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Issue 10.14 | Tuesday, May 18, 2010 |
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TODAY'S FOCUS NORCROSS, Ga., May 18, 2010 -- Peru, Kenya, Thailand, Namibia, the Philippines, and North Africa are among fields of service where the latest group of new missionaries will minister following last week's commissioning service of The Mission Society at Simpsonwood United Methodist Church. The Rev. Dr. Ira Gallaway, of Wilmore, Ky., a Mission Society founder and retired United Methodist Church elder, was keynote speaker for the historic event that formally sent 22 missionaries from six states to far-flung ministry assignments. This class of missionaries represents one of largest groups of new workers from The Mission Society since its 1984 founding. ?
Dick McClain, from Stone Mountain, president of The Mission Society, says: "We continue to be humbled and honored by the women and men whom God is raising up to share the Good News cross-culturally. These choice servants of Christ are God's greatest gift to The Mission Society, and in turn ours to the world." The Mission Society holds two annual services to honor its newly appointed missionaries. Fourteen of the new missionaries will minister in restricted-access locations in Africa and Asia. This class of missionaries represents one of largest groups of new workers from The Mission Society since its 1984 founding. Among the new workers are Travis and Lorna Curry of Atlanta who will serve at the Children of Zion Village orphanage near Katima Mulilo, Namibia, Africa. Bill White of Lawrenceville will visit fields served by The Mission Society to help draft agreements with national churches, support field missionaries and develop microenterprise finance programs. Tara Dunn, associate director of prayer at the Wesley Foundation at the University of Georgia, coordinates prayer initiatives, oversees the prayer small group ministry, disciples female staff members, and leads short-term mission trips.
Founded in 1984 in the Wesleyan tradition, The Mission Society recruits, trains, and sends Christian missionaries to minister around the world. At present, The Mission Society has more than 210 missionaries in 39 countries. The Mission Society develops diverse programs and ministries in accordance with its missionaries' unique callings and gifts, ranging from well-drilling and the arts to more traditional ministries such as teaching English and church planting. Its church ministry department provides seminars, workshops and mentoring for congregations in the United States and overseas, helping equip churches for strategic outreach in their own communities and throughout the world. For more information on The Mission Society, 6234 Crooked Creek Road, Norcross, call (800) 478-8963 or visit www.themissionsociety.org. EEB PERSPECTIVE MAY 18, 2010 -- Remember the glory days of television?
No, that wasn't the day you could get cable television, or even later, when you could get 100, 200, 300 different stations on your cable hook-up. Looking back now, the glory days may have been when many communities were lucky enough to have three major TV networks, plus perhaps a local public broadcasting station. It was during those days that many remember television as having more substance than today, when the variety seems endless, but the quality is mostly questionable. Atlanta's WTBS changed the world by bouncing its signals off a satellite, and soon the glory days of local stations began to diminish. Today all you have to do is look at what is on television during prime times...like Sunday afternoon...to understand the plight of local stations. Where in the days of old, Sunday afternoon network shows were typically sold out for advertising, and most of America's TV sets were tuned to one of three networks. Now look where local networks stations are today. Just this Sunday afternoon, in Atlanta, two of the four major network stations aired paid programming. One was trying to sell us a hair loss treatment, and another was pushing a "Steam Pocket Mop." The other two carried sports shows: NASCAR on one, and adventure sports on another. Meanwhile, one public station had a lecture about the brain, while the other had a documentary, Faces of America.
It shows how the local network TV stations are no longer mainstream. They no longer only compete with each other, but compete instead with the multiplicity of offerings on programs supplied by satellites either through dishes or cable systems. The key local stations have lost tremendously in this process, no longer dominant in a market, but merely another signal fighting not three or four signals, but now hundreds of choices on the tube. While many of us lament the shrinking local big-city newspapers, it is the local network stations which seem to have lost far more ground than newspapers. Though big city newspapers like the AJC (really now the Dunwoody Journal-Constitution) have shrunk in pages, ad content, veteran reporters and news coverage, their counterparts at the major network stations seem to have lost even more. About all we want from the networks these days are major sporting events (like racing's Triple Crown matches, or the Master's), or to tell us whether it's gonna rain tomorrow. These stations have lost their audience for local news, primarily because of their intense coverage primary of crime or celebrity news. They seldom tackle major issues, and seem to have lost their zest. Today the most compelling event for the major network news stations is their coverage of major storms moving through the area. They do a superb job on this, even predicting the minute heavy weather will hit small, pinpointed areas. We'll admit to being glued to the local weather news when bad storms are moving in. But routine listening to the major networks? That's often out the window, though you get very little overall solid, quality programming on any station you flip to on satellite or cable. Our media today struggle with far more competition for your eyeballs than ever before. The proliferation of the many television choices dilute the impact of any of the offerings. The glory days of local network stations seems past. ...Then there's the Internet. * * * * *
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FEEDBACK Editor, the Forum: Thank you for reporting on Gordon Jones's presentation of Civil War history. That time period caused my South Carolina born-and-raised father much anguish and time spent on thought provoking questions. When he was nearing his 80's, he told me that it was a good thing that the North won, as we would not have the republic country we have today, warts and all. He felt the 'average' southerner would not have had the opportunities for advancement, especially those whose skin color was darker than his. He had been taught that states had the right to have/keep slave labor. That the Negro was an inferior race and that it was important to keep him/her "in their place." It took many instances for him to "come around" to no longer being racist. He regretted his previous view and wished he could have had the opportunity to take back his many comments. I only share this as we still have much work to do in reaching others, especially considering what's learned on many TV shows. In one, a sailor had to be taken off due to his many racist comments and not working with other black sailors, no matter where they were from. I wondered if making it mandatory for the ship to watch the movie "Men of Honor" would have helped him realize that another "Southerner", i.e. the deep sea diving instructor of Carl Brashear, "came around" and played a major role in Carl being placed back in a diving suit. Maybe if families/youth groups, nationwide, could sit down and view this movie--sad to say loaded with profanity--that much could be accomplished in helping to heal our land/country's heritage.
