BE CAREFUL: This oil-covered plastic bottle washed onto the beach at Gulf Islands National Seashore Sunday just south of Pensacola Beach, Fla. Andy Brack of Charleston, S.C., spent the weekend looking at what's going on along the Gulf coast, as described in Today's Focus below.

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TODAY'S FOCUS
You can smell hint of kerosene in the air along the Gulf coast
By ANDY BRACK
President, Center for a Better South
Special to GwinnettForum.com

(Editor's Note: With Southeastern residents concerned about the problems in the Gulf of Mexico, Andy Brack of Charleston, S.C., paid a visit to the area to see the oil problems from wave action on the coast. Here is his report from Monday morning. Transparency statement: Andy is the son of the GwinnettForum publisher. --eeb)

ALONG THE GULF COAST, June 7, 2010 – The hint of kerosene in the air on Mobile Bay served as an immediate reminder of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

A. Brack

It wasn't an overpowering scent, but a faint fragrance similar to what you might smell a few minutes after spraying WD-40 on something.

For all of the people I met and talked with during a weekend long exploratory tour of what's happening along the Gulf coast from Dauphin Island, Ala., to Apalachicola, Fla., this change from the normal salty sea breeze to slightly oil-tinged winds is something that won't be easy to shake.

To be clear, I didn't see a bunch of goo on any of the white sandy beaches that are as typical of the Gulf coast as sugar is in sweet tea. But here are some observations:

• People are very worried about what the oil is going to do to the tourism and fisheries businesses along the coast. And they're more worried about the impact of the spill for wildlife.
  
  
• But they're apparently not worried enough yet not to swim in the water. It was surprising how people would bathe in the clear, green waters as crews periodically combed beaches for pea-sized tarballs.
  
  
• Contract crews were spotted in Dauphin Island, Ala., and just south of Pensacola Beach, Fla. They wore makeshift haz-mat suits – yellow plastic boots that were duct-taped to their pants. The stuff they picked up seemed small – no larger than a silver dollar, one observer said. It wasn't hard to wonder whether these crews were on beaches more for public relations purposes than for significant clean-up work.
  
  
• The red and yellow strings of boom around parts of the shoreline seemed pretty flimsy, making us wonder just how much oil they can keep out.

During the trip, I talked with Peck Thompson, a 77-year-old retired sheet rock worker who was fishing for croaker in Mobile Bay. He said he wasn't too sure how much longer he'd be able to fish like he'd been doing for the last 60 years.

Thompson

“It's a disaster right now,” he said Saturday. “It's going to shut a lot of businesses down – bait shops and stuff and the people who make their business fishing.” He said business at the bait shop over which he lived was about half of what it should be.

A few minutes later, I ran into Drew Wheelan of the American Birding Association. He had been sent from Washington state to find out the impact of the spill on wildlife. He had, he mournfully said, a bunch of pictures of oiled birds.

Later that day, Capt. Billy Lyons, president of Volco.LLC marine contractors from Spanish Fort, Ala., described how he came up with an idea to protect Weeks Bay and its national estuarine research reserve. Because Weeks Bay, a relatively small inlet off Mobile Bay, is only about 600 yards across before it opens into a large area, Lyons said he was implementing a plan to block the entrance of the bay by positioning three long barges across the neck of the inlet buffeted by sectional floating barges. The barges would knock down choppy waves from Mobile Bay and allow the boom, positioned behind the barges, to do their work. Otherwise, he said, the waves would jump over boom, carrying oil with it.

Early Sunday, Tampa, Fla., TV reporter Don Germaise told viewers during a live broadcast from Pensacola Beach, that the spill was “only going to get worse.” The day before, he said he had seen a bunch of tarballs on beaches east of town. When Germaise finished his shot, a salesman for 'oil-eating microbes” tried to get the news team to do a story about their product for which a display was set up nearby.

