GREAT PAINTING: You used to see this all the time, washing on a clothes line. Often today you must go to an art gallery to see such a view. This clothes line art from Anne Labaire is one of the items featured this weekend at the Kudzu Art Gallery in Norcross. She, along with Jeannie Fortin, will be on hand Saturday to talk about the art, while Rigsby Barnes and Debora Cartegena, will be present Friday at Kudzu. It is located at 116 Carlyle Street, near downtown Norcross.

Issue 12.55 | Friday, Oct. 26, 2012

TODAY'S FOCUS
:: Local doc in clinical research

ELLIOTT BRACK'S PERSPECTIVE
:: GA superintendent may be player

FEEDBACK
:: 3 letters on election

UPCOMING
:: Sleep disorder program

NOTABLE
:: GGC scores, Rec awards

ALSO INSIDE

IN THE SPOTLIGHT
:: Georgia Gwinnett College

GEORGIA TIDBIT
:: "City too busy to hate"

LAGNIAPPE
:: New ambassadors

GWINNETT CALENDAR
:: Lots of events on tap

TODAY'S QUOTE
:: Deer who wear dark glasses

OUR SPONSORS

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

:: Subscribe for free

:: GeorgiaClips.com

TODAY'S FOCUS
Lawrenceville physician works full-time in clinical research
By SUSIE W. BROWN
Executive director, NeuroScience Foundation
Special to GwinnettForum.com

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., Oct. 26, 2012 -- Dr. Marshall Nash is the definition of a multi-tasking physician. Dr. Nash is CEO of NeuroStudies.net, director of stroke and neuroscience research at Gwinnett Medical Center, a certified physician investigator (CPI), a fellow of the American Heart Association and a member of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals.

Nash

To top it off, he is also one of just a few private practice neurologists worldwide who devotes 100 percent of his clinical time to research.

As an expert consultant for many academic and pharmaceutical research projects, Dr. Nash has participated in over 100 major clinical trials focused on new treatments for neurological diseases and conditions. Today he is one of the leading enrollers in studies for stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, migraines, epilepsy and neuropathy. He says: "My passion comes from a lifelong desire to find a cure for these diseases that I went into practice to treat. There's nothing more satisfying in medicine than seeing someone with a terminal illness improve."

Dr. Nash is helping his patients monetarily as well. "Strokes and Alzheimer's don't discriminate based on your income," he says. "This is a way of getting medical care to people who don't have health insurance, or who can't get health insurance because of their condition." He urges patients and families affected by Alzheimer's disease to consider participating in clinical studies, because the clinical trials that test new treatments are the best chance they have for fighting this devastating disease.

In April 2011, Dr. Nash and NeuroStudies.net announced they were one of only 10 sites in the world selected to assist the U.S. Military with a traumatic brain injury study. They are also the only site in Georgia to participate in laser light stroke research therapy. The laser light therapy is a non-invasive treatment of ischemic stroke to investigate the effect of its transcranial laser therapy when used within 24 hours of the onset of stroke symptoms.

Dr. Nash's commitment to finding a cure for neurological disease expands beyond the traditional boundaries of physician and scientific researcher. In August 2011, he realized one of his lifelong goals through the creation of the NeuroScience Foundation, an organization committed to advancing the process of finding quality treatment options and cures for neurological diseases including stroke, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Funds raised go toward enhancing neurological research, launching new medical research sites, training new research employees, and encouraging hospital research on a local level.

"We're doing whatever we can to accelerate local research in our area to find cures for these neurological diseases," he says. "Two and three years into a trial, I see Alzheimer's patients who are better than when they started. It's not a cure, but we have clear-cut evidence that they're better, so we know we're on to something."

• For more information, call the center at 404-508-1094, or visit www.NSFoundation.net.
  

ELLIOTT BRACK
Barge making a name for himself as school superintendent
By ELLIOTT BRACK
Editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com

OCT. 26, 2012 -- By about every measure available, you can assume that Nathan Deal will run in 2014 and win a second term as governor. Winning a second term has been almost automatic for recent governors of our state, with the exception of Roy Barnes. Makes you scratch your head how Sonny Perdue beat Barnes, for Roy was an effective governor.

Brack

Yet looming always are others itching to be governor, for sure a distant yearning these days in the Democratic Party, and even from wannabees in the GOP. While anyone would have a hard time unseating a sitting governor, you don't expect many in the governor's own party to try to replace him.

