GwinnettForum | Number 18.50 | Oct. 26, 2018
SNEAK PREVIEW: Railroads and the Making of Atlanta will be presented at the Atlanta History Center, beginning November 17. For a sneak peek, mark your calendars with the date. The opening event of a permanent exhibition is at 9 a.m., and features the installation of the restored Texas locomotive in its new home at the Center. The Atlanta History Center is located in Buckhead at 130 West Paces Ferry Road.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Solution Will Be from Government: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Consideration of Five Constitutional Amendments on Upcoming Ballot
ANOTHER VIEW: Having Tried Everything Else, Perhaps We Should Try Portugal’s Way
SPOTLIGHT: United Community Bank
UPCOMING: Commissioners Approve 2040 Comprehensive for County’s Future
NOTABLE: Sugar Hill To Host Extraordinary Traveling Troupe in December
RECOMMENDED: Wallander: From the Swedish Mystery series by Henning Mankell
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Georgia Native Was the Librarian of Congress for More Than a Decade
MYSTERY PHOTO: Identify This Skyscraper for Today’s Mystery Photo
CALENDAR: Concussion Discussion Coming on November 1
Solution will be from government: What could possibly go wrong?
By Therin Scott
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Democrats and Republicans don’t seem to agree on much. And even when they identify a common problem they typically disagree on the fix. It appears the same pattern will apply to Big Data, which is defined by three or four companies: Google, Facebook, Amazon and to a lesser extent Twitter.
Scott
Two books have been published about Big Data: Life After Google: The Fall of Big Data by George Gilder (2018) and World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech by Franklin Foer (2017). Both see Big Data as a big threat. But they come from opposite ideological perspectives; George Gilder from the libertarian right and Franklin Foer from the left.
There’s a growing concern about the impact of Big Data on our lives. You don’t have to watch the news very long to see the debate. On Bloomberg recently, the Co-CEO of SALESFORCE, Marc Benioff, has called for the regulation of Facebook. The EU has passed privacy regulations known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and have these firms under scrutiny. And who hasn’t heard of the Russian use and misuse of Facebook in an attempt to influence the 2016 election? However, according to both authors, the problem is more insidious; the usurpation of human thought and creativity.
Gilder notes several fallacies with Google’s view of the world, the third fallacy being the world will soon be run by artificial intelligence. Gilder notes that AI is useless without the creative element that only human consciousness can bring. According to Foer, the problem “is that when we outsource thinking to machines, we are really outsourcing thinking to the organizations that run the machines.” Which brings us to the other threat on which they agree: the unique monopoly power of each entity. But they diverge on the solution.
Gilder thinks blockchain will eventually decentralize what Google, Facebook and Amazon have centralized. Foer thinks the problem will require government intervention. “What we need “is a Data Protection Authority to protect privacy as the government protects the environment.”
It is obvious the world has a growing problem with Big Data. The solution, like with all big problems, will come from our government. What could possibly go wrong?
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Consideration of 5 constitutional amendments on coming ballot
By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher
OCT. 26, 2018 | Voters on November 6 will again be asked several questions concerning whether the state Constitution should be amended. Each time we see such amendments on the ballot, we get concerned, for several reasons.
There are several problems as we see it with voters making decisions on Constitutional Amendments per se.
- COMPLICATED: First, the state legislature itself should address highly complicated matters if at all possible, instead of kicking the ideas back to the people. But often the legislators don’t want to take sides on such matters, thereby making their re-election chances vulnerable, so they want the people to make such decisions.
- WORDING: Secondly, after introducing the often complicated bills, the legislature then must boil down the essence of the bill in a few words to present it to voters. Highly complicated questions just cannot be reduced to a few words, thus the provision under question is often far from understandable. And some say that in writing the exact wordage for the ballot, the government uses language that sometimes helps sway the voter for or against. That’s wrong, too.
- WHO’S BENEFITING? Next, here is a key element on questioning amendments. All too often legislation comes to the voters which on the face of it seems reasonable, only to learn that passage of such legislation will be greatly beneficial to a certain group. Often this shifts taxation in some way that only this certain group benefits, while others perhaps in the related businesses do not get this benefit. It’s more that legislation that hurts others: it is dishonest and unethical.
