TODAY'S ISSUE
Home Investment Academy is ongoing at the Impact Group
By Marci Davis
The IMPACT! Group
Special to GwinnettForum.com

MARCH 28, 2006 -- The perks of homeownership go way beyond the ability to paint the walls any color you want or planting a garden in your own backyard. Homeownership builds wealth and local residents are learning the benefits of owning a home through the programs and services offered by nonprofit community housing development organizations. In the Atlanta area, one such organization is leading efforts to break down homeownership barriers by encouraging people to "Invest in Yourself."

The IMPACT! Group in Gwinnett County has launched the Home Investment Academy, which helps families invest in themselves by buying and maintaining a home. According to the Federal Reserve Board, the median net worth of most modest-income homeowners is about $50,000 more than renters in the same income group. The Home Investment Academy challenges participants to think about the things they buy each day, the landlord they pay each month or the credit card interest they accrue each year.

Marina Peed, president of The IMPACT! Group, explains: "Homebuyers who fully understand their financial picture and the challenges of homeownership are far less likely to default on their mortgage because they will purchase a home that they can afford, not one for which they can qualify. There's a big difference between those two words."

Are you investing in yourself? Could you be doing more to become a homeowner? If you're not sure, consider the following:

* Are you currently unable to save any money?
* Have you reached the limit on your credit cards?
* Are you able to make only the minimum required payments on your credit cards?
* Are you buying things simply to make yourself feel good?
* Are you frequently buying merchandise only to return it upon discovering you have no need for it?
* Are you consistently "borrowing" from your savings or emergency fund to pay for current obligations?
* Do your monthly debts exceed 20% of your monthly take home pay?
* Have your creditors asked you to return any credit cards or have you been denied credit?

If you answered "Yes" to any of the above questions, then it's likely that you're putting some or all of your hard-earned money into someone else‚s pocket rather than investing in yourself. Try curbing your daily spending habits by applying some of these tips:

* Pay yourself first.
* Ask your employer to make automatic payroll deductions.
* Deposit these amounts in your savings account.
* Save windfall income, like a holiday bonus.
* Collect loose change and deposit it in the bank.
* Identify and break unconscious spending habits.
* Save lunch money; bring lunch from home.
* Save sale money.
* Have a "buy nothing week."
* Comparison shop before making a purchase.
* Don't buy more than you need.

By enrolling in programs like the Home Investment Academy, you can learn more strategies to break the cycle of overspending and to begin using your money to build your own wealth. Once you become "fiscally fit" you'll be ready to travel the path toward homeownership.

The Home Investment Academy also benefits the community as a whole. Foreclosures in Atlanta have more than doubled over the last few years, depressing the value of nearby properties and often leaving empty houses that quickly fall into disrepair. In general, neighboring property values decrease about one percent for each foreclosed property in a quarter mile area.

The Home Investment Academy aims to prevent foreclosures before families even begin to make mortgage payments. Furthermore, because the Home Investment Academy classes emphasize home maintenance and repair techniques as well, the community benefits from a more stable and well-kept community.

ELLIOTT BRACK
Lots goes into family effort of making Vermont maple syrup
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

MARCH 28, 2006 -- Making maple syrup has fascinated me in recent years. Last weekend I did something about it: I took off for Vermont (by myself), and thoroughly enjoyed learning about the nectar from the maple tree. Altogether, I visited nine different "sugarhouses."

Brack

Bruce Martell, with the Vermont Department of Agriculture, was enthusiastic on the phone: "Oh, it's a great weekend to come up. The governor's making the ceremonial tap, and it's Open House Weekend at all the boiling houses."

The governor is Jim Douglas, and he arrived at the Proctor Maple Research Center, deep in the woods near Underhill, Vt., about 30 minutes late, having attended a funeral. Soon he was taking an old-fashioned brace-and-bit and making the first tap. Virtually immediately, you heard the "drip-(wait a second)-drip-(wait a second)-drip" of the sap hitting the tin bucket. Moving to the other side of this foot-in-diameter tree, he used a cordless drill to make the second tap.

While at the Center, where about 50 people were gathered, we met the Maple Syrup Queen. Then we spotted young Ben Howrigan with a green sash across his trunk: yep, Vermont also has a Maple Syrup King. Ben was there with his father Raymond. Ben is an aspiring left hander pitcher ("99 miles an hour") who hopes to play college ball. Soon they were suggesting me follow them "a little ways near here" to their syrupmaking house. We motored 32 miles north to near Fairfield and their Fox Hill Maple Farm.

