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Issue 9.47| Friday, Sept. 11, 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. NOW ON TWITTER! SEARCH GWINNETT FORUM |
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TODAY'S
FOCUS NORCROSS, Ga., Sept. 11-2009 -- In June, the Gwinnett Village CID hosted Georgia DOT as well as Federal Highway officials at Global Mall for the second round of public meetings for the Interstate 85 HOV to HOT lane conversion project. Below are the latest details of the federally funded project: (for more detailed information visit this site). What are HOT lanes? High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes are limited-access managed lanes that allow eligible carpoolers, transit, motorcycles and alternative fuel vehicles to use the lane at no cost, while allowing previously ineligible solo drivers to buy back into the lane for a fee. The number of cars using these lanes can be controlled through value pricing via electronic toll collection so as to maintain free-flowing traffic in them at all times, even during the height of rush hours. Why HOT lanes in Georgia? Metro Atlanta has experienced unprecedented growth in population and recognizes that innovative approaches are needed to address mobility and travel demand challenges. The realities of today's economy and the current funding shortfall in Georgia make HOT lanes, which require minimal construction, one of the most cost-efficient improvements available to the state. Georgia
has been authorized to receive federal US Department of Transportation
(DOT) funds to convert existing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to
HOT lanes on I-85 between Chamblee-Tucker Road (just south of I-285 "Spaghetti
Junction") and Old Peachtree Road. This is a strategy that has been
proven effective in other regions throughout the country such as San Diego,
Houston, Denver, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Miami and Seattle.
What is value pricing? Value pricing is the method of charging drivers a toll for using congested roads or designated lanes of a road during periods of heaviest use. The fee will be set dynamically to maintain free-flowing traffic, speeds averaging 45+ mph and provide reliable trip times. The fee is lower or not applicable during off-peak times or when the lanes are able to handle more capacity. The projected costs will range from ten cents to one dollar per mile. It is estimated that over 90 percent of customers will pay less than $5 for their HOT lane trip. Projections show that over 25 percent of motorists will use the HOT lane toll free. Send comments and questions regarding the I-85 High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane project to hotlanecomment@jacobs.com. EEB
PERSPECTIVE SEPT. 11, 2009 -- Come on, America.
Give the president a chance. It seems many in America, perhaps the minority that did not vote for him, jump at every opportunity to oppose President Obama. They are suspect of his every move. They question his ideas, his desire for a health bill, and his intentions when it was announced he would give a talk with school children in mind which would be televised. They even label the president as a socialist when it comes to health education, with these people never stopping to think that Mr. Obama has not proposed specific legislation. Taking note of what happened when President Bill Clinton had his wife pushing for specific health bills, President Obama has not put forth his own bill, but asked Congress to submit what they would pass to him. Yet people stigmatize the President every day with words about "Obama's health bill." He has so far not put forth one, though he may have to in order to get a measure past Congress. Those opposed to allowing their children hear the President's message when talking to school children are suddenly quiet. His message was informative and inspirational to the students, suggesting that they stay in school, work hard, and accomplish their dreams. What could be wrong with that? Yet some parents, suspecting the worse, anticipated that the President would, indeed, attempt to brainwash the students with socialistic ideas and turn them into flaming liberals. We doubt that any president, even if he attempted, could do this. And horrors, yes real horrors, if their parents had to hear the President make a strong statement concerning good school and student principles! What? For a while, some labeled the continuing opponents of the president as "conservatives." We doubt that. Most of the conservatives we know fully feel their position, and are thinkers themselves. They happen to disagree with the President, and there is nothing wrong with that. Those who are opposed these days to the idea of the current administration we would label differently. We think of them as radicals, zealots, and the closed-minded. Granted, you have delegations from this camp on both sides of the aisle. But few follow them, and easily recognize them for what they are. Yet somehow these radicals caught the attention of the media, who exploited the view that some parents would hold their children out of school so that the child would not hear our nation's president present his views to school children. How childish. Next thing you know, some of these zealots will be advocating burning of books with pictures and words of the president. And you wonder what idea they will attack after. Our country has seen this type before. At one time, they were known as the "Do Nothings." Another name for them might be "Ostriches," those birds with their heads in the sand. We say give the president a chance. Some won't hear this. * * * * * Now, for those of you who didn't listen to Obama's education speech, here's a snipped that sounds … almost Republican … in its call for students to be responsible:
ABOUT
OUR SPONSORS
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's featured underwriter is Garden Plaza at Lawrenceville, one of Gwinnett County's newest retirement communities. The 150-unit community boasts a full range of amenities, including an indoor swimming pool, spa facilities, fitness center, beauty/barber shop, Internet café, courtyard gardens and separate garages. The apartment homes (studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom) are leased on a monthly basis to senior adults 55 and older. The team at Garden Plaza is committed to providing extraordinary customer service. We believe our programs and services are operated at a level of excellence that exceeds our residents' needs and expectations. The action-packed recreational calendar includes outdoor excursions, as well as anything from movie matinees and shopping trips to educational seminars and live performances. Visit the web site at www.lawrencevilleretirement.com.
