Georgia Monthly

University of Georgia rated as one of hottest colleges in the U.S. (video)

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:19:17 +0000

The University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, Georgia was rated as one of the hottest schools of the decade nationwide by The Daily Beast.

While UGA largely benefit’s from the HOPE scholarship that draws a large talent pool of 3.0-GPA students and above to its beautiful campus, it goes without saying that Athens offers way more than a free ride through college.

In fact, Forbes selected Athens as one of the ‘Best American Towns to Visit by Car’ as well as number seven on the list of ‘Best Small Cities for Jobs’ last April. Brilliant Tips rated Athens as number five in the top 10 of college towns nationwide last September.

How to make chocolate truffles the easy way

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:31:26 +0000

By Kate Mitchell

Making chocolate truffles for the holidays is easier than it seems. Here is what you need:

1- 1 lbs bag of oreo cookies
1- 8 oz package of cream cheese
1- 12 oz or bigger bag of chocolate chips

Directions:

Pour oreo cookies into food processor and crush until fine crumbs remain. Add cream cheese and blend well. Form small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze for a couple of hours.

Melt chocolate chips (preferably in a double boiler) until smooth. Roll balls until covered with melted chocolate. Place back on cookie sheet. Freeze again for at least one hour. Enjoy!

You can sprinkle cocoa powder over the truffles as decoration or for added flavor.

Variation: You may add a quarter cup of peanut butter or use different flavored oreo cookies.

The 8th Annual Time Warner Cable Hilton Head Island Half Marathon & 10K/5K

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:33:36 +0000

Hilton Head Island, SC – Dec 2, 2009-– The 8th Annual Time Warner Cable Hilton Head Island Half Marathon & 10K/5K will be held on Saturday, February 6th at 8:00am from Jarvis Creek Park.

The Time Warner Cable Hilton Head Half Marathon features a scenic certified course that is fast and flat and takes participants down Natures Way, Pembroke Rd, The Crossing Island Expressway, over the Broad Creek, a slight incline which is done twice, thru the woods at Crossings Park and returns via Cross Island Expressway to finish in front of the Lake inside Jarvis Creek Park.

Both the 10K & 5K events will also start and finish at Jarvis Creek Park and will feature 10 year age group divisions, gift cards & prizes will be awarded for the top three male and female overall finishers.
The top three in each age category will also receive unique awards. Walkers off all ages and ability are also encouraged to be participate in the 10K or 5K. Additionally there will be a free Toddler Trot for kids 8 & under.

The Hilton Head Half Marathon will feature all standard male and female divisions including , men’s clydesdale and women’s filly divisions, as well as a senior division. gift cards & prizes will be presented to the top three overall male, male master’s, female and female master’s finishers. Additionally, the top three in each age category will also receive unique awards along with finishers medals for the top 500 Half Marathon finishers.

The Hilton Head Island Half Marathon & 10K/5K benefits Strive to Excel and The Hilton Head Island Children’s Memorial Garden. In just 7 years the event has donated over $20,000 to area charities, and in 2010 we look forward to increasing our total.

Parking for the events will be at the Hilton Head School Campus. The first 1200 participants will receive a colorful long sleeve T-shirt. An awards ceremony featuring refreshments, live music, and food will be held following the race. Grand Prize drawings will also be held following each event.

The Time Warner Cable Hilton Head Island Half Marathon is presented Publix and sponsored in party by: Hilton Head BMW, DEGU, The Westin Resort, Adventure Radio, Eco Water, Papa Johns Pizza, Salty Dog Cafe, Atlanta Bread Company, The Sanctuary Day Spa, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Outback Steakhouse, Banana Republic, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Island Bagel Company and Insty Prints.

Volunteers are also needed. For more information call Bear FootSports at 843/757-8520, or register online today at
www.bearfootsports.com.

