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Animal rescue group is new interest
of insurance man
By
Elaine McEachern
Special to GwinnettForum.com
GRAYSON, Ga., Sept. 4, 2007 -- In a time of turmoil for Falcons
quarterback Michael Vick since he entered a guilty plea and has
been indicted in a federal dog fighting case, local insurance executive
Jamie Kennedy is volunteering his time and resources to the Atlanta
Animal Rescue Friends Inc.
Kennedy, a vice president of Anderson Insurance in Lawrenceville,
has been contributing to AARF for more than a year. A native of
Snellville, Kennedy, 35, is a life-long resident of Gwinnett County.
He only has left the area to attend college at the University of
Georgia in Athens. Then he came back to live in Grayson, work in
Gwinnett County and give back to the community that has given him
much.
Kennedy is a dog lover in the volunteer arena as well as personally.
He is devoted to his miniature schnauzers, two-year-old Maximus
and six-month-old Meadow: "I use my energy and money to support
worthwhile groups, including Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends, a 'no
kill' organization that rescues lost/abandoned dogs, and other organizations
that help care for animals," says Kennedy.
As a result of a recent rash of animal cruelty incidents experienced
in the area, the Gwinnett County Police Department recently opened
a new facility to house these and other animals needing shelter.
Kennedy adds: "A friend who works in the Animal Cruelty Division
of the Gwinnett Police Department told me that unfortunately this
facility will be outgrown soon. There is a great need for additional
space and resources for this worthwhile cause. There is also a need
to educate people about the recent improvements in Georgia's animal
laws," explains Kennedy. "In general, residents are happy
to comply when they understand the many cultural differences among
us. I encourage people to get involved by donating time or making
a financial contribution to groups like AARF and the Humane Society,"
encourages Kennedy.
One of Kennedy's goals is to help raise awareness of the growing
animal cruelty instances and steps that can be taken to eliminate
problem situations from occurring.
Kennedy recommends tips to help decrease problems with animal cruelty:
- Keep all pets indoors, or in a secured, fenced area.
- Do not leave any pet in a car or other vehicle, even with the
windows partially open or down.
- Have all pets "fixed" or neutered.
- Do not chain or rope pets to trees or other objects, which now
is illegal in Gwinnett County.
- Encourage community residents to report any wandering animals
or any suspicion of mistreatment.
- Make the community aware that often rewards are offered for
information pertaining to the crimes mentioned above.
Kennedy also encourages dog owners to have an electronic chip inserted
into their pet's shoulder.
He is a member of the Chairman's Club of the Gwinnett Chamber of
Commerce, serves on the Board of the Tull YMCA, is a Leadership
Gwinnett graduate and is a member of the 1818 Club. In addition
to spending time with friends, family and his two dogs, Kennedy
enjoys UGA football games, movies, politics and travel. His dream
trips include Australia and Tunisia.
Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends Inc. works to assist families who
can no longer keep their current pets. Pets available for adoption
are featured on the AARF web site. For more information on Atlanta
Animal Rescue Friends, visit www.AARFAtlanta.org.
Be careful when outdoors, for it's time for
yellow jackets!
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
SEPT. 4, 2007 -- Just about the time a swarm of Yellow Jackets
from Georgia Tech were finishing putting a stinging on Notre Dame's
football team in South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday, a few natural
yellow jackets were putting their own stinging on me.
Brack |
Big time! Total of 14 stings! Yuck! They hurt!
The stinging in South Bend hurt the Irish nationwide, and proved
that there is a lot of zest in a Yellow Jacket whipping. The attack
on me back in Georgia showed what an apt name the Yellow Jackets
are for a sports team, for there is no doubt when you are stung
like I was.
The attack came after I might have disturbed the local yellow jackets
by cranking a chain saw, and upsetting their countenance. It was
short work with sawing limbs off a fallen tree, and chopping the
small tree into a few chunks of wood to burn in the stove.
Apparently these yellow jackets can tolerate just so much noise,
for when I started putting the chain saw back into its case, without
warning I began to feel sensations on my left ankle, inside the
right foot, on my left thigh, on the right thigh, on my right hand,
up my right arm, and somehow, inside my shirt just under my armpit
on the side.
For all I know, it may have been just two yellow jackets, or it
could have been a swarm. For sure they dug in mightily. That was
on Saturday; here on Monday, the whelps are still there, together
with some swelling.
The experts tell you what to do, especially when you are allergic
to these bites: take Benadryl quickly, work to get the stingers
out, apply meat tenderizer in a paste to the bites, and then start
the ice packs. With so many bites, I was rotating four ice packs
among the areas. It was no fun, especially with the bites all itching,
too.