Femrite

Moments later at a beach in Gulf Islands National Seashore, 36-year-old Larry Femrite of Pensacola was walking off the beach with a camera. He explained he had just left an overnight shift at a nearby WalMart and was on his way home. In recent days, he had started to stop to check to see what he could see of the spill on the beaches. On Saturday, he said he saw oily specks washing ashore. On Sunday, he didn't see much of anything, other than a goo-covered empty Gatorade bottle that washed ashore.

“It should be a wake-up call to the oil companies and government,” Femrite said. “They should have better procedures in place in case something happens. I don't know if the ecosystem will ever recover.”

A couple of miles away, National Park Service Ranger Mark Whipps dug into the sand near the tide line to see if any oil detritus had been buried in the white sand. “I'm extremely ecstatic that it's not deep,” said Whipps, who had been sent from his regular park (Natchez Trace near Tupelo, Miss.,) to Gulf Islands for a 14-day tour of patrolling the beach.

As about 20 contract workers prepared to look for oil pollution on the beach, he noted, “One of the good things since I've been here is the crews have gotten here right away. It's kind of an ongoing process.”

If you'd like to see more pictures of the weekend trip, visit a new photo blog that will chronicle what's happening along the Gulf. Go to: www.BetterGulf.org.

Andy Brack is publisher of CharlestonCurrents.com and president of the Center for a Better South, which is offering the photo blog as a way to keep track of how the spill is impacting people's lives. Brack can be reached at: publisher@charlestoncurrents.com.

EEB PERSPECTIVE
Westmorelands leave great legacy from Salvation Army tenure
By ELLIOTT BRACK
Editor and publisher

JUNE 8, 2010 -- The Gwinnett community will sorely miss two soon-to-depart Salvation Army officers for their innovation and contributions to improving the programs at the Corps headquarters in Lawrenceville. Ann and Bobby Westmoreland will soon be off to a foreign land as missionaries for the Army. Their five years in Gwinnett have produced a tremendous legacy for the local Corps and for the county to follow. (They have not, as yet, been given the location of their next assignment.)

Brack

The couple, she from Denmark and he from Hattiesburg, Miss., have brought a much broadened life for the Salvation Army location on Sugarloaf Parkways near Lawrenceville. Church and program attendance is up substantially, and the Corps is much more visible because of their ministry. They've sent 14 students to the Corps seminary!

However, it's the enrichment activities that have particularly been a focus of the Westmorelands' efforts. Five years ago, they established a Conservatory for the Performing Arts, bringing a new effort for the Corps. Soon the sounds of violins, oboes, cellos were reverberating from the chapel, as youngsters were introduced to a new world of music. They have also brought to the Corps a beginner band, junior band, and Community Carol Sing at Christmas.

Efforts to help the homeless stand out from the Westmoreland years in Gwinnett. They established a "Home Sweet Home Gwinnett" program, beginning in the fall of 2008, to provide a rapid re-housing emergency program for the homeless in Gwinnett. The outgrowth of this is seen in more stability for families, and for their children, and greatly improved classroom success. It also brought to these families financial mentoring, budgeting and parenting classes.

The Westmorelands

The Westmorelands expanded the Community Center Program, which emphasizes character-building for youth of all ages. It makes the Army Corps center a safe place for students to come and learn social and life skills and much more. This program has more than doubled during the Westmoreland guidance, helping both children and adults. For example, something as simple as a Homework Club provides one-on-one help for students.

Perhaps one activity that came during the Westmoreland time in Lawrenceville that impacted the Salvation Army more than any other was the work centered around the Hurricane Katrina relief program. Hundreds of people flooded the Gwinnett Corps facilities, desperately needing help. The Westmorelands were on duty for hours guiding not only the victims, but directing many Gwinnett volunteers. Through it all, the efforts of both Ann and Bobby Westmoreland were a steadying influence on the chaos.

