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Issue 9.31 | Friday, July 17, 2009 | Forward to your friends! |
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McLEMORE'S
WORLD ARCHIVE 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 |
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TODAY'S
FOCUS NORCROSS,
Ga., July 17, 2009 -- In today's world, with all the tools we have for
measuring and tracking the impact of advertising and advertising programs,
the lack of sophistication, and the lack of a basic understanding of how
advertising works, is truly amazing.
Do you
believe that the purpose of advertising is to get the viewer to like the
advertisement? We believe that the purpose of advertising is to cause
a specific action that leads to purchase, such as increasing brand awareness,
communicating a relevant and important message, and motivating consumers
to consider buying the brand.
And that
was it. While purchase interest was finally asked later in the survey,
this question should have been asked first, right after the advertisement
exposure and before all of the diagnostics. Perhaps as a respondent I
missed something. Maybe they tested multiple advertisements with different
respondents, so they compare the purchase interest of different advertisements,
and of course I only saw one of them. But even so, what would have been
the harm in getting more information about the communicative abilities
of the advertisement? At The
Marketing Workshop, Inc., we are skilled at the art and science of
marketing research. We believe a multi-modal approach, using both qualitative
and quantitative methods, ensures better results because the two disciplines
act as a check-balance system, increasing our holistic knowledge of what
consumers think and do. Don't hesitate to contact one of our senior consultants today to discuss how the art and science of research can take the guesswork out of your marketing. PERSPECTIVE JULY 17, 2009 -- Somehow, the Gwinnett County Commission just does not "get it."
They have bumbled and stumbled for several years, most recently seen in their inability to set the millage for taxes for the coming year. In this process, they have brought on themselves the wrath of county taxpayers for several reasons, one being their refusal to hear the people on one particular subject: their proposal for pay raises for county employees. Included in the commission proposed budget for the 2009 year are pay raises for many governmental workers. Mind you, Gwinnett County needs a proper and high-level cadre of county employees, who need to be paid well. But this proposed raise comes at a time when the county funds are dramatically hit hard by the economic recession. It comes at a time when foreclosures of homes are at a record high in the county. It comes at a time when more and more people are either out of a job, or find that their hours or pay or both have been cut. Yet the commission proposes in 2009 to budget significant pay increases for many county employees. Most of them are probably just glad they haven't been laid off. Now all this is preceded by a county commission that has had liberal spending policies for the last five years. It allowed a big Rainy Day fund to dwindle. On top of this, the commission for the last few years has in effect been having a deficit budget as it dipped into the Rainy Day fund, and not exactly behaving as strong conservative Republican elected officials should.
Then with the economy in a tailspin, and the county tax digest not growing as it has in the past, the obvious result is that there is insufficient monies anticipated to be coming into the county treasury to pay for the expanded budget that the commission is proposing. So this commission starts whittling down their budget, attacking such time-honored and necessary services and public safety (police, fire, emergency medical). These services are essential. There are other ways to cut budgets from far-less essential services. But the commission concentrates on these essential services, as a way to browbeat the county taxpayers into saying such as: "Don't cut emergency services. We'll pay for higher taxes if you don't cut this." What should have happened is that the Gwinnett commission should have had the leadership to have a small annual tax increase to pay for expanded activities. But now not only do the commissioners want an increased budget, but they want to do it with no tax increase, thinking that is the will of the people. The people want good government, and good delivery of services. They want our commission to be responsible, something missing in past years. They want the commission to show leadership, another significant lost element in recent years, and in particular, in this year. The commission has stumbled at every step. But first, they must eliminate salary increases during these critical times. The commission needs to show this leadership as it adopts the millage for this difficult year. Then the people will know that the commission "gets it" and is listening to them.
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McLEMORE'S
WORLD ARCHIVE
FEEDBACK
Editor, the Forum: This letter is submitted on behalf of the physicians listed below to urge Emory and Piedmont to halt their opposition to the establishment of an open heart surgical program at Gwinnett Medical Center (GMC) in Lawrenceville.