The reason Raymond and Ben could attend the first tap: brothers Ryan and Sam were back cooking the sap, which they explained to me as we got to their boiling operation. You knew the location, as steam rose from the sugarhouse. In Vermont, syrupmaking's often a family affair, or either neighbors pitch in to help during the relatively short (about six week) season.

What you need is freezing nights, and warm days, to make the sap run. One person explained it's the difference in the temperature of air and trees that stimulates the run, hence the need for cold nights. "Today's perfect for running," said Raymond, "And tomorrow looks good too."

Soon they were showing me around the sugarhouse. Sap comes in either via plastic lines strung up the hill, or for more remote areas, in a tank via a tractor, which was filled from other collector tanks. The sap looks just like water, though it has a slightly sweet taste. It's refreshing and cool to drink.

Following the sap to the cooker, it flows a serpentine path. "Comes off at seven degrees above boiling water's temperature," we were told.

Raymond handed me a cup with about two inches of new syrup in it: light in color and taste, very refreshing. "We're making Grade A medium Amber right now," he says. The grade being made at any time depends on several factors, but primarily on the quality of the sap.

Meanwhile, the Howrigan boys were continually adjusting the action, keeping them alert. Syrup went into 30 gallon drums from the boiler. A secondary line went to another drum, to start filling when the first drum was full. A sample is taken from each drum, then labeled and retained in tiny jars for inspection, according to state standards. Only then can the grade be determined, by comparing it with state approved samples.

More to come on March 31: the key factors in maple syrupmaking.

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is the Gwinnett County Public Library, named Library of the Year 2000. GCPL currently operates 12 branches throughout the county. The Dacula Branch is set to open April 15, while Grayson will open later this year. Library hours are: Monday -Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 6 p.m.

GCPL offers traditional books, magazines, CD books, and children's DVDs, plus electronic resources such as Million Dollar Database, Mergent Online, Reference USA and Proquest Newspapers. GCPL offers Live Homework Help for students in 4th-12th grade. It is available online 2 p,m. until midnight daily, with homework help available for math, science, language arts and social studies. There is no charge for the service and it is available remotely. Many online resources are available remotely by computer. Most library branches offer wireless Internet, serving as a remote office via your computer. Gwinnett County Public Library is "not your mother's library." To see why not, visit any branch, www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

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

FEEDBACK
3/28: Appalled at State of Georgia taxing disability benefits

Editor, the Forum:

I think it is a shame that someone goes and fights for their country and state, gets hurt and has a service connected disabilty, the federal government does not tax this, but the State of Georgia does.

-- Craig A. Updegrove, Lawrenceville

3/28: Figures out test for determining morally bankrupt religions

Editor, the Forum:

We now have a new cultural litmus test: Any religion that has to threaten to kill its followers to enforce obedience is by definition culturally and morally bankrupt.

-- Allan Hytowitz, Alpharetta

3/28: Political messages find their way to distant places

Editor, the Forum:

I had to share this story with you. On opening day for baseball/softball, March 11, after coaching my games I set up a little stand and gave out helium "Bert Nasuti" balloons to the kids. My kids helped me inflate them and give them out. During the day I gave out
approximately 1,200 balloons.

Near the end of the day I was distracted talking to some people and when I looked up, my ten year old son and some other little boys were letting a handful of balloons go with an empty plastic water bottle tied to them. He let the balloons float off and we watched them rise into the sky.

See the email below I got from a newly elected City Commissioner in Toccoa - turns out the balloons floated all the way to Toccoa and landed in his neighborhood

"My name is Billy Chism and I'm a newly elected Toccoa City Commissioner. My in-laws, formerly from Lilburn, now live across the street from me in Toccoa, and today found one of your balloons in their yard. I Googled you and found out you are a County Commissioner from Gwinnett. So the little balloon traveled right up I-985 and took a little turn to Stephens County."

And who said all politics is local !!!!

-- Bert Nasuti, Norcross

3/28: Writer is concerned about abortion bill in South Dakota

Editor, the Forum:

A bill to ban abortion in South Dakota was signed into law on March 7, 2006. This abortion ban is a direct attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade.

State Sen. Bill Napoli (R-Rapid City) gave this description of the circumstances under which he thinks abortion should still be permissible when he told The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer:

"A real-life description to me would be a rape victim, brutally raped, savaged. The girl was a virgin. She was religious. She planned on saving her virginity until she was married. She was brutalized and raped, sodomized as bad as you can possibly make it, and is impregnated. I mean, that girl could be so messed up, physically and psychologically, that carrying that child could very well threaten her life."