There's another emphasis that the Westmorelands saw during their tenure, one done with style and grace. That is the welcoming they gave to people from foreign lands that came to the Corps headquarters. This multi-cultural emphasis has not been directed toward Hispanic, nor Korean nor any particular culture, but to people from all areas that have moved to Gwinnett in recent years. A Korean ministry, started in 2005, is now thriving. And in 2006, the Corps had their first "festival of cultures," recognizing the uniqueness of each culture, and helping them appreciate others. More than 400 people were in attendance at the most recent festival, representing 20 different countries. The Westmoreland realize that "we are all different, but we have much in common, and we enrich each others' lives."

Gwinnett has been blessed to have Ann and Bobby Westmoreland toiling in the trenches these past five years. We welcome their replacements, knowing that the base is well founded. We know that Ann and Bobby Westmoreland will thrive in their missionary effort where ever they are. We've enjoyed having you serve us well in Gwinnett.

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
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The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. The Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District (CID) is a self-taxing district organized in March 2005 comprised of 238 commercial properties. The CID's mission is to "enhance the economic vitality of Gwinnett's central business district by strengthening the area's role as the center of commercial activity." In addition to comprehensive planning efforts to address traffic congestion, an area-wide branding and marketing initiative, daily community patrols keeping the area free from graffiti and litter, landscaping enhancements, infrastructure improvements and promoting redevelopment opportunities, the CID Board of Directors remains committed to increasing the long-term economic sustainability of greater Gwinnett Place. The Gwinnett Place CID...Keeping Gwinnett Place the Place to be. To learn more about the Gwinnett Place CID and ways to find success at Gwinnett's central business district, please visit www.GwinnettPlaceCID.com or www.visitgwinnettplace.com.

• For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: http://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm

FEEDBACK
Says be on watch for wild animals in your neighborhood

Editor, the Forum:

Thanks for the notice on the foxes and raccoons. My neighbors and I have seen two coyotes in our neighborhood during the past year during daylight hours. One was seen as recently as two weeks ago. We live near Lawrenceville Highway (U.S. Highway 29) and Indian Trail Road.

Since the coyotes were first sighted, there has also been a decrease in the sightings of opossums and wild rabbits. Please protect your pets, especially the smaller ones.

-- John Cook, Lilburn

Dear John: These wild animals are more prevalent than we may think. In our area of about 100 homes in Norcross, every few months when walking around the block with my dog I see a coyote and a red fox. And one night when returning home about 10 p.m., suddenly there was a family of five deer in a neighbor's yard. No wonder the hosta and daylilies are being eaten off. --eeb

Alpha Company appreciates warm welcome from Lawrenceville

Editor, the Forum:

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for everyone's support to help make Alpha Company's of the Georgia National Guard's Saturday parade and homecoming event a tremendous success. Every soldier, family member and friend who I talked to said that it was terrific. It is extremely rewarding to see the community supporting my fellow soldiers. Being a fulltime Guardsman, I see the support every day when I am at lunch, at a store or just driving through town.

My weekend counterparts don't always see this as they typically are blended back into the community and not in uniform every day.

We are so blessed to be in a community and nation that allows certain freedoms that many people around the world do not have. I am proud to be an American and do my part in protecting these freedoms. It's almost impossible to recognize everyone for their efforts. Just know that every soldier in Alpha Company is grateful for everything you did.

-- SFC Joseph Neely, Readiness NCO, Alpha Co 121st Infantry, Georgia National Guard, Lawrenceville

Great Saturday in Lawrenceville showing troop support

Editor, the Forum:

Saturday was a great day! It was so wonderful to see people line the streets of Lawrenceville to honor our returning heroes. Thanks to all of you for your hard work.

Especially to Emory Morsberger, let me say thank you for having the foresight to pull us all together so that we could coordinate our efforts.

-- Inman J. Houston, Lawrenceville

We encourage readers to submit feedback or letters to the editor. Send your thoughts to editor at elliott@brack.net. We will edit for length and clarity. Make sure to include your name and city where you live. Submission of a comment grants permission to us to reprint. Please keep your comment to 200 words or less. However, if you write 500 words, we'll consider it for Today's Focus.