To say the least, it can ruin your day and weekend. It can sap
your strength, make you nervous and slow your sleeping.. Here two
days later I am not back to full strength.
Some 30 years ago, while mowing the lawn, I ran over a yellow jacket
nest. Somehow these critters got up both pant legs, and I had multiple
stings. That time, it was bad enough that I went to the Emergency
Room for a shot. Since then I have been aware of these small insects
and their powerful venom. I've had several individual stings over
the years, but Saturday was the first time for multiple attacks
since my mowing days.
These last days of summer and early fall are the key times for
yellow jackets to attack, since the days are shorter, so the experts
say. On top of that, the yellow jackets build their nests of saliva
in the ground, which are easily camouflaged, making them even harder
to detect.
Notre Dame found out Saturday that a Yellow Jacket from Georgia
Tech can be a vicious attacker. I didn't have to travel to South
Bend, Ind. to find that out!
Be careful when working outdoors during this yellow jacket season.
 The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers. Haven Trust Bank is an underwriter
of GwinnettForum. From a single branch in the Duluth/Sugarloaf area
of Gwinnett, to a second branch in Decatur, the bank opened a third
location in the Johns Creek-Alpharetta area in 2006. Haven Trust
Bank will open a new branch in Snellville in October, 2007. With
assets of over $400 million, Haven Trust Bank is one of the top
10 lenders in Georgia of federal government Small Business Administration
(SBA) funds. Charles Yorke, bank president, says: "We have
the ability to identify with small businesses. Our personal and
responsive attitude toward them has elevated us as a leader in the
community. We're different and - we make all our decisions quickly
and locally. That enables us to make a real difference in the lives
and businesses of our customers." Visit our web site at www.haventrustbank.com.
Suwanee concert Friday to hear electric guitarist,
Nils
Nils and his crisp, edgy electric guitar will be front and center
on the Town Center Park stage for the September 7 Suwanee Smooth
Jazz concert. The free concert will begin at 7 p.m.
Nils (pronounced "Neels") will perform tracks from his
current release as well as hits from his 2005 breakthrough album
Pacific Coast Highway. Born and raised in Munich, Germany, Nils
lives in Los Angeles, where he has written and produced music for
several film and television projects. He also has performed at prominent
jazz festivals, including the Lexus Jazz Festival in Newport Beach
and the Catalina Island Jazz Trax Festival. Opening for Nils' Suwanee
performance is Atlanta-area saxophonist Jeff Sparks.
Bring low-back chairs, blankets, picnics, and your dancing shoes
to Town Center Park. Food, beer, and wine will be available for
purchase.
Hughes to speak to
Chamber Success breakfast Sept. 14
Hughes |
Tommy Hughes of Hughes Investment Properties, LLC will discusses
how he became the youngest Buford City Commissioner ever elected,
a Gwinnett County Commissioner for District 1 and a committee member
for the Board of Regents at the Chamber of Commerce on September
14.
Hughes will speak at the "Success Lives Here" breakfast
of the Gwinnett chamber of Commerce. The breakfast will be at the
1818 Club in Duluth beginning at 7:45 a.m.
Cost is $45 for Chamber members; $55 for non-Chamber members. To
reserve a spot, email Laurie McKenzie at laurie@gwinnettchamber.org
or call 770 232-3000.
Watercolor Society
to meet, have exhibit at Hudgens Center
Landscapes, figurative work and vivid abstracts will enchant visitors
this fall as the Hudgens Arts Center is honored to host the Georgia
Watercolor Society's 28th Annual Members' Exhibition. The exhibit
will be displayed in the Robert B. Fowler Gallery and Kistner Atrium
of the Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center for the Arts from September
13 -December 1, 2007.
Greenways by Lucy Weigle of Augu |
Featuring approximately 60 paintings by some of today's top watercolorists,
the exhibit ranges in style from realism to impressionism, and from
contemporary to abstract.
This show is very competitive," said Kathy Rennell Forbes,
president of the society. "Hundreds of artists from the state
of Georgia and from across the country vie for the 60 or so paintings
to be included in the exhibit. This show is only open to members.
GWS has over 400 active members, many of whom are nationally recognized
artists."
Internationally known watercolor artist and instructor John Salminen
will judge the show and select the paintings to be showcased. Salminen
will also teach a five-day workshop in conjunction with the show
in Duluth from September 10-14. There will be an opening reception
for the exhibit on Thursday, September 13th from 4 until 7 p.m.