Waycross offers ‘opportunity in every direction’

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:56:01 +0000

Waycross, Ga. (Nov. 24, 2009) – Since Waycross-Ware County has received its share of national attention in recent years, community leaders decided last year it was time to create a new logo and tagline for the area. Working with The Robin Shepherd Group of Jacksonville, Fla., the community recently adopted its new brand identity, “Opportunity in every direction.”

The tagline plays upon the area’s location, easy access to other major metropolitan areas and the city’s many assets for current and future residents, visitors and businesses – those presently located in Waycross and those considering relocation.

“Our goal was to create a strong and lasting brand for Waycross,” said Mayor Clarence Billups. “We worked with the agency to study the area’s history and its many attributes to arrive at something that would resonate with our residents, as well as families and businesses looking to relocate here.”

Shepherd held a branding session with city, county leaders and boardof education leaders to begin developing a positive, marketable image of Waycross and Ware County that will help achieve area leaders’ objectives and grow a sense of pride and unity among all residents.

Long-term objectives are to attract new residents, advancerevitalization projects and encourage new neighborhoods and businesses, especially retail businesses and services. Other goals are to increase tourism and industrial growth, enhance the agriculture base and improve local transportation and public safety.

“We know that we won’t accomplish all of these things overnight, but by focusing on the area’s positive attributes, we have created a long-term vision that is very exciting,” added Billups.

The agency also designed new letterhead, business cards and envelopesto conform with the new image and colors, along with creating a new city flag, banners and permanent signage to welcome visitors to the city. The new brand focuses on the following differentiators that set Waycross apart from other South Georgia cities:

•Waycross offers small-town living while offering easy access to all major cities in the Southeast including Jacksonville, Brunswick, Savannah and Atlanta.
•The area is famous for its Southern hospitality and offers a true sense of community and belonging – a great place to raise a family.
•The city offers a low cost of living with low taxes.
•Ware County boasts an award-winning school system, along withhigher education offered at Waycross College, a well-respected two-year unit of the University System of Georgia, and Okefenokee Technical College.
•The Work Ready Ware certification indicates that the area has a high percentage of people ready and able to work – a qualified and skilled workforce.
•Waycross/Ware County offers boundless recreational opportunities with the Okefenokee Swamp Park, Laura S. Walker State Park, the Trembling Earth Sports Complex and a number of regional festivals that draw thousands to the area.
•Waycross is a safe harbor with nationally-accredited law enforcement equating to safety for citizens and low crime.
•The county offers access to medical excellence through Satilla Regional Medical Center.

“I hope that our new logo and tagline will help remind everyone just how great Waycross is, while encouraging our residents and businesses to pull together so we can achieve an even better quality of life,” said Ware County Chairman Jimmy Brown. “There truly is opportunity in every direction.”

For more information, contact Mary Beth Kennedy at (912) 287-2944 or mkennedy@waycrossga.com.

10 tips for your successful job search from the Georgia Department of Labor

admin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:32:43 +0000

According to the Georgia Department of Labor approximately 170,000 to 175,000 Georgians are unemployed monthly. In order to remedy the situation open positions are listed on the official website, as well as job search tips and helpful resources for anyone seeking a job in Georgia. Here are ten useful tips:

Remain positive: sometimes you have to get 100 no’s before you get the ‘yes’ you need.
Treat your job search as a full-time job: always look professional, schedule interviews, do research, update your resume, do something pro-active every single day!
Market yourself: show a potential employer your value and how you can help his company. Don’t focus on your own benefits.
Use the skills triangle to describe your skills: sort your skills by transferable, self-management, and job-content skills.
Know your job goals: use career assessment tools to find out what you want to do for a living. Uncertainty leads to apathy.
Turn in a neat and complete job application: you only get one chance to make a good first impression!
Create a perfect resume: error-free, brief, easy to follow, accurate display of your skills. One size does not fit all!
Hand out a personal business card: list the job you seek and your skills in a brief and clean format.
Tap into the hidden job market: it’s who you know that will most likely land you a job. Network as much as you can.
Use cold-calling in your job search: it saves time and leg work with the purpose of landing an interview.