UPCOMING
Preparing diverse talent for workforce is Tech Forum topic

On June 15 at 7:30 a.m., the Gwinnett Technology Forum will share how Gwinnett's schools and post-secondary institutions are working to prepare our young and diverse talent for tomorrow's technology-rich workforce demands. A panel of educational leaders, professors and doctors will share how these institutions are incorporating cutting-edge technologies to enhance the overall learning experience and prepare students for tomorrow. The event is at the Busbee Center of Gwinnett Technical College.

Panelists include:

• Dr. Jeff Matthews, principal of the Gwinnett School of Math, Science, & Technology;
  
• Mike Reilly, Lanier High School, Technology Education;
  
• Dr. Lonnie Harvel, Georgia Gwinnett College, VP of Educational Technology;
  
• Dr. Victoria Seals, Gwinnett Technical College, Dean of Academic Affairs;
  
• Dr. Ruth Bettandorff, University of Georgia, Assistant VP for Academic Affairs;
  
• Moderator: Jeff Spence.

This event is free to all attendees and walk-ins are welcome. However, breakfast is served and registration for head-count purposes is most helpful. To register, please visit this Web site or email lindsay@gwinnettchamber.org.

New London Theatre presents Price and Prejudice

The New London Theatre will present Pride and Prejudice opening June 11 and continuing through July 3. Performances are on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon.

Join the Bennett sisters in Jane Austen's classic tale of social interaction and class at the turn of the century (19th century that is). This stage adaptation of what is considered Austen's greatest work brings all the emotion and intrigue live and right in front of your eyes.

Pride and Prejudice is being directed by Chris Comfort and produced by Lorie Behret.

Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 on the day of the show. Children and students with ID are always $8. Seats to watch the final dress rehearsal (June 10) are available for a $8 donation at the door. Tickets can be purchased either online through our website or at the theatre box office. Shows are performed at New London Theatre: 2485 East Main Street Snellville, GA 30078.

For additional information about this and future performances, auditions, ticket purchases, volunteering, or donations, visit www.newlondontheatre.org, or by e-mail information@newlondontheatre.org, or call at 770-559-1484.

County plans to present 4th Supplier Symposium June 9

The Gwinnett County Purchasing Division will host the fourth annual Supplier Symposium on June 9, 2010, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center.

Attendees will meet buyers and contracting officers from the Purchasing Division and other metro Atlanta agencies to take advantage of networking opportunities and help them create relationships, learn County purchasing processes, and obtain information on current and upcoming projects. Attendees will also participate in presentations and roundtable discussions that will help acquaint present and potential suppliers with the County's procurement procedures.

Purchasing Director Roslyn Forstot says: "During this symposium, suppliers will become more knowledgeable about the County's procurement procedures and learn what's new in doing business with Gwinnett County, which will increase competition and encourage more suppliers to do business with Gwinnett County."

The morning presentation will focus on how to do business with the County and learn about new business opportunities. Following this, participants will break into smaller groups for roundtable discussions on contracting, and the bidding and proposal process. Current projects open for bidding are available online at www.gwinnettcounty.com under the Purchasing link along with explanations of bidding procedures.

NOTABLE
Tech Foundation awards $95,950 in scholarships for excellence

The Gwinnett Tech Foundation awarded scholarships for academic excellence and achievement to 74 students totaling $95,950 at Gwinnett Technical College's recent annual Awards Ceremony. Students were recognized for achievements in academic, vocational and occupational skills, as well as leadership and teamwork.

Radiologic Technology student Dana Bowers was named Gwinnett Tech's 2010 Distinguished Student at the ceremony. Bowers was honored with the award for her academic excellence, dedication to community outreach and her ability to overcome adversity. Bowers first earned her GED at Gwinnett Tech and has become an "A" student and exemplary leader while enrolled in the Radiologic Technology program.

Bowers is also the president of the Association for Future Radiologic Technologists and has been an active Gwinnett Tech Student Ambassador since 2009. She participates in Radiologic Technology department community service projects, including Relay for Life.