Yet one issue has emerged during the 2012 political season that could anticipate a crack in the GOP run-up for governor. That issue is the charter school amendment.

First recognize that Georgia School Superintendent John Barge probably has given not one thought of running for governor. Yet some of the maneuvering over the charter school amendment might just be the sandpaper starting to scrape a little on the governor's image, and might propel a Barge candidacy to a more forefront position.

Here's why. John Barge has been told to "cool it" with his statements against the charter school amendment. That came from the straight-shooting attorney-general, Sam Olens, who ruled that Barge could not be speaking out against the charter school amendment on the state web site. Mr. Olens even went to the point of asking Mr. Barge to remove statements in opposition to the amendment from the superintendent's state web site.

Barge

We can see where Mr. Olens is coming from. After all, governments should not allow public officials to propagandize on public sites since they are funded by taxpayer money. However, that should not infringe upon Mr. Barge's personal feeling on political issues, such as being asked by people how he feels on the subject, and speaking out about it.

Yet at the same time, here comes Governor Nathan Deal speaking forcefully about the charter school amendment, being all for it. He even came to the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce luncheon to argue for approving the amendment.

So how come the governor can ride in a state vehicle, probably piloted by a Georgia State Trooper, and spend his time promoting the passage of the amendment, though perhaps not on his web site, while Mr. Barge has to sit by virtually quiet? Makes you wonder.

We like the idea of an elected official bucking something he sees as bad, and speaking out against it. Particularly, here is the state school superintendent opposing educational legislation that the General Assembly passed to allow a charter school amendment. It just happens that Mr. Barge, in his official capacity as school superintendent, thinks it is a bad idea. And for him speaking out against it, we say: "More power!"

All too often public officials sit virtually mute about issues that affect their office. "Whatever the people want," they lament, not wanting to ruffle feathers.

But John Barge, we find, takes his job seriously, sees major problems with the charter school amendment, and has the gumption to speak out.

The people of Georgia elected John Barge to lead our public schools. Good for him. With that type of forthrightfulness, we can see people liking that, and suggesting his name for higher office, in 2014, or sometime beyond. He's the type of public officials we would like to see successful more often, and on the ballot for higher office.

SPOTLIGHT
Georgia Gwinnett College

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Georgia Gwinnett College is a four-year, accredited liberal arts college that provides access to targeted baccalaureate level degrees that meet the economic development needs of the growing and diverse population of Gwinnett County and the northeast Atlanta metropolitan region. GGC opened its doors in August 2006 as the nation¹s first four-year public college founded in the 21st century, and the first four-year public college founded in Georgia in more than 100 years. Georgia Gwinnett produces contributing citizens and future leaders for Georgia and the nation. Its graduates are inspired to contribute to their local, state, national and international communities and are prepared to anticipate and respond effectively to an uncertain and changing world. GGC currently serves more than 9,000 students. Visit Georgia Gwinnett College's web site at www.ggc.edu.

• For a list of other underwriters of this forum, click here.

FEEDBACK
Looking at coming election from European viewpoint

(Editor's note: we asked a former Gwinnettian, from Peachtree Corners, what he thought the political climate was in Europe. Here is his response-eeb.)

Editor, the Forum:

President Obama is still very well-liked in Europe. There are some disappointments with him, especially with not fully ending the Afghan War. Also, many here had hopes that he would help turn the U.S. economy better than he has and that would influence more conditions in Europe.

Mr. Romney is mostly unknown here and the general feeling is he is aloof, unconnected, and harsh. His business background is mostly pushed to the side by the average citizen. His sometimes references to the U.S. possibly becoming like the European Union (financially) has not helped him.

The Democrats Abroad organization has been very active in getting out ex-pat voters, far more so than the Republicans Abroad. The DA even had an Obama Express bus that went around several countries.

Meanwhile, the military voter assistance officers on every base have been very pro-active in getting military and their families overseas to cast and return their ballots. Interestingly, a recent Stars and Stripes informal poll said a far higher than usual number of military over here have indicated they support Obama this time.

-- Larry Zani, Kaiserslauten, Germany

Worried about candidate who would use this type of attack

Editor, the Forum:

Georgia voters face one of those rare moments when we must put partisan bickering aside and think about what we're really fighting for. Just last week candidate Chris Boedeker released a campaign attack ad paid for by Speaker David Ralston and promoted by State Rep. Buzz Brockway of Gwinnett. Their goal is to unseat an incumbent elected official and elect someone in their own party.