For more information and job listings visit the Georgia Department of Labor website.

Find a job at the North Georgia Career Expo and Job Fair in Dalton this Thursday

admin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:49:16 +0000

ATLANTA — State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said today that the Georgia Department of Labor and WTVC NewsChannel 9 will co-sponsor the North Georgia Career Expo and Job Fair Thursday, Nov. 19. The event will be held from 1-5 p.m. at the Northwest Georgia Trade & Convention Center, 2211 Dug Gap Battle Road, in Dalton. The event is expected to attract 60 employers with job openings.

“We are pleased to partner with WTVC NewsChannel 9 to bring this opportunity to job seekers and employers in the Dalton area,” said Commissioner Thurmond. “North Georgia Career Expo and Job Fair is an important step in laying the foundation for a return to economic growth and prosperity in our state. I encourage job seekers to attend and take full advantage of the resources that will be available.” Mike Costa, general manager of WTVC NewsChannel 9, said, “We’re excited about co-sponsoring this career expo and job fair with the Georgia Department of Labor. We have a long-standing commitment to our community and its economic well-being that includes helping to connect job seekers with employers. This event exemplifies our commitment to helping people find good, stable employment.” Employers expected to participate include: 2 Work, LLC, AFLAC, Alpha Healthcare/Alpha Nursing Services, American General Life and Accident Insurance Company, Amerigroup Community Care, Arbonne, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Arden International, Convergys, Employment Seeker, GEAR Grass Roots, Georgia Department of Labor Human Resources, Golden Living Center of Rome-Health and Rehab Center, Hamilton Health Care System, Hutcheson Medical Center, Identity Theft Business Solutions (IDTBS), Images 2 Health, Juice Plus, Juice Plus-NSA, Kool Smiles, Mandura, Mercy Senior Care, Midlantic Communications Group, LLC, Mohawk Industries, Now and Forever Your Franchise Resource, Pampered Chef, Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, Powerconnects, Inc., Prepaid Legal Services, Primary Healthcare Center, PrimeCare Nursing Services, Inc., Primerica Financial Services, Quality Staffing, Roehl Transport, Inc., Rome Police Department, Rome Radio Partners, Roosevelt Warm Springs Center for Rehabilitation, Second Chance Placement Services, Shaw Industries, T-Mobile, Temporary Resource Personnel, Tupperware, Wachovia Bank, Waggoners Trucking, and several military and governmental agencies. In addition to employers with jobs to fill, the event will feature approximately 20 resource and community service providers. Among them will be two-and-four-year public and private educational institutions and technical colleges whose representatives will provide information about education and training opportunities. Job seekers should bring information on their work history, updated resumes, be prepared to fill out company applications, and dress appropriately to interview for current job openings. Job seekers will have access to computers that can be used for online job search and resume preparation. Those needing a new resume will be able to consult one-on-one with certified resume advisors and print copies of the resume. A series of workshops will be presented throughout the event on such topics as how to make informed career decisions and how to better handle personal finances after a job loss. And, assistive technology will be provided and extensive information will be available from certified vocational counselors to help people with disabilities succeed in the workplace.

What are drug tests at Georgia schools really costing you?

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:08:24 +0000

By Ben Baker

According to a Drugs Don’t Work program coordinator who spoke at a Chamber of Commerce meeting a while back the two Georgia teachers’ unions, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) and the Georgia Association of Educators, may cost tax payers millions of dollars each year because the unions blocked an effort to have teachers tested for drug use.

Why does it cost taxpayers millions each year?

Because Georgia has a program called Drugs Don’t Work. Any business which signs up for this program saves an automatic 7.5 percent on workman’s comp insurance premiums. By signing up for Drugs Don’t Work, a business agrees to randomly test employees for drug use, offer counseling help for those with problems and a few other items which work to reduce drug and alcohol use in the workplace.