Bowers was selected from a group of six finalists which included Dee Gardner, Interior Design; Odam Ochea, Information Security; Lisa Dyer, Environmental Horticulture; Casey Best, Office Technology; and Richard Pickens, Commercial Construction.

Books for Less opens new store at North Point Mall

Books for Less, which recently lost its lease on a store in Snellville, is opening a new location at North Point Mall in Alpharetta. The new store, with 12,000 square feet, is twice the size of previous stores, and will soon stock between 70-80,000 books.

Jack Mason of Books for Less says: "Tell your friends who live near North Point about all our discounts and our new store right away! Don't make them suffer under full prices for even one more day."

RECOMMENDED
The Story of Georgia's Boundaries, by William J. Morton

"While Georgia's boundaries may seem stable today, they were not always. In fact, at one time, the western boundary stretched to the Pacific Ocean, then to the Mississippi River, and finally today to the western edge of the Chattahoochee River! You'll meet the book's hero, pioneer surveyor Andrew Ellicott, and also another surveyor, James Camak, whose faulty northern boundary keeps Georgia away from the water in the big bend in the Tennessee River near Chattanooga. Another fascinating aspect we found surprising in this non-fiction book: why Brazil speaks Portuguese!" ---eeb

• 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
Savannah-born actress Hopkins finds Hollywood success

Savannah-born actress Miriam Hopkins appeared in 36 full-length films over the course of a four-decade career that reached its height in the 1930s. Her performance in the title role of Becky Sharp (1935), the first full-length color film, earned her an Oscar nomination for best actress. Hopkins also performed numerous stage roles, and in the 1950s and 1960s she appeared in a variety of dramatic roles on television.

Hopkins

Ellen Miriam Hopkins was born in Savannah on October 18, 1902. As a child she moved to Bainbridge with her mother and sister after her parents divorced, where she sang in the Episcopal church children's choir. The family moved from Bainbridge to New York at the suggestion of Hopkins's uncle, her mother's twin brother and a wealthy businessman who provided support to the family after her parents' divorce. Hopkins graduated from Vermont's Goddard Seminary.

After completing high school, Hopkins danced with the Leboska Dance Troupe and took up acting and traveled with vaudeville acts. In 1921, at age 20, the petite Hopkins debuted on Broadway as a chorus girl in Irving Berlin's Music Box Revue. She received her first feature film role in 1930, when she was almost 30, in Paramount Studio's Fast and Loose. Hopkins soon found steady work in major Hollywood productions. In 1935 she gave an Oscar-nominated performance in Becky Sharp, an adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair.

In 1936 she appeared in Goldwin's These Three, based on Lillian Hellman's play The Children's Hour. With her southern accent and Georgia roots, Hopkins was disappointed to be passed over for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in the film Gone With the Wind (1939). She costarred with Bette Davis in two successful Warner Brothers' pictures, The Old Maid (1939) and Old Acquaintance (1943), but finding herself less in demand in Hollywood during the 1940s, she returned frequently to the Broadway stage. Among her later memorable film work were supporting roles in The Heiress (1949), Carrie (1952), and in 1961 a second version of The Children's Hour.

Hopkins was married four times. She had one son, Michael, and a grandson, Tom, a naval officer. Hopkins died of a heart attack in New York City on October 9, 1972, and was buried in Bainbridge's Oak City Cemetery on Webster Street.

• Click here to access the Georgia Encyclopedia

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© 2010, 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
Well, why not try it
for just a little while?

"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."

-- The 16th president, Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865).

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

MODERN HISTORY OF GWINNETT

Interested in modern history involving Gwinnett? Go here to order this great book by Elliott Brack, or buy it at a local bookstore shown on the site.

The books are available at:

• Books for Less in downtown Snellville and Lawrenceville (Highway 20 near the Braves park);
• Labaire Pottery, downtown Norcross

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

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CharlestonCurrents.com -- an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Charleston, S.C.

Statehouse Report -- a weekly legislative forecast that keeps you a step ahead of what happens at the South Carolina Statehouse. It's free.

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