The reception is free and open to the public.
Milking Time by Jean Weiner of Albany |
Founded in 1975, The Georgia Watercolor Society's purpose is to
advance the art of watercolor painting. The society, with over 400
members from across Georgia and other states, produces two major
shows annually, as well as workshops, painting demonstrations, and
other events. Show locations and programs vary throughout the state
to bring top quality art to many communities. For more information,
visit www.georgiawatercolorsociety.com.
The Hudgens Arts Center is located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth.
Hours are Tuesday to Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to
3 p.m.. For more information including admission and call 770 623-6002
or go to the website at www.artsgwinnett.org.
Author Stuart Woods
speaks in library series on Sept. 27
The Gwinnett County Public Library will present bestselling author
Stuart Woods on Thursday, September 27, at 7:30 p.m. on-stage at
the Aurora Theatre in historic downtown Lawrenceville.
A native Georgian, the popular and prolific Woods is the author
of 36 suspense novels and two works of non-fiction. He will read
from his new novel, Fresh Disasters, the latest in the Stone Barrington
series. He will then entertain questions from the audience. Afterwards,
the author will autograph copies of the book. Barnes and Noble Booksellers
will be on hand for book purchases.
The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, and
persons will be seated on a first come basis. Doors will open at
6:30 p.m. For more information about author Stuart Woods, visit
www.stuartwoods.com.
New
London Theatre temporarily at Zoar Methodist Church
New London Theatre of Snellville has recently acquired its own
space after seven years of performing out of South Gwinnett High's
theatre building. This new home will provide opportunities for classes,
activities, and of course, more plays in each season.
While the theatre is waiting for construction to finish, it is
renting space in Centerville at Zoar United Methodist Church. The
New London Theatre of Snellville will be performing Steel Magnolias
through the month of September on Friday and Saturday nights at
7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Check out our website for more
information www.newlondontheatre.org.
Those reserving tickets ahead of time are priced at $10. The price
at the door is $12. In October, the New London Theatre will be performing
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Bennett is new chief
nursing officer at Emory Eastside
Bennett |
Melissa E. Bennett has joined Emory Eastside Medical Center as
the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), bringing an extensive leadership
background and 15 years with HCA, Eastside's parent company. Bennett
received her B.S. in nursing from Kent State University, a M.S.
in nursing from Troy State University and the M.S. in health administration
from University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill.
- 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
Dairying
came to Georgia along with General Oglethorpe
The first dairy cows arrived in Georgia with James Edward Oglethorpe,
the founder of the colony, in the early 1700s. By the 1930s the
dairy
industry had gained success as a commercial enterprise in Georgia
and has been a primary industry in the state ever since. In 2000
the value of the Georgia dairy industry to the state (including
milk, cull cows, and bull calves) was $254 million.
Little is known about the earliest period of dairying in Georgia
because acquiring milk was primarily a local enterprise, left to
individual families. A family that produced excess dairy products--butter,
cream, cottage cheese, or cheese---would trade or sell the products
to neighbors. Eventually, some farmers acquired an extra dairy cow
or two for the purpose of producing dairy products to sell. As demand
grew, such herds increased to five to ten cows. Farmers processed
and distributed their own milk for sale.
The number of cows in Georgia, as well as the price per head of
cow, fluctuated during the antebellum period. One reason for the
fluctuations, at least until the 1820s, may have been Indian raids
on livestock herds in settled areas.
The dairy industry slowly expanded as the population of the colony
increased and spread inland from the coast. After the Civil War
(1861-65) the demand for milk products grew. Cows were pastured
and milked by hand. Milk was cooled in cans in water tanks filled
with spring or well water. (Milk was considered adequately cool
at a temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit.)
The dairies closest to communities produced fluid milk for the
town's population. The dairy farmers were producer-processors, as
they produced the milk with their small dairy herds, bottled the
milk, and delivered it to their customers. Dairy farms located farther
away from the towns produced cream or butter, which could be stored
longer and transported more easily than fluid milk.
In 1876 Benjamin Hunt, a banker and expert in horticulture and
animal husbandry, brought a herd of Jersey cows to Putnam County
and opened Panola Farm, an experimental dairy facility. He is credited
with establishing the dairy industry in that county, a center for
dairying still today.
The guy who wandered
also gave us some insights
"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible
to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything."
-- American journalist and wanderer Charles Kuralt (1934-97),
who believed in back roads.
Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves
or comments on any issue to Gwinnett
Forum for future publication.
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is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible
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