Georgia Carnival: Edition 30

Welcome to a very late 30th edition of the Georgia Carnival.

So, I guess you’re wondering why the carnival was late. I totally missed my Friday publish date, and I apologize. Here’s the reason….

The last two days have been a flurry of house cleaning, grocery buying, and so forth to prepare for a gathering of teenage girls (including my own 15 year old daughter) at my house. They are participating in Discipleship Now which basically is a weekend of fun, food, worship, and Bible study for youth. They meet in small groups and stay overnight at a host home and also meet up with other small groups for large meetings at a participating church. Several churches in my area are participating this weekend. I found out two days ago I would need to allow an invasion of my home…..Yikes! As the girls and their leaders arrived tonight I told them if they held their life dear they would not open any closet doors for any reason. They are packed to the ceiling. :)

Yes, I admit it…..I chose preparing for my daughter and her friends over posting the carnival. I’m been frantic all day checking off things on my “to do list” and just never quite reached the entry “post Georgia Carnival”. I’m very sorry.

It’s now 12:30 a.m. and I have to be up in six hours to provide a sit-down breakfast before the girls head off to another meeting and a service project. So, without further ado here is OUR Georgia Carnival sans categories because, well……just because:

Several days ago many people west of Atlanta heard a loud boom. Join me over at History Is Elementary for possible explanations regarding the source of the sound. It was satisfying to finally discover the source, but it was also alarmed me as well.

Jenuine Jen at Jen’s Genuine Life gives us information regarding North Atlanta Consignment Sales.

Less Than a Shoestring wants to let everyone know about Travel on a Shoestring Carnivals. They highlight budget travel tips and destinations around the U.S. and the world. They would love to feature your posts on Georgia hotels, restaurants, museums, churches, hikes, daytrips, parks, whatever! Submit by the second Wednesday of each month.

The Other Athens opines about per pupil expenditures, the benefit for Sgt. Courtney Gale, the fact that several former U.S. Secretaries of State will be visiting Athens on March 27, GOP District Winners, and public school accreditation follies.

Candace over at Mommy Matters has a great new look and she recounts her adventures as Super Mom.

Christianity in Space? John over at Grasping for the Wind interviews Chris Walley author of The Lamb Among the Stars.

Freddie Sirmans provides us with a presidential election nightmare, ponderings regarding a starvation crisis, and he asks, “Can the street gang issue be solved?”

Atypical Joe is thinking about humanely killed animals. Hmmmm…..is there such a thing?

Oh my! A post that mentions masturbation, election 2008, and tidbits from history…..click over to GriftDrift’s offering titled Little Earthquakes. What an appropriate title!

Shelbinator serves up video coverage of the hearing on the proposed Human Life Amendment. Could it be a capital crime? Shelbinator also shares video interviews from the Computation + Journalism new media-type conference at GaTech, where old school media learned how to make the most of technology.

SpaceyG was also at the Computation + Journalism conference. She shares a video she produced from her new blog, Mostly Media, titled How to Do It Right.

Susan over at Patchwork Reflections shares her Impatience.

Pastor Bill from Provocative Church wants to share a recently reported trend from the Barna Organization and says, “God is not a Republican or a Democrat.”

Dave over at Extraface wants to know, “Anyone Lose an Albino Ferret?”

The Oconee Democrat says, Oconee County, Georgia is mired in an economic slump where 3,000 lots are unbuilt in various subdivisions and the restaurants are already closing in the latest evidence of a recession in Northeast Georgia. The Board of Commissioners are considering allowing restaurants to pour beer and wine outside the municipalities .” Yep, beer and wine will see its time before the Oconee Country commissioners.

Felicia over at Fluffy Flowers tells us all about the Macon dog park.

By now you should know about the border dispute between Georgia and Tennessee that incorporates our water woes. According to Sky Girl Style local radio stations are getting into the fray making it an issue of peaches versus water.

Paw Paw Bill presents Almost-Presidents Day and Watch Your Wallet and Jekyll Island posted at Paw Paw Bill.