But the ad fell miserably short. Instead, their political attack ad shamefully mocked the military service of Rep. Scott Holcomb, who served 12 years in the U.S. Army. That time included three years with the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart and three overseas deployments in support of the operations in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Rep. Holcomb proudly, and rightfully, notes his military service on his official biography. Rep. Brockway and candidate Boedeker attempted to somehow use this distinguished military service as a political attack. Their campaign ad opens by saying "Representative Scott Holcomb brags about his military experience." Brags about his military experience? This kind of selfless service to our nation should be honored with holidays and celebrated with cheers of support, NOT turned into a political attack.

To make matters far worse, the ad went on to falsely accuse Rep. Holcomb of "using illegal drugs while in the service." The ad was a lie. Candidate Boedeker quickly but quietly took down the ad without even a hint of an apology.

But that ad, which used a man's military service as a political attack, was paid for by campaign contributions from the Republican House Leadership. The biggest donors to Boedeker's campaign are Speaker David Ralston, Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones and other Republican leaders. They should all denounce this ad. And they owe Rep. Holcomb and other Vets an apology. They must choose to either stand with Chris Boedeker or with Georgia's veterans. They cannot do both.

Rep. Scott Holcomb serves as a Democrat today but his 12 years of service to our country was never partisan. Please ask our Republican state leaders to stand with Georgia's veterans and denounce this ad.

• More details.

  -- Bryan Long, executive director, Better Georgia

Report from Peachtree Corners forum, including the cowbells!

(Editor's Note: Jack McClure of Buford took us up on responding to the Forum, sending this abbreviated report on local political forum he attended. We invite others to make their own reports as they see them on current issues. -eeb)

Editor, the Forum:

I'd like to take you up on your offer to contribute to the Gwinnett Forum. I recently attended the United Peachtree Corners Civic Association candidate forum, held recently. Below are my findings:
After each answer, the time keeper would have them wrap it up… with the loudest and most impatient cowbell I've ever head. It kept the discussion moving, provided a bit of comic relief, and kept these candidates humble.

Here's who "won" and "needs more cowbell," (which you can take that to mean "please stop talking.")

Board of Education:

Winner: Jen Falk

• Squarely focused on the budget, spending priorities, and quality of education issues.
  
• Wide background in advocacy for students, parents, and managing fiscal priorities.

Cowbell: Mary Kay Murphy

• Not engaged in much outreach on her positions.
  
• Took ownership of the decision to fund Chamber of Commerce positions with education dollars.
  
• Highlighted the need for funding from state and federal levels

House District 95:

Winner: Tom Rice

• Answered most questions squarely.
  
• Lack of ownership for some of his less popular votes is a turnoff.

Cowbell: Brooke Siskin

• Seemed a bit green for this level of leadership.
  
• Great Platform and call to action.
  

U.S. Congress, District 7:

Winner: Rob Woodall

• Message of temperance, collaboration, and willingness to work resonated with the crowd.
• Promised more FairTax progress
  

Cowbell: Steve Reilly

• Needs to focus more on social issues.
  
• Mentioned but did not push the NoLabels platform.

-- Jack McClure, Buford

• We welcome your letters and thoughts. Our policy: We encourage readers to submit feedback (or letters to the editor). Send your thoughts to the editor at elliott@brack.net. We will edit for length and clarity. Make sure to include your name and the city where you live. Submission of a comment grants permission for us to reprint. Please keep your comments to 300 words or less. However, we will consider longer articles (no more than 500 words) for featuring in Today's Focus as space allows.
  

UPCOMING
Eastside Medical Center now features sleep disorder program

Eastside Medical Center recently hosted an open house to showcase the new location of its sleep disorders center at our main campus on the first floor at 1700 Medical Way in Snellville.

The new sleep center features a home-like atmosphere with four private bedrooms built to satisfy the needs of a wide variety of individuals including those 13 years old and up, the elderly and medically fragile. It combines the latest in sleep diagnostic technology with maximum comfort.

A sleep study is an overnight procedure that allows extensive monitoring while you sleep and allows a sleep specialist to determine whether any abnormalities are present in your sleeping pattern, muscle activity or breathing during the night. To maximize comfort, furnishings include oversized chairs, recliners and Tempur-pedic mattresses. The location inside Eastside Medical Center allows for multiple resources, including twenty four hour physician and nursing emergency support.