The folks behind this are not blowing smoke either. It really works. Studies of companies which have gone to Drugs Don’t Work are showing increases in worker productivity, decreases in accidents and lost work time. So, in addition to saving money on workman’s comp, companies are seeing a brighter bottom line.

Teachers unions stood up in Atlanta and pointedly refused to let teachers be tested for drugs, blocking school systems from participating in Drugs Don’t Work.

So why do the teachers’ unions not want Georgia teachers to be tested for drugs?

The reasons vary depending who you ask and simply don’t add up. Privacy concerns. Workplace ethics. The cost of the testing (which is less than what would be saved by joining Drugs Don’t Work). Claiming it’s another “unfunded mandate.” A concern that it could lead to student drug testing of students involved in sports. And other reasons which all have about the same amount of logic and validity.

There’s a term in the student testing statement which which bears brief examination. In Georgia where High School Football is undisputed king of Friday night, drug-testing the star running back is far more of a concern than drug-testing the assistant coach. I don’t know the exact numbers of star football players who’d get booted off the team with a mandatory drug testing program, but I suspect we’d see a sharp reduction in the lineup. I’m not picking on football. I’d expect the same rate of students being yanked off other sports programs. Not picking on sports either, go down the line for all after-school activities in which one school competes against or meets with one or more schools. That’s Band, JROTC, Scientific teams like the Electric Vehicle competition, FCCLA, FHA, 4-H (which is a quasi-school function), Chess and so forth. Maybe not Chess. But I can’t say for sure either.

Student testing would also be much more expensive than testing teachers. Students, after all, outnumber teachers about 20:1 or more. Besides which, there’s a second issue with students. Outrage would explode across high school campuses as irate parents accuse school systems of faking, misinterpreting and mixing-up drug tests results. I can hear it now – “My child simply does not use drugs. Your test is mistaken.” Besides, drug testing wouldn’t work – how many students actually ride the bench these days because their grades aren’t up to par? But that’s a different subject.

For years now, I’ve covered local school systems in Georgia. For years, I’ve covered local law enforcement in Georgia. Where the two meet, I’ve been standing to the side with camera and notepad. I’ve seen the drug sweeps in high schools. I’ve walked beside the canine units (drug sniffing dogs) in the parking lots. I’ve seen the dogs indicate drugs in the same teachers’ vehicles year in year out. A law enforcement check of the vehicle turns up nothing concrete, but the dogs don’t lie. Even the school administrators roll their eyes when the dogs approach certain teachers’ vehicles. The admin knows what’s going to happen.

The real reason the teachers unions oppose the testing is another reason the unions don’t want you to know.

PAGE and GAE protect bad teachers. PAGE and GAE expend serious money and effort every year to keep incompetent teachers in the classroom. That statement, no doubt, is going to infuriate both unions, but it is true. I estimate about 20 to 25 percent of Georgia’s teachers are functionally illiterate. Sure, they can read and write, but they can’t do either well enough to adequately get a point across to students. I know this for a fact because as editor of a community newspaper, I have to edit the literary landfills they pass to the newspaper for publication. After more than 20 years of worksmithing, I can tell the difference between honest mistakes and someone who doesn’t know how to write properly.

The unions won’t admit to intentionally protecting the bad teachers. But the same blanket of protection thrown over the good teachers covers the bad teachers. PAGE and GAE won’t honestly own up to the faults inherent in such blanket policies, nor will they give serious effort to correcting these deficiencies. Both unions block reform efforts and the General Assembly listens to them each winter at the Capitol. At the national level, it’s this kind of union attitude which led to the No Child Left Behind federal legislation (which is almost as bad as the unions).

Once you wade past the unions’ hype and the hyperbolic venting, you’re going to be left with a painful reality.

The teachers unions work against teachers being accountable.

