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Issue
9.70 | Friday, Dec. 4, 2009 |
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TODAY'S
FOCUS McLEMORE'S
WORLD ARCHIVE FEEDBACK UPCOMING NOTABLE ALSO INSIDE _::
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Meet a sponsor
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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 DULUTH, Ga., Dec. 4, 2009 -- The holiday season always brings the desire to find that perfect gift, that just-right item to add joy to the lives of those we care about. And now more than ever, Gwinnettians have an even stronger desire to get the most of every holiday dollar. This includes finding bargains that are close to home.
This year greater Gwinnett Place has welcomed dozens of new businesses, adding names that you already know in addition to international companies coming here for the first time. These new locations enhance and compliment our area's existing base of dining, shopping, hotel and entertainment venues. To help make this holiday season even easier, the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District (CID) has initiated numerous efforts benefiting those spending time in the county's central business district. Before you even get in the car, there is a unique resource to get an inside track on area destinations. The CID created the www.VisitGwinnettPlace.com site to serve as a one-stop-shop of information for businesses and retailers throughout Gwinnett Place. The site even includes special discounts and coupons available exclusively online. Once in the District, you will find traveling from point to point is more easily accomplished because of the CID's ongoing traffic signal retiming efforts throughout this year. In peak travel times, drivers will collectively save 98,000 hours and nearly 59,000 gallons of gas annually because of the CID-funded initiative to make the signals function more efficiently. Our visitors will see enhanced landscaping and street signage, including direction assistance, added by the CID. The area is also well maintained through the CID's daily community patrols and routine roadway cleaning to ensure it remains attractive and inviting.
In the future, area travel will be even smoother with the redesign and reconstruction of the Pleasant Hill Road bridge over I-85. This month the CID's Board of Directors approved an agreement with a professional engineering firm to complete preliminary planning to replace the now-outdated interstate crossing. Having these efforts completed ahead of time will help speed up the eventual construction. To coincide with the bridge replacement, the CID is pursuing another key area roadway improvement. This month the Board of Directors secured funding for engineering assistance for widening and relocating Venture Drive between Steve Reynolds Boulevard and Pleasant Hill Road. The realignment will allow faster, safer access to major thoroughfares. Another recent undertaking shaping our future is the approval of a tax allocation district (TAD) to provide redevelopment incentives for greater Gwinnett Place. With TAD-supported improvements and revitalization, our area could experience as many as 11,233 new jobs resulting in $470 million in annual payroll in the coming decade. While there are many great projects and improvements destined for our area, the CID would like for everyone seeking shopping and entertainment options to remember that greater Gwinnett Place is their best choice for neighborhood convenience. EEB
PERSPECTIVE DEC. 4, 2009 -- The move that President Obama announced Tuesday night to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan may be the central item that will put a stamp on his presidency for some time.
The Obama
Administration may be known, as much as anything else, for the outcome
of the moves in Afghanistan. However, if this effort goes badly, it might even cause the Democrats to lose control of the Congress, and possibly could bring about a Republican president, either in two or six years. So far the efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan through deployment of friendly forces have not worked as anticipated. The continued bad news out of this country, along with what appears to be a strengthened Taliban, plus problems in nearby Pakistan, have caused more and more people to be concerned. After all, why do we in the United States think that we can bring peace to a country mired in problems within its borders, when none other than the Soviet Union a few years ago could not? And take note that the Russian forces were a whole lot closer, geographically, than is the United States, which must supply men and materiel from halfway around the world! It gives you pause.