Sleep problems, including snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, sleep deprivation, and restless leg syndrome, are common among millions of Americans. Once a sleep disorder is identified, a sleep specialist will analyze the results from the sleep study and design a treatment and care program.

Sleep is necessary for optimal health, and the different states and stages of sleep impact sleep quality, quantity, and sleep dreams. For more information on sleep disorders, call Joel Shiver at Eastside's sleep center at 770-736-2294.

NOTABLE
Georgia Gwinnett College scores in Blackboard Catalyst Innovation

Faculty and staff of Georgia Gwinnett College's School of Science and Technology were recently recognized with the Blackboard Catalyst Award for Mobile Innovation. The award recognizes members of the community who have used mobile technology in a way that creates a positive effect on student and learners' educational experience. Winners are helping define the emerging field of mobile technology for use in and beyond the classroom.

Recognized at GGC was the iTouch Learning Project, now called "The Mobile Learning Project," which utilizes hand-held digital devices, such as iTouch and iPad, to support student learning in the sciences. Using applications that were built and developed by GGC information technology majors, GGC chemistry students used iTouch Learning Project to access unique podcasts, flashcards and videos.

Thomas Mundie, dean of the School of Science and Technology (SST), says: "Over the last two years, the iTouch Learning Project has helped the faculty in the School of Science and Technology to engage students in the learning process, and it continues to have an impact on our classroom teaching today. It is a part of GGC's commitment to using technology to give students authentic and exciting learning experiences throughout their four years."

Collaborating on this project were several SST faculty members, including Drs. Mai Yin Tsoi, Julia Paredes, Dave Pursell, Richard Pennington, Joseph C. Sloop and Sonal Dekhane.

The Blackboard Catalyst Awards program annually recognizes and honors innovation and excellence in the Blackboard global community of practice, where teachers and learners work every day to redefine what is possible when leveraging technology.

Parks Association recognized two from Gwinnett with awards

Two Gwinnett Park employees have been honored by District 7 of the Georgia Recreation and Park Association (GEPA).

Clark

Peters

Winning recognition for the Roy A. Hammond Leadership Award is David Clark, left, deputy director of park operations for Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation, who previously held a similar position in DeKalb County. He has been a member of the GRPA for 37 years and lives in Cobb County.

A second award, the Roy A. Hammond Leadership Award for a volunteer, was given to Gregg Peters, right, of Tucker, a youth coach for GCPR athletic program Mustang Athletics. He has coached as many as four soccer teams in one season, and was GCPR Volunteer of the Year in 2010.

RECOMMENDED

• 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
Atlanta emerges from threat as "City Too Busy To Hate"

(From previous edition)

Their revolutionary posturing notwithstanding, the Columbians generally contented themselves with patrolling transition neighborhoods in lightly armed gangs and roughing up the occasional passerby. Members posted signs that read "Zoned as a White Community" in contested neighborhoods and vowed to use force if necessary to maintain the city's lines of residential segregation.

The group's patrols received little attention until the night of October 28, 1946, when a gang of Columbians encountered a young black man named Clifford Hines walking home through a contested neighborhood. Seventeen-year-old Ralph Childers spotted Hines first, from across Formwalt Street. After a brief pursuit, the group seized Hines and proceeded to beat the young man with a blackjack before police arrived on the scene. The police arrested Childers-and Hines-and the rest of the men were sent home. When bailed out of jail a few days later, Childers received a hero's welcome and was awarded the group's medal of honor.

Only five days later, the Columbians again made headlines when Loomis and several other members were arrested for demonstrating at the residence of Frank Jones and his wife, a black couple who had purchased a home previously owned by whites. In the wake of the two incidents, elected officials, members of the press, and local ministers all condemned the organization as a public menace requiring immediate attention.

In November state officials moved to revoke the group's charter. Burke welcomed the publicity in statements to the press, but subsequently he received more attention than perhaps he desired. He and Loomis both were indicted on charges of inciting to riot and usurping police powers only two weeks later. Area newspapers cheered their conviction the following February, and state Solicitor General E. E. Andrews concluded that the trial broke the "backbone" of the organization. Indeed, the group's membership declined precipitously. Burke left the organization to spend more time with his family, and Loomis admitted to reporters in June 1947 that he was the only Columbian left.

A decade later, George Bright, a former member of the Columbians, was arrested and tried for the Temple bombing in Atlanta. He was later acquitted of the crime.