Kiki presents ElectroSweaterGold posted at Radlanta, saying, "Hey Sirk, I'd love it if you told the world of Atlanta about our new blog for Radical Atlantans called "Radlanta!" -- it's basically a resource for events and programs in/around Atlanta that are radical, underground, subversive alternative or different fun and entertainment and politics!"

Steve Williams presents 2008 Official Georgia Highway Map posted at The Georgia Road Geek.

Clear your calendars for March 14-16, 2008. The Cobb Galleria Centre will be hosting The American Craft Show. Artists in the show are selected through a rigorous annual jury process, to assure the admission of museum-quality work. Ten Georgia-based artists have been juried in this year. Artists include Atlantan Michael Gilmartin; Alpharettan Kirsten Stingle; Marietta residents Ricky Frank, Timothy Sullivan and Beth Tarkington; Athens resident Annette Paskiewicz; Carrollton-based musicians Martin & Scott; Lavonia resident Angelika Brennecke-Robolin; and Social Circle’s Gayle Pritchard. Show Hours are Friday & Saturday, March 14-15: 10am-6pm; and Sunday, March 16: 10am-5pm. Ticket prices are $12 for one day; $18 for a two-day pass and children 12 and under are admitted free. American Craft Council members and those who join at the show are admitted free. To preview the show and to purchase tickets online, please visit: http://mail01.mail.com/scripts/mail/www.craftcouncil.org. For directions to Cobb Galleria Centre, visit: http://www.cobbgalleria.com/. Free parking available.

The next carnival will be hosted over at Shelbinator.com two weeks from today. If you maintain a Georgia blog and would like to host the carnival at your site e-mail me to set up a date. It’s a great way to put your own personal spin on the carnival.

The last edition of the Georgia carnival can be found at here, and the carnival archives are found here.

As always I appreciate your support, your links, and your submissions.....even when the posting is a bit late. :)

Did You Hear Something Last Thursday Night?

Last Thursday night many people in west of Atlanta heard a very loud boom. I have been on a journey all week trying to discover what it was. Was it a sonic boom, an earthquake, satellite debris as it re-entered the atmosphere? What about the Seneca Guns?

I've posted my journey here. Go on over and discover what made the boom.

What Is a Blog Carnival?

Not too long ago a Georgia blogger sent me an email and wanted more information about the Georgia Blog Carnival. Perhaps it is time to revisit the topic, so here is the answer I forwarded.

A carnival is like an online magazine. Some appear weekly, bi-monthly (like the Georgia Carnival), or monthly. There are hundreds of them in the blogosphere and they all have some sort of topic they work around. You can find them by going to the blog carnival hub at the Blog Carnival Hub, and click on the link that says browse carnivals (I think the link is in the top right corner).

Readers enjoy carnivals because you get several different blog posts in one posting that all have a unifying characteristic. For example, the Georgia Carnival has many different blog postings from many different sites. The unifying characteristic is that all of the blogs are based in Georgia. Bloggers like to read carnivals because they get to see what others are doing with their blogs, and if you are really busy it's a time-saving way of getting out and meeting other bloggers on-line. Visiting the various blogs that submit to a carnival help me to see what's new...maybe someone has a great new layout I'd like for my blog, or they have a button I like, or perhaps their opinion fires me up to write about the subject at my own site. Many people who don't have a blog visit blog carnivals as well.

Bloggers like to submit to carnivals because it gains exposure for their blog because they become part of a community. At my education and history site, History Is Elementary, I submit weekly to the Education Carnival and try to submit monthly to the History Carnival because those two on-line magazines best fit the topics I write about. By submitting to those carnivals I know what is going on in the education and history communities in the blogosphere, I develop on-line aquaintances with many in the field of education and history that would probably never happen offline or would occur at a slower pace in the "real" world.

Submitting to a carnival also gains your site a link and a mention somewhere else. This helps your blog to be seen and moves it up in the rankings. The more you are linked to the better for you. Many of the carnivals rotate host. This means for each edition of the carnival someone different is linking to you and mentioning your site in some way. This is good. While many of us write for our own pleasure it can be a lonely little blogworld if you never have any visits, you know?

