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Issue 11.71 | Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011 TODAY'S FOCUS ELLIOTT
BRACK'S PERSPECTIVE FEEDBACK UPCOMING
NOTABLE ALSO INSIDE IN
THE SPOTLIGHT GEORGIA
TIDBIT LAGNIAPPE GWINNETT
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TODAY'S FOCUS NORCROSS, Ga., Dec. 6, 2011 -- While some technologies are not the latest breaking, they are tried and tested. Ham radio operators are often the folks called on "when all else fails." Through our ability to experiment with radio frequencies and try new ideas, methods and technologies, we have been involved in the advancement of radio communications for commercial and public service use.
Many hams are very public service-oriented. We have groups, generally organized at the county level. ARES, Amateur Radio Emergency Services, in Gwinnett ("Gwinnett ARES") has around 100 members, most of them trained in the FEMA National Incident Management System. The Gwinnett group spends several hours each month in training to support local government in a logistics function. We don't generally play a tactical role, but support the tactical operations with communications. In reality, when called, we do whatever we can to support what the agency needs. During Katrina and subsequent regional call outs, our network-trained staff helped install local area networks in facilities that were not already equipped. We also relayed messages by sneaker net throughout the headquarters facility while monitoring telephone and fax lines. And sometimes, the most important help was making sure everyone got to eat or take an occasional break. See the linked article from Fox News, which is in recognition of the growth of Amateur Radio in the past few years. We feel we have done a great job. We are one of many ways to communicate. We have nearly no common infrastructure, yet amateur radio provides nearly instantaneous communications. In many cases, stations are islands. They need some type of power, often a battery, the radio, and an antenna which can be built from a few pieces of wire. These stations can in many situations communicate to areas from 150 to 500 miles away. This allows us to dispatch messages outside the damaged area while the standard wire and wireless systems, which require an enormous infrastructure, are inoperative and waiting to be placed back into service. I recently participated in an area practice exercise where medical facilities lost communications. ARES members were dispatched and within 30 minutes we were able to supply logistics information between facilities. One of the groups told us that they had no communications until "the hams got their messages through." If we had not been there, they would have had to send a driver, since internet, telephone and cell service, for the practice exercise, were down. What's the chance of this actually happening? Just let your insurance expire and see what happens during the next thunderstorm. Many hospital systems recognize the importance of "island style" communications and have installed equipment in a permanent fashion to allow trained amateur radio operators to come in and be operational in a very short period. All ARES members are volunteers, licensed by the Federal Communications Commission, and in most cases using equipment which they purchased at their own expense.
EEB PERSPECTIVE DEC. 6, 2011 -- Herman Cain getting out of the presidential race is one thing.
"Suspending" his campaign raises more questions than it solves. While there are no guidelines of how candidates should act when running for the presidency, other than having to take certain steps to qualify for Federal funds for the campaigning, certainly the route that Mr. Cain has taken does not exactly put an end to his presidential ambitions. It would be entirely a different matter if Mr. Cain had simply said, after all these allegations of nefarious activities, "I am no longer a candidate for the office of president." But he didn't do that. Granted, he has many people across this country who have been really enamored with his presidential aspirations. These people caught his fervor in wanting to see real change in the country, thinking an "outsider" such as Mr. Cain, who was also a successful private businessman, would be just the person to move our country forward. (Not all people like the idea of, in effect, bringing in a professional rookie who has never held elective office, to take on solving the many complicated problems of our country, both nationally and internationally. That's neither here nor there. They just like having someone different, instead of the same old "pols," to vote for.)
