NEW for 4/28: On climate change and why Clarence Thomas should resign

GwinnettForum  |  Number 22.30 | April 28, 2023

IN THIS EDITION

TODAY’S FOCUS:  Climate change: Why we all should be worried
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Georgia native should resign from the Supreme Court
SPOTLIGHT: Walton Gas
FEEDBACK: “Shall not infringe” and overthrow are tied together
UPCOMING: Belgian company expansion calls for 30 new jobs in Gwinnett
NOTABLE: Upcoming GGC grad travels long way to get degree
RECOMMENDED: The Emperor’s Notebook, by Marcus Aurelius
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Poet Alice Friman is a resident of Milledgeville
MYSTERY PHOTO:  Classical design appears to be a center of worship
LAGNIAPPE: Rhododendrons are showing off their spring colors
CALENDAR: Ninth annual Suwanee Art Festival is this weekend

TODAY’S FOCUS

Climate change: why we all should be worried

By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga.  |  A most disturbing international climate change report has been issued by the United Nations. It is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s  Sixth Assessment Report

It is extremely lengthy, scientific and detailed and also difficult to understand. For these reasons, as well as political considerations, the American public has heard little about it. 

Below, here is a short summary of the findings. 

  1. Global warming is a reality and is primarily caused by greenhouse gasses. These emissions are because of “unsustainable energy use, land use and land-use change, lifestyles and patterns of consumption.”  
  2. Climate change, possibly irreversible, caused by our collective actions, has already led to immense human suffering due to adverse weather conditions. Extreme climate has a disproportionate impact upon vulnerable populations (particularly lower income people), including food and water insecurity. 
  3. Climate change caused by humans has created weather extremes, rising sea levels, heavier precipitation, increased fires, and more severe droughts. 
  4. Climate change has other proven negative effects, including flooding and the destruction of terrestrial, ocean and freshwater ecosystems. Such events cause damage to infrastructure, especially in coastal areas. They have a negative effect on nutrition in addition to causing widespread dislocation of vulnerable populations, creating mental health trauma. 

The report goes on to say that many nations have made progress in trying to reverse climate change via “urban greening, restoration of wetlands and upstream forest ecosystems.” However, it also indicates that there is “insufficient” financing for these efforts in third world nations. And that efforts are “fragmented, incremental, sector-specific and unequally distributed across regions.” 

Here is the most worrisome part of the report as it addresses future implementation of efforts to control climate change. World-wide obstacles include “limited resources, lack of private sector and citizen engagement, insufficient mobilization of finance (including for research), low climate literacy, lack of political commitment, limited research and/or slow and low uptake of adaptation science, and low sense of urgency.” 

Below, I will give you my take on each area as it pertains to the United States. 

There is clearly limited funding devoted to climate change, insufficient to stop the disaster before us. Countries which have the resources, like the USA, are increasingly pressured by conservatives to spend their funds for research or projects that have immediate short-term benefits for their own national populations, not spending monies on long-term international items like climate control. 

Further, there is an obvious lack of engagement and political commitment in the USA, in large part caused by willful climate illiteracy on the part of Republican voters. Conservatives either still do not (a) believe in climate change or (b) think that climate is natural evolution, not man made. 

Polling confirms this fact. In 2010, 25 percent of Republicans believed that “global climate change is a major threat to our country”. Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, only 23 percent of the GOP believe that now. On the other hand, 78 percent of Democrats believe in climate change. 

Over the total population, only 54 percent believe in climate change as a human caused phenomena. This figure is much lower than in other developed democracies. For example, 81 percent of French and 73 percent of Germans believe climate change to be a major threat. 

In short, I and so many others, are highly pessimistic that our nation and our world will avoid further deterioration of our climate. And this deterioration will lead to severely negative consequences for our progeny and for the world.

EEB PERSPECTIVE

Georgia native should resign from the Supreme Court

Thomas with former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue when he was sworn in as U.S. secretary of agriculture in 2017. USDA photo.

By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum

APRIL 28, 2023  |  Improper is what it is. He is guilty of impropriety. 

We’re talking about, of all occupations, a U.S. Supreme Court justice.

For any judge to do something  unethical and improper is almost unthinkable.