Yet President Obama has taken the time to listen to the different voices giving him advice, and has taken the counsel of his top military man in Afghanistan in agreeing to send in more force. We can only pray that this additional strength can prove sufficient to thwart the enemy. (And we haven't even addressed if we can afford the war's cost and what it is doing to our economy!) Interestingly, President Obama did not have to take this route. After all, he inherited a war in both Iraq and Afghanistan from his predecessor. We must say that the earlier decision by President Bush to strengthen the forces in Iraq appears to have been a good move militarily. Coupled with an improvement in the political situation in Iraq, we can now see an eventual pull-out of most American forces in that country. President Obama has taken a similar move to the adding of forces in Iraq. We can only hope and pray that this will lead to a more stabilized Afghanistan, and indeed, a quick reduction in forces by 2011 that the president seeks. We are also reminded of another former president who inherited a war. Lyndon Johnson sought to prosecute the war in Vietnam that was not of his choosing. That war took a toll on LBJ, to the extent that he did not seek another term in office as president. We remember when President Johnson told the nation on March 31, 1968 that "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President." Though the war ended much later, the signal that LBJ would not run was a turning point which eventually led to the US pull-out of Vietnam. Now President
Obama has made his decision. We hope it does not come to haunt him….and
us. ABOUT
OUR SPONSORS
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's 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:
Passenger
rail service was almost culture unto itself Editor,
the Forum:
Dad's father was killed in Inman Yard (Southern RR) when Dad was four. Mom's father fared better and was able to retire after a career with Seaboard AirLine Railroad. My father retired in 1970 after having worked for Seaboard, which became Seaboard Coastline, which became CSX. I was scheduled
to work the extra board (vacation filler) at Seaboard's Howell Yard during
the summer of 1967 but the merger of Seaboard and Atlantic Coastline Railroad
threw that by the wayside. It was the summer between my first and second
years of college and since the money would have been astronomical, had
I been hired, I might not have returned to school. I'm sure Dad knew it
could be deadly too but he never vetoed it.
Rail column brings back earlier train trip memories Editor,
the Forum:
More thoughts concerning use of animals in med research
Editor, the Forum: It has come to my attention that the pros and cons of animal-based research are being debated in your publication. As a physician and co-author of several books on the subject, I want to take this opportunity to comment on the science of using animals to study human disease and drug reactions. While there is no doubt that animals and humans have much in common, the very small differences are, in the final analysis, more important. This can perhaps best be illustrated by examining the differences between humans. For decades, physicians have known that men and women, people of different ethnicities and even identical (or monozygotic) twins respond differently to drugs and disease. We now understand the reason for these different responses is due to very small differences in genes: their regulation and expression. Regardless of how one feels about the ethics of using animals in science, people deserve the best research for their tax and charity dollars. Society is not best served by funding researchers who claim they can predict what a drug or disease will do in human by studying animals.
UPCOMING Two Gwinnett communities -- Grayson and Norcross -- will have tours of their cities on Saturday, December 5.
The Grayson Arts and History Center presents the third annual Grayson Christmas Tour of Homes. Five homes will be showcased and all adorned in holiday splendor. Proceeds from the Tour will benefit the History Center and the Grayson Historic Preservation Society. Tickets can be purchased at Grayson City Hall, The Grayson Arts and History Center and the Grayson UPS Store. In an effort to eliminate congestion in the various subdivisions, transportation to all homes will be provided. Parking will be available at the Arts and History Center, Grayson City Park, City Hall and other marked areas. The homes will be open from 10a.m. until 6 p.m. with final tickets being sold at 4 p.m. For more information regarding the Grayson Christmas Tour of Homes, call Barbara Hinkle at 678-985-7775. Norcross will have its seventh annual Tour of Homes. The homes of the tour will be open during the day, and at night, from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m., with the night tour by candlelight. A special collector's Christmas ornament, depicting the county's original Norcross library, will be sold. Parking,
a trolley and tickets are available at First Baptist Church of Norcross
the day of the tour. For more information, on-line and group ticket purchasing,
and volunteer opportunities, visit www.NorcrossHomeTour.com.