So.....to get really specific about the question....how does the carnival work exactly....you choose a post from your site that you want to submit. It can be an opinion piece about anything, a play-by-play on your day, something that bugs you, anything really. Send me the permalink for the post (the url address that will take me specifically to that post in isolation), and it is the job of the current host (usually me) to take all of the submissions and present them by topics or in some other creative way in one posting at their site by the next edition date for the carnival.

I generally send out a reminder before the due dates for each carnival and I generally send out the permalink for the carnival to the bloggers that submitted a post, so they can link to it. Of course, links from bloggers who don’t have a post in the carnival are appreciated as well. In this way other Georgia bloggers are mentioning the carnival at their site, notifying their readers, and this means more people are visiting and most importantly....finding your site. :)

The next edition of the Georgia Blog Carnival will post this Friday here at Georgia on My Mind.

Submissions must be from a Georgia-based blog OR the post must concern the state of Georgia in some way if the blog is based elsewhere. Submissions can be sent to gamind@mail.com or use the handy blog carnival submission form.

I can't wait to read your submission!

The Hollidays, the Hamiltons, and the Wilkes: A Real Connection?

One of the first historical periods I became captivated with was the Civil War era. By fourth grade I had read every book Eastern Elementary had to offer. By sixth grade I had worked my way through every book detailing the war in the juvenile section of the College Park library and had started on the adult section.

It didn’t matter what genre the book was. I looked at picture books, books on battles, biographies, autobiographies, expansive tomes full of fact after fact, and fictional accounts from Across Five Aprils to Gone with the Wind.

When Westgate Theatre (across Lakewood Freeway from Greenbriar Mall) had a special showing of Gone with the Wind my mother made sure she took me. I had loved the book, but I absolutely fell in love with the movie because the characters were brought to life so well. Who could read the book again and not see Scarlett, Mammy, Pork, or Melanie as the appeared in the movie?

When I first read the book the relationship between Melanie and Ashley shocked me. I was deeply disturbed by first cousins marrying. I knew it happened, and I love my family connections, but….the line has to be drawn somewhere, you know? In my own family we kid about family connections because my mom’s immediate relatives are the same on my grandfather’s side of the family as they are on my grandmother’s……..father and son married half-sisters.

Of course in the past marrying your cousin was an acceptable way for families to keep their holdings intact much like European royal families throughout history. As a young girl the cousin factor creeped me out, but it was clear the couple had great admiration and love for each other even though Scarlett chose to ignore it and plow ahead with what she thought she wanted.

Like any great author Margaret Mitchell wrote about something familiar to her. Growing up she had thrived on the stories of family members who had experienced the days before and following the Civil War, so it makes sense she would have based some of her characters on people she knew.

So what about Ashley and Melanie? Well, the story goes that Margaret Mitchell based the characters on her own relatives Melanie Holliday and John Henry “Doc” Holliday. Yes, the same Doc Holliday of O.K. Corral fame.

Like many other bits of historical trivia there is no definitive confirmation that Mitchell based the characters of Ashley and Melanie on her cousins….in other words I’ve seen no source quoting Mitchell verifying the fact, but there are some coincidences.

Doc Holliday was born in Griffin, Georgia, but following the death of his mother the family moved to Valdosta where Holliday lived under the same roof with his cousin Melanie for some time.

Not wanting to reinvent the wheel this site uses Sylvia D. Lynch’s Aristocracy Outlaw as a source and words the events much better that I can stating:

Martha (Mattie) Holliday was the daughter of Doc's father's brother Robert. Doc's father had moved his family away from Griffin Georgia during the Civil War to protect them when Sherman did his famous "Marching Through Georgia" and its occupation, relocating them to Valdosta, at the southern end of the state. Robert Holliday, Doc's uncle was in the War, and at just about the same time as Doc's father relocated to Valdosta, Mrs. Robert Holliday and her children fled their home before the battle of Jonesboro, returning home later to find the house dissassembled for its wood, which had been used as breastworks. She then loaded her family up and headed for Valdosta, and sought refuge with Doc's family.

Mattie was among the children she brought with her and they stayed under the same roof for approximately a year. Bob Boze Bell relates that "Mattie forms a close friendship with young John.”