And on top of that, he’s originally from our own state of Georgia.

How embarrassing, apparently for us, but apparently not for him. That makes it even worse.

Yes, we’re thinking of Clarence Thomas, the current longest-serving justice ever.  Had he not remained  on the bench all these years, we may never have realized just how far out of bounds he has become in accepting not small, but large gifts, from the friends.  He has hung to his well-placed friend closely for years.

Now at least we can understand why. He’s being rewarded.

The Thomas personal indiscretions are of his own doing.  We have previously learned that his longtime wife has problems with questionable activities, and possibly, has carved herself a seat of power in perhaps influencing his court decisions.

But his indiscretions are not just something that have come to light only recently. It was as far back as 2004 when the Los Angeles Times disclosed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had accepted expensive gifts and private plane trips paid for by Harlan Crow, a wealthy Texas real estate investor and a prominent Republican donor.

More revelations have come lately. Their scale is astounding. One trip that Crow bestowed on the justice and his wife was to Indonesia in 2019 for “nine days of island-hopping” on a 162-foot superyacht. One report placed the value of such a trip at over a half million dollars!  Can you imagine?

No telling how much “hospitality” Ginni and Clarence Thomas have accepted from Crow.  You must wonder who else is “treating” the justice and his wife.

That’s a far cry from where the justice was born in Pin Point, Ga., near Savannah, in 1948. His father abandoned his family, and Clarence was raised by his maternal grandparents in a poor Gullah community. Growing up Catholic, Thomas originally intended to be a priest. He graduated from the College of Holy Cross in 1971 and got his law degree from Yale University. 

Journalists say that it remains unclear whether Thomas has violated any law or regulation by accepting such gifts and not disclosing them.  But one thing is for sure: the  conduct by the justice sure does give rise to the use of the word “impropriety” in these circumstances.

You also wonder what the other eight members of the Court are thinking about the low esteem the court is now facing because of these indiscretions by one of their members. It must make cordial relations among the justices much more difficult.

And no less an onlooker than Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) tweeted “the highest court in the land shouldn’t have the lowest ethical standard. Justice Thomas’ lavish undisclosed trips with a GOP mega-donor undermine the trust that our country places in the Supreme Court. Time for an enforceable code of conduct for justices.”

Justices should know their limits on accepting gifts. Chief Justice John Roberts has written: “Congress has directed justices and judges to comply with both financial reporting requirements and limitations on the receipt of gifts and outside earned income.”

How long will Justice Thomas remain on the court?  It’s been far too long already. For the benefit of returning “propriety” of the court, and for the good of the nation, a native of our own state, Clarence Thomas, should resign. 

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Walton Gas

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Walton Gas is a local natural gas provider that serves homes and businesses all across Gwinnett – and the greater Atlanta area!  With an office in Gwinnett, they have a rich history of investing in this community – from civic and business groups to non-profits organizations and scholarships/grants for school students and classrooms. They have received the highest customer satisfaction ratings among all of Georgia’s competitive natural gas providers. To learn more about their outstanding value and service, call 770-427-4328 or, visit:www.waltongas.com/gwinnett.

FEEDBACK

“Shall not infringe” and overthrow are tied together

Editor, the Forum: 

What the letter-writer about guns did not understand is that “shall not infringe” has nothing to do with the militia except we are allowed to have that also to overthrow a corrupt government.  He might want to look at the real issue: no gun will kill without people. Have a good day.

– Ronald Schwartz, Dublin, Ga.

Carlson defines good and evil so well

Editor, the Forum: 

Tucker Carlson’s choice to speak to the issues of the day is what got him fired.  I don’t have either time or interest in watching television.  And this is the first time I’ve seen him or any other of the talking heads on the various cable channels (MSNBC, CNN, FOX;  I simply don’t watch) in years.

He defines good and evil so well.

Randy Brunson, Duluth

Send us your thoughts:  We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum.  Please limit comments to 300 words, and include your hometown.  The views of letters are the opinion of the contributor. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length.  Send feedback and letters to:  elliott@brack.net.

