12/15: Protecting yourself, for-profit colleges, more

This holiday scene was taken by Roving Photographer Frank Sharp from the Historic Courthouse lawn, with the steeple of the Lawrenceville First Baptist Church in the background. Frank used a tripod with two-second exposure to get this shot on his Lumix FZ-1000 camera.

TODAY’S FOCUS: Steps To Take If You Find Yourself in Terrorist Attack

EEB PERSPECTIVE: Settlement Against For-Profit College Firm Is Good for Nation

FEEDBACK: Watch Out When People Start Quoting You Statistics

UPCOMING: City of Duluth Accepting Applications for LEAD Program

NOTABLE: Philadelphia Winn DAR Hosts Students from South Carolina school

RECOMMENDED READ: The Einstein Prophecy by Robert Masello

GEORGIA TIDBIT: Much of Melissa Fay Greene’s Writing Concerns Civil Rights

TODAY’S QUOTE: Here’s the Way You Should Live Your Life

MYSTERY PHOTO: Several People Recognized Mystery, Plus a Good Yarn

LAGNIAPPE: Touchdown Club and Discovery High Recognizes Clyde Strickland

Steps to take if you find yourself in terrorist attack

(Editor’s Note: The writer has been for 23 years a deputy sheriff in Alabama, and the brother of Bob Foreman of Grayson. His web site is www.paulforeman.com.   His email address is Captureman@PaulForeman.com. He sends this along to offer suggestions to anyone caught in an attack of any kind. –eeb)

By Paul Foreman

ATHENS, Ala., Dec. 15, 2015 — This past week’s terrorist attack in California has frightened many of us. For several years now, our nation has experienced mass shootings at schools, churches, shopping malls, and now mass shootings by Islamic terrorists. The Department of Homeland Security basically instructs us to “hide in place, barricade the doors and wait for the government to rescue you.” Ronald Reagan once said, “The most dangerous words you could hear, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

Foreman

Here are some of my own more realistic steps to take.

First, escape if you can. Go! Get out of there. Leave all your belongings BEHIND! Help others escape if they will cooperate. I saw a video of an active shooter in a school board meeting in Northwest Florida. When the shooter came in and announced his intentions, people in the gallery were gathering up their coats and purses before getting out! Don’t do that! Leave immediately!

Then, once outside and in a safe position, stop others from unknowingly walking into a deadly situation.

Immediately call 911 as soon as possible,. If the 911 operator tells you to stay on the phone, do it.

However, if you cannot escape, try to hide out of the shooter’s view. Barricade the doors with anything heavy you can find. Get behind heavy furniture, desks or file cabinets. If possible, keep an escape route open. Use bathrooms as a last resort. Lock the doors; use toilet lids or mirrors as improvised weapons.

If none of the above will work, FIGHT! Disable the shooter. Get mad and defend yourself! What do you have to lose? If you have a gun, use it! If you don’t know how, get trained! Just in the last few days I have heard numerous sheriffs and police chiefs advising citizens to arm themselves. Get trained by some qualified trainer.

If you come upon the shooter, use improvised weapons. Fire Extinguishers, chairs, lamps, broken glass from a picture frame, or mirror, heavy vase, broken furniture, scissors or a heavy glass ash tray. Spray the bad guy with the Fire Extinguisher, and then hit him in the face. Use hot coffee, full soda cans, hair spray, anything heavy, hit him and hit him hard. Your life depends on it.

In a crowded theater, church or mall, get away from the center of the hallway. Get next to the wall. Do NOT get caught in the rushing mob of terrified people; you could get trampled. (You will be able to use the wall for support if you get shoved or knocked down.) Walls have windows and doors. You might find them as an escape route. Stores often have “back doors” to escape through. Grab hold of small children and carry them. If they are too big to carry, grab your child’s belt rather than holding onto their arm. Grab each of your family by the belt and hold on, for dear life. Stay alive; have a plan!

Settlement against for-profit college firm is good for nation

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher

DEC. 15, 2015 — Every now and then a big-time civil settlement makes sense and is good for our country.

Recently the government brought suit against Education Management Corporation, based in Pittsburgh, Pa., which operated several for-profit colleges. The government maintained that the company was violating rules on paying incentives to employees for signing up unqualified students for Pell grant assistance to attend their schools. One story said all the low-income students needed was “a pulse and a Pell (grant)” for the colleges to enroll them. The Corporation enrolled students in 32 states and in Canada. Of course, that money went directly to the schools, not to the individual student.

The Government won, as the Corporation agreed to a settlement for $95 million, plus agreed to forgive $102 million in loans to the students. However, the Corporation admitted no wrong-doing. That prevented the Corporation from being charged with other litigation. Reports say that had the case gone to trial, a verdict against the company could have amounted to billions.

