COMING ALONG NICELY is the Discovery Park Garden in Norcross, located behind the Welcome Station on Lawrenceville Street, and adjacent to Fire Station No. One. You can see that some of the billowing plants are ready to pick. Or visit its gazebo. And you can even pick up a book at their Little Free Library. (Photo collage by Deb Harris.)
IN THIS EDITIONTODAY’S FOCUS: Editor Gets Discouraged at Courthouse Day of Prayer Event
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Today’s World of the Internet Brings with It Significant Problems
ANOTHER VIEW: What We Need Are Real Solutions That Address Change
SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District
UPCOMING: Braselton To Conclude Centennial Year with New Year’s Eve Gala
NOTABLE: With 445 Fall Grads, GGC Alumni Now Number Over 4,000
RECOMMENDED: DVD Review: Coffee; The Drink that Changed America
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Georgia Has Wide Variety of Waterfalls, Mostly in the Northern Area
TODAY’S QUOTE: Fluency and Reasonableness Do Not Always Equal Justice
MYSTERY PHOTO: Perfectly Framed, Can You Identify This Unique Mystery Photo?
CALENDAR: Want Training in Windows on Your Computer? Session Set in 2017
TODAY’S FOCUSEditor gets discouraged at courthouse Day of Prayer event
By Tommy Purser, editor and publisher, Jeff Davis (Co.) Ledger | Several years ago, I made the decision to stop going to the Day of Prayer event held each year at the courthouse. I haven’t been in several years because I don’t feel welcome there.
Purser
What caused my feelings took three years to develop. At the very first Day of Prayer event, I went to take photos and participate in a time set aside to pray for our government, our leaders, our country, our schools, our county and city, etc. And, by the way, also for the media.
Different speakers spoke about each area and offered a prayer for God’s blessings and guidance on each.
But when it came to the media, the speaker spent most of his time criticizing the work members of the media do. I felt uncomfortable but I had to assume he was talking about the national or “mainstream” media and not me, so I let it ride.
The next year, it was more of the same but, again, I felt uncomfortable.
The following year, it was more of the same but different in one way. I was singled out in a crowded courtroom for personal criticism. I remember his words well: “Even with the local media you can’t tell what is the truth.”
That was an embarrassing time for me and the third straight year I’d become uncomfortable at the event.
I recall an old saying that goes like this: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
This was a case of embarrass me once, shame on you. Embarrass me three times, shame on me twice.
So I haven’t been back since.
What made all this come up? The national mood against my life’s work (in journalism.)
I’ve viewed my more than 43 years in Jeff Davis County as years of working hard for the betterment of our county and its citizens. Now, I wonder if anyone else feels that way.
I don’t agree with the national mood against newspapers across the country. National broadcast media — cable news in particular — I think have earned some of the criticism aimed their way. But print media spends much more time researching and verifying the items in their news pages and have a system of checks and balances, peer review, etc. And “local” broadcast media, like our radio station and the Savannah TV news stations, shouldn’t be lumped into the same category as cable news, for heavens sakes!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Today’s world of the Internet brings with it significant problems
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | What hath the Internet wrought?
That most marvelous of a new age at our fingertips is a force more fierce than we had thought. It is not just an information source, but appears to be much stronger a media than ever were pamphlets, newspapers, the telephone, radio or television.
It exposes ideas to people not just in their hometown, but is capable of influencing people around the world, spreading ideas that may be correct, or not, or popular, or may even be harmful to everyone.
And perhaps the biggest hazard to all of us, social media is without supervision or editing, controlled by no one, and filling our minds with truths and untruths, switching fiction and fake news into published “facts,” and causing myriad problems. Suddenly everyone is their own publisher, whether qualified or not.
One reason for this is that up to now, most media was somewhat controlled. Though you could say certain words over the telephone, a network was supervising it, as was the case of radio and television.
For years people trusted newspaper stories, which were backed through layers of fact checking and editing to make ideas clearer and understandable.
In effect, local newspapers were believable because people knew their editor and publisher, and trusted them. On air hosts like Walter Cronkite had a certain credibility that built a similar trust. Even blabbermouths like Doctor Phil or Rush Limbaugh had their following, with people accepting what they said.