So, with these key ideas in mind, we often come to the conclusion on the Constitutional Amendments: vote against all of them. We hesitate making such blanket statements, but it sure is tempting.
With the above in mind, now let’s be specific about the amendments the voters will see on the ballot when they go into the voting booth on November 6. There are five amendments on the ballot in 2018.
Amendment One: Provides dedicated millions of dollars annually to fund conservation of parks, outdoor areas and waterways. Sounds good. But the legislature can do this within its annual budget. VOTE NO.
Amendment Two: Would allow the creation of a statewide Business Court, which it says will “promote predictability of judicial outcomes in certain complex business disputes.” We raise the question: why should businesses be given this special court to speed lawsuits through the system, when personal injury suits, divorces, and even murders, must slowly go through the system? Some say it will free dockets, but at what cost? We maintain other states adopted this, and now Georgia “want one of them, too.” It will also mean another level of court government, with its attendant bureaucracy, and increase the cost of the court system. We see no overriding reason for this amendment. VOTE NO.
Amendment Three: This will lower the cost of taxes on timberland. The Georgia Constitution says all property must be taxed equally. This would give timber owners a tax break. It encourages the “conservation, sustainability and longevity” of Georgia forests. This is another bill giving special consideration to a certain group. These tree farmers ought to routinely conserve, sustain and keep healthy their woodlands. VOTE NO.
Amendment Four: Mandating certain rights for victims of crimes. Known as Marcy’s Law, this would require notification before court hearings of those accused of harming them. While we understand the emotional tug of this amendment, most of these provisions are already in legislative law, and this doesn’t need the protection of the Constitution. VOTE NO.
Amendment Five: Aimed at counties with more than one public school district, this would remove the requirement that a county and city school district agree before calling for a referendum to raise sales taxes for education. If approved, a city school district could call for a sales tax referendum on its own. Seems to us an internal county school wrangling proposal which could cause more confusion. VOTE NO.
So, indeed, we are suggesting voting against ALL the amendments. While this seems harsh, we maintain the Georgia Legislature can handle these matters in other ways, and we don’t need to complicate our Constitution further.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Having tried everything else, perhaps we should try Portugal’s way
By George Wilson, contributing columnist
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. | “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”… Upton Sinclair
America…2018:
- 40,000 dead a year to opiates;
- 30,000 dead a year to guns;
Slashing funding for schools and health care; - Obesity;
- Climate change…
It’s a modern day dystopia.
Let’s just discuss drugs and save the others for later. We have lost the war on drugs that started under Nixon. Consequently, it’s time to replace a fruitless and failed policy and use the resulting savings from law enforcement money, prisons and the justice system to establish medically supervised safe clinics where users can get proper medical treatment. If that means they stay on the drug with managed care, so be it. It is better than what’s going on now.
What a dystopian nightmare in some urban communities. We have squalor, degradation, fear, desperation; mothers using heroin and abandoning any pretense of parenting. Finally, we have neighbors surrounded and afraid to go outside. Even though we may not see this as much in suburbia or perhaps we are starting to. The problem is real for many cities.
As a nation, we need to find some other ways to address the drug problem, since current methods are not working. Try Portugal’s way. (See Wikipedia article). Since it decriminalized all drugs in 2001, Portugal has seen dramatic drops in overdoses, HIV infection and drug-related crime. Can’t be any worse and might make things better.
Decriminalization works in Portugal and is the only fix we haven’t tried yet.
Purdue Pharmaceuticals, that sociopathic company that assiduously peddled their highly addictive drug, OxyContin, under the pretext that it is absolutely not addictive, should assist in putting up rehabilitation centers in hubs across America to help bring the haplessly addicted to recovery. What an absolute nightmare created by drug companies and the medical community!
Finally, it’s time we bring our focus to the companies that cause humanity’s great scourges: gun manufacturers, big pharmacy, large food processors, and one can’t forget–the fossil fuel industry.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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Commissioners approve 2040 comprehensive plan for county’s future
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved forwarding the draft 2040 Unified Plan to the state Department of Community Affairs and the Atlanta Regional Commission for review.