UPCOMING

Belgian company expansion calls for 30 new jobs in Gwinnett

A Belgian company, Aluvision, plans to invest $1 million and hire 30 new positions at 1620 Satellite Boulevard in Duluth.  Aluvision leased the adjacent suite, increasing their production area from 29,000 to 83,000 square feet. The expansion will accommodate new design, production and sales roles, as well as add three more manufacturing lines, which will double production capacity. Aluvision is an event and exhibit modular systems developer and supplier

Aluvision President Dirk Deleu says: “The expansion aims to maintain and continually strengthen our good reputation in those core areas. With the additional space, we not only have the opportunity to further invest in our in-house production facilities, but we also create extra opportunities to invite customers for training sessions and showroom visits. Witnessing a flourishing company and getting to know the people behind the scenes is the perfect starting point for long-term relationships.”

Ann Vancoillie and Dirk Deleu founded the company in Belgium in 2003. They expanded to the U.S. in 2012, opening a sales office in Atlanta in 2013 and then a production facility in unincorporated Gwinnett County in 2016. The family-owned and first-generation company currently employs 41 professionals locally and serves more than 3,000 customers globally.

Aluvision imagineers innovative solutions that combine efficiency, elegance and sustainability, designing lean products using the latest technologies. They recently launched 16 new innovative solutions, including Flexbox, a mobile and modular unit that showcases products or services any place, such as minimalistic shops, temporary showrooms and VIP lounges. They designed the product to meet the growing demand for a high-end temporary outdoor event unit with easy assembly and disassembly. They also produce 100% recyclable and reusable products, including a reusable aluminum modular stand building system, and continuously pursue sustainable solutions.

Tournament plans chip shots for Special Needs Schools

There will be a new experience at the Mitsubishi Electric Golf Classic, May 5-7 at Sugarloaf Country Club. Spectators are invited to visit the Mitsubishi Electric tent in the Fan Village during the tournament to “chip-in” to help raise up to $10,000 for the Special Needs Schools of Gwinnett and learn more about the company’s sustainability efforts.

Mike Corbo, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc.,, the tournament sponsor, says: “From our products to our people to our philanthropic efforts, Mitsubishi Electric is working to realize a vibrant and sustainable future for all.  We are proud to sponsor, show our support for sustainable education at the Special Needs Schools of Gwinnett, and give back to the communities where we work and live.”

For every chip-shot fans make, the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) will donate $10 to support the Young Adults Learning Life Skills (YALLS) Program at the school. Proceeds will support a YALLS garden project to teach the young adults about healthy nutrition, sustainable practices, and vocational opportunities, as well as support other projects at the school. MEAF has pledged to donate up to $10,000.

“Our vision at the Foundation is to empower youth with disabilities to lead productive lives through increased employment,” says Corbo, who also serves as President of MEAF. “We wanted to showcase this commitment to inclusion and sustainability by getting fans involved in the action in support of the school.”

The Beatles inspires new Norcross Gallery show

The Beatles heralded spring with their memorable song Here Comes the Sun; Norcross Gallery and Studios celebrate the season with fresh new art in their exhibit entitled “Georgia Spring.” The show features the works of five selected artists and continues through Saturday, May 27. A reception free and open to the public will be on Sunday April 30 from 4 to 7 p.m. 

The address is 116 Carlyle Street in Norcross and hours are Thursdays through Saturdays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Phone is 770-840-9844 and the website is norcrossgalleryandstudios.org.

Among the artists on exhibit at this show are:

  • Anne Emerson Hall stands out with a masterful trilogy of large, expressive portraits of the same model, a talented sculptor and designer whose mask, corset and wing design inspired reveries of a young woman in the spring of her life in moments of growth, movement and revelation. 
  • Jean Baldwin’s Bellingrath Gardens clearly shows her love of flowers along with an intimate closeup painting of hydrangea blooms in her garden.  
  • Expert photographer William Grewe Mullins includes a very nostalgic photo taken behind an abandoned house. He says, “The decay of the couch itself, covered with decaying leaves from the nearby trees just appealed to me, graphically. The title of the photo is Change in the Cushions, because of the double meaning.”  
  • Kathy Collins long a member of the gallery, chose a subject close at hand in her plein air Gallery Garden, painted just outside the Gallery entrance. She is one of the onsite studio artists – you may see her other soft landscapes or catch her at work in her studio when you visit. 
  • Lucy Brady includes a large acrylic painting of Cumberland Island, which largely owes its protected status to efforts of Georgia’s Sierra Club.   She says, “The painting is from a magical trip to Cumberland Island. We sailed there and spent a few days enjoying its wild, unspoiled beauty.”