Yet the credibility that standard media outlets have worked so hard to protect and defend is in the minds of many people automatically passed on to these new-age social media platforms. While they have not earned their stripes in credibility, many people assume that their many pronouncements are true. This can lead to misunderstandings if not downright false conclusions.
Only now are we beginning to realize that not all of these social media are trustworthy. While most standard media try to be objective in what they print or report, not all social media prescribes to this. Some are spouting virtual propaganda and false information, we have come to know. Many of them have their own perverse agendas, though they may not be up front in telling you their agenda beliefs.
It’s happening right at home. Social media platforms have become tools of bullies for teenagers. Some sprout false information. These same platforms have led to overthrow of entire governments. The problems caused by social media are very local, and very worldwide at the same time.
What can people do?
Who can answer this? We want to protect our freedoms, and don’t want any governmental agency to be a czar as to what people listen to, or watch, or think or participate in. Yet to allow social media pronouncements to go forward as they have developed is no answer.
It worries many that so many people are hooked on social media like a feeding tube. They constantly check their emails, their Twitter, their Facebook, to tell us their everyday activities, which often are not significant at all. But many are also hooked on public platforms, believing everything they read on them, and getting lost in the world of simple trivia.
When will people learn to moderate their social media, and get on with life without reading of friends everyday habits, or believing some far-off thinker trying to change the world?
Hopefully, someone will find a solution and surprise us, much as Google itself dumbfounded us with its introduction.
Indeed, what hath the Internet wrought?
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
What we need are real solutions that address change
By George Wilson, contributing columnist
“You better start swimming, or you’ll sink like a stone. Because the times they are a-changing.” — Bob Dylan.
We all know about the decline of newspapers, big box stores, long-distance telephone service, bookstores, traditional stockbrokers, record companies, travel agents, pay phones, and movie rental stores. Some declines haven’t been good and even detrimental to the country such as the consolidation of media companies. The reduction in the number of journalists and editors at newspapers has caused news coverage to suffer. Is this the reason for the decline in the trust for the media? Now we have the advent of “fake news” flooding the internet.
Another “dinosaur” is about to be massively disrupted by the Internet. I’m talking about the $2.2 trillion entertainment industry. And more specifically, about the cable and satellite providers that some people fork over to more than $2,000 of their hard-earned money year-after-year. And in the process, we’re seeing more ads and less real programming than ever. We won’t even mention the bad customer service. According to the American Consumer Satisfaction Index, three of the top five “Most Hated Companies in America” are cable providers.
Politicians, like Trump, have used demagoguery to explain our loss of manufacturing jobs to other countries. However automation is estimated to account for 87 percent of lost manufacturing jobs. That’s not exactly sending jobs to China or Mexico. About 65,000 jobs were off-shored to foreign countries in 2014 and 2015, each. But this loss was offset by U.S. manufacturers returning jobs to this country and foreign firms building here to get closer to their market.
Some economists have postulated that the higher the wage the greater the productivity, as more automation takes place to cut labor costs. They have used this argument to justify not paying a higher minimum wage. But where does this leave the worker struggling to pay his bills and raise a family?
Finally someone needs to also tell coal miners the truth. There are only 75,000 coal miners left and the number continues to decline. But clean energy works, and just in California alone, accounts for 550,000 workers.
It does no good to lead people on with false promises and slogans. We need to come up with real solutions that address change.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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UPCOMINGBraselton to conclude centennial year with New Year’s Eve Gala
The Town of Braselton will complete its centennial year by hosting a big New Year’s Eve Gala. The event will be held on Saturday, December 31 beginning at 8 p.m. at the Braselton Stover Event Center. Guests will receive a champagne cocktail and appetizers upon arrival. A gourmet dinner will be served, including beef tenderloin and grilled shrimp.
Stover Volunteer Center
Desserts will include the Centennial Celebration Cake in addition to golden sugar cookies and a chocolate mousse. There will be a cash bar. A special feature will be a drink special named “The 24 kt. Gold Champagne Cocktail,” a sparkling ballet of gold dancing on tiny bubbles.