The 2040 Unified Plan, also known as a comprehensive plan, contains analysis, policies, maps and proposals to help guide progress and development countywide on multiple fronts through 2040. It was crafted after months of public input from stakeholder meetings, open house information sessions across the county, intercept interviews at parks and surveys.
The Unified Plan provides a blueprint of how the County’s residents and other stakeholders would like to see Gwinnett grow and develop over the next 22 years. It affords the County an opportunity to review conditions in the community, anticipate future needs and establish short-term and long-term goals.
The plan, developed by consulting firm Pond & Co., traces Gwinnett’s history, covers the results from public input sessions, incorporates demographic trends, and inventories the county’s infrastructure, community amenities, land use and built environment. It establishes a vision taking into account the County’s needs and opportunities and incorporates five themes: Maintain Economic Development and Fiscal Health, Foster Redevelopment, Maintain Mobility and Accessibility and Accessibility, Provide More Housing Choices, and Keep Gwinnett a Preferred Place.
- To read the draft plan, visit www.gwinnettcounty.com.
New roundabout coming to Peachtree Corners on Medlock Bridge Road
Gwinnett is getting another traffic roundabout. It will be at the intersection of Peachtree Corners Circle and Medlock Bridge Road, as the “T” intersection will be converted to a roundabout.
Currently traffic on Peachtree Corners Circle is controlled by a stop sign at this intersection that has a daily traffic count of over 25,000 vehicles. The decision to install a roundabout rather than a traffic light was made because of several factors including increased safety, the city said.
Public Works Director Greg Ramsey says: “Roundabouts promote a continuous flow of traffic in all directions versus a traditional traffic signal that stops at least one direction at all times. The roundabout allows for a greater volume of traffic through an intersection while minimizing delays, particularly during off peak hours.”
The proposed roundabout will also incorporate pedestrian crosswalks and additional signage to alert drivers of the state law which requires that all traffic must stop when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk.
While the construction costs for roundabouts and signalized intersections are similar, the cost to maintain a roundabout is considerably less. The project is funded through the City’s SPLOST funds. The final construction cost is about $1.2 million. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2019.
Snellville asks for input Nov. 8 on 2040 comprehensive plan
Snellville officials are looking for feedback on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan before it goes to council for approval. An open house for residents concerning the plan will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. November 8 in the City Hall Community Room, 2342 Oak Road.
Highlights from the draft documents will be posted around the room for community members to review at their own pace. Staffers from Jacobs, the firm tapped to update the plan, and city staff will be on hand to give an overview of the project and answer questions.
After the open house, the drafts will be revised based on input from the community.Draft plans will be sent for regional review before the end of the year, to be adopted by the state by February 2019
- Information about the event and documents will be updated regularly at www.snellville2040.org
Sugar Hill to host extraordinary traveling troupe in December
“Looking Southeasternly”
Imagine an artist creating a masterpiece before your eyes with a palette that also mixes captivating vocals, intricate choreography and audience interaction. All this takes place at the The Eagle Theater in Sugar Hill’s E Center on December 13.
Artrageous takes you on a unique visual journey packed with artists, musicians, singers and dancers paying tribute to a variety of art forms, pop icons and musical genres culminating in a gallery of fabulous finished paintings.
It is an interactive show focused on engaging the audience in their art. This troupe has a long history of their signature audience interaction.
Starting as friends doing theater in Vancouver, British Columbia, the troupe is full of artists, singers, dancers and musicians. They started the non-profit children’s theater All and Everything Theater, to focus on children’s entertainment, street theater and life-sized Bunraku Puppetry. On Christmas day in the late 80s, the theater burnt down with all of their props inside. Instead of creating a new theater, the troupe created a traveling act and performed at over 2,000 events and venues across the world.
The Eagle Theatre is part of the City of Sugar Hill’s plan to bring the arts and entertainment into downtown. The city is currently experiencing a renaissance of sorts. Once a sleepy bedroom community, its Council and management have created an entertainment district that includes an award-winning outdoor amphitheater, The Bowl @ Sugar Hill, the E Center, which is home to unique restaurants and retail space, and now the Eagle Theatre.
Jim Cofer book wins statewide award from Historical Records Council
Snellville resident Jim Cofer recently received a state-wide award for his 2018 book entitled 200 Years of Snellville History. Cofer was a winner for Local History Advocacy.