The firm operated under several college names, including the Argosy University, the Art Institute, Brown Mackie College and South University, all doing business in Georgia.

Now here’s another element in this story: Among the owners of Education Management Corporation is, would you believe, none other than Goldman, Sachs, the Wall Street investment bank? Since the investigation by the government, the stock price per share of Education Management Corporation has fallen, from a high of about $22 to eight cents.

Serves the stockholders right, you might say, since they used illegal tactics.

Among ways the company violated the law was paying recruiters with bonus incentives based on the number of students they enrolled. Such practices violate federal student financial aid programs designed to prevent the enrollment of unqualified students. The company provided recruiters with paid vacations to resorts, gift cards, Godiva chocolates, baseball tickets to Pittsburgh Pirates’ games, free lunches and time off. All these incentives violated federal bans for student loan recruiters.

What is particularly good about this government action is that not only were the colleges getting federal money wrongfully and that they have been caught, but it sounds a warning to other for-profit colleges about such practices. Already under investigation are activities at other non-profit college, including now-closed Corinthian College, which enrolled 100,000 students, and Phoenix University, the biggest non-profit in the nation. Corinthian College’s campuses were mostly sold off last year under an agreement with the government. The Department of Education fined Corinthian $30 million, and the school is now in bankruptcy.

Another outcome of the government in the Educational Management Corporation case is that the school is forgiving some of the loans of the students. After all, goes the thinking in this corner, if this corporation was wrong in signing the students to an agreement, any loan against these students is wrong, too, and they should be forgiven the ill-gotten loans, which the corporation benefitted from.

Educators at non-profit and upstanding colleges across the country have long been upset with these for-profit colleges offering questionable opportunity and degrees, often online. Now the government, even if ever so slow, finally is putting the heat on these questionable educational institutions. Hopefully, our nation can be relieved from such bogus educational institutions.

Hurrah! for all this coming to light. Perhaps it’ll help curb these abuses. It’s well overdue.

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Watch out every time someone starts quoting statistics

Editor, the Forum:

I have always found it interesting the way that journalists and the media twist statistics to make them appear sensational.

For example, the post titled “Automakers eliminate spare tire to raise fuel efficiency” in the December 11, 2015, GwinnettForum states, “AAA research also revealed that more than one-in-five millennial drivers (ages 18-34) do not know how to change a tire, compared to nearly 90 percent of drivers aged 35-54 who know this important skill.”

That sounds shocking. Doesn’t it?

When you look a little closer at the statistics, one-in-five millennial drivers that do not know how to change a tire also means that 80 percent DO know how to change a tire. Compare that to the nearly 90 percent of drivers aged 35-54 that know how to change a tire and the statistics do not appear so sensational anymore.

Anyhow, we love reading your GwinnettForum and truly appreciate the effort you put into it to bring your subscribers lots of good news from Gwinnett County and the surrounding area.

— Scott Lively, Grayson

Dear Scott: You make a valid point. However, in this case it was not a journalist quoting statistics (though we got caught up in it), but a public relations hack for the AAA. We should have caught it, and yes, we got suckered.–eeb

• SEND FEEDBACK AND LETTERS: elliott@brack.net

Duluth accepting applications for 8^th annual LEAD program

The eighth annual LEAD (Learn, Engage, Advance Duluth) Academy is set to begin on February 18, 2016. It will consist of six Thursday evening sessions from 6 until 9 p.m. There will be one Monday evening session (February 22) when the class will join the City Council for the regularly scheduled work session at 5:30 pm. Sessions will take place at City Hall. Light dinner/snacks are provided each week.

Citizens engage when they are armed with good information and LEAD provides that foundation. Participants will be empowered to help address community issues when they understand all the possible ways they can help. This program will spark interest in local issues, provide insight into the decision making process and provide an avenue for participants to help advance the community to a better future.

• The deadline for applications is January 29, 2016. For more information and an application go to www.duluthga.net/lead.

Worker paints mural at library of Snellville City Hall

How do you fit City Hall in a library?

Simple. Paint it on a window.

That’s what Kayla Browning, an early education worker at the Snellville branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library, did recently.

Browning has been periodically painting murals on one of the large windows inside the library on Lenora Church Road. When it came time to paint a wintery scene, she chose Snellville City Hall. The painting, shouting “Welcome to Snellville” includes snow on the ground and a polar bear and penguin.

The South Carolina native says: “We wanted something that would last through January and everyone would enjoy. So what better than City Hall and winter critters?”

To see the mural, visit the Snellville Branch of the Gwinnett County Library, 2740 Lenora Church Road, during the following hours:

Browning reads to children each Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. for toddlers and 11:30 a.m. for pre-schoolers.