NOTABLE

Upcoming GGC grad travels long way to get degree

Oppong

Of all the students who will walk in Georgia Gwinnett College’s (GGC) graduation ceremony on May 11, it’s safe to say few have traveled farther than Nana Afia Serwaa Oppong to receive her degree.

Oppong grew up in Ghana in West Africa. Her hometown is the small village of Bonwire (pronounced “bon-ray”), where the most popular cloth in Africa, known as “Kente,” originated. According to legend, two brothers from the town learned how to weave the fabric by watching how a spider spun its web. It is a quintessentially African place, scenic and hilly with a vast tropical rainforest running through it. It’s hard to imagine any place being farther from Gwinnett County geographically or culturally – but in 2018 it is precisely where Oppong chose to pursue her education.

“I chose GGC because of its small classroom sizes, which allows the professors to focus on the students’ needs,” said Oppong, who is receiving a degree in criminal justice with a minor in information technology. She says she chose that major because she has a passion for criminal justice and believes the knowledge she’s gained will help her change the criminal justice system.

“When you step into a new environment, everything looks strange,” said Oppong. “At the start of my academic journey at GGC, I realized the weather, the accents, the style of dressing, the food and the mannerisms of the people were starkly different from what I was used to.”

Oppong knew right away that building relationships with classmates would be essential to success as an international student. Fortunately, that proved to be an easy task at GGC, which has one of the most ethnically diverse student bodies in the nation. It started on her first day of classes.

“My very first class was English. We did introductions, and everyone immediately became curious and wanted to know more about each other,” said Oppong. “I was not an exception, so as new faces drew closer to know more about me, I did the same. After English class, I went into a technology class and realized that I shared the same culture and background as my professor! I started to feel at home, even though I was 5,000 miles away from Ghana.”

Oppong said there are a few things she’d say to her younger self if she had the opportunity:

“Do not let where you come from be a barrier to you, and do not be afraid to try new things. Do not be afraid to ask questions because it is through those answers you will find your way. Use your degree to define who you are, what you can achieve and the places you can go. Let your hunger and passion to achieve greater things drive you forward!”

After graduation, Oppong, who now lives in Lawrenceville, plans to work in the forensic field and further her education.

RECOMMENDED

The Emperor’s Notebook by Marcus Aurelius

By Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill: Have you ever seen a classic you wanted to read but thought it would be too difficult to tackle? If so, I have just the book for you. Translators A. Scot Hicks and David Hicks have taken the book Meditations by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and culled it down into an easy-to-read text of simple, important life lessons. Gone are the excessive verbiage and the repetitions in Meditations. What remains are the easy-to-grasp lessons about life that Aurelius received from his friends and family. As a Stoic, Aurelius advises us not to be all starry-eyed in facing the world but to accept that, when we walk out our door each day, we may face adversity and perhaps some thoroughly unpleasant characters. He gives us tips on how to confront reality and make it through our lives as unscathed as possible. Written 2,000 years ago, these words of wisdom are timeless.

  • An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next.  Send to: elliott@brack.net 

GEORGIA TIDBIT

Poet Alice Friman is a resident of Milledgeville

Alice Friman is an award-winning poet whose connection to Georgia began in 2001 when she was invited to read her work for the Georgia Poetry Circuit. A resident of Milledgeville since 2003, her work is distinguished by a mordant wit and a concern for the natural world.

Alice Ruth Friman was born in New York City on October 20, 1933, the younger daughter of small business owners Joseph Pesner and Helen Friedman Pesner. Raised in Washington Heights, she received a B.A. in elementary education from Brooklyn College in 1954 and taught at schools in Harlem and the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. She married Elmer Friman in 1955 and the couple moved, first to Dayton, Ohio, in 1956, and then to Indianapolis, Ind/, in 1960. There, Friman received an M.A. in English from Butler University in 1971 and began teaching at Indiana Central College. The couple, who had three children, divorced in 1975.