Commemorative portraits will be taken by Heart Spot Portraits who will also provide a fun photo booth for guests. Props will be available to capture a vintage feel. Gwen Hughes and The Continental Dance Orchestra will provide musical selections throughout the past 10 decades for listening and dancing pleasure. Each guest will receive a gift commemorating the Town’s 100th birthday.
Dress for the occasion is formal and fashions from any time period from the past 100 years is encouraged. Prizes will be awarded for outstanding attire.
Catering for the event will be handled by Houndstooth Grill and Sweet Delights Bakery, both located in Braselton.
Tickets are $100 per person and tables for 10 can be reserved. To order tickets, contact Amy at apinnell@braselton.net or phone 706-684-0369. Visit their website to download a ticket order form www.DowntownBraselton.com.
While the Town has been celebrating its 100th birthday, its history goes back to 1857 when William Harrison Braselton purchased land to begin his own farming operation in what is now the Town of Braselton. Braselton and his wife, Susan Frances Hosch Braselton, had five children.
At the age of about 10, their youngest son, John Oliver Braselton started a small road side store. That would later become the Braselton Brothers Department Store and be the cornerstone for a thriving business community.
In 1916, when the town was officially incorporated, along with the successful department store and farming operation, the Braselton family was also ginning cotton, operating a flour mill and a sawmill.
In an effort to revitalize the downtown district, many historic buildings have been preserved and are occupied by retail and service businesses. A new town green was unveiled earlier this summer. Braselton has been a Georgia Main Street community for two years.
New Snellville development code gets overall modifications
Last week the Snellville City Council approved modifications to the city’s development code that removes inconsistencies, simplifies content, increases flexibility and encourages desirable redevelopment efforts. Most importantly, the code serves as another vital step in moving the Towne Center vision forward.
After approving funding for the process to make updates to the city’s Planning and Development Code, the Mayor and Council engaged Snellville residents and requested input for future development projects like the Towne Center.
In the last six months, the city has held numerous town hall meetings, focus groups and one-on-one meetings with citizens to ensure that changes made to the development code reflect the desires of Snellville citizens, businesses and stakeholders. Additionally, a new website was launched at snellvilledevelopmentcode.com to give citizens yet another way to voice their opinions.
Mayor Tom Witts says: “Thanks to the input of hundreds of citizens, we are taking an important step toward turning the Towne Center vision into a reality. With these development updates, the city will be able to encourage and guide the development we want — and where we want it — while better protecting the character and needs of existing neighborhoods.”
Snellville’s planning for the Towne Center began in 2007. After soliciting input from citizens across Snellville, the city unveiled updated plans for the project. The city recently announced a proposal to move the Elizabeth H. Williams Library to a new facility in the planned Towne Center, and if approved by Gwinnett County, the library would be funded with 2017 SPLOST dollars. The library concept would also include a new city market.
NOTABLEWith 445 fall grads, GGC alumni now number over 4,000
Grads celebrate at Georgia Gwinnett College
Georgia Gwinnett College awarded 455 bachelor’s degrees during its fall commencement ceremony, held last week at the Infinite Energy Center Arena in Duluth. Attended by about 3,000 people, it was the college’s largest fall commencement ceremony to date. As of this graduation, GGC has more than 4,000 alumni.
The ceremony included the graduation of 24 students comprising the second half of the college’s charter nursing class. GGC’s first 23 nursing alumni graduated in May.
Maj. Andrew Banister administers the oath of office to newly commissioned U.S. Army 2nd Lieutenants Adrian Brown and Roberto Cerqueira, as GGC President Stas Preczewski looks on.
Also recognized were two graduates who had been ROTC cadets and who received their formal commissions in a separate ceremony earlier in the day. Second Lieutenant Roberto T. Cerqueira, a criminal justice major from Dacula, will report for U.S. Army Active Duty in the Adjutant General Corps with branch detail Infantry. Second Lieutenant Adrian R. Brown, an information technology major from Lawrenceville, will serve in the U.S. Army Reserve in the Signal Corps.
Technology entrepreneur Sanjay Parekh delivered the keynote address. The founder of several businesses himself, he serves as associate director of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s CREATE-X program, which has helped students launch 42 startups.