• For more information on the library, visit www.gwinnettpl.org/library-location/snellville-branch.

Philadelphia Winn DAR Chapter hosts Tamassee School children

Tamassee CEO Amy Twitty, Santa Curtis, Regent Lydia McGill

The Philadelphia Winn Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) hosted its 27th Tamassee Christmas Luncheon and Party for 28 excited children from the Tamassee DAR School in South Carolina at the First Baptist Church in Lawrenceville. Altogether, there were approximately 150 guests and members attending.

The Tamassee DAR School was founded in 1919 by the DAR to provide an education to children in the rural Appalachian Mountains. The school survives and thrives to this day; now the school’s mission is to support children and families in crisis through residential, educational, and outreach services.

Children from three Tamassee cottages submitted their Christmas “wish lists” to the chapter. Great care was taken to grant the children’s wishes and provide memories.  New Junior Member Tina Rainey photographed each child with Santa, and those pictures are being sent to Tamassee as keepsakes for the children.

* * * * *

Recently Philadelphia Winn Chapter Daughters (DAR) and HODARs (husbands of DAR members) donated and decorated the Christmas Tree for the VA Clinic on Riverside Drive in Lawrenceville. Below from left are Anne Lockhart, Librarian Randi Minor, Second Vice Regent Ann Story and Past Regent Peggy Freeman.

Especially at Christmas, be aware that scammers aim for you

The holidays are a joyous time of the year but it’s unfortunate that includes scam artists. Better Business Bureau Serving Metro Atlanta, Athens and Northeast Georgia, is warning consumers to beware of “the dirty dozen” scams.

You may be desperate to find just the right gift or if you want to help the needy, but if you let your guard down, you’re a perfect target for fly-by-night Internet merchants, phishers and charitable imposters. Each year at Christmas consumers lose millions of dollars to scam artists who rip them off.

Here’s the scammer’s naughty list for 2015:

Look-alike websites: When shopping online, make sure to use only legitimate websites. Watch out for URLs that use the names of well-known brands along with extra words.

Fake shipping notifications: Think twice before clicking links in shipping notification emails. Always verify the shipping company before giving out your personal information.

Phony charities: ‘Tis the season to donate, but be wary of fake charities. Do your research and double check the site URL. Check out charities at give.org.

Buyer beware: Check your credit card statements to make sure you don’t have unwanted charges as a result of a point-of-sale breach of your credit security.

Smartphone Scammers: Today, smartphones act not only as a phone but also a credit card, house key, camera and more. Malware can access your device via apps. Do your research and stick to official app stores when downloading.

Getting carded: Avoid the unwanted gift of malware and always verify that e-cards are from someone you know and are from a trustworthy site. Don’t know, don’t click!

Free gift cards: Pop-up ads or email offering free gift cards are often just a ploy to get your personal information that can later be used for identity theft.

Social media gift exchange: It sounds like a great deal; buy one gift and get 36 in return. But it’s just a variation on a pyramid scheme and it’s illegal.

Unusual forms of payment: Be wary of anyone who asks you to pay for holiday purchases using prepaid debit cards, gift cards, wire transfers, third parties, etc. These payments cannot be traced and cannot be undone. Use a credit card on a secure website; look for https in the address (the extra “s” is for “secure”) and the lock symbol.

Bank robocall scam. Be suspicious of phone calls from people who claim your computer is infected and request your personal information to fix it.

Letters from Santa: Several trusted companies offer charming and personalized letters from Santa, but scammers mimic them to get personal information from unsuspecting parents. Check with bbb.org to find out which ones are legitimate.

Free USB drives: Be wary of free USB drives that are often used as giveaways. This method is an easy way for hackers to spread malware.

• For more information or to find companies you can trust please visit bbb.org/atlanta.

Brenau University graduates 450, including 90 out of Norcross campus

More than 450 undergraduates and graduates were eligible to receive diplomas when Brenau University marks its first winter commencement exercises on December 12.

Brenau traditionally graduates its students in ceremonies for the Women’s College on the first Friday evening in May and for all other undergraduates and graduate students the next morning. However, the number of total diploma recipients has increased each year. More important, said Nancy Krippel, Brenau provost and vice president for academic affairs, many students do not complete their academic requirements until summer or fall terms and, as a result, cannot participate in the spring ceremonies. They would have to wait until the following May to “walk” in a commencement exercise.

At last May’s commencement, 215 undergraduate and 143 graduate degrees were handed out. Combined with the 455 bestowed at Saturday’s ceremonies, the total number of diplomas awarded by Brenau in 2015 eclipses 800.