Considerations concerning Gwinnett school board actions Editor, the Forum: Cutting $251 million from Gwinnett's education budget: disappointing. Pursuing an appeal of the frivolous lawsuit against Ivy Prep and other state charter schools: incomprehensible. Not a single taxpayer, parent, teacher or citizen showing up at board meeting to voice an objection: appalling.
UPCOMING In order
to express France's eternal gratitude to those who liberated it from oppression
in 1944-45, the Consul General of France in Atlanta, Pascal Le Deunff,
will bestow the Legion of Honor upon three Georgia World War II veterans,
including one from Gwinnett, in a ceremony to be held on May 27.
Founded
by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the National Order of the Legion of Honor
is the highest honor in France. It acknowledges services rendered to France
by persons of great merit. In particular, it is a sign of France's unforgettable
gratitude and appreciation for these men's personal and precious contribution
to the United States' decisive role in the liberation of France during
WWII. Recipients of this honor are designated by the president of the
Republic.
The ceremony
will be held on May 27, at 10:30 am, at the residence of the Consul General,
1040 West Paces Ferry Road in Atlanta. All have confirmed they plan to
attend. Among their many heroic deeds, they participated in the Normandy
landings, which were decisive in the liberation of France. A political forum with candidates for the District 2 Gwinnett County Commission race will be held in Lilburn on Wednesday, May 19. The event will be from 7-9 p.m. At the Lilburn City Hall, 76 Main Street. The forum is being sponsored by the Lilburn Business Association and the Lilburn Woman's Club Political Forum. Michael Sullivan, an attorney and partner in Anderson, Tate and Carr law firm, will be the moderator. Candidate for the post include three Republicans, Lynette Howard, Jose Perez and Keith Shewbert, plus Robert Byars, a Democrat. Dooley to be at Suwanee Town Center signing new book
On Thursday,
May 27, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., the Suwanee Community Garden will be hosting
Vince Dooley, who is a certified master gardener, at Suwanee Town Center.
He will be autographing copies of his new book, Vince Dooley's Garden--The
Horticultural Journey of a Football Coach. People interested in attending
the event can call 770-945-8996 for more information. The book is illustrated
by Allan Armitage and is for serious gardeners.See
the link at Car shows are scheduled in Monroe, Norcross for May 22 Where can you enjoy classic cars, food, raffles, music and door prizes, all while benefiting your local community? At Walton Electric Membership Corporation's (EMC) sixth annual Willie's World of Wheels charity car show. This event will be held Saturday, May 22, at Walton EMC's Headquarters (842 U.S> Highway 78 in Monroe. The day begins with registration from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and wraps up with award presentations at 1:30 p.m. A $25 entry fee allows entrants to compete for a top 25 award. Trophies are awarded to the winning contestants as voted on by car show participants. Proceeds from the car show will benefit 13 local charities through United Way. * * * * * Meanwhile, that same day, there is a also classic car show in downtown Norcross. The annual Norcross Open Car show will be from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Activities include a raffle, silent auction, drawing and bake sale. Proceeds from the sale benefit scholarship to local students. Suwanee plans Arts in the Park Festival this coming Saturday Suwanee's Arts in the Park festival on May 22 will serve up a creative sampling of art in a variety of forms and formats. With its theme of "The Art of Making Art," the festival not only features the work of nearly 40 artists and a full day of entertainment, but also demonstrations of how artwork is created. The festival begins at noon at Town Center Park. Admission to arts in the park is free. In addition to artists selling and demonstrating woodwork, jewelry, wearable art, handwoven baskets, dolls, pottery, and much more, Arts in the Park will feature a sidewalk chalk competition and performance art that includes music, dance, and theater. The artists market will be open until 6 p.m. while on-stage performances will continue until about 9 p.m. A full entertainment schedule is on the city web site. The chalk art competition will be from 12:30-4 p.m. Chalk artists in four age divisions, from pre-K to adults, are invited to put their creative genius to work in designated sidewalk areas for a chance to win cash prizes. Registration forms are available at www.suwanee.com or participants may register at the festival by 12:30 p.m. In addition, make-and-take crafts for children will be offered. Arts in the Park is sponsored by the Suwanee Arts Partnership, a volunteer-based public arts education and fund-raising organization. Any funds raised at the festival will support Suwanee's public art initiative. Arts in the Park attendees are asked to bring canned goods to be donated to the North Gwinnett Food Co-op. Canned goods will be collected at the City of Suwanee tent. NOTABLE The Evermore Community Improvement District (CID) is completing its $60 million "extreme makeover" of the 7.5 mile section of U.S. Highway 78 that runs between Stone Mountain and Snellville. To commemorate this event, Evermore is celebrating with a "Grand Re-opening" of the commerce corridor and inviting prominent members of Gwinnett's Congressional delegation, as well as state, county and local officials.
