NEW STATION: The city of Snellville is joining other cities in planning a new facility for its police department. Chief Roy Whitehead says that the new facility, to be located at Clower Street and Wisteria Drive, is expected to be completed by February, 2011, with construction cost $5.7 million. Contractor for the building is Winter and Company, while the architect is Pieper, O'Brien and Heer. The new station will consist of 29,800 square feet, and replaces a 13,000 square foot building on Springdale Road, which the city will retain for other purposes.

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TODAY'S FOCUS
GACS looks to long-term ties with similar school in Rwanda
By Dr. DAVID FINCHER
President, Greater Atlanta Christian School
Special to GwinnettForum.com

(Editor's Note: Many heard about the President of Rwanda's recent visit to the campus of Greater Atlanta Christian School. But there was more to it than the visit itself. It's part of GAC's plan for its students in the 21st century. Here is what they are doing.--eeb)

NORCROSS, Ga., June 2, 2010 -- Greater Atlanta Christian's interest in Rwanda comes out of a decade long exploration of what we want for our children in three concepts: [1] global outlook; [2] Christian service and partnership with others; and [3] ongoing relationships.

Fincher

First, in a global outlook we believe Thomas Friedman has it right when he describes the world as both flat and tiny for the 21st century. It's increasingly clear our children will work, minister, and conduct business globally. So we've dedicated much to building that broad-world view, both in curriculum and in travel.

And that travel affects the second concept for us, and that's Christian service for others. We've learned educating the heart is as important---and some would argue more important---than simply learning information about God and service. Se we make it a priority to create many paths for our kids to minister and work all over the globe. This year, Greater Atlanta Christian students took 16 mission trips for the school. Junior High students stayed in the U.S. in areas of need. Many Senior High students have served in Eastern Europe, Siberia, the Baha, Haiti, Ecuador, Brazil, Kenya, and China. They work in orphanages, conduct Bible schools, or work with immigrants struggling in new lands. GAC students come back never quite the same.

Out of our focus on service has come the deep commitment to the third concept, ongoing relationships. It's great to go on a mission trip, but if the students "walk away" from the children and teens they've met, then perhaps no lasting change occurs. Instead, we create opportunities for repeated ministry in the same area. Year after year, our students know personally their "kids" in an orphanage in Haiti, or a school in Kenya.

And that led to the next question: what would ongoing relationships look like with a sister school with similar goals to GAC? From that came a multi-year search for that right location. Our goals centered on raising a generation of ethical Christian leaders in another country, students there who would know our GAC students, not just as e-pals, but as co-workers, partners, and eventually in adult lives as fellow leaders in government, professions, business and ministry.

With time, the relationship with Rwanda grew. Rwanda's difficult past with the genocide of the 1990s certainly played into the decision. Current leaders aspire for a future where ethics are supreme and females have a voice. For them, the concept of this sister school to GAC is a perfect fit, one that would link their rising leaders to ours.

Plans are underway for a land grant in Kigali, the capital. American partners from around the country are interested as well, and some sizable donations have been made. Next comes the building of the school itself, the building of a faculty, and that permanent linkage of our kids and Rwanda's future leaders. In a tiny world for the 21st century, it fulfills the mission of GACS in exciting new ways.

EEB PERSPECTIVE
New method of voting to be decided June 8 in California
By ELLIOTT BRACK
Editor and publisher

JUNE 2, 2010 -- Each of the sovereign states in our country determine the rules by which voters elect their leaders.

Brack

Some states require candidates to gain a majority of votes to win office, while others rely upon a plurality. States requiring a majority election often find fewer people returning to the polls in run-off elections than voted in the first round. This can mean that a minority of the registered voters could determine the outcome of run-offs.

An example of that in Georgia is the current situation in the Ninth Congressional District. Out of eight candidates in the voting on May 18, only two remain. But only five to six percent of voters turned out for the special election. And estimates that less than three to four percent will probably turn out in the June 8 runoff to elect a person to fill the unexpired term of Nathan Deal.