Significant is the fact that upon her death in 1939, Mattie, (Sister Melanie since 1883) had in her possession a photo of John, one of his graduation photos. Equally significant, in fact may be that Doc's Colorado obituary "reported that he had only one correspondent among his relatives. That person was his beautiful first cousin, Mattie Holliday, who was apparently the only family member with whom John continually maintained contact after he left Georgia. Many researchers have theorized that the young cousins were romantically involved and would have married if John had not contracted consumption and been forced to leave home." Mattie did enter a convent, did not enter service as a nun until 1883 (she served the next fifty six years as Sister Mary Melanie), her reasons are not known, but she had received her education at St. Vincent's Academy, where she later returned as a Sister of Charity novitiate. What is known is that she preserved the letters she received from Doc, and had reported to relatives that "if the world could see the correspondence she had in her possession, they would most definitely see a different John Holliday." Some relatives report that before her death, Mattie destroyed some of these letters. Lynch says, "It is regrettable that more than twenty years of John Holliday's life may have been chronicled in the letters he wrote to the one person in the world to whom he felt he could open his heart, and that information is now lost forever. When John and Mattie lived under the same roof during the final years of the War, John was thirteen and Mattie was about fifteen. It is very likely that the cousins were close and enjoyed a bond that lasted into their adult lives, as apparent from their continuing correspondence."

Those letters not destroyed by Mattie herself were later burned by another family member who "burned them to end curious inquiries into the nature of their content." This burning has backfired on that intent, since the destruction served to increase speculation, not quelch it. Lynch puts forward the scenario of "a caring nun who had a special cousin who needed someone in whom he could confide the anger, the frustration, and the disappointment he felt life had dealt him. Sister Melanie was most likely John's only contact with home and the world he was forced to leave behind, and may have been the messenger who carried word of his death to his father."

Tom Barnes has written the book Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone where he uses a mixture of verified facts and fiction to recount the relationship between Doc Holliday and Mattie and how Doc ended up heading west.

The relationship between Doc Holliday and Melanie aren’t the only mysteries surrounding the one of the better known heroes of the Wild West….this site provides not only the speculation that surrounds Doc Holliday’s real grave site but includes a photograph of Melanie as well.

Travel to Fayetteville, Georgia and you can visit the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House, built in 1855 by John Stiles Holliday, Doc Holliday’s uncle. There are several exhibits to stroll through and the docents love to tell visitors about all of the Gone with the Wind connections.

There’s also the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum in Atlanta, and don’t forget historical Jonesboro.

Georgia Carnival: Edition 29

The Georgia Carnival is open for business over at History Is Elementary.

There’s a well rounded selection of postings there for you to enjoy. Topics range from the Euro dollar to the 411 Connector, from Home Depot to Georgia history, from Lent to love to watching television online, from musing about our modern era to a behind the scenes look at Republican precinct meetings and a look at character. Photo tours, an author that has written a goblin trilogy, taxes, and a strong show of creativity abound in the Peach state round out the selections.

So, check the carnival out and have a great Georgia weekend!

A Pox Upon Southern Bell

Yes, yes, yes, the Georgia Carnival will post tomorrow over at History Is Elementary.

No, no, no I did not send out reminders regarding submissions today.

Why?

Southern Bell had connectivity problems practically all day today leaving many high and dry.

So, if you have a post to submit to the Georgia Carnival you may forward your link to gamind@mail.com by midnight tonight.

Hopefully and God willing that Southern Bell can keep their act together for another day the carnival will post tomorrow here.

Moses Allen...A Great Georgia Transplant

Finding a born and bred Georgian these days is a little like finding a needle in a haystack especially in the Atlanta area. Fuss all you want to about transplants, but over the years they have helped drag Georgia into the civilized world by attempting to eradicate the negatives alongside natives while assimilating into all things Georgia by keeping the many, many positives our unique culture provides. I love transplants….I’d better anyway….my father-in-law happens to be one. However, transplants aren’t just a 20th and 21st century aspect of living in the modern South. We had them during the American Revolution as well.

Recently I posted 1,2,3,4...I Declare a Paper War over at History Is Elementary. In the post I combined a classroom management strategy with some very poor poetry President James Madison wrote while he was a student at Jersey College….today’s Princeton. It had been quite awhile since I had thought about the strategy or the fact that President Madison had participated in a little harmless “frat boy” fun while in college so I wanted to get my facts straight. When I went back to the stacks to check my sources the name of a friend of Madison caught my attention……Moses Allen.