What about the rest of women in South Dakota?

-- Ralph Greene, Snellville

UPCOMING
Master gardeners offer spring flowering walk Wednesday

Join the Gwinnett Master Gardeners for the annual "Spring Ephemeral and Flowering Tree Walk".

Spring ephemerals (i fem' ur als) are flowering plants whose glory lasts but a few days but the memory of their haunting beauty will remain with you for months come. You will find yourself looking expectantly for their return the following spring. These native woodland wonders emerge before the trees leaf out as they must acquire enough sunlight to produce seed and store energy before the forest canopy fills in. Then they fade away by the end of spring.

The class entitled "Spring Ephemeral and Flowering Tree Walk" will be held at McDaniel Farm Park in Duluth on Wednesday March 29 starting at noon. Participants are expected to be able to walk two miles to see the exhibits. Bring water and walking shoes. Digital cameras are welcome to record the spring ephemerals. However, no plant collecting is allowed. Call 770-814-4920 to sign up for this class.

Inclement weather (pouring rain and or lightning, not drizzle) will cancel the class.

Two artists feature paintings at Suwanee Crossroads Center

"Creative Discoveries," an exhibit of 17 contemporary paintings by Suwanee artists LaTrecia Raffety and Anita Stewart, is currently on display at the City of Suwanee Crossroads Center, 323 Buford Highway.

The show features paintings by Stewart that offer a unique view of the ordinary, including blankets on a sleeping figure, the shadow of blinds on the floor, and a crowd at a track meet. Her artwork includes paintings with five edges and creations that incorporate leftover palette pieces.

Stewart says: "I want my work to cause viewers to look at their environment with a different 'twist,' to encourage them to stretch their Imagination." She owns the Buford School of Art, and graduated from the University of Memphis "with a major addiction to art and a minor one to art education," has won numerous awards for her work at juried competitions.

Raffety describes her work as largely figurative and symbolic in nature. She frequently addresses in her art issues that women face at different times in their lives. "I love to continually expand the boundaries of my art," says Raffety, "by bringing together unrelated subjects and letting the viewer draw their own conclusions and create their own personal connections."

Raffety is co-owner of Random Art Designs, a rubber stamp company featuring original hand-drawn designs. She also teaches art classes for children and adults. She has a bachelor's degree in commercial art, speech, and theatre arts from the University of Central Arkansas.

Both Raffety and Stewart were participating artists in the 2003 Atlanta CowParade.

"Creative Discoveries" is on exhibit in the municipal courtroom/meeting room of the Crossroads Center. Exhibit hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Children's author to give three readings at local libraries

Children's author and storyteller Diane Z. Shore is coming to several Gwinnett libraries. She brings an energetic, educational, and inspirational performance geared to getting children excited about reading and writing. Ms. Shore is the author of over ten books and numerous children's poems. Bus-A-Saurus Pop, featured on the Accelerated Reader list, is a story of the silliest school bus.

Ms. Shore will appear in Gwinnett at these libraries at these times.

* Monday, April 17 at 7 p.m. at the Duluth Branch, 480 Duluth Park Lane.

* Tuesday, April 18 at 7 p.m. at the Five Forks Branch, 2780 Five Forks Trickum, Lawrenceville.

* Thursday, April 20 at 7 p.m. at the Collins Hill Branch, 455 Camp Perrin Road, Lawrenceville.

For information or direction visit www.gwinnettpl.org or any branch library.

NOTABLE
Wika Instruments completes its own leadership academy

WIKA Instrument Corporation, the Lawrenceville-based manufacturer of mechanical pressure gauges and bimetal thermometers, graduated its first employees from the company's new Leadership Academy last week.

Developed and delivered by instructors from Gwinnett Technical College specifically for WIKA, the Leadership Academy is customized for existing or up-and-coming supervisors to equip them with the tools to be successful leaders within the company.

WIKA President Michael Gerster says of the program: "We realized that we were choosing to promote people for their technical skills - and many times those people would fail simply because they did not have the appropriate people skills to make them successful in their role."

Graduates of WIKA¹s Leadership Academy: front row, from left, Elizabeth Rivera, Ronald Hoffman, Jr. and Deidre Jackson. On the back row are Viet Lam, Eric Barnes, Dennis Knight. (Photo not available of another graduate, Ben Smith.)

The new Leadership Academy will help the company continue to promote from within - but with better success rates, said Ron Taylor, human resources director for WIKA, which employs nearly 600 in its Gwinnett facility.