In presidential elections, low turnout can get even stickier, with the possibility existing, and sometimes happening, that our nation could elect its leader through the Electoral College without that person winning the popular vote. It has happened.

A referendum in California next week (June 8) may change the way that state picks its leaders. For California voters will consider a radical departure from traditional voting methods. Called Proposition 14, it proposes a far different method of voting.

There would automatically be two rounds of voting. In the first round, all state and Congressional candidates would face the voters. However, only the two top candidates from all those in the race would make it to the second round of voting. (The primary for the two traditional parties would be scuttled.)

What might result in the second round could be two candidates from the same party opposing one another, and the other traditional party not even having a candidate in the second round. Or the two top vote getters in the second round could even be two independents, with the major parties both shut out of the race. Some have pointed out that this diminishes the role of the two major political parties, and could open the possibilities to people with deep pockets, or merely high name recognition, or intensive one-issue candidates on pressing topics, to be the only choices for voters.

As you might think, both major political parties, and also the Greens and Libertarians, want no part of Proposition 14 in California. After all, it would seriously cut into the influence of the party system per se. Yet the sitting governor and lieutenant governor are all for this proposed system, as is the California Chamber of Commerce. One statewide poll shows those favoring it at 60 percent.

Proponents of the proposition give another reason for the new idea. They point out that many people say that they vote for the person, not the party. This new proposition would make that easier, particularly if a person wanted to vote for a candidate in one party for one office, and for the candidate of another party (or an independent) in another race.

Here's what the voter would see on the first round on election day. There would be a single ballot. No longer would you be asked, as you are in Georgia, whether you wanted to vote in a particular party primary. All would vote the same ballot.

The California measure is similar to the current law in Washington state. The courts in that state affirmed that method of voting in 2008.

Watch the California voting on June 8. It could signal a new method for one state to elect its leaders.

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UPCOMING
Snellville to break ground Thursday on new police facility

Plans are underway for a new police department in Snellville. Groundbreaking for the new building is scheduled for Thursday, June 4, at 10 a.m.

The new facility will be located at 2315 Wisteria Drive in Snellville. The location is at the corner of Clower Street and Wisteria Drive. Parking will be available at the City Center in the City Hall parking lot. For further information contact Mrs. Karen McKay at 770-985-3587.

Stone Mountain Barbershop Chorus plans June 5 concert

The Stone Mountain Barbershop Chorus will present its 2010 Spring Concert for one performance only on Saturday, June 5, at 3 p.m. at Mountain Park United Methodist Church. The church is located at 1405 Rockbridge Road in Stone Mountain. Doors will open at 2 p.m.

The featured guest for this year's concert is Georgia Connection women's barbershop chorus. Georgia Connection, directed by Luke Lindsay, finished in seventh place among competing choruses at the 2009 Harmony Incorporated International convention and competition.

Advanced purchase general admission tickets for this performance are $12. An advanced purchase discount price of $10 is available for full time students, groups of 12 or more and senior adults 60 and over. Tickets purchased at the door will be $15, cash or check only.

The 60-man Stone Mountain Chorus will present close, four-part harmony in the barbershop style. The show will feature performances by several of the chapter quartets as well as inspirational and patriotic selections performed by the entire chorus. The concert will feature songs by Georgia Connection as well as several selections performed by the combined voices of both groups

Tickets may be ordered using secure credit card transactions from the Stone Mountain Chorus Web site, www.stonemountainchorus.org. Tickets may also be purchased by telephone using the chorus information line at 770-978-8053.

Wine tasting, art on square, returns to June 4-5

Join the Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation and Lawrenceville Tourism and Trade Association (LTTA) on Friday, June 4 for Lawrenceville's Second Annual Art on the Square International wine tasting event.

Visitors can experience wines from around the world in a wine tasting and live jazz event benefiting the Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation. Hosted between the hours of 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., a silent auction will take place in conjunction with the wine tasting. Tickets to the wine tasting event are $20 per person and are available for pre-purchase by contacting the Lawrenceville Visitor's Center at 678.226.2639. (Tickets will also be available at the door).