Parekh reflected on his experiences and shared four key lessons for success – one of which was perseverance, of which he said, “You don’t fail until you decide you’re going to quit.” He also shared thoughts about fear, luck and having fun.
“Life is short,” Parekh said, advising the graduates that if they find themselves doing something with which they are not having fun, “move on.”
He also told the graduates not to be satisfied with the way things are.
“Go out and change the world.”
Speaking on behalf of the graduating class was Crystal Serrato, an early childhood education major from Winder. Originally concerned about the challenges of college, Serrato committed herself to achieving her dreams and graduated with honors. She also held positions of leadership in student organizations and served as a student ambassador, a role in which she hosted prospective students and their families for campus visits.
Her hard work toward achieving academic excellence was rewarded with invitations to join the Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society for education majors and the National Society of Leadership and Success.
“The road that lies ahead won’t be easy,” Serrato said to her fellow graduates. “But let us greet each new problem with confidence, knowing that we have already achieved great heights and are equipped with the necessary tools to tackle our futures. Let us continue to believe in ourselves so that we may reach our goals and fulfill our dreams. Let us be the best we can be.”
The nursing ceremony included four special awards presented by Eastside Medical Center, also a charter nursing partner. Julia Westbrook of Loganville received the Clinical Excellence Award; James Lam of Lawrenceville received the Nursing as Caring Award; Angelique Noble of Lawrenceville received the program’s Professional Leadership Award and Oana Purcar of Lawrenceville received the Pillar Award. The Pillar Award recognizes excellence in GGC’s four pillars of scholarship, leadership, service and creativity.
Two members of the nursing class were recently noted for special achievements. Angelique Noble of Lawrenceville was elected Student Consultant to the Georgia Association of Nursing Students (GANS), and Julia Westbrook of Loganville received the statewide Member of the Year Award from GANS at its annual convention.
Georgia Gwinnett College’s fall 2016 enrollment is 12,052. Its deadline for fall 2017 applications is May 1, 2017. For more information, visit www.ggc.edu.
RECOMMENDEDDVD Review: Coffee; The Drink that Changed America
Reviewed by Karen J. Harris, Stone Mountain: Dean Cycon and Judith Jones trace the history of coffee from Ethiopia, the Caribbean, the great cities of Europe and to the USA. The viewer travels to Arabia, Italy, New Amsterdam and Boston. Coffee comes from a red bean that grows from an evergreen shrub located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. There is a bit of a history lesson as the viewer will learn that the Boston Tea Party marked the end of tea being the primary drink in the USA. Coffee became associated with sharp thinking and repartee. The term Cup of Joe is discussed including how it became part of the USA vernacular. Learn how Italians created espresso and the rise of Starbucks in Seattle Wash. This hour long DVD will make you want to get up and get a cup of coffee.
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
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBITGeorgia has wide variety of waterfalls, mostly in the northern area
Georgia has a wide variety of waterfalls: some are high with sheer drops, some are tumbling cascades, and others are rushing shoals or small ledge-type falls. Several state parks have been developed around these natural wonders and play host to thousands of visitors each year. Many falls also are located in the wilds of the Chattahoochee and Oconee National Forests of northern and central Georgia. There are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of other waterfalls on private lands across the state.
Most of Georgia’s waterfalls occur in the central and northern part of the state because a fall line runs across this region from Columbus to Augusta. The fall line is a geologic boundary that marks the divide between the hard, crystalline rocks of the Piedmont to the north, and the softer sedimentary rocks of the Upper Coastal Plain to the south. Erosion of the sedimentary rock by streams flowing off the crystalline rock creates steep stream gradients and waterfalls.
Hiawasee Falls
The most notable of the falls in central Georgia is High Falls at High Falls State Park, near Jackson in Monroe County. High Falls is the site of a once-prosperous town that grew up around a gristmill powered by the Towaliga River’s falling waters.
Rabun County, in northeast Georgia, is the state’s most prolific waterfall location. The abrupt change in elevation, combined with several large, plateau-like drainage areas, makes the area ripe for waterfalls. Wet-weather falls, such as Ada-Hi Falls at Black Rock Mountain State Park, occur where drainages are small.