At the ceremony Gerster applauded the graduates for being 'passionate employees.' "These employees share the same vision with the company," Gerster said. "We know that if we don't keep changing, we'll have to turn off the lights." The Leadership Academy is one example of the company's efforts to make the changes that keep them competitive in an industry faced with many challenges.

While the company routinely implements on-the-job skills training, it had not done a lot of formal 'soft skills' training and assessments for potential supervisors, said Taylor.

The Leadership Academy prepares individuals for basic to advanced leadership roles through 144 hours of training in 18 areas, including fundamental leadership, communication, business writing, conflict resolution, ethics, diversity in the workplace, finance for managers, quality management systems and enforcing safety procedures. The second class of the Leadership Academy will begin in April.

For more information, visit www.theimpactgroup.org.

County saves $4.8 million by refinancing Authority bonds

Gwinnett government has approved the sale of water and sewer bonds that will result in $4.8 million in debt service savings that will be realized over the life of the bonds.

The Gwinnett County Water & Sewerage Authority priced the $121.375 million Series 2006 Refunding Revenue Bonds on March 9. The 2006 Bonds were sold to refinance bonds that were issued in 2002 and used to finance infrastructure improvements to the County's water and sewer system.

The 2002 bonds were sold at an average coupon rate of 5.13 percent interest, while the re-financed 2006 bonds will carry an average rate of 4.38 per cent interest, netting the $4.8 million savings over the life of the bonds.

Prior to issuing the 2006 Bonds, all three major bond rating agencies, Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch Ratings, assigned the highest possible credit ratings of AAA/Aaa/AAA, respectively. Moreover, all three agencies reaffirmed the Triple-A bond ratings for the County's outstanding General Obligation and Water & Sewer Revenue debt. The County's excellent credit reflects solid financial management, and it results in significant interest savings for taxpayers.

RECOMMENDATION
Tsotsi, A South African Film

Warning: movie spoiler alert. If you have not seen Tsotsi, consider seeing the film before reading further.

At first, the South African film Tsotsi, looks like a re-shoot of the Brazilian masterpiece, the City of God, which in turn, is The Godfather on speed. It reminded me of Goodfellows, Sopranos, and Scarface. Horrible circumstances, leading to unavoidable crime, leading to bloodbaths. But then I realized. Tsotsi is the answer to all of these films, not the extension. Tsotsi, like City of God, shows ruthless killers born to crushing poverty. Except in Tsotsi, the bath of blood is stopped, and the gangland leader reforms, transformed by the innocence of a child. Indeed, there is hope.

-- Dr. James Murtagh, Atlanta

• 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 TIDBIT
Creek Indians are important element in history of Georgia

When General James Oglethorpe and his Georgia colonists arrived in 1733, Creek-English relations were already well established.

Oglethorpe with the Creek Indians

Early interaction between Creeks and colonists centered on the exchange of slaves and deerskins for foreign products like textiles and kettles. Soon after the establishment of South Carolina in 1670, the Creeks set up a brisk business capturing and selling Florida Indians to their new neighbors. By 1715, this segment of the trade had nearly disappeared for lack of supply and demand. Deerskins then became the main currency.

By the 1730s, tens of thousands of skins were leaving the port of Charleston each year, bound for English factories, where they were cut into breeches, stretched into book covers, and sewn into gloves. Savannah later joined Charleston as a leading port, and in the 1750s, it may have exported more than 60,000 skins each year. In Creek towns the profits from the trade included cloth, kettles, guns, and rum. These items became integral parts of the culture, easing the labor tasks of Creeks. However, they also created conflict by enriching some, but not all, Indians.

The trade also encouraged closer cultural ties between natives and newcomers. Some Georgia traders took up residence among the Creeks, settling in towns on the Chattahoochee, Coosa, and Tallapoosa rivers. They married Creek women and had children, some of whom later became important Creek leaders, such as Alexander McGillivray and William McIntosh. They, along with others, encouraged Georgia's native peoples to join the plantation economy spreading across the South.

Many Georgia newcomers were African slaves, and they also forged ties with the Creek Indians. Over the course of the 18th century, hundreds of fugitive slaves settled in Creek towns. They too shaped the Creek peoples, especially by encouraging them to oppose slavery.

• To access the Georgia Encyclopedia, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
  
  

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
You must learn to be patient about some matters

"After all, the war is not yet three years old, and you have to give these cakewalks at least a decade to work."

-- Columnist Joe Sobran, via Marshall Miller, Lilburn.

• Another invitation: What's your favorite saying? Share with others through GwinnettForum. Send to elliott@gwinnettforum.com.
  

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