How in the world Mr. Cain, or any politician, thinks that they can bedazzle the American people and move toward the presidency, and not have any small or large skeleton in the closet found out, is the height of egotism. For someone, somewhere, is going to raise their hand and say in effect, "How about this?" And there goes another candidate down! Yet for some reason Mr. Cain hasn't explained, the campaign is now "suspended." Perhaps Mr. Cain thinks that after a few months, and continued backing of his supporters, the campaign can be resuscitated. Perhaps he awaits some other bombshell dooming another of the candidates, with the Grand Old Party coming back to him and saying, "How about re-starting your campaign, Herman?" We suspect it's not going to happen. Or perhaps Mr. Cain wants to continue to parade around the country trying to carry the Republican banner. For that he needs dollars, and by suspending the campaign instead of getting out, apparently he feels he can still rake in at least the Federal campaign funds, though get fewer supporter dollars. In effect, even though he may lose the many contributions from supporters around the country, this would allow the government to continue to pay for the Cain Train to voice his proposals. This seems somewhat wrong, if he really isn't a presidential candidate. It makes you suspicious of Mr. Cain's promises to be a different candidate than others. The Republican presidential sweepstakes seem destined this time around to be a continual battle of one person ascending the polls after another, only to see each of them fall from the top position for one reason or another. Best bet for the nominee is to hang around long enough. This candidate could be the last man standing, and win the nomination. But that doesn't seem to be a really strong position to tackle taking on a sitting president. Mr. Cain is the latest to, well, suspend, if not withdraw. Who's next? ABOUT OUR SPONSORS Professional healthcare programs leading to doctorate degrees in Pharmacy and Osteopathic Medicine are offered at Georgia Campus - Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Suwanee, Ga. Graduate degrees at the master's level are offered in Organizational Development and Leadership and Biomedical Sciences. In addition, GA-PCOM has partnered with Brenau University in Gainesville (Ga.) to offer a five-year Physician Assistant degree, as well as an optional MBA with a healthcare focus for DO and PharmD candidates. An additional cohort for the PA degree is being developed at Thomas University in Thomasville, Ga. Information about these program offerings are available at 678-225-7500 or www.pcom.edu. FEEDBACK Editor, the Forum:
The Georgia Superior Court Clerk's Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA) mourns the passing of Board Chairman Thomas C. Lawler, Clerk of the Gwinnett Superior Court. Tom served as the Authority Chairman from 2005 until his death on Nov. 23, 2011. Tom was only the Authority's second Board Chairman and he led GSCCCA through a period of expansion into programs like the Statewide Fines and Fees program and the development of multiple eFiling programs. Tom personified the Authority's goal of service to the citizens of Georgia. His leadership will be missed by all who worked with him.
Questions county political maps, then recognizes why Editor, the Forum: I appreciated reading your article about the drawing of new school districts of Gwinnett. On the new map interstates and larger roads were shown which gives one a better sense of location whereas the map from the county does not provide such useful information. It seems all county election maps are less useful than they could be. Please use your influence to have the county provide more useful information to its citizens. In our neighborhood of Flowers Crossing, as I recall, a small creek down the street (no bridge) is a dividing line for our county commission district. This gives Mike Beaudreau about 40 homes, while the rest of the 500+ homes goes to another commissioner. Other than pure politics, why can't these political maps be drawn using common sense? Silly question now that I read it! Merry Christmas.
UPCOMING The time leading up to the holidays is too often full of activity but missing the simple fun and togetherness that we all remember as the best part of the season. You can buck the trend and rediscover the joy of time spent with family and friends by visiting the Southeastern Railway Museum in December. There's plenty to do. In addition to the normal activities and exhibits, there are opportunities to share a meal with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and the thrill of the Polar Express Experience. Tickets are still available for these holiday traditions, which have become so much a part of December at the Museum. You and your child can spend an enchanted morning with the Jolly Old Elf himself, making Christmas crafts, sharing breakfast or lunch, having your picture taken with Santa, even taking a hayride and an extra special train ride! Or renew your sense of wonder by experiencing the classic Polar Express movie aboard a real train car, with characters who come to life and board the train to interact with you at various points in the story. Again, tickets are available on the website and at the gate. You'll want to reserve your spot early -- these events will sell out! Spend a while exploring the Museum while it's decorated for the season. Whether taking in our many transportation history exhibits, sharing the table with Santa, or enjoying a magical train ride to the North Pole, you and your family will treasure the holiday memories you make at the Southeastern Railway Museum this month! Heritage Center offers dropping off kids to learning sessions Need to
do some last minute holiday shopping but don't want to drag the kids along
with you to the mall? No need to worry. Drop off your kids at the Gwinnett
Environmental and Heritage Center (GEHC) for a special Green Living Kids
program on Saturday, December 10. Gwinnett Tech to honor Sandra and Clyde Strickland Gwinnett philanthropists Clyde and Sandra Strickland have donated $250,000 to Gwinnett Technical College's Legacy of Lives Campaign, establishing scholarships for students in programs ranging from health sciences to public safety. The Strickland's gift will be also used to help students earn a GED® and then continue on to a college program at Gwinnett Tech.