The ceremony was presented recently by the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council, (GHRAC), a Division of the Georgia Board of Regents. The award was given to Cofer by Dr. Tristan Denley, executive vice chancellor of the University System of Georgia, and Dr. Toby Graham, GHRAC chair. A reception honoring the award recipients was held preceding the ceremony.
Cofer’s book was commissioned by the Snellville Historical Society and was six years in preparation. The 529-page hardback book is in its second edition and is available for purchase at Snellville City Hall at a price of $35.
County still seeking number of poll workers for coming election
Gwinnett County’s Voter Registrations and Elections Division is still looking for poll officials to staff elections in 2018. As a poll official, you play an active role in the democratic process, earn valuable work experience, and get paid. Residents who can read and write English and Spanish are especially encouraged to complete a poll official application at www.gwinnettcountyjobs.com.
Wallander: from the Swedish Mystery series by Henning Mankell
From Karen Harris, Stone Mountain: The streaming series Wallander, available on Netflix, resolves sordid crimes committed by characters that are part of the urban landscape of modern Sweden. The stories play out in the police station and at the various crime sites with the underpinning of unresolved issues between the main characters running in the background. The main protagonists are drawn so as to give a glimpse of their character and motivation in being detectives with sometimes startling insights. The three seasons of the series offer gripping stories. The stories move slowly and the intricacies evolve in such a way as to pull the viewer in to the surroundings. Do not be put off by the Swedish subtitles. Though there is a British version of the series, the Swedish version is more in keeping with the novels, which are also Swedish. Recommended for those who love mysteries and international movies.
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. Send to: elliott@brack.net
Georgia native is the Librarian of Congress for more than a decade
Daniel Joseph Boorstin, a distinguished historian who served as the Librarian of Congress for more than a decade, was born in Atlanta on October 1, 1914, to Dora Olsan and Samuel Aaron Boorstin, Russian- Jewish immigrants. His father was an attorney who served on Leo Frank‘s defense team. After Frank’s lynching in 1915, Boorstin’s father moved his family to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in part to escape anti-Semitism.
Boorstin attended Harvard University, at the age of 15 and graduated with the highest honors. He received a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University in England and graduated with two degrees in law, both of them with honors. He also received a doctorate of law from Yale University.
What most interested Boorstin, though, was history. After returning to the United States, he joined the history department at the University of Chicago, where he spent the next 25 years. In 1969 Boorstin became director of the National Museum of History and Technology (later the National Museum of American History) of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He became Librarian of Congress in 1975, serving until his retirement in 1987.
Boorstin wrote more than 20 books and is one of the few historians to win the Pulitzer Prize, the Parkman Prize, and the Bancroft Prize. He won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1974 for the third volume of his Americans trilogy.
Boorstin portrays America’s historical ideals and values as growing from the encounter with the New World. He views the development of American character (self-reliance, inventiveness, pragmatism) as a response to the demands of territorial expansion, including life on the frontier. Boorstin was also drawn to technology and its influence. Jefferson was his hero because Jefferson worshipped all that was new. In the later years of his life, Boorstin continued to explore themes of human achievement by examining the paths of scientists and inventors, artists, and religious and spiritual thinkers.
In the 1930s Boorstin briefly became a member of the U.S. Communist Party. He later repudiated that choice and, over the course of his career, became increasingly conservative. Boorstin sharply criticized the liberalism of the 1960s for what he saw as its excesses. But his critique was not limited to political beliefs. The 1960 televised presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy moved him to write a scathing assessment of modern culture. In The Image (1962), perhaps his most influential work, Boorstin contends that modern culture had shrugged off pragmatism and truthfulness for “image,” the “non-event,” “celebrity” (defined as a person who is known for being well known), and “spin.” The “dark arts” of advertising and public relations created a world of illusion, according to Boorstin.
In his retirement from the Library of Congress, Boorstin reflected on the role of the historian: “The Librarian of Congress is supposed to help people learn, and not preach to them or even teach them. . . . I’m very wary of people who give us the lessons of history or the laws for the future of cultures. But I do think one thing the historian can do is to warn us against the overgeneralizations of social scientists, politicians, preachers, all those who think they’re in on the secrets of the future.”
