the institution to become one of Georgia's largest two-year technical colleges and directed Gwinnett Tech's initial accreditation visit from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. As a result of the visit, the institution gained accreditation in record time for a state technical institute. In addition, Bartels not only has a high profile in Gwinnett County, but throughout the state of Georgia as well. She has been named one of Georgia Trend's 100 most powerful and influential Georgians, and was named Gwinnett Magazine's 2005 Woman-of-the-Year. The Chamber's Legacy Award, which honors the memory and legacy of an individual who has made a difference in the history and progress of Gwinnett County, was awarded posthumously to Bartow Jenkins, former Lawrenceville mayor, county commissioner and educator. The award was accepted by Jenkins' wife, Mary Anne Jenkins. This year's D. Scott Hudgens Award was presented to the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia. Accepting the award was President Joe McCart and Executive Director Judy Waters. Five Public Service Awards were presented to Linda Storey, Storey Residential
Properties, Inc.; Mike Levengood, partner, McKenna Long and Aldridge,
LLP; Renee Byrd-Lewis, director of community relations, Cisco Systems,
Inc.; Raymer Sale, president, E2E Resources, Inc.; and Dr. Manfred Sandler,
Cardiovascular Group, PC. These awards are given to individuals who have
gone above and beyond over the years in their service to the community
and its residents. New chairman of the Gwinnett Chamber is Kerry Armstrong, of Duke Realty/Commercial Real Estate, succeeding Bill McCargo of Cisco Systems. Gwinnett Medical Center wins Stroke Association award The American Stroke Association recently awarded Gwinnett Medical Center with its Get With The Guidelines-Stroke (GWTG-Stroke) Gold Performance Achievement Award at the association's International Stroke Conference 2009. The award recognizes GMC's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to evidence-based guidelines. Through GWTG-Stroke, GMC is tracking comprehensive efforts to rapidly diagnose and treat of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. This includes being equipped to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate. To receive the GWTG-Stroke Gold Performance Achievement Award, GMC consistently complied for at least 24 months with the requirements in the GWTG-Stroke program. These include aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs, and smoking cessation. This 24 month evaluation period reflects an ongoing effort of the hospital to continually maintain 85 percent compliance required for an award. Susan Gaunt, RN, neuroscience clinical nurse specialist, says: "In treating stroke, time to treatment is a key factor in predicting patient outcomes. Receiving the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Performance Achievement Award shows that GMC is continuing to treat its stroke patients quickly and effectively." Library identifies resources aimed at helping veterans Gwinnett County Public Library announces a new resource brochure for
veterans, active National Guard, and Reserve service members. There are
now both online and print resources available at the library on educational
and employment opportunities, benefits programs and other services. Retired Major Charles Hyder's suggestions and support for the library
system helped the library identify and further respond to specific customer
information needs and enhance access in the branches and online.
Beyond the Band of Brothers "I have two pages left of one of the best books I have ever read. It is Beyond the Band of Brothers, by Major Dick Winters. It's the type of book that you hate to see come to an end! What a story he has to tell."
GEORGIA
ENCYCLOPEDIA Malatchi (ca. 1720-1756) was the prominent chief and warrior of the town of Coweta of the Lower Creek Indians during the 1740s and 1750s. He was probably the second son of Brims, and like his father, he maintained a policy of neutrality in order to find the most advantageous course for his people. Malatchi took power around 1746, after reaching a suitable age for leadership, and he kept all avenues of trade and diplomacy open between the Lower Creeks and their European neighbors, especially the French and the British. Above all, he acted as a conscientious Lower Creek headman who recognized and defended native concerns in the colonial Southeast during the mid-eighteenth century. Specifically, Malatchi supported the land claims of his relative (possibly his cousin) Mary Musgrove in her attempts to acquire the Yamacraw tract along the Savannah River and the islands of St. Catherines, Sapelo, and Ossabaw. He led a delegation to Savannah in August 1749 to confirm her title, but British officials, headed by William Stephens, refused to assent. This led to several tense encounters. Malatchi eventually relented, but such offensive treatment prompted him to make overtures to the French and to participate in talks with Governor James Glen of South Carolina rather than deal with Georgia again. After Malatchi's death authority passed to his underage son Togulki,
who did not command the power of his forefathers. Nonetheless, the Lower
Creeks remained an influential and dominant force, but they lacked the
strong guidance provided by Malatchi and his ancestors. CREDITS GwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday. If you would like to serve as an underwriter, click here to learn more. Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves or comments on any issue to Gwinnett Forum for future publication.
© 2009, 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. |
TODAY'S
QUOTE "Men build too many walls and not enough bridges."
MORE RECENT COMMENTARY
MODERN HISTORY OF GWINNETT
NOW IN STORES! You can purchase the book now at several locations:
Or order directly from elliottbrack.com and get a signed copy. The book consists
of 850 pages, including more than 143 demographic and historic tables,
with more than 4,000 names in the index, and 10,000 names in the appendix. Here are some other good reads that you might want to consider reading:
FOR CHARITY. You can give "A Gift of Laughter," a great book of cartoons by Bill McLemore, to help raise money for Rainbow Village. At just $20, it's a fun way to help. To order, call 770 840 1003, or 770 446 3800, or email to info@gwinnettforum.com. SISTER PUBLICATIONS We encourage you to check out our sister publications:
© 2001-2009, Gwinnett Forum.com is Gwinnett County's online community forum for commentary that explores pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. PHONE:
770.840.1003 |
|