McLEMORE'S
WORLD ARCHIVE
FEEDBACK Editor, the Forum: I can remember
well guys pulling Cokes and wagering (never very much) on who would pull
the bottle from the bottler farthest from their location. (GwinnettForum,
Sept. 8).
When I
was a traveling auditor for the West Point Route (Atlanta & West Point
Rail Road and The Western Railway of Alabama) in the early 1970's, I encountered,
in Opelika, Ala., a wall map of the Southeast issued by a major rail carrier
hung on the wall. A nail was driven through the map where Opelika was,
with a fairly long string attached to the nail.
Memory stirred thinking about peanuts in orange Nehi Editor, the Forum: Peanuts
in an "RC": Yummm. The only thing better was (and still is)
peanuts in a Nehi Orange. Pulling
our home-made wagons every Sunday, three of us would usually find at least
24 bottles in a three mile walk. Our starting point was always four-swallows
from the local store. We got 12 cents a case, plus an extra nickel, if
we also had a wooden case. The money from 72 bottles would get me and
my two buddies into the Saturday matinee, including one bag of pop corn,
which we shared.
Another guy remembering what drink bottles could do Editor, The Forum: The Roncalli High School (in Indianapolis,, Ind., my alma mater) marching band financed a trip to appear in the 1976 Holland, Mich. Tulip Festival parade via bottle returns. Band members went door to door, asking people for returnable bottles. Every once in awhile, you'd hit a jackpot where returnables were stowed away in a dusty garage for years and the homeowners were simply glad to be rid of them. We scoured neighborhoods on Saturdays and Sundays for a couple of months and transported the bottles to a barn that belonged to the family of a bandmate. We built quite an impressive stash. At some point, trucks came to pick them up. It was a great, easy fundraiser no longer available today.
Had his own way of using those Coke bottles Editor, the Forum: I played the "where was the Coke bottle made" many times in college at Southern Methodist University. For me it was not really a gambling event. In college my nickname was "Coke and a Smoke" as I drank multiple Cokes each day and smoked cigarettes to boot (thankfully I quit since then). We would be gathered in one of the rooms at the frat house (Beta Theta Pi) and I would take a peek at the bottom of the bottle to see where it came from and the guys in the room would begin to take guesses. They would eventually narrow it down to the city of origin. I still see some of these guys at Homecoming and other events and it's something that I will always remember. If I remember correctly, the Cokes (12 ounces) coming out of the machine cost 25 cents. My! How times have changed! Thanks for the memories!
UPCOMING
Aurora
Theatre is planning a new series of plays inspired by Georgia Gwinnet
College (GGC). The series will give voice to the current generation of
playwrights called the GGC Lab Series, featuring contemporary works fueled
by innovation, creativity and inspiration. They will give audiences up-close
views of experimental plays and will include a two-play series with a
March production planned. The inaugural production is boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, a doomsday comedy that addresses issues like the apocalypse, sexuality and even evolution. The play will run from September 17 to October 4, with performances on Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The characters in boom include, Jules, a grad student who entices Jo, a sexy co-ed, through a Craigslist ad, to his subterranean lab. Enter a strange woman, Barbara, pulling levers and playing timpani from her post high atop the action. This sexy, shocking, irreverent comedy will have the audience exploding in laughter. The play is directed by Joe Gfaller. Technology Forum on Sept. 15 will focus on virtualization Gwinnett Technology Forum will present a panel on Virtualization at its September 15 meeting at 7:30 a.m. at Gwinnett Tech. Not too long ago, one of a company's most expensive operational line items was bandwidth. Today the importance of Virtualization Technology for everybody from data centers to small technology businesses to large corporations is a new focus. Come find out more about Virtualization from the panel. Panelists include Matt Searfoss, Peak10; Brian Whitman, EMC/Vmware; and Richard West, Peachtree Data. The program will be moderated by Sean Murphy of Canvas Systems. This event is free and breakfast is served. Register by visiting www.gwinnettchamber.org/gtfregistration or email lindsay@gwinnettchamber.org to RSVP. NOTABLE The Gwinnett
Place Community Improvement District (CID) is welcoming news of NCR's
planned occupation of office space in Gwinnett County's central business
district at Gwinnett Place.