The benefit is a forerunner to Saturday's seventh annual Art on the Square celebration. Downtown Lawrenceville will celebrate Art on the Square on Saturday, June 5. Over 50 local and regional Juried Fine Arts Exhibitors will be presented. There will also be an extensive assortment of art from nearly every media, including, paints, prints, pottery, jewelry, glass, and photography.

Also on the courthouse grounds on Saturday will be the Lawrenceville Farmers' Market. In addition, saxophone sounds from Gainesville's Brian Ulrich will complement the jazzy arts atmosphere for this year's displays. For more information about ART on the Square festivities contact Rebekah Cline at 678-226-2639 or Rebekah@Visitlawrenceville.com.

NOTABLE
Gwinnett Tech student named community hero in DeKalb

Mary Raterman, a Gwinnett Technical College Early Childhood Care and Education student, has earned the DeKalb County 2010 Community Hero Community Service Award for her work with the Open Door Adoption Agency.

Raterman, an Atlanta resident, was nominated for her efforts in providing a temporary home for newborn babies awaiting adoption. For nine years, Raterman has picked up newborns from the hospital and provided them with food, clothing and shelter for spans that range anywhere from 10 days to six months. She has cared for more than 85 children, and opens her home to out-of-state adoptive parents so they can bond with their baby until the adoption paperwork is finalized.

Raterman is active in the Early Childhood Care and Education department at Gwinnett Tech, and is a campus Student Ambassador. Gwinnett Tech offers an associate degree and a diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education, plus certificate options that train students for employment as a child development associate, child development specialist or a career in early childhood program administration.

Realtors' group awards scholarship to Dacula's Strauss

Strauss, at right

Jesse Strauss has been awarded a $4,000 scholarship by the Gwinnett County Board of Realtors Scholarship Foundation. He is the son of John and Betsy Strauss of Dacula, and is to graduate from Dacula High School. He plans to attend Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. and major in music performance, classical percussion. This is the 22nd year that the Foundation, through the Northeast Atlanta Metro Association of Realtors, has presented the Scholarship to an outstanding high school senior.

Bartz joins Chamber as program and events manager

Bartz

Rachel Bartz is the new programs and events manager of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. She comes to Gwinnett from the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, where she served as event coordinator for three years. As the programs and events manager, Bartz will oversee Drugs Don't Work, Gwinnett's Leadership Organization for Women (GLOW), Human Resource Management Association (HRMA), and Metro Atlanta Council for Entrepreneurship (MACE). Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgia College and State University.

RECOMMENDED READ
House Rules by Jodi Picoult

"House Rules by Jodi Picoult is a novel about a murder investigation that takes you into the world of a male high school senior with Asperger's, a diagnosis that few people understand or have heard about. Picoult does a brilliant job of allowing her readers to walk the walk and talk the talk of a person with this syndrome. It was both a fascinating perspective of an 'aspie' as well as a great crime scene novel. She sure did her homework on Asperger's!"

-- Pam Hopper, Norcross

• An invitation: What Web sites, books or restaurants have you enjoyed? Send us your best recent visit to a restaurant or most recent book you have read along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus what book you plan to read next. --eeb

GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA
Three different Confederate fighting ships named Savannah

Over the course of the Civil War (1861-65), three different fighting ships of the Confederate Navy were given the name Savannah. All three ships saw only limited action during the war.

The first ship to carry the name Savannah, this 53-ton schooner was converted to an Atlantic Coast privateer after hostilities began in 1861. The ship was lightly armed with a single 18-pounder cannon, of War of 1812 (1812-15) vintage, that had been converted into a rifled gun. The privateer Savannah took one merchant ship as a prize of war before being captured by the brigadier USS Perry after two weeks of service.