Sharon Bartels, president, Gwinnett Tech, says: "Healthcare and education are top priorities for Clyde and Sandra, and our citizens are so much the richer for the Strickland's significant support. This incredibly generous donation to Gwinnett Tech underscores their belief in life-long learning, rewards those who embrace the value of hard work, and will help hundreds of students improve their lives by advancing their education," adds Bartels. The $250,000 scholarship gift from the Stricklands will specifically be used to establish scholarships for students in health sciences, public safety and in general academic programs. Reflecting their support of healthcare education, the Nursing Skills Suite and Medical Assisting Lab in GTC's new Life Sciences Center are named in honor of the Stricklands. For Clyde Strickland, who founded Metro Waterproofing here in Gwinnett, the GED program is a special priority. He earned the GED credential in the Army and studied drafting through the Technical College System of Georgia, and wants to underscore the value of workforce education. NOTABLE In an exemplary relationship between private business and improvement of schools, a Norcross firm has donated 20 guitars to students at Susan Stripling Elementary School in Norcross. Allison Rickards, from Corus360, visited a Stripling Elementary Open House recently and heard second grade guitar students perform a song. The company was so impressed that it decided to sponsor 20 guitars from the Little Kids Rock program. Corus360 also is donating winter scarves, gloves, hats and socks to every Stripling student, a total of over 4,000 items. Corus360 provides infrastructure solutions, recovery and professional services that help organizations reduce costs, increase efficiencies and maximize productivity. Rickards says: "Corus360 Cares is an outreach program that organizes charitable events and activities to serve the local community. By participating in activities designed to mirror the heart of our company and its values, we are hoping to publicly demonstrate what we internally believe - that goodwill is spread one employee at a time." Little Kids Rock is a national non-profit that transforms children's lives by restoring and revitalizing music education in disadvantaged schools. Partnering with school districts, the non-profit trains teachers to be innovative in curriculum. This includes donating of instruments and resources to run music programs. Another non-profit earlier donated 30 guitars for the beginning of the program. Merle Soodyall, an arts teacher at the school, is thrilled with the participation of Corus360. "Their gift validates what we are trying to get across to the students, that they have abilities that are yet to be uncovered. The music program has been so well received by the students. It helps round them out to be better students." Corus360 is a business partner with Stripling, and previously conduced a school supply drive for Stripling, and has 14 employees reading to students in the "Everybody wins" program. GCVB announces annual awards for tourism in Gwinnett Annual
tourism awards from the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau (GCVB)
were handed out last week, as the hospitality industry pitched in to collect
2,000 books for the Norcross Cluster Schools Partnership (NCSP). The GCVB
also collected 100 stockings of school supplies, and a $250 VISA gift
card, donated by Hilton Atlanta Northeast in Norcross.
GC&B wins national award for recycling 4 million bottles
A new Great American Cleanup record for plastic bottle recycling was set in 2011, a total of 290 million bottles were recycled. Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful contributed more than 4,000,000 plastic bottles to the overall effort and received a 2011 Recycling Award as one of the top recyclers in the nation.
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA
Raymond Andrews was a widely acclaimed novelist and chronicler of the African American experience in north central Georgia. His first novel, Appalachee Red, won the James Baldwin Prize for fiction in 1979. In 2009 he was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame.