Rev. Allen was from Massachusetts and attended Jersey College at the same time as young Madison. Visit the post (link above) to find out how “frat boys” in the 1700s had fun. In the meantime I’d like to focus on Moses Allen and his connection to Georgia.

Moses Allen did graduate from college and he became a minister. During the American Revolution he took the position of minister at Midway Congregational Church (an image of the church is with this post) making him a northern transplant. My students are often very disappointed that the colony of Georgia was not as involved in events leading up to the Revolution as the colonies of Massachusetts and Virginia, so I’m always looking for great stories and events to share with them involving their “homeland”. The story of Moses Allen is one such series of events.

The community of Midway was the focal point of Patriot activity in the colony of Georgia leading up to Lexington and Concord and afterward. Immediately upon arriving at Midway, Rev. Allen became involved in speaking out from the pulpit against the British even going so far as to advise his congregation to take up arms. When the First Georgia Continental Battalion was formed Rev. Allen took the position as their chaplain.

Early in 1778 the British marched north from Florida with the community at Midway as their target along with Savannah. British leaders ordered the meeting house to be burned along with many other buildings and stored crops were destroyed.

By December, 1778, Rev. Allen was taken prisoner along with members of his battalion. While the officers were taken to Sunbury where they were paroled, the reverend was taken along with the other men to Savannah where they were placed on British prisoner-of-war ships. Allen’s sermons had not made him a popular figure among the British.

When researching British prison ships used during the Revolution it is very easy to find published accounts dealing with the events in the North mainly focusing on the ships that were stationed in New York’s harbor, however, after Saratoga the focus of the British switched to the South, and prisoner-of-war ships were soon seen from Savannah’s shores.

This article is one online source I found that mentions prisoner-of-war ships in the South. The ships were terrible places to be even though early reporting tended to dismiss the severity of life onboard and deaths as a result of imprisonment were often underreported. The article mentioned above states the Americans that were captured in and around Savannah in 1778 wre held until there was an exchange in 1779, but jails soon filled up again and another prison ship was requested from New York. Pierre Colomb, a Frenchman in a Georgia unit of the Continental Army remembered that over 300 soldiers were held on the ships and that six prisoners had to sleep in a space only five feet wide.

Colomb wrote:

Scurvy was rampant, at least three or four wretches a day died, and this number was soon increased to ten or twelve, the brutal nature of their diseases leaving to others only the task of throwing the bodies overboard. The number of sick increased every day. The poisoned air we breathed affected even the healthiest among us, and yet no help was forthcoming, no medicines, no fresh supplies of any sort.
The article goes on to state …the prospect of confinement on a prison ship also served as a powerful inducement to join the king’s side. Horror stories of New York prison ships had made such vessels infamous by the time the Southern campaign had started. One rebel protested that “all that will not agree to take Arms [the British] are sending on board Prison ships." Seemingly, the threat was successful. Continental General Nathanael Greene wrote in May, 1781 that “one third of the force employed [against us] in the southern states, if we are to form a judgement from the prisoners we take, are deserters from our Army, and prisoners enlisted from our captives.”
This Newsday article focuses mainly on ship conditions in the North, but helps to create a graphic image of what life aboard the ships was like. The article states there were various ways to get off the prison ships. The British had a standing offer that an prisoner could be released immediately if he joined the British forces, and an unidentified number did so. Prisoners who carried money with them could buy their way off the ship. Others managed to escape. Also, prisoner exchanges were quite common, with officers exchanged for officers, seamen for seamen, soldiers for soldiers. But for vast numbers of prisoners, there were only two possibilities: death or the end of the war, whichever came first.
Rather than choose the squalid conditions aboard the prison ships Rev. Allen opted to throw himself overboard in an attempt to escape on February 8, 1779. Sadly he was drowned in the attempt. The story goes that a few of his friends found his body along the river shore, but the British refused to provide any boards to construct a coffin.

This site contains the text of a letter written by Rev. Allen in 1777 along with two sites for publications containing information regarding his life.

