Georgia Magazine - January 2010 - (Page 5)

GEMC ® M A G A Z I N E www.georgiamagazine.org (800) 544-4362, in Georgia; (770) 270-6950 A new decade begins BY PAUL WOOD President/CEO, Georgia Electric Membership Corporation 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 not-for-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 ASSISTANT EDITOR Clay Narron PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Steve Jacobs STAFF ASSISTANT Sonya Devereaux EDITORIAL INTERN Emily Allen CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Laura Berrios, Bryant Betsill, Lynn Coulter, Sharon Dowdy, Randall Franks, Jackie Kennedy, Victoria A. Rocha, Randy Southerland CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Angie Carley, Michael Coulter, Sam Emerson, Kizzy Howell, Jackie Kennedy, Jamie Kitchens, Ralph Nelson, Melissa Moseley, Kelly Trapnell, Anna Watson, Ted Westby Laurel George, Laine Kirby Wood, ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE (404) 541-0628 ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE (770) 289-5700 DESIGNERS Trudie Thibodeaux, Kerstin Weis Mary Wellman, (770) 270-6981 SUBSCRIPTIONS 2010 ADVISORY BOARD Christy Chewning, Jeffrey Ferguson, Tony Griffin, Stacey Fields, Johnnie B. Hall, Pamela Keene, Doyle Medders, Jeff Pierce, Donnie Prince, Steve Rawl, Brandon Reece, Romeo Reyes, Tony Sinclair, Jere Thorne GEORGIA EMC OFFICERS CHAIRMAN Neal Talton, Flint Energies VICE CHAIRMAN Alice Mallory, Coweta-Fayette EMC SEC.-TREASURER Randy Crenshaw, Irwin EMC PRESIDENT/CEO, GEMC A. Paul Wood 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. new decade has begun, and surely it will be better than the last. It seems to me that we lived through enough trials and tribulations these past 10 years to fill a century. On Sept. 11, 2001, Americans experienced the worst direct attack by terrorists on the soil of the continental United States. In the ensuing years, we shouldered the burden of the second longest war in American history, a burden that continues to this day. We suffered the near collapse of our economy, as we watched it sink into the deepest recession since the Great Depression, taking our retirement savings with it. And then, there was the H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as swine flu. Its spread on a pandemic scale marked the most severe worldwide influenza outbreak in 40 years. If I were to list the many scandals that rocked government at all levels these past 10 years, where would I stop? You get the picture. 2010 opens a new decade. Can we expect more of the same, or dare we hope things will get better? It depends on whom you talk to. There are plenty of voices that would have you believe the American experiment is almost finished. Maybe you, too, have become a cynic of our system of government. I hope not. I read a blog the other day by a writer who started his commentary with, “I think the American eagle is limping badly.” And it went downhill from there. I understand that sentiment, but disagree. In times of collective deswww.georgiamagazine.org pair, when we are tempted to doubt our ability to hold this government together, it is appropriate to seek the wisdom of someone who has walked this path before us. Who better than Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s greatest political thinkers? Jefferson’s words are as relevant today as when first spoken: “The cement of this Union is in the heart-blood of every American.” His words suggest a firm foundation on which to come together. “The greatest good we can do our country,” said Jefferson, “is to heal its party divisions and make them one people.” To come together as one people means accepting the idea that oneness—or wholeness—includes a diverse and shared vision and shared values. I hear from a lot of people who are so frustrated and so put off by the tone of the national conversation they are reluctant to even talk about shared values. Of course, the impulse of the media is to always dwell on partisan disagreements. The result is that often we do not see even the possibility of a positive outcome, and so we worry about where America is heading. Georgia’s electric membership corporations are witness to remarkable innovations that are remaking the energy industry. Are we to assume there will be no similar and dramatic innovation in virtually every other field of endeavor in this new decade? If we all do our part in heeding the words of Jefferson, our American eagle will continue to soar. January 2010 http://www.georgiamagazine.org http://www.georgiaemc.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - January 2010

Georgia Magazine - January 2010
Contents
Viewpoint
Picture This?
Georgia News
Calendar
Currents
Coming to a Set Near You
The Joy of the Journey
Around Georgia
My Georgia
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Cookbook of the Month
Snapshot

Georgia Magazine - January 2010