Friman taught English and creative writing and helped found the Indiana Writers Center. In 1978 she published A Question of Innocence, a chapbook of poems. Three other chapbooks followed, and in 1984, Reporting from Corinth, her first full-length collection, appeared. 

Friman remarried in 1989, and in 2003 she and her second husband, Marshall Bruce Gentry, a Flannery O’Connor scholar, moved to Milledgeville, where he had been invited to teach at Georgia College and State University. Friman began teaching at the college shortly thereafter and later served as poetry editor for the school’s Arts & Letters journal. 

Though her poems frequently center on death and loss, Friman’s verse has been variously described as fierce and humorous. As she told Contemporary Authors, “My images…are mostly from childhood, and seem to be about yearning.” 

The Book of the Rotten Daughter (2006) describes Friman’s experiences as a caretaker for her parents in their last days, mining topics of guilt, grief, and loss. 

The title for her next volume, Vinculum (2011), comes from the Latin “to bind” or “to connect.” At age seventy she is still “rattling in the shadow” of her mother’s death and trying to connect the past with the present. 

Blood Weather (2019), her seventh full-length collection, further mines the relationships she explored in previous volumes: her struggle with loss and her preoccupation with the natural world. 

Alice Friman’s poetry, which she often refers to as “my sweet hell,” has won numerous awards, including two Pushcart Prizes, the Georgia Author of the Year Award in Poetry in 2012 for Vinculum, three prizes from the Poetry Society of America, and the Ezra Pound Poetry Award. Her poems have been published in fourteen countries and in numerous anthologies. She has received fellowships from the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences as well as the Yaddo and MacDowell literary colonies, among others. In 2002 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Indianapolis, where she taught from 1971 to 1993. 

MYSTERY PHOTO

Classical vertical design appears to be a worship structure

Today’s mystery looks like a chapel, church or cathedral, with classical lines. But is this trying to throw you off?  Start your search, and give us your thoughts about this photograph. Send your answers to elliott@brack.net and include your hometown. 

The previous Mystery Photo has people placing it in many locations, from New Orleans, to Phoenix and in parts of South American. But as Michelle Scott, Covington said:  “It’s Colon Cemetery in Havana, Cuba. The one archway mausoleum was very unique. It’s beautiful!”

The photograph came from Rick Krause of Lilburn. 

Several others nailed it, including Mark Smith, Eatonton; Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C.; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Fran Worrall, Lawrenceville; and Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill, who said:  “This is the Necropolis Cristobal Colon in Vedado, Havana, Cuba. (Also called El Cementerio de Christobal Colon and the Christopher Columbus Cemetery.) Spanish architect Calixto de Loira designed the layout of the cemetery but died before it was complete. He became its first occupant. Founded in 1876, this cemetery is considered by some to be one of the largest historical cemeteries in the world with more than a million people interments. Laid out almost like little cities, this primarily Catholic cemetery actually designates the rank and social status of the dead. There is even a place designated for the pagans and condemned.

Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. added:  Built between 1871 and 1886, the cemetery was named after Christopher Columbus. There are more than 800,000 graves and one million interments at the cemetery, which contains over 500 major mausoleums, chapels, and family vaults, with styles running from renaissance to neoclassical to art deco.  It is considered by many to be one of the greatest historical cemeteries in the world.

“Despite being 150-acres in size, the cemetery is still operational and therefore space is at a premium due to the 1-million “residents” that currently reside there. As a result, remains are removed after only three years of internment; they are then boxed up and put into storage in order to make room for new burials.”

75-foot-tall memorial to firefighters who died in a disastrous citywide fire in 1890; mausolea for various trade and professional organizations; special monuments dedicated to two baseball players, a chess champion, and a domino player; and the burial sites of a number of poets, filmmakers and musicians, including Ibrahim Ferrer Planas of the original Buena Vista Social Club. One can also find the abandoned and unmaintained tombs and chapels of families now living in exile. The cemetery, which is located in the heart of the city, is widely considered to be among the best monumental architectural cemeteries in the world.

SHARE A MYSTERY PHOTO:  If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but  make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!)  Send to:  elliott@brack.net and mark it as a photo submission.  Thanks.