The graduation breakdown by campus is as follows: Augusta, 17; Fairburn, nine; Gainesville, 156; Kings Bay, 18; and Norcross, 90. All-online students represent 157 of those receiving degrees.

The Einstein Prophecy

A novel by Robert Masello

A bit of Indiana Jones, Robert Langdon, and a lot of the supernatural, characterizes Robert Masello’s The Einstein Prophecy. Set in the last days of World War II, we follow a young soldier sent to track a suspicious sarcophagus, and to keep it from the Nazis sent to secure it. Along the way, he meets the historical Einstein and some of his true contemporaries in Princeton N.J. Their discussions of the ethics of war and the use of atomic power are mixed with the dark fantasy of the mysterious container that houses a very destructive entity. Thankfully, in real life, Einstein was spared the traumatic events of this tale, but the end result was the same – a man conflicted about his role in delivering the destructive power of the atom.

— Karen Burnette Garner, Dacula

An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. –eeb

Much of Melissa Fay Greene’s writing concerns civil rights

Melissa Fay Greene‘s award-winning books Praying for Sheetrock and The Temple Bombing chronicle dramatic episodes in the civil rights movement in Georgia. Focusing on individuals who played important roles in these events, Greene vividly illuminates issues and conflicts that shaped the state in the latter half of the 20^th century. She was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2011.

Greene

Melissa Fay Greene, the daughter of Rosalyn Pollock and Gerald A. Greene, was born on December 30, 1952, in Macon. In 1959 the family moved to Dayton, Ohio, where she grew up and attended school.

In 1975 she received her B.A. degree with high honors from Oberlin College and subsequently returned to Georgia to work with her husband for the Savannah office of the Georgia Legal Services Program. In the course of that job she began research for what would become her first book. Greene’s husband, Donald Franklin Samuel, is an Atlanta criminal defense attorney.

Greene is one of a growing number of authors who write literary nonfiction. She uses the basic elements of fiction—themes, eloquent prose, characterization, plot development—to tell the story of important episodes in the state’s and the nation’s recent history. Although her articles in the New Yorker, Newsweek, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic Monthly, Ms., and other publications demonstrate her gifts as a journalist, she excels in longer works.

Greene’s first book, Praying for Sheetrock (1991), chronicles the coming of the civil rights movement to McIntosh County in coastal Georgia in the 1970s. It narrates the power struggle between the black and white citizens of the county, focusing on the white sheriff, who has run the county for 31 years, and the young African American who becomes the spokesman for his disenfranchised community. By describing the rise and fall of both men, and telling a story that does not conclude with the usual happy victory for truth and justice, Greene shows that her real interests are the vagaries of human character.

(To be continued)

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

Landmark Mystery Photo is bridge across what river?

Obviously people flock to this bridge, with a river running many meters below. Tell us where you think this bridge is located, and something about that special bridge.   Send your answers to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include the town where you live.

Apparently the last Mystery Photo was an easy one, as several recognized the photo and several have visited recently. First in was Mike Sweigart of Suwanee who told us it was the National Museum of Art in Barcelona.  “I attended the Rotary International Convention there.” The photo was sent in by Tom Merkel of Berkeley Lake.

Then came Karen Burnette Garner of Dacula: “Stairs leading to the Museau Nacional D’Art de Catalunya, in Barcelona, Spain.” Then the always traveling Donny Loeber of Norcross: “The mystery photo is the National Art Museum of Catalunya in Barcelona.  We were there recently.”

Bob Foreman of Grayson says: “The photo appears to be taken from a tour bus. That is why there is a “remain seated” sign is there. The photo is the  Catalunya National Art Museum in Barcelona, Spain, another place on my list of places I plan to visit.”

Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill: “I’ll bet lots of people will guess this awesome site. It’s the “Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya” in Barcelona. The “remain seated” sign appears to be on the top deck of an open-air tour bus.”

Mike Wood of Peachtree Corners: “It’s the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. Fortunately, I was able to visit this museum in 2007.”

Jim Savadelis of Duluth sent in a novel reply, which, with him a Greek, you know he loves good stories. So he made one up as the answer to the Mystery Photo, which of course, is not true. His words: “This is the Palace of Duluth. Notice the influence of Greek architecture in the four pillars in front. It was formerly the country estate of the King of Norcross, which however was lost when the Duluthians declared independence from Norcross in War for Duluth in 1777.”

Clyde Strickland gets recognized with two awards

Lawrenceville’s Clyde Strickland, right, was honored recently by the Gwinnett Touchdown Club for his support at Central Gwinnett High School football team. He has been involved in mentoring the Central Gwinnett team in reading and Bible study, with 100 students in participation. He has also begun mentoring the Discovery High School team, where he was presented with an Imagination Award.

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