Although the Columbians' existence may have been brief, their appearance nonetheless dramatized the racial tensions that characterized the postwar South and revealed the anxieties experienced by working-class whites when confronted with the waning significance of their racial privilege. At the same time, the group's swift prosecution by Atlanta officials demonstrated the efficacy of the moderate consensus that would later earn the city its reputation as "the City Too Busy to Hate."

• Click here to access the Georgia Encyclopedia
  

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.

• MORE: Contact Editor and Publisher Elliott Brack at: elliott@gwinnettforum.com

UNSUBSCRIBE

We hope you'll keep receiving the great news and information from GwinnettForum, but if you need to unsubscribe, click here.

SISTER PUBLICATIONS

We encourage you to check out our sister publications:

© 2012, 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.

GWINNETTOBITS.com

Visit this site to see details of the upcoming funerals of Gwinnett Countians from local funeral homes. On the site, sign up at top right and we'll send you GwinnettObits each day.

Click on the names below to see details of their funerals.

• Visit GwinnettObits.com

TODAY'S QUOTE
What happens to deer who wear dark glasses

"Stuffed deer heads on walls are bad enough, but it's worse when they are wearing dark glasses and have streamers in their antlers because then you know they were enjoying themselves at a party when they were shot."

-- Louisiana Native and Atlanta (Tex.) High Graduate, comedian Ellen DeGeneres (1958 - ).

CANDIDATE PROFILES
Meet this year's candidates

For the 2012 general election, GwinnettForum asked all candidates facing opposition in Gwinnett County to provide answers to a few questions. You can read the answers of those who responded below by clicking on the links.

Candidates with no opposition are not listed.

• SEE the 2012 general election ballot
  
  
• READ our 2012 endorsements

PROFILE KEY

• (DNR) indicates a candidate did not respond to our survey.
  
• (YES) indicates a candidate has received GwinnettForum's endorsement.

2012 FEDERAL CANDIDATES

U.S. Congress, District 4

• Henry C. “Hank” Johnson Jr. (D) (YES)
  
• J. Chris Vaughn
  

U.S. Congress, District 7

• Rob Woodall (R)
• Steve Reilly (D) (YES)
  

2012 STATEWIDE CANDIDATES

Georgia Public Service Commission, District 3

• Chuck Eaton (R)
  
• Stephen Oppenheimer (D) (YES)
  

2012 STATE CANDIDATES

Georgia State Senate, District 9

• Don Balfour (R)
  
• Scott Drake (D) (YES)
  

State Representative, District 81

• Chris Boedeker (R) (DNR) 
  
• Scott Holcomb (D) (YES)
  

State Representative, District 93

• Christine (Tina) Hoffer (R)
  
• Dar’shun N. Kendrick (D) (YES)
  

State Representative, District 95

• Tom Rice (R) (DNR)
• Brooke Siskin (D) (YES)

State Representative, District 96

• Pedro "Pete" Marin (D) (YES)
• Mark Williams (R)
  

State Representative, District 101

• Valerie Clark (R) (YES)
• Timothy Swiney (D) (DNR)
  

State Representative, District 105           

• Joyce Chandler (R) (YES)
  
• Renita Hamilton (D) (DNR)
  

2012 COUNTY CANDIDATES

Clerk of Superior Court

• Richard T. Alexander (R)
• Brian Whiteside (D) (YES)

Gwinnett County School Board, District 1

• Carole C. Boyce (R) (YES)
• Jennah Es-Sudan (D)

Gwinnett County School Board, District 3

• Mary Kay Murphy (R)
• Jen Falk (D) (YES)

Gwinnett County School Board, District 5

• H.K. Dido (R) (DNR)
• Louise Radloff (D) (YES)

MORE COPIES AVAILABLE
Gwinnett history book in second printing

Previously out of print, Elliott Brack's 850-page history, "Gwinnett: A Little Above Atlanta," is now available again. Since its original publication, the book was declared the winner of the 2010 Award of Excellence for documenting Georgia history by the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board. It is also the winner of the Gwinnett Historical Society's Whitworth-Flanigan Award for 2011 for preserving the history of Gwinnett County.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:

• Atlanta History Center, Atlanta
• Books for Less, Buford
  
• Gwinnett Historical Society, Lawrenceville
  
• Parsons Gifts and Cards, Duluth
  
• Vargas and Harbin Gallery, Norcross

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

GWINNETT CALENDAR

THE WEEK AHEAD

Halloween Magic Show: 10 a.m., Oct. 27, Aurora Theatre. In this holiday tradition, Arthur Atsma will amaze and amuse people of all ages with sleight-of-hand, audience interaction and comedy. Reservations are strongly recommended for what has always been a popular show. Call 678-226-6222 or visit www.auroratheatre.com for tickets.