LAGNIAPPE

A beauty: Perhaps it’s the good rainfall that this rhododendron has had this year, but isn’t it blooming out beautifully? Other flowering plants are also looking good. And this weekend the forecast is for more rainy weather. Hope the baseball teams have some sunshine in periods between the rains. 

CALENDAR

The ninth annual Suwanee Arts Festival will be this weekend in downtown Suwanee, April 29-30. Saturday hours from 10 a.m. until  5 p.m. The Arts Festival closes Sunday at 5 p.m. Over 200 artists will be exhibiting, selling and demonstrating their art.  There will be 20+ food vendors participating.  The stage will be circulating a schedule of performances on both days with music on days.  There will be a concert on Saturday evening from 5-7 p.m. 

Grand unveiling of the City of Suwanee’s Ultimate Participation Trophy will be at 1 p.m. April 29 at Town Center Park, during the Suwanee Arts Festival. This masterpiece of public art was created by artist Phil Proctor using old trophies, awards, and medals donated last fall by Suwanee citizens and local schools. The city will also be filming as part of an “artumentary” that will accompany the project.

A Taste of Lilburn will be April 29 from 4-7 p.m. at Heritage Hall of Salem Missionary Baptist Church. It is sponsored by the Lilburn Woman’s Club. There will be over 20 restaurants participating. Tickets prior to the event are $10, and can be purchased online at www.TasteofLilburn.org. Tickets at the door will be $15. 

Snellville Commerce Club’s next meeting will be Tuesday, May 2 at noon at the City Hall Community Room..  Recipients of two $1,000 scholarships to Future Business Leaders of Brookwood and South Gwinnett High will be present. Reservations are required, use the link to reserve your place: https://experiencesnellville.com/snellville-commerce-club/#cc-registration

Toast to Braselton dinner and auction will be on Thursday, May 4 at the Braselton Civic Center from 6-9 p.m. The Braselton Downtown Development Authority invites you to become a supporter for our Toast to Braselton “Un Noche en Braselton” Cinco de Mayo event. Tickets include buffet dinner, wine and beer, entertainment, silent auction and live auction.

Jeffrey by Paul Rudnick will be the next presentation at the Lionheart Theatre at 10 College Street in Norcross. Presentations will be from May 5-21, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sundays. This hit off-Broadway comedy wildly-funny play is packed with one-liners. The play is directed by Scott King. For tickets, go to lionhearttheatre.org.

The 9th Annual Great Gwinnett Wetlands event will be hosted in the wetlands that border Lawrenceville’s Sweetwater Creek at Bethesda Park on Saturday, May 6 at 8:30 a.m. A joint initiative of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful (GC&B) and Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources (DWR), Great Gwinnett Wetlands is designed to grow awareness and promote the ongoing stewardship of Gwinnett’s numerous wetlands. To learn more about GC&B and its mission of “Connecting People and Resources for a Sustainable Gwinnett,” visit www.GwinnettCB.org.

Asian and Pacific Islander Public Policy Discussion will be Saturday, May 6 at 11 a.m. at the Norcross Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. The non-profit organization, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, will discuss policy issues that affect Asian and Pacific Islanders and other immigrant communities in Georgia. Topics include civil rights, voting rights, and access to education and healthcare.

Lunch and Learn: How to Become an Entrepreneur will be Tuesday, May 9 at 11 a.m. at the Lilburn Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Learn how to start your own business and how to create a lender-ready business plan. Lunch will be provided.

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by exploring a local masterpiece. Discover the Mandir Hindu Temple and Hinduism Wednesday, May 10 at 4 p.m. at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, 460 Rockbridge Road, Lilburn.

The 10th Gwinnett Multicultural Festival and County Government Open House will be Saturday, May 13 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Gwinnett Place Mall on Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth. Residents can enjoy the day with cultural performances from around the globe, bounce houses, carnival rides, touch-a-truck with public safety vehicles, and more. For more information, email  PDCommunityAffairs@GwinnettCounty.com or call 678-442-6520. All ages are welcome at this free event. 

Understanding Medicare: Speak with a Specialist on Tuesday, May 16 at 11 a.m.  at the Centerville Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Get unbiased guidance from a Certified Medicare Counselor about costs and coverage, comparing options, and enrolling in plans.

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