In a sense, the unions have to do that. Teachers today are faced with classroom education issues that were unthinkable 20 years ago. Classroom shootings, drugs, parents who side with their children no matter what the evidence shows. My own brother, a high school English teacher, witnessed a student masturbate in class one day. Incredible but true. Teachers today have to be momma, daddy, pastor, psychiatrist, judge, jury & jailer as well as instructor. It’s a herculean task very few teachers are up to.

But, the unions also won’t seriously work to bring about the real reforms needed to put teachers in control of the classroom. Instead, the unions increase lobbying efforts toward more teacher job protection, pay and benefits. The General Assembly reports and union assessments of the legislators bear me out.

Our students lack books, paper, supplies, computers and other learning materials, yet we have football coaches making more than $65,000 a year. We have administrators who push paper making close to $100,000 a year and that is not the system superintendent.

Before you decide to come find me and turn me in to a human landfill, let me point out the real problem.

I am most emphatically not saying the problem with Georgia’s schools are the teachers (the problem with Georgia’s schools in order are: the parents, the students, politicians, lawyers, administrations and then teachers). I am most emphatically saying our best and brightest teachers are being driven out of teaching and those coming up to replace them are often quickly disillusioned and quit. The demand for teachers in Georgia’s schools supports that statement. The teachers who stay, or more accurately, are left behind are increasingly marginal teachers. The hackneyed phrase “Those who can do; those who can’t, teach” is becoming ever more true in Georgia’s public schools.

Lest I leave our good teachers feeling they are insulted, that is not my intent. Georgia is blessed with some awesome educators. These men and women have my highest respect. I sincerely wish them well. They have my support. I wish they had the real support of the teachers’ unions.

This hemorrhaging of our best teachers could stop, if our teachers were allowed to teach. That means giving them the support they need. That means putting emphasis on accountability and then LETTING THEM TEACH. If the two unions will get serious about accountability in teachers, the unions will have my support. I just don’t see that happening.

Try some pizza with pizzazz at Ingleside Village Pizza

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:04:18 +0000

Next time you’re in Macon, Georgia be sure to stop by Ingleside Village Pizza. Ingleside features a wide variety of great hand-tossed, New-York style pizzas and boasts the largest offering of domestic and imported beer in town.

On our visit we were daring ordered the “White “ pizza which comes with Ricotta cheese, spinach and mushrooms. We also tried the “Ultimate Pizza” which has, well, everything. Both were fresh, hot and delicious. The food is great, but the best part of your dining experience is how the restaurant is decorated. The interior is festooned with colored lights, marionettes, lamps and all kinds of unusual artifacts. The exterior is covered with murals, so as you are driving by you can’t miss it.

Ingleside Village Pizza is located at 2396 Ingleside Avenue, Macon, GA 31204. Phone: 478-750-8488. Website: http: //www.ingleside villagepizza.com

Book review: Weird, Wacky, Wild Georgia Trivia

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:28:59 +0000

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction as you’ll discover in an updated version of Weird, Wacky, Wild Georgia Trivia by authors Stephanie Watson and Lisa Wojna published by Blue Bike Books.
The town of Gainesville, Georgia claims the title “Chicken Capital of the World” and holds the International Poultry Trade show each year. Wesleyan College in Macon was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women. The Heisman Trophy, college football’s top honor, was named after John Heisman who became coach of the Georgia Tech football team in 1904; he was also the first college football coach to get paid for coaching. Elbert County Georgia is home to “America’s Stonehenge”– six granite slabs about 19 feet tall perched on a hillside—it’s still a mystery who put them there. America’s first real gold rush was not in California but twenty years earlier in Georgia. In 1828 gold was discovered in Habersham County where thousands came to seek their fortunes. The town of Dahlonega keeps the history of the Georgia gold rush alive with a museum and mine tours. Country singer Trisha Yearwood hails from Monticello, Georgia. Rocker Elton John splits his time between his homes in England and Atlanta.

Add yourself to our Georgia business directory

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:11:39 +0000

No matter what kind of business you run, add yourself to our directory for convenient networking and referrals.


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