CSS Savannah explodes

The second ship to carry the name, the gunboat Savannah (later called Old Savannah), was originally a side-wheel steamer named Everglade. It was built in 1856 at New York and purchased early in 1861 by the state of Georgia to be converted into a gunboat for coastal defense. With a moderate 406-ton displacement, the Savannah was armed with a single 32-pound cannon. Under the command of Lieutenant J. N. Maffitt, the Savannah was attached to the squadron of Flag Officer Josiah Tattnall, charged with the defense of Georgia and South Carolina. Tattnall's command of gunboats was so small that he dubbed it the "Mosquito Fleet." The tiny flotilla, which consisted of three converted tugs (the Resolute, Sampson, and Lady Davis) and a converted harbor craft (the Savannah) was no match for Union ships on the open sea, but the shallow draft of the small ships gave them a movement advantage in inland waters.

On November 5-6, 1861, the CSS Savannah, in company with the Resolute, Sampson, and Lady Davis, fought vessels from a much larger Union fleet of 51 ships under Flag Officer Samuel F. Du Pont. The fleet was preparing to attack Confederate positions at Port Royal Sound, S.C., between Savannah and Charleston. On November 7 the Savannah again briefly engaged with Union ships as they bombarded Fort Walker and Fort Beauregard. When this token defense was driven off by the Union fleet, Tattnall failed in his attempt to join the garrison at Fort Walker. The Savannah returned to the city of Savannah to repair damages, allowing the unopposed Union fleet to successfully take Port Royal and the town of Beaufort, S.C.

On November 26, 1861, Tattnall led the Savannah, Resolute, and Sampson, from Fort Pulaski to the mouth of the Savannah River, where the flotilla once again attacked the much larger force of Union vessels stationed there. The Savannah 's attack caused no damage but did force the Union fleet to operate with caution in the following months. On January 28, 1862, Tattnall ran his three ships through a "gauntlet" of 13 Union gunboats to provision Fort Pulaski. Fortunately for the Confederates, Union batteries held their fire, hoping to bottle up the Confederate fleet and capture its ships. Tattnall managed to make the return trip safely through a hail of fire. Union forces subsequently constructed additional batteries on shore and further fortified their positions. Thereafter, the Savannah was no match for the combination of Union fleet and shore batteries.

Following the surrender of Fort Pulaski after a ferocious two-day shelling by Union guns on April 10-11, 1862, the gunboat Savannah served as a receiving ship at the city of Savannah. Its name was changed to the Oconee when the new Confederate ironclad CSS Savannah assumed the name in early 1863. In June 1863 the Oconee sailed toward England with a load of cotton to be exchanged for ammunition and other supplies, but sank on August 18, 1863, before reaching its destination.

(To be continued)

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TODAY'S QUOTE
Here's one guy's reaction to what aliens might say about Earth

"After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say 'I want to see the manager.'"

-- Author William S. Burroughs (1914 - 1997).

MORE EEB PERSPECTIVE

	8/17: Civility and society
	8/13: Good ole boys got pick
	8/10: GGC opens new facilities
	8/6: Sophisticated scam
	8/3: Howington celebrates
	7/30: Humor in books
	7/27: Runoff endorsements
	7/23: Looking beyond primaries
	7/20: What price freedom?
	7/16: Early voting concerns
	7/13: UGA headline-maker
	7/9: On Bannister incident
	7/6: On classic movies
	7/2: Malcolm Gwinnett
	EEB index of columns

MORE RECENT COMMENTARY

	8/17: Morrison: Artistic collaboration
	8/13: Pirello: Culinary center
	8/10: Mock: Sharing worthwhile
	8/6: Sherman: Opp zone
	8/3: Morrison: Brenau's plans
	7/30: Heaven: Federal tax info
	7/27: Nelems: Media surveys
	7/23: Urrutia: Fish vaccines
	7/20: Paul: Norcross group
	7/16: Stilo: Aurora's 15th season
	7/13: Jackson: PCOM's new school
	7/9: Jones: Energy audit
	7/6: Callina: Vacation rentals
	7/2: Williams: Gwinnett Place
	COMMENTARY INDEX

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