New Blogs and Submissions Are Due!

The current Georgia Blog Carnival can be found here. The next edition will post here at my other site, History Is Elementary, this coming Friday.

Submissions must be from a Georgia-based blog OR the post must concern the state of Georgia in some way if the blog is based elsewhere. Submissions can be sent to gamind@mail.com or use the handy blog carnival submission form.

The submission deadline is Thursday, February 14th, 6:00 p.m.

The following Georgia blogs have been added to the blogroll this week:

Voted Off the Island – the adventures of a Long Island baby boomer living in Atlanta

Torrence Stephens – This is the home of many interesting views including his most recent posting titled The Father of Jim Crow.

Enemy of Entropy – The “about” page at this blog states I’m TechnoMom, the Enemy of Entropy, being purposefully perverse on a screen in front of you.

Beer Pong Is Never a Good Idea – Musings on a different topics from Russell.

The last few additions all involve educational technology. Thanks to to the bloggers here
and here who sent these my way.

Cool Cat Teacher Blog Vicki Davis writes one of the THE blogs in the education sector of the blogosphere especially on the topic of technology in the classroom. I’ve been linked to her for sometime at History Is Elementary. How I forgot to link here I simply do not know….

Why Do You Ask? – the tagline states from asking questions that require an answer to asking questions that require a conversation.

EdTech411 – EdTech information from Kennesaw State University

SEGA Tech – no, not SEGA the game system, but Southeast Georgia Tech, a blog/forum for technical support specialists, technology coordinators, teachers, administrators, and others concerned about the appropriate, effective, and efficient use of technology in Southeast Goergia’s schools, and the nation, for that matter.

Georgia Bloggers: Education

The following list represents the Georgia’s Blogs on the blogroll here at Georgia on My Mind that represents education as it relates to K-12, college, and homeschool. The particular focus for each blog is also listed. If no focus is listed the blog discusses education on an ongoing basis along with other topics.

Alone on a Limb – Environmental Education and Issues, K-12

Another History Blog – College

Best Practices in Education – K-12

Cobbloviate – College

Edublog Insights – College

Educated and Poor – College

From Melissa's Desk - Homeschooling

Georgia Library Media Association

Georgia Mom – Homeschooling

Georgia Youth and High School Sports News Blog – Sports

Get Schooled-Atlanta Journal Column

History Is Elementary – K-12

Home School Journey – Homeschool

Home Sweet Home – Homeschool

Huffenglish.com – K-12

I Will Take It Lord, All You Have to Give – Homeschool

Principal's Office – K-12

Rippling Pond – K-12

Rose Cottage - Homeschool

South of the Gnat Line – Homeschool

Stephen's Untold Stories – K-12

The Ohoopee Letter News-

The Ubiquitous Librarian

Why Do You Ask?

Do you know about a Georgia blog regarding education I haven’t listed? Please contact me at gamind@mail.com to let me know, or to advise any corrections that need to be made.

Carnivals for Many Interests

Georgia blogger and fellow educator, Terrell, over at Alone on a Limb maintains the Carnival of Environmental Education. Like our own Georgia carnival it travels around to other sites every now and then. The February edition is being hosted here and Terrell advises the March edition will be returning to his blog next month. Check out all the different ways educators are using the great outdoors to engage students.

Interested in improving education? Interested in education policy? Then the education carnival is for you hosted at The Colossus of Rhodey. It’s not just lesson plans and theory. If education is your thing you can also check out the A Teacher's Life blog carnival and don’t forget the Carnival of Homeschooling.

Lots of interesting postings regarding various history topics can be found at Historia i Media. This blog is written in Polish, but a large majority of the submissions are written in English so just click through the submission links and be surprised at what you discover if you don’t have a translator program.

Finally, don't forget the last edition of the Georgia Canrival which can be found here.

Where Are the Campaign Signs?

I went and voted this morning….there’s my wonderful “I Voted” sticker to prove it. I’m wearing it as my badge of honor today and hopefully to remind those that aren’t normally involved in the democratic process to take part.