(NEW) Third Annual Community Fall Festival: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Oct. 27 at Kingdom Now Ministries, 1805 Shackelford Court near Pleasant Hill Road. Free health screenings, including blood pressure, diabetes asthma, HIV, counseling and more. Fun, games, food, and giving away free school supplies. Info: call 770.564.6792.

(NEW) Halloween on the Green in Duluth: 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., Oct. 27, at the Town Green. Featured will be the Laughing Pizza Family Band, with show times at 1:30, 3:15 and 4:30 p.m. Admission is free with a canned food donation for the local food bank. The activities also include a Cat Cruise In Car Show, Kid's Zone, Trick or Treat, Costume Contest, Face Painting and a Spooky Performance by the Duluth High School Orchestra.

Halloween-for-Haiti Carnival: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Oct. 27, Christ Episcopal Church, 400 Holcomb Bridge Road, Norcross. Music, food, kids' activities throughout the event. Costume parade with prizes at 5 p.m. Haunted trail from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Proceeds benefit the children of Jasmin, Haiti.

Gruesome Greenway and Halloween Hayride: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Oct. 27, Lilburn City Park. This is a free, family event with activities to entertain younger children, while older children and adults take a hair-raising hike on the Camp Creek Greenway. Sponsored by the City of Lilburn. Children under age 8 will not be permitted without an accompanying adult, since it is so scary! Wear your Halloween costume!

Braselton Antique and Holiday Festival: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Oct. 27, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Oct. 28, Braselton Downtown Park. Admission and parking are free. Antique and collectible dealers, nurseries, crafters, furniture collections, primitives, ironworks, vintage jewelry, pottery, glassware, yard art, soaps and candles, dolls and food items will be showcased. More info.

ONGOING AND COMING SOON

Terror on the Trail: Friday and Saturday nights, through Oct. 27, Sims Lake Park in Suwanee. Tours begin at 7:30 p.m., with the last tour at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance at www.terroronthetrail.com or by calling the Aurora Theatre Box Office at 678-226-6222. The park's 1.2-mile looping trail will be transformed into a haunting backdrop for zombies and tales of terror.

Euro in Crisis: 11:30 a.m., Oct. 31, 1818 Club, 6500 Sugarloaf Parkway. The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a talk by the Consul General of Germany to Atlanta, Christoph Sander. Sponsored by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. Info: 770 232-3000.

Eighth Annual Hemlock Music Fest: Nov. 2 to 4, Starbridge Sanctuary near Dahlonega. This all-ages, eco-friendly event features three days of live music, primitive camping, educational exhibits, arts and crafts vendors, a kid's nature village, rustic living demonstrations, great food, and free canoeing. Proceeds aid efforts to minimize the impact of the non-native hemlock woolly adelgid parasite, which is devastating the hemlock trees of North Georgia at an alarming rate. More details.

Gateway International Food and Music Festival: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Nov. 3, Lillian Webb Park in Norcross. The region's multicultural talent festival will highlight the rich cultural contributions of Gwinnett's diverse communities, through music, dance and cuisine. Details: 770 449 6515. Sponsored by the Gwinnett Village Community Alliance.

Fourth Annual Synchronized Swimming Performance: 11 a.m. Nov. 3, Collins Hill Park Aquatic Center. The free patriotic program is a tribute to military veterans and their families. The group is composed of girls ages 8 to 14 who love to swim in an artistic and creative way. More details: 770237-5647 or visit www.gwinnettparks.com.

(NEW) 24th Annual Eizenstat Memorial Lecture, featuring Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer of the United States Superior Court: 8 p.m., Nov. 7, Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Avenue, Atlanta. The lecture is free and open to the community. Courtesy RSVP requested by email or by phoning 404.355.5222.

Wink Art Exhibit: Through Nov. 24, Tannery Row Artist Colony in Buford. Shown will be resident art with a hint of humor, a turn of the phrase or visual twist to make you smile. Details: 678-428-4877, or visit www.TanneryRowArtistColony.com.