Boorstin died in Washington, D.C., at the age of 89 on February 28, 2004, survived by his wife, Ruth Frankel Boorstin, and three children.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Identify this skyscraper for today’s Mystery Photo
Yes, today’s Mystery Photo is a skyscraper, but not your everyday-kind of skyscraper. Tell us about this photo, where it is, when built, why built, and its legacy. Send your ideas to Elliott@brack.net, and be sure to include your hometown.
Some GwinnettForum readers may be in the mood to kick themselves for not realizing where they saw the most recent Mystery Photo. It is the Crescent Hill Baptist Church, on Georgia Highway 17, near Georgia Highway 75, in Nacoochee Valley, just south of Helen. Most remember it as across the road from the Nacoochee Indian Mound. Jerry Colley of Alpharetta sent in the photo.
And several people recognized it: Kay Montgomery of Duluth; Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill; Robert Foreman of Grayson; Jim Savadelis of Duluth; Emmett Clower of Snellville; Ann Serrie of Lawrenceville; and George Graf of Palmyra, Va.
Kay Montgomery wrote of this photo: “Crescent Hill Baptist Church is a beautiful, little chapel that sits facing the Nacoochee Indian Mounds in Sautee Nacoochee near Helen. We have passed by it so many times on our way to Lake Burton and have always admired its beauty and history. It was built in 1872, and it still has services on Sundays.”
LAWLESS SPIRIT TOURS through downtown Norcross will take place through October 28, put on by the Lionheart Theatre. Let the past come alive as you wander through Historic Norcross and witness gunfights, bank robberies, family feuds and train wrecks. History buffs will enjoy this walking tour. There will be two tours nightly, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. For more details, visit this link.
FREE TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP at the Gwinnett Library’s Buford-Sugar Hill Branch, 2100 Buford Highway in Buford, on October 27, at 2 p.m. Join the Georgia Nature Photographers Association (GNPA) for this informal talk and Q&A travel photography workshop in conjunction with the library’s new announcement about becoming a passport issuance location. GNPA will provide information about what to take when you travel and tips for improving your travel photos.”
TRICK OR TREAT Festival at the Yellow River Water Reclamation Facility will be Saturday, October 27 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Join for a fun-filled and educational festival. This family-friendly day will include science, games, giveaways, pumpkin decorating, free food, and a tour of one of Gwinnett’s innovative water reclamation facilities. Be sure to wear your best costumes. The location is 858 Tom Smith Road Southwest, Lilburn.
ITALIAN CAR SHOW, now in its 22nd year, will be at Lillian Webb Park in Norcross on Saturday, October 27, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. This is an exhibition of the finest, exotic Italian cars and motorcycles! The event includes a car show with marque awards, a raffle and silent auction, Italian new car dealer demos and vendor merchandise on display.
COMMUNITY FORUM of issues about women will be the focus of this event, to be held Thursday, November 1 at 6 p.m. at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville.The event is free. Online registration is required at https://rebrand.ly/herwalk.
REMEMBERING WORLD WAR I: Thursday, November 8 from at 7 p.m., at OneStop Centerville., 3025 Bethany Church Road, Snellville. Look at period photos and uniforms, and learn from historian Gene Ramsey about how World War I affected Gwinnett County. This tribute is to the 30 Gwinnettians who died in The Great War, and is presented in partnership with the Gwinnett County Public Library, the Georgia WWI Centennial Commission, and the Gwinnett Historical Society.
CONCUSSION DISCUSSION will be Friday, November 9, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Busbee Center of Gwinnett Technical College. This will be an educational symposium and awareness day put on by Gwinnett Medical Center’s Concussion Institute. Topics include concussion care best practices and protocols; challenges in concussion care; new programs unfolding in Georgia; and concussion management.
CAPELLA’S MARTIAL ART, or barbershop harmony, with the Stone Mountain Chorus, will have two performances on Saturday, November 10 at the Peachtree Corners Baptist Church, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. This year’s special guest artists are Banks and Shane, an Atlanta entertainment tradition since 1972. Tickets are online at the secure web site: www.stonemountainchorus.org. Advance purchase tickets are $22, with discounts to $20 for seniors (60+), students and groups (12+). All tickets at the door are $25, cash or personal check.
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