As physicians who were trained at Emory facilities and now serve on staff at GMC, we feel compelled to respond to the recent editorial comments by John Fox, the CEO of Emory, in which he suggested that the open heart program is not needed from a clinical perspective. Mr. Fox is simply wrong. Time is critical for heart patients, and, based on national data, the majority of coronary artery bypass graft procedures are emergent or urgent procedures. GMC needs the ability to provide the full continuum of advanced cardiac services, not just emergency balloon angioplasty. Without an open heart surgery program, many patients with critical needs, who can not afford delays, will continue to need to be transferred out of the community to receive their cardiac intervention at distant open heart surgery providers. As Emory Alumni, we are disappointed, disturbed, and embarrassed that Emory would oppose a needed service that will permit us, as physicians, to provide the best care for our patients. While we are not all cardiologists or cardiac surgeons, virtually all patients who require open heart surgery have a number of other chronic health conditions such as diabetes or diseases of the lungs or kidneys. Thus, we are all too familiar with the problems of transporting our seriously ill patients out of the community down very congested roads for critical cardiac care. It seems counterintuitive that Emory would proudly train us, but then turn around and have its administrator question our clinical judgment that the open heart surgery program at GMC is needed. Emory is a fine institution, and GMC proudly has more Emory trained physicians on its medical staff than Emory itself. Yet, Emory has never taken responsibility for improving healthcare in Gwinnett County. Emory physicians do not staff our community clinics. They do not live or practice here. They do not experience the daily traffic congestion that make having critical services available locally so important. The majority of the undersigned physicians refer patients to Emory for tertiary services and support Emory University with our monetary donations. The majority of us are rethinking that position. In short, we are outraged. The editorial of Mr. Fox shows a lack of consideration for patient care. Shame on Emory.
Suggests alternatives to budget cuts in libraries, parks Editor,
the Forum: How about instead of cutting the Library and Park budget, we "heavily" tax the commissioners, cut their personal budgets and cut their salary---even better can we get rid of them! Thanks for the article and I will remember this at voting time… although I do remember other very stupid things they have done in the past and somehow they keep getting elected!
Sees differences in what county wants and what it needs
Dear Chairman
Bannister and Commissioner Lasseter,
On a personal
level, we are all facing similar budget issues, some more so than others.
Some people are out of work, some people are fighting hard to keep from
losing their homes if they haven't lost them already and many are working
hard to put food on the table for their families. People are clearly having
to determine the difference between their WANTS and their NEEDS and then
prioritize those that fall into the NEEDS category.
UPCOMING The Georgia Department of Transportation has awarded two American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) federal stimulus program contracts, valued at $14.6 million for intersections improvements in Gwinnett County.
The work involves two intersections in Lilburn of U.S. 29 at both Beaver Ruin Road and Lester Road, where Pleasant Hill Road ends. The Lester Road work went to E.R. Snell Contractors of Snellville, and amounts of $8.83 million. The Beaver Ruin work is for $5.7 million and will be done by C.W. Mathews Construction Company of Marietta. Construction
should begin next month on these Gwinnett County projects, with work to
be completed by June 30, 2011. Second annual Buford Expo to Be held on Saturday, July 25 The Buford Business Alliance (BBA) plans a day of fun with its second Visit Buford Expo at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center (GEHC) on Saturday, July 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p,m.
Parents and children alike will be able to tour the GEHC grounds and trails, while learning about simple, easy ways to "go green" at home, work and school. Wayne's Train will also be on the campus offering a fun way for kids to see some of the outdoor beauty the center offers. Before heading indoors, be sure to stop by 'Petey's All Around Town Ice Cream' to purchase a scoop or two. Inside, the event will include exhibitor booths separated into three distinct areas or 'neighborhoods'; All About Kids, Business to Business and Business to Consumer. Most exhibitors will be participating in the Great Buford Give-A-Way, allowing families to register to win scores of great prizes and freebies from the exhibitors and sponsors. The BBA is a non-profit organization that brings together the citizens, city leaders, civic organizations and the businesses of Buford in a communal spirit. BBA sponsored festivals, events and other marketing opportunities promote business and tourism in Buford as well as support annual gifting of scholarships to local students. The BBA meets monthly and is open to the public. Please visit www.VisitBuford.com for more information. Fall soccer registration now ongoing for J.M. Tull YMCA The J.M. Tull Gwinnett Family YMCA in Lawrenceville is having open registration for Fall Soccer. Registration is going on until August 9 for ages three years to 19 years. For more information, go to www.tgy.ymcaatlanta.org or contact Jennifer Minor at 770-513-5950. NOTABLE Once again,
Money magazine has found life in Suwanee to be sweet. Suwanee is
included in the magazine's 2009 list of America's top 100 best places
to live. A regional model for open space preservation and creation of
parks as well as smart-growth development, Suwanee
was ranked number 35 in Money's 2009 list of best small towns.