My daughter’s high school is used as a polling place. Usually the road leading up to it and the public park where I vote is littered with hundreds of campaign signs for every candidate. I even thought about it yesterday thinking campaign organizers in this area must be very busy out putting all the extra signs close to polling locations.

Today…..hardly a sign. Only two candidates had signs out in force. I saw many Ron Paul signs and several Mike Huckabee signs. There wasn’t a Democrat sign in the bunch and McCain and Romney were very absent.

Very strange.

Also it seems Neil Boortz and I have something in common. As I left my polling place he was discussing his website where he has had a poll up regarding the various candidates. His webwench, as he refers to his webmaster, had left off Ron Paul. This has resulted in hundreds of emails of complaint from the legion of supporters for Dr. Paul.

Yesterday over at History Is Elementary I posted a very simple lesson plan I had used to provide an opportunity for students to hone their comparing and contrasting skills. It was an innocent enough plan, or so I thought. I included various videos from the viable candidates that are left.

I left out Ron Paul. Oops!

Heavy sigh……..

Just a Few Additions

This week’s additions to the blogroll are:

Decatur-Dekalb – for matters of possible interest for those within 6 miles of Decatur, Ga.

inDecatur – the “about” section of this blog states Decatur is an inside the perimeter community retaining a friendly, small town atmosphere. It is in demand as a place to live, work, eat, and play. This is the oldest blog which actively covers it.

Dr. Judy Halliday – the tagline here states life lessons, coaching, and consulting from a psychological viewpoint. Find out about the recent Savannah Unconference 08 in her post Lessons Learned From a Newbie

Coastal Viewpoint – a free online local paper for Brunswick, St. Simons, Jekyll, and Sea Island. Every community needs a great online site such as this. Check it out!

Will Think 4 Wine – Love the title and love the tagline….”Wine is constant proof that God wants us to be happy.” Ben Franklin said that, and I believe him. I believe old Ben as well. This blogger states she has no particular theme for her blog. She simply writes about what she feels passionate about. Occaisionally her sisterdears are guest contributors.

Suburban Messiah – This blog is written by a candidate for a Master’s degree in Religious Studies the University of Georgia. The goal is connect religion and popular culture from a scholarly standpoint.

Here at Georgia on My Mind I also have a blogroll for blogs that mainly focus on state or local matters. Here are some additions to that blogroll as well.

Out and About in New York City

My Florida History

Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi

Remember....I need your help. I can't find all the great blogs from Georgia or the bloggers writing about specific states or places on my own. Drop me an email if I've missed one of your favorites.

The Georgia Carnival: Edition 28

Welcome to the 28th edition of the Georgia Carnival.

The next carnival will be hosted over at History Is Elementary two weeks from today. If you would like to host the carnival at your site e-mail me to set up a date. It’s a great way to put your own personal spin on the carnival.

The last edition of the Georgia carnival can be found at Georgia Politics Unfiltered, and the carnival archives are found here.

Now… on to the highlights of Georgia blogging during the past two weeks. Please support these fine Georgia bloggers by letting them know you have visited them with a comment. Your continued support with your links and shout-outs at your site helps to alert others to what we Georgia bloggers have to offer:

Blogroll News:

I finally began the process of categorizing the blogroll here at Georgia on My Mind. Notice on the left sidebar in the the section under “Archives”. I have already created links for Georgia blogs in the creative arts category and sports. I hope to get to more next week. Information regarding how I’m doing this can be found in this post.. These categories are not rigid. Please feel free to let me know the categories you want your site placed under by sending me an email. I receive several hits a week from people using the keywords “blog” and “Georgia”. By categorizing the blogroll it will make it much easier for people to find YOUR blog.

If you have a Georgia based blog and I haven't added you yet please send me an email with your link, and I'll get right to it.

Local News and Issues

I’ve walked by Doc Green’s Gourmet Salad when I’ve been to Atlantic Station (love the Dillards there), but I’ve never eaten at Doc Green’s. I’ve always chosen somewhere else. Savannah Red gives a review of Doc Green’s and the goin' ons at Atlanta Station during the Great Blizzard.

inDECATUR presents The PATH to nowhere, which reminds us about a highly publicized example of "pork" in federal spending was the "Bridge to Nowhere." In DeKalb, we may soon have a $600K "PATH to nowhere."