Photo Exhibit: Through Nov. 28, George Pierce Park Community Room, Suwanee, during Community Center hours, Monday through Saturday. Frank L. Sharp presents "Israel, the Holy Land," while Wendell Tudor features "Images of the Sea," coastline and landscape images, including photographs from Canada.

MORE EEB PERSPECTIVE

12/21: Fort Daniel, Chambliss 12/18: Ban assault weapons 12/14: Army-Navy game 12/11: Who stole American dream? 12/7: Lock 'em in a room 12/4: On Partnership Gwinnett 11/30: Hera Lighting 11/27: Voting out scalawags 11/20: Arts alive in Gwinnett 11/16: Hope Clinic needs help 11/13: Casino coming? 11/9: GOP and Georgia Dems 11/6: Early voting, more 11/2: Will Sandy impact election? 10/30: Georgia and GI Bill 10/26: Barge making name 10/23: Our 2012 endorsements 10/19: Pet peeves, more 10/15: Long plane flights 10/12: NO on Amendment 1 10/9: Elisha Winn Fair 10/5: Lots of construction 10/2: Texting while walking 9/28: WSB sets lower bar 9/25: State Archive fracas 9/21: Charter concerns 9/18: Benefits of living here 9/14: Continuing objectives 9/11: Trip to France, Spain 9/7: Community pride 8/31: Conversation on guns 8/24: More robocalls ahead 8/21: Newspaper museum 8/17: Seem easier to vote? 8/14: Western ridges, fall line 8/10: Runoff endorsements 8/7: New UGA health campus 8/3: Primaries raise more questions EEB index of columns

  FOCUS ARCHIVES

12/21: Wiggins: Recycle trees 12/18: Two canal cruises to take 12/14: C. Brack: Give a little 12/11: Goodman: Suwanee's art 12/7: Duke: Director of Encouragement 12/4: Dorough: Food co-op 11/30: McHenry: CID redevelopment 11/27: Sutt: Gwinnett arts' questions 11/20: Urrutia: Grad wins award 11/16: Collins: Las Vegas 11/13: Barksdale: Storm prep 11/9: Houston: Kettle Creek 11/6: Stilo: Christmas Canteen 11/2: Crews: View Point Health 10/30: Willis: Amendment One 10/26: Brown: Doc's research 10/19: Hudgens Prize jurors picked 10/15: Urrutia: $2 million gift to GGC 10/12: Young: Lilburn city hall 10/9: Long: Charter schools 10/5: Jones: PGA golf to return 10/2: DeWilde: Suwanee's red code 9/28: Stilo: Pinter's Betrayal 9/21: Love: Model for Nigeria 9/21: Walsh: Childhood obesity 9/18: Ashley promoted 9/14: Wiener: CID's initiative 9/11: Olson: $50K Hudgens contest 9/7: Stilo: Acting classes for all 8/31: Havenga: Great Days of Service 8/24: Griswold: Casino for OFS site 8/21: Brooks: Taking the Megabus 8/17: Summerour: Newspaper family 8/14: Sharp: Newport visit 8/10: Thomas: On schizophrenia 8/7: Carraway: Amendment wording 8/3: Willis: Ready for school parents? COMMENTARY INDEX

CONTINUING OBJECTIVES FOR GWINNETT

Gwinnett Forum publisher Elliott Brack suggests that Gwinnett County needs a long-range list of continuing objectives for improving the county. Read more.

• Development of a two-party system for local offices
• Transparent operations to restore faith in Gwinnett's County Commission
• Moving statewide non-partisan judge election runoffs to the General Election
• Light rail for Gwinnett from Doraville MARTA station to Gwinnett Arena
• Extension of Gwinnett Place CID area to include Arena and Discovery Mills Mall
• Banning of tobacco in all Gwinnett parks
• Making Briscoe Field a commercial airport for jet-age travel
• Approval of Educational SPLOST in 2013
• More diverse candidates for political offices and appointment to local boards
• Physical move of former St. Gerard's Catholic Church in Buffalo, N.Y., to Norcross
• Creative efforts to support the arts in Gwinnett
• Advancement and expansion of city and Gwinnett historical societies
• Stronger regulation of late-night establishments with alcoholic licenses
  

CONTACT US TODAY

© 2001-2012, 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
EMAIL: elliott@gwinnettforum.com

Site designed and maintained by
The Brack Group.