Gwinnett Symphony and Chorus plans concert on Dec. 8 The Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will present a Masterworks II concert Tuesday, December 8, at 7 p.m. at the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center. Among the items on the program for this concert include Shostakovich: Festive Overture; Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #2 with Huu Mai, piano; Handel's Messiah, Christmas Portion; and Williams: Three Holiday Songs from Home Alone. Handlel's Messiah soloists will include Jennifer Coker and Elaine Wade, as sopranos; Clarke Harris, countertenor; William Scott Mize, tenor; and Bart Gilleland, bass. The organist and harpsichordist will be Ed Weaver, of Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Stone Mountain. Patrons may purchase Masterworks II tickets online Tickets will be available at the will-call ticket window 60 minutes prior to the event. Duluth History Museum open on weekend for holiday festival As part of Duluth Hometown Holidays Festival, the Strickland House, Duluth's History Museum, is busy getting ready for the holidays. It will be open for Hometown Holidays, December 5 and 6. Extend your trip to the Duluth History Museum. There is lots to see and learn about Duluth. There is
bus service to the museum from the town green this year. A docent will
be on the site to give bits of history about the city. Admission is $3
for adults and $1 for children. NOTABLE Norcross resident and toy train collector Terry Bowie has set out to recreate one of those remarkable holiday window displays, mimicking their drama and stature. Set in a downtown Norcross storefront window adjacent to LaBaire's Pottery, Bowie teamed with fellow toy train enthusiasts to create an impressive display. It's a 16x8 foot display, which boasts a double tier of tracks, synchronized so that four engines run simultaneously without ever crossing paths at the same moment. The toy train display will be activated during Downtown Historic Norcross carriage rides, beginning December 4 from 6 to 9p.m. The display will also be running during the Tour of Homes candlelight tours. For other times, visit www.aplacetoimagine.com. The Lionel trains are a toy train collector's envy, collected over several decades by Bowie. Many of the pieces had never been outside of their boxes. Jim Barrett was the team's designer, engineering a route and calculating complex algorithms that allow the trains to safely and consistently run at full speed. Brian Lynch, the team's carpenter, created a sturdy cabinet-grade base and then cut the route pattern from wood. Then Ed Bonnell, another team worker, assembled and secured the pieces of track, using hundreds and hundreds of tiny screws. Setting up a toy train display is a far greater engineering feat than most people realize. What is especially amazing about the display is how quickly it was accomplished. Bowie says: "What these guys have pulled off in one week normally takes experienced installers over a month to do. Alan Evans is our electrician and is getting the wiring to where one train will run and blow its whistle - he still has three more to go! What these guys have created in a week is just about a miracle." The effect is mesmerizing. Grandparents, parents and kids of all ages can see an uncommon work of art, a thing of magic, something appropriate in a little town that got its start as a train stop, well over 100 years ago. Nancy Dwyer new human resource director at Emory Eastside
Emory Eastside Medical Center announces the selection of Nancy A. Dwyer as the hospital's new vice president of human resources. Dwyer is a 17 year veteran with healthcare and human resources, according to Kim Ryan, CEO of Emory Eastside. She will be responsible for all human resources operations at Emory Eastside and the Heritage Center, totaling approximately 1,500 employees. Prior to the move to Emory Eastside, she served as the director of human resources at Henrico Doctors' Hospital, a 540-bed multi-site facility employing over 2,200 employees in Richmond, Va. As an active volunteer in Richmond, she was affiliated with Galloping Acres Foundation for therapeutic horseback riding and Meals on Wheels. Dwyer is originally from Augusta, Ga. RECOMMENDED
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GEORGIA
ENCYCLOPEDIA In early cases, such as Fletcher v. Peck (1810), the U.S. Supreme Court flirted with the notion that American citizens may possess rights enforceable against governments even when those rights are not spelled out in the U.S. Constitution. The Court may have been willing to entertain this idea in part because the original Bill of Rights applied only to the federal government and not to the states. The legal proceedings behind Doe v. Bolton began in 1970, when the Atlanta branch of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Aid Society hired a lawyer named Margie Pitts Hames to challenge the abortion restrictions that Georgia's lawmakers had enacted in 1968. These restrictions allowed abortion only upon approval by a hospital committee in cases that involved serious threats to the pregnant woman's health, risks of serious birth defects if the fetus were carried to term, or a pregnancy that had resulted from rape. Hames enlisted Sandra Bensing, a pregnant woman with three children who had separated from her husband, to initiate the lawsuit, as Georgia law prevented Bensing from obtaining an abortion in the state. Bensing sued Arthur Bolton, the attorney general of Georgia, and demanded that the state eliminate the laws that limited women's ability to obtain abortions. The case was titled Doe v. Bolton, and on January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court announced its verdict. In Doe, Justice Harry Blackmun, writing for seven members of the Court, held that the Constitution rendered invalid not only absolute bans on abortion but also more qualified prohibitions as well. Rejecting in particular the state's committee-review requirement, the Court spoke broadly of "the woman's right to receive medical care in accordance with her licensed physician's best judgment," free from significant restriction by the government. 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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TODAY'S
QUOTE "When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty."
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. Get yours before they're gone. Go to www.elliottbrack.com to order, or buy the book at a local bookstore shown on the site. The books are available at:
MORE RECENT COMMENTARY
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 770-497-1888, or email to info@gwinnettforum.com. SISTER PUBLICATIONS We encourage you to check out our sister publications:
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