Georgia Magazine - March 2012 - (Page 5)

www.georgiamagazine.org (800) 544-4362, in Georgia; (770) 270-6500 GEORGIA Magazine, the largest-circulation monthly magazine in the state, is published by Georgia Electric Membership Corp. (GEMC), the trade association for Georgia’s 42 consumer-owned electric utilities. On average, more than 500,000 members welcome the magazine into their homes each month. Georgia’s notfor-profit electric cooperatives provide reliable, safe and affordable electric service to more than 73 percent of the state’s land area serving 4.5 million residents. For more information, visit www.georgiaemc.com. EDITOR Ann Orowski, CCC ManagIng EDITOR Jennifer Hewett, CCC assOcIaTE EDITOR Victoria Scharf DeCastro PRODucTIOn cOORDInaTOR Steve Jacobs assIsTanT EDITOR Kevin Braun assIsTanT EDITOR Jim Jess EDITORIal InTERn Amanda Robinson Lip piercings, tattoos and plastic coin purses Lynn Coulter, Margie Fishman, Deborah Geering, Amy Hancock, Rick Lavender, Christine S. Lucas, Ann McCleary, Arden Williams cOnTRIbuTIng WRITERs cOnTRIbuTIng PhOTOgRaPhERs Bruce Bailey, Blaine Marable Photography, Jason Bragg, Greg Brooks, Sue Buitrago, Lynn Coulter, David and Mei Photography, Nicole Dover, Pamela F. Kirby, Jan Kozak, Rick Lavender, Christine S. Lucas, Ann McCleary, Bobby Moore, Gretchen Schulz aDvERTIsIng REPREsEnTaTIvEs I By Paul Wood President/CEO, Georgia Electric Membership Corporation Laurel George, (404) 541-0628; Laine Kirby Wood, (770) 289-5700 Country Market, (800) 626-1181 National naTIOnal aDvERTIsIng REPREsEnTaTIvE DEsIgnERs Trudie Thibodeaux, Kerstin Weis Mary Wellman, (770) 270-6981 subscRIPTIOns 2012 aDvIsORy bOaRD Matthew Akins, Gale Cutler, Ren Davis, Nicole Dover, Hinson Mosley, Steve Mullice, Amy Orr, Jane Perfect, Rodney Reese, Angela Shipp, Brad Thomas, Louis Tonsmeire, Neal Trice gEORgIa EMc OffIcERs chaIRMan Alice Mallory, Coweta-Fayette EMC vIcE chaIRMan G. Anthony Norton, Snapping sEc.-TREasuRER Randy Crenshaw, Irwin PREsIDEnT/cEO, gEMc A. Paul Wood Shoals EMC EMC GEORGIA Magazine (USPS-473120, ISSN 10615822) is published monthly by Georgia Electric Membership Corp., P.O. Box 1707, 2100 East Exchange Place, Tucker, GA 30085. Periodicals postage paid at Thomaston, GA, and additional mailing offices. POsTMasTER: Send address changes to GEORGIA Magazine, P.O. Box 1707, Tucker, GA 30085. Printed in Georgia by Quad/ Graphics. Acceptance of advertising by GEORGIA Magazine does not imply endorsement by the publisher or Georgia’s electric membership corporations of the product or services advertised. GEORGIA Magazine’s LIABILITY FOR ERRORS IN, OR OMISSIONS OF, ADVERTISEMENTS, WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR IN TORT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES TO THE ADVERTISER’S BUSINESS, SHALL IN NO EVENT EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF CHARGES FOR THE ADVERTISEMENT THAT WAS OMITTED OR IN WHICH THE ERROR OCCURRED. was late for an early morning meeting when, very much in need of a cup of coffee, I stopped for my favorite brew. As I stepped briskly toward the counter, I noticed an older gentleman just ahead of me—probably more than 80. He was slower than I, and I dreaded what was going to happen when it was his turn to order a drink. First, he wouldn’t have any idea what he wanted and would have to have his options explained to him. Next, when the order was settled, he would get out a little plastic coin purse and slowly count out what was needed to pay for his coffee. I considered trying to get ahead of him but thought better of it—and just watched. “Americano, please,” he said, as he approached the barista, “with three shots.” In a flash, they had his drink ready. He was ready, too—with his smartphone. He held the phone up so the cashier could scan the QR code stored on it. He paid for his drink in an instant and never once looked for that little plastic pouch. I have a smartphone, but it doesn’t have that funny bar code on it that allows folks to pay for coffee with a swipe across the scanner. In short, it took me twice as long to get my coffee as he did. It is little consolation to know that almost everyone has judged another person, at least once, by some aspect of their physical appearance— the color of their skin, the way they are dressed, and even their age. More online at www.georgiamagazine.org I knew a young man who told me he had been a disappointment to his parents during his high school years because he wasn’t gifted in science and math like his two older brothers. His parents wondered what he would do for a living. They needn’t have worried. As it turned out, he had a gift for learning languages. Before he graduated from high school he was speaking seven languages fluently. The lesson is: Be sure to check the content of the book, not just its cover. A teenager who spends his nights playing guitar for an alternative rock band may be the future violin teacher who turns your child into a concert master for a philharmonic orchestra. That olive-skinned man sitting next to you on the plane may be the guy who comes to your home or business next week to repair your Wi-Fi network. The cashier with the tattoo on her back and a diamond stud in her lip may be on her way to a doctorate in physics. Thomas Jefferson tried to instill in all citizens the idea that we are created equal. His words, set forth in the opening of the Declaration of Independence written 236 years ago this June, serve as a constant reminder to treat everyone we meet with fairness, greet them with kindness, be generous with our counsel and, above all, practice restraint in our judgment. 5 March 2012 http://www.georgiamagazine.org http://www.georgiaemc.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - March 2012

Georgia Magazine - March 2012
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Liberty Notes
Picture This?
Georgie News
Calendar of Events
Currents
From “Undercover Boss” to servant leader
New Harmonies blossoms
Ellijay family business is for the birds
Around Georgia
Travel Guide
My Georgia
Georgia Gardena
Georgia Cooks
Snapshop

Georgia Magazine - March 2012