National Issues

Freddie Sirmans wants to know, “Can the United States prevent a starvation crisis?

Georgia Bloggers Make Their Candidates Known

ATypical Joe tells us his choice plus more in his post Veep Speculation and More.

James presents Florida Fallout (and casualties) posted at The Other Athens

Shelbinator provides a post with video titled Edwards, Obama, the Secret Service, and Me. Make sure you check out more of Shelbinator’s postings as he has been traveling around with the candidates for a a few weeks.

Dan Matthews presents Oconee for Obama posted at Oconee County, Georgia Politics - Recreation, News, Art, Music, Culture, Sports and More, saying, "Oconee County has an extremely upscale lily white golf course and country club named Jennings Mill where one would hardly expect to find an organizational meeting for Senator Barack Obama, but that is where the Presidential Candidate from Illinois is having a meeting and striking fear into the heart of all folks racist in Bogart."

Andre Walker provides The Process of Seating the Florida & Michigan Delegations (Along With an Update) posted at Georgia Politics Unfiltered where he states, “With Sen. Clinton's recent statement regarding the seating of the delegations from Florida and Michigan, I believe now is the time to examine the process of how exactly the delegates from the Wolverine State and the Sunshine State will be allowed to vote at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.”

Paw Paw Bill provides his own GOP Georgiacast posted at Paw Paw Bill.

And if you’re wondering about all of the candidates we’ve lost along the way James presents Bye-ku(es) for Presidential Wannabes posted at The Other Athens.

Diversions

John presents Weaving the Colors: An Interview with Jeffrey Overstreet posted at Grasping For The Wind.

The Guru presents 5 Great Reasons to Switch to Dish Network from Cable posted at Satellite TV Guru.

Okay, what’s worse than a dead possum all mashed up that’s been sitting on hot Georgia asphalt for a few days? Salmongirl knows. Enjoy her recollection of Liveass Possum Chasin' posted at Ashes and Glass.

I’m always amazed at the ever growing number of Mom blogs in the blogosphere. I wish they had been around when my kids were little so I could use one to record precious memories like Candace in her post Tiny Talk Tuesday over at A SAHM's Journal.

A Mashup: Religion, Culture, and Economics

Suburban Messiah is a new blog by Dan, a Religion Masters student at UGA and one of the writers for The Pasty Quail. Prosperity Gospel and American Capitalism: A natural merger? is Suburban Messiah’s first contribution to the Georgia Carnival.

Pastor Bill over at Provocative Church says, “Perhaps some of you have heard already but Forsyth County has been placed on a national list. Forbes magazine listed Forsyth County, GA as the 13th richest county in America. What does this mean for Big Creek Church and churches in our county?"

Remembering Dr. King

Paw Paw Bill presents Content of His Character and over at History Is Elementary I take look at Dr. King’s India connection.

Not Your Normal Drought Postings or Pictures

Susan’s post Under the Lake posted at Patchwork Reflections gives us a look at drought conditions at Carters Lake, some recollections, and reflection.

Are those cows on the beach? Check out Felicia’s water views over at Fluffy Flowers.

Creative Arts

Ever wonder about setting up a craft booth at a weekly Farmer's Market? Felicia has the scoop in her five part series.

Decorative Arts

Paul presents Decorative arts exhibitions posted at Curator's Corner. He says, “Two new decorative arts exhibitions at the Georgia Museum of Art are opening-- New Discoveries in Georgia Painted Furniture and Selections from the Permanent Collection: Georgia Decorative Arts Highlights.”

State Issues

James presents Just Shoot Me and Common Sense Prevails (redux) regarding gun carrying laws posted at The Other Athens.

“Regardless of what one may think of Governor Perdue on any given issue, he and the state’s First Lady have long been advocates for child welfare,” that’s how the post Children and Family Services Strengthening Act of 2008 begins over at The Other Athens.

…and What about that apology for slavery?

The next edition of the carnival will be found at History Is Elementary on Friday, February 15th. Posts can be sent to gamind@mail.com or use the handy submission form. Submissions are due Thursday, February 14th by 6:00 p.m.Thanks for your continued support of the Georgia