Suwanee's
two Money magazine rankings [in 2007, Suwanee was ranked number
10] confirm results released earlier this year of the National Citizen
Survey. The independent survey of residents was conducted collaboratively
through the National Research Center, Inc. and the International City/County
Management Association. Ninety-seven percent of respondents said Suwanee
was an excellent or good place to live. IMPACT! Group wins grant for foreclosure prevention class The Citi Foundation has awarded The IMPACT! Group $30,000 to help provide foreclosure prevention counseling and education to lower-income households during the coming year. The grant will support the IMPACT! Home Ownership Center, which provides homeowners and potential homebuyers with individualized counseling and group classes to help them become knowledgeable, sustainable homeowners. The HomeOwnership Center provided some 2,500 households with foreclosure prevention, homeowner, and homebuyer assistance during 2008. Tom Merkel, executive director of The IMPACT! Group, says: "High foreclosure rates are destabilizing families and dramatically lowering property values. By helping us help homeowners avoid foreclosure, the Citi Foundation is also helping our whole community." This year's increased funding from the Citi Foundation comes at a time when other donors have in fact decreased giving due to the economic downturn. The IMPACT! HomeOwnership Center's free counseling services are open to anyone in the community. The center is staffed by HUD-certified housing counselors who can meet individually with households in need and conduct group classes on specific topics. Clients seeking advice into the process of buying a home, maintaining a home, or who are seeking to prevent the foreclosure of their home can talk to an IMPACT! housing counselor. Counselors may be able to act as an intermediary between a household and a lender to help the household remain in their home while an adjusted mortgage plan is arranged. All services are offered in both English and Spanish.
GEORGIA
ENCYCLOPEDIA The mission of the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art in Atlanta is to exhibit figurative or realistic art that is international, spiritual, or metaphysical. Oglethorpe is a small private university, and its art museum is the only one on such a campus in the Southeast that regularly shows nationally and internationally recognized exhibitions. The museum has a small but important permanent collection stressing its mission.
Founded as the Oglethorpe University Art Gallery in 1984, it became Oglethorpe University Museum of Art in 1993 after major renovations and expansion to more than 7,000 square feet of floor space. The museum's two galleries, South and Skylight, are known for their intimacy and the carefully chosen music that accompanies each exhibition. With its hardwood floors, white columns, and earth-red walls, the building is often called a jewel itself. With few exceptions, the museum's unusual exhibitions have originated there. Of the more than fifty exhibitions shown, some of the most historically important have been The Grand Tour: Landscape and Veduta Paintings; Venice and Rome in the Eighteenth Century; Four from Madrid: Contemporary Spanish Realism; The Many Faces of Buddha; Claude Monet at Giverny: Family Photographs, 1890-1926; Contemporary Black Artists from South Africa; The Spirit and the Flesh: Contemporary American Realists; Duane Hanson: A Master Returns; Hermann Hesse: Novelist, Poet, Painter; Dream of the Red Chamber: An Experience in Traditional Chinese Aesthetics: Paintings by An Ho and Furniture by Henry Lautz ; and Nicholas Roerich, Messenger of Beauty: Paintings from the Bolling Collection. Many of the exhibitions were accompanied by catalogs. The exhibition organized by the museum for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Mystical Arts of Tibet Featuring Personal Sacred Objects of the Dalai Lama, traveled across the United States, Mexico, and Canada for several years. 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
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© 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 "It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.
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