Forrest
Adair, chairman of Evermore's board of directors, says: "It is our
opportunity to thank all those hard working public servants who secured
the funding that made this day possible. We hosting the celebration at
our new offices, the site of the former Olympic Tennis Stadium and we
hope many people will join us for this milestone in the redevelopment
of South Gwinnett County." The event will be on May 22 from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m. at the Intersection of West Park Place and U.S. Highway 78. Meanwhile, Evermore is forging ahead with a study to evaluate the benefit of Transit Oriented Development in conjunction with a plan to transform the stadium into a multi-purpose facility. Evermore is studying plans to link the stadium with a multi-modal transit hub that would revitalize the Park Place Activity Center and serve as a catalyst for redevelopment of the Evermore corridor. The CID was recently awarded a $40,000 grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission to study the concept, with the CID matching that to fund an $80,000 study under the Livable Centers Initiative. A number of major chains are investing heavily in the future of the area. Wal-Mart, Longhorn's and McDonald's have spent between $750,000 and $1.2 million each on renovating their presence. Gwinnett Republicans elects Bruce LeVell as new chairman
Bruce LeVell has been elected Chairman of the Gwinnett Republican Party. The post was vacated by Chuck Efstration who resigned to run for the 7th Congressional District. LeVell has served on the Executive Board of the 7th District Republican Party. He is also on the board of the Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District, Emory University Board of Visitors, and the Clayton State Regional Police Academy Board. He lives in Duluth with his wife, Sharon, and their two children. They own the Diamond Warehouse, and are members at Victory World Church in Norcross. LeVell says his priorities include increasing the Gwinnett GOP's donor base and involving more of the business community in the party's activities. RECOMMENDED
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA
During the postbellum period, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began the regular dredging of Georgia's inland waterway. Certain sections of the waterway, primarily those behind the barrier islands where the tides meet and cause shoaling (or dividings), require periodic dredging. Such examples are the Florida Passage-Bear River segment between Ossabaw Island and the Bryan County mainland, North Newport River west of St. Catherines Island, Buttermilk Sound northwest of St. Simons Island, and Jekyll Creek and the Cumberland Dividings.
The inland waterway on the Georgia coast also passes through two areas known as "narrows," with both areas exhibiting a tendency to shoal. Narrows along the inside route have posed problems for mariners since colonial times. Colonial surveyor William Gerard DeBrahm noted the presence of a narrows on a 1770 map of Amelia Island, which is located just south of Cumberland and is today part of Florida. The narrows was indicated by a "pine tree-a mark to go through the Narrows . . . at this branch the Tides meet." At Skidaway Narrows south of Savannah and west of Skidaway Island, and at Creighton Narrows in McIntosh County between Creighton and Sapelo islands, dredging has been necessary since the early 1900s to keep the channel open. These narrows
are man-made channels. During the 19th century, steamboats approaching
Savannah from the south were required to take a circuitous passage between
Skidaway and Wassaw islands through Romerly Marsh, which was navigable
only at high tide. Along the west side of Sapelo Island, vessels had to
negotiate Mud River, a wide, shallow stream that, as its name implies,
was navigable only at high tide. Steamboats frequently ran aground. To
eliminate these navigational difficulties, the Corps of Engineers, with
congressional appropriations, dredged cuts through the marsh at Skidaway
Narrows in 1905 and Creighton Narrows in 1908. 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 "You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you're down there."
If you have delayed ordering the history of Gwinnett published in 2009, there are only two copies left. Most fast to secure your copy of Gwinnett: A Little Above Atlanta. Call 770 840 1003 to reserve your copy! Hurry. No second printing is anticipated. Get this local bestseller before the supply is exhausted! Go to http://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. 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. SISTER PUBLICATIONS We encourage you to check out our sister publications:
© 2001-2010, 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 |
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RED
FACE DEPT. We goofed in saying that club soda would kill fire ants,
so Scott Lively of Grayson reports. Seems it's an urban legend. So, the
Internet gets another of us. For those of you who wasted a bottle of soda
water on your ant beds, we owe you one. At least the ants got a good soaking.
Thanks, Scott, for being most alert.