Waterfalls located in northwest Georgia also are of the wet-weather variety. Often the falls on Johns Mountain (Keown Falls), near Villanow in Walker County, are just a trickle or are completely dry. However, colorful mosses and algae cover the perpetually moist rock.
The “spray zones” that surround most waterfalls support rare plants and animals (most notably salamanders) that can exist only in humid environs such as these. The air temperature and humidity are relatively stable in these spray zones. Dipper-type birds hunt the rich, oxygenated waters at their base, and trout thrive in cooler waters found in the mountain locations.
Waterfalls also act as natural barriers to certain types of aquatic life. A pool below the falls on Overflow Creek, in Rabun County, is known locally as the “Eel Pool,” for it limits the migration of native eels.
Rainbow trout (from the western states) and brown trout (from Europe) were introduced into southern mountain streams in the mid-nineteenth century. The native species (brook trout) do not compete well with these transplants. On many streams brook trout are stocked and exist without this introduced competition because of the natural barrier protection that a waterfall affords.
Stream levels fluctuate widely from season to season. Waterfalls are an obvious indicator of an abundance or lack of rainfall. During the severe drought of 1999-2000 stream levels were down by two-thirds in many cases. Northeast Georgia traditionally is the state’s wettest region, receiving upwards of seventy inches of rainfall annually. The northwest is the state’s driest region. Winter and spring are generally the wettest seasons; fall is the driest.
(To be continued)
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Perfectly framed, can you identify this unique Mystery Photo?
This edition’s Mystery Photo is one of those which you probably need to have been there to identify. There are several clues of course, but this photo is somewhat unique. Send in your thoughts to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include your hometown.
Bob Foreman of Grayson sent in the most recent Mystery Photo, which we thought would be difficult to identify. And it stumped most everyone, save George Graf of Palmyra, Va. He wrote: “This one took all of my perseverance, patience and wiles. I hope I’m getting the answer in under the wire. It’s the Arctic Brotherhood Hall, Skagway, Alaska. Eleven gold seeking men organized the Arctic Brotherhood fraternity on February 26, 1899, while en route on a steamer from Seattle to Skagway. The organization was formed to provide mutual assistance, friendship, and social interaction in the northern communities. Once on land they formalized the arrangement, making Skagway the first camp, as the driftwood sign “Camp Skagway No. 1” on the front of the building notes. The building was constructed in 1899, but the driftwood facade, credited to Charles O. Walker, was not built until 1900.”
Candlelight Tours of Yule Decorated McDaniel Farm Park in Duluth. Tours will also be offered at 8:30 p.m. on December 20 and 21. See the warmth of candles and the home decorated with fresh greenery and period holiday ornaments as costumed guides share historic customs and traditions with a glimpse of everyday life on a family farm. After the tour, guests will enjoy a delicious cup of hot chocolate or apple cider as well as have the opportunity to make a holiday craft. A program fee for the candlelight tour is $8 per person. Pre-registration is required and must be done online at www.gwinnettEHC.org. McDaniel Farm is located at 3251 McDaniel Road, Duluth,
Get your dancing shoes ready for Duluth’s New Year’s Eve Extravaganza! Georgia native Craig Campbell will hit the stage with his chart-rising song “Outskirts of Heaven” on December 31. There will be family friendly activities, a gigantic snow slide, a winter carnival and live entertainment by the Highbeams and DJ Rob. The festivities kick off New Year’s Eve at 7 p.m. on Duluth Town Green. The main event is free to the public. The event is an activity of the City of Duluth and sponsor, Kicks 101.5.
(NEW) Windows 10 Training, January 11 at 11 a.m. presented by Gwinnett County Public Library. This will be at the Lawrenceville Branch Computer Lab, 1001 Lawrenceville Highway, Lawrenceville. Learn to navigate Windows 10 and how to explore the Taskbar, resize tiles, use File Explorer, and more! This workshop will also discuss how to keep your information private and Internet browsers. Gwinnett Senior Learning Center (GSRLC) will lead the workshop. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.
STATE OF THE REGION address is Friday, January 13 at 11:30 a.m. at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast. Speaker will be Kerry Armstrong, chairman of the Atlanta Region Commission. This is presented by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. To register, click here.
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