Andrews's first national publication was a description in Sports Illustrated of the first time the game of football was played in the rural community of Plainview, where he grew up. In the late 1970s Dial Press began publishing his Muskhogean trilogy, which tells of black life in the Deep South from the end of World War I (1917-18) to the beginning of the 1960s, from the days of mules and white men with bullwhips to the moment the civil rights tide began to change the Georgia Piedmont. The trilogy includes three novels: Appalachee Red (1978), Rosiebelle Lee Wildcat Tennessee (1980), and Baby Sweet's (1983). Appalachee Red tells the story of a large, red-skinned black man who changes everything for African Americans in the small town of Appalachee, which is based on the town of Madison. Rosiebelle Lee Wildcat Tennessee traces the fortunes of a remarkable black woman and her family through the depression and World War II (1941-45). Finally, Baby Sweet's takes the story into the 1960s, wrapping up story lines begun in Appalachee Red. The novels particularly describe the world of those whose background includes both white and African American cultures of the period.
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TODAY'S QUOTE "I was so naive as a kid I used to sneak behind the barn and do nothing."
MORE COPIES AVAILABLE NOW
The book includes 143 demographic and historic tables, with more than 4,000 names in the index, and 10,000 names in the appendix. Two versions of the book are available. The hardback edition is priced at $75, while a softback edition is $40. Books are available at:
You can also order
books through the Internet. To do that, go to www.elliottbrack.com
to place your order. For mail orders, there is a $5 shipping and handling
fee. Purchases are also subject to the 6 percent Georgia sales tax. SEARCH GWINNETT FORUM Loading
Model Train Exhibit: At George Pierce Park Community Center through January 2. This is a "G" Scale train, and is presented by the Vines Garden Railroad Club. Exhibit is open Monday through Saturday.
A Christmas Carol: The Radio Show: Through Dec. 18, New London Theatre in Snellville. WFAT Diet Radio in Snellville has hired a new theatrical troupe to put together a lively holiday version of the Christmas classic. For more details and to buy tickets, call 770-559-1484 or email here. Safe Teen Driving Course: 6:30 p.m., Dec. 6, Suwanee Police Department. This is a two-hour course to encourage safe teen driving habits. Applications are at www.suwanee.com, and are due by November 28; space is limited. Success Lives Here Breakfast: 7:30 a.m., Dec. 9, 1818 Club, 6500 Sugarloaf Parkway. Hear Dr. Frances Davis, chief human resources officer of Gwinnett County Public Schools speak. Presented by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. Seventh Annual Christmas Concerts by the Sugar Hill Latter Day Saints Choir: 7 p.m., on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11, at the church at 4833 Suwanee Dam Road. The concerts are free. The all-volunteer choir always performs for free and is accompanied by Eric Kristjanson of Lawrenceville and Michelle Whetten of Suwanee. For more information, contact 404-375-7882 or visit online. Appreciation Reception for retiring Duluth City Councilman Doug Mundrick: 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Dec. 12, Duluth City Hall Community Room. General Gwinnett Chamber Membership Meeting, at Gwinnett Center: 11:30 a.m., Dec. 14. Speaker will be Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. Info: 770 233-3000. New Exhibit, "Lateral Thinking," is up now through Jan.14 at Kudzu Art Zone, 116 Carlyle Street in Norcross. Admission is free. Artists were challenged to construct images from a list of unrelated objects to explore their reaction to disparate items.
© 2001-2011, 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 |
The
Green Living Kids program is for ages 5 to 10 and will be conducted in
two different sessions. (10 a.m. until noon and 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.).
NCSP
board member Ranae Heaven spoke on behalf of the Partnership, and was
"amazed and delighted at the support of the hospitality community.
This book drive has exceeded our wildest expectations."
Gwinnett
Clean and Beautiful has won a national award from Keep America Beautiful
and Nestle Pure Life for efforts to encourage local plastic bottle recycling
during the Great American Cleanup, the nation's largest community improvement
program.
30th
Anniversary Production of The Nutcracker by the Gwinnett Ballet Theater:
Through Dec. 18, Gwinnett Performing Arts Center in Duluth. Over
150 dancers will be on stage for the 16 shows, with cast members from
age 4 to adults. For more information, contact the GBT office at 770-978-0188
or visit the Web site at