NCR officials
recently confirmed that the company plans to occupy the Satellite Place
700 building off Satellite Boulevard near Gwinnett Place Mall. The leasing
comes as a result of NCR's planned re-location of its global headquarters
from Ohio to Duluth, Ga.. Judge holds state sanctions in abeyance of court dispute On Tuesday, Gwinnett County received an order to hold state sanctions in abeyance while the county and city governments continue to litigate service delivery. The order, requested by the county, was granted by Superior Court Judge David E. Barrett. The current
10-year strategy, as set forth in state legislation that became effective
in 1999, expired February 28. Missing the deadline for a new 10-year strategy
with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs placed Gwinnett and each
of its cities in an "unqualified status." The sanctions resulting
from the unqualified status could have resulted in the loss of millions
of dollars in state-administered financial assistance, grants, loans or
permits to Gwinnett County and Gwinnett's cities. RECOMMENDED
"What
a disappointment! Another dysfunctional family drama. Grammatical errors
and --- heaven to Betsy --- a drink made with cocktail onions is called
a "Martini." Bin Yuh's know it is called a "Gibson."
GEORGIA
ENCYCLOPEDIA Charles Nabell, an Atlanta native, was one of the first singers to record traditional Western folk songs, either commercially or for folk song archives. Born blind on January 13, 1887, Charles E. Nabell was one of at least six children, but little else is known about his early life. Soon after his father died in 1914, Nabell moved to Joplin, Mo. where he established himself as a local entertainer and drew his income from performing music and working at such odd jobs such as broom making. He married Mary Jane French, a widow, but they had no children together. Nabell's brief recording career began when he traveled to St. Louis in 1924 and recorded four songs for the OKeh Record Company. Most of his career recordings consist of typical country music songs performed in the high, pinched, nasal vocal style that was typical of central Georgia country music at the time. His guitar playing was confined to the strumming of chords. Among the recordings from this first session is his best-known and first Western song, The Great Round Up. In 1925 he recorded eight songs, including another Western song called Utah Carl, a version of the traditional Utah Carroll. Utah Carl (backed with Follow the Golden Rule) was his only recording to be issued on a 12-inch 78 rpm disc. Nabell's recording of The Great Round Up is considered something of an oddity by some folk-music scholars because the variant melody he used originated in Montana, and there is no indication of how Nabell came to know it. A probable explanation comes from interviews conducted by field researchers of people who remember southern Missouri in the 1920s. As the zinc and lead mining industry expanded in the state, workers began to arrive from the West. Bars and entertainment establishments sprang up in the mining boom towns as a result of this influx, and Nabell likely expanded his repertoire through interactions with musicians from other areas of the country. Nabell disappeared from the music scene with the coming of the Great Depression and the subsequent closing of many recording companies, including OKeh. He died in Joplin in 1970. 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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UNSUBSCRIBE We hope you'll keep receiving the great news and information from GwinnettForum, but if you need to unsubscribe, click here. © 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. |
>> SPECIAL NOTICE TO GWINNETT Those interested in the history of Gwinnett need to know that the recently published book: Gwinnett: A Little Above Atlanta, has sold fast, with the first editions about sold out. There are less than 50 books remaining unsold. If you want the book for yourself, or to buy for a present for someone this year, you need to take action. Go to www.elliottbrack.com to order, or buy the book at a local bookstore shown on the site. (In full disclosure, the book is authored by the publisher of this Forum, and this notice is intended not so much to hawk, but to inform, those who have delayed purchase. -eeb) The books are available at these sites:
TODAY'S
QUOTE "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
MORE RECENT COMMENTARY
ON THE BOOKSHELF 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:
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