Edition 5-21-05

Plant City Bike Fest
1st Sat of the Month

2nd Annual
Ride to Remember Coachman Park Clearwater
May 7, 2005 9 AM

2nd Annual
Pete Renner Cancer Poker Run
Harley Davidson Ft Myers
June 6, 2005 11:00AM

Jim Finn, the noted biologist, was stumped. He'd spent months studying the little green frogs in the Keefo swamp.
The population, despite all efforts at predator control, was declining at an alarming rate.

Finally, Finn went to the chemistry department at his college to see if anyone there might be able to help. Tom Trom looked into the problem and came up with a solution.
The little frogs had succumbed to a chemical change in the swamp's water and simply couldn't stay coupled long enough to reproduce. Trom brewed up a new adhesive, made from a dash of this, a zoss of that and, most critically, one part sodium.

"You mean?" Jim said when told.

"Yes," said Tom, "they needed mono-sodium glue to mate."

When packing, pack all your valuables, meds, swim- suit, and coverup in your carry-on bag. this way if your luggage should get lost you can still start your vacation.

When cleaning your computer or TV screens never spray directly on to the glass. The cleaner may drip down the screen and damage the components. Spray the cleaner onto a soft cloth and then wipe the screen.

The country's largest jail system has launched a pilot project with Alanco Technologies to track inmates using the technology, also known as RFID.

The first phase will involve setting up an RFID system in the 1,800-inmate east facility of the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, Calif., by fall 2005. If it succeeds, and funding can be obtained, the county will spread the system throughout its prison facilities.

In prison networks with such technology, RFID readers are planted throughout a jail in such large numbers that bracelet-wearing inmates can be continually tracked. When an inmate comes within range of a sensor, it detects his or her presence and records the event in a database. Thus, if an assault occurs at night, prison officials can look at the RFID logs and identify who was at the scene at the time of the incident. Tampering with the bracelet sends an alarm to the system. The system can also warn of gang gatherings. c/net.com

Pet accidents can be taken care of with baking soda.
If the pet has an accident, sprinkle with baking soda and let dry, then vacuum. The baking soda will take care of the stain and the odor. This is much cheaper than the store pet cleaner, and is just as good.

WHITE SPRINGS – Si Kahn, one of the nation’s most recognized musicians performing songs about social issues, will perform May 27 at the 53rd Florida Folk Festival. The Florida Folk Festival will be held at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Stephen Foster State Park. Kahn will perform as part of the sacred music concerts on Sunday at the Festival.

More than 300 performers will be at the Festival, including musicians, dancers, storytellers, crafters and vendors selling traditional and ethnic food. Stephen Foster State Park is located near the intersections of I-10 and I-75 in north central Florida. The Florida Folk Festival is administered under the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Recreation and Parks. For more information on the Festival, visit www.FloridaFolkFestival.com.

The Associated Press

May 18, 2005 A federal appeals court ruling will allow Myrtle Beach to use different traffic routing plans for two biker festivals this month, despite a lawsuit that claims the practice discriminates against black bikers.

The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday stopped a lower court judge's order that forced the city to implement similar plans for the Carolina Harley-Davidson Dealers Association Myrtle Beach Rally and the Atlantic Beach Bikefest.

After the appeals court ruling was issued, Myrtle Beach city officials said two-way traffic would be allowed on busy Ocean Boulevard during the Harley-Davidson rally, which is attended by mostly white bikers. Officials said one-way traffic will be required during the Atlantic Beach Bikefest, where most attendees are black.

The traffic plan for the Harley-Davidson rally will be in effect from Thursday until Sunday; the plan for the bike rally will be in place May 27-30.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People claims the one-way traffic pattern discourages attendance. In a lawsuit filed two years ago, the civil rights group alleges the city treats black bikers differently than bikers at the other rally. The lawsuit is awaiting trial.

City officials say the one-way traffic pattern makes the Bikefest crowd easier to manage.

The city had announced plans last week to require one-way traffic at both rallies after U.S. District Judge Terry Wooten ordered bikers at the rallies to be treated the same. Wooten said race was a "motivating factor" when traffic plans were decided and said the NAACP likely will succeed in its lawsuit against the city.

The appeals court's one-page ruling supersedes Wooten's injunction and grants a stay for the city without explanation. Unlike Wooten's ruling, the appeals court expressed "no view as to the ultimate merits of the case."

The NAACP is studying the legal options before deciding its next move, spokesman John C. White said.

Michael Navarre, an attorney for the NAACP, said he was not sure whether there would be time for another court to overrule the stay before the Bikefest starts on May 27.

"The city wasn't going to give black bikers relief anyway," he said. "Nothing is changing for black bikers. The lives of Harley riders are going to be better."

The Rev. Kenneth E. Floyd, president of the NAACP's branch in Conway, said the group will stick with plans to monitor both rallies to ensure equal treatment.

Police: Gangs an 'issue'
05/18/05 Mary T. Phelan
Baltimore County Police Chief Terrence Sheridan is requesting money to set up a gang investigation unit to head off what he calls an "emerging issue."

In seeking a grant from the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention, Sheridan also is calling for a prosecutor to work specifically with the gang unit. The exact amount of the grant request has not been determined.

"We wouldn't classify it as a problem," Blake told the group. "What we would classify it as is an issue."

The county has had about 1,000 known gang members since 2000, according to Blake. About 60 percent live in the Woodlawn, Franklin and Essex police precincts, he said.

Officials said they also are concerned with a recent emergence of what they call outlaw motorcycle gangs. The gangs, such as the Pagans, Hell's Angels and Knights of the Road, started to show up in the Wilkens precinct several years ago and have spread into Dundalk and Essex.

"Right now, the motorcycle gangs are feuding with each other and not the citizenry." Blake said. Members of the Pagans, Hell's Angels and Knights of the Road are fighting over territory, he said.

Police in the county have identified fewer than 30 members of another high-profile gang, the notorious Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13 gang, based in California and the District of Columbia. Of those, only a few actually have a Baltimore County address, Zaryk said, whereas Prince George's County has been "inundated" with the Mara Salvatrucha group.

"We don't want them to set up shop here," Zaryk said.

Blake and Zaryk look for six indicators to identify a gang member: tattoos, graffiti, the colors a person chooses to wear, his or her style of dress, hand signs and language.

Due to concerns about the possibility of additional terrorist activity directed against American citizens and interests, the Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia. The United States Mission in Saudi Arabia remains an unaccompanied post as a result of continued security concerns. Non-emergency employees and all dependents of the U.S. Embassy Riyadh and Consulates General Jeddah and Dhahran were ordered to leave the country on April 15, 2004. An armed attack on the U.S. Consulate General in Jeddah occurred on December 6, 2004, resulting in casualties among the non-American staff and damage to consulate facilities. Although counter-terrorism efforts have succeeded in diminishing terrorist capabilities in Saudi Arabia, terrorist groups continue to target housing compounds and other establishments where Westerners may be located. Saudi Government facilities are also targets. In addition to car bombs and armed assaults involving multiple gunmen against such facilities, terrorists have used ambush attacks to kidnap and/or assassinate individual Westerners.

The Olathe company on Monday announced a deal with Harley-Davidson Inc. to build GPS navigation systems for Harley Road Glide and Electra Glide motorcycles.

Garmin will adapt its compact Quest GPS device for the Harley cycles.

The new product, called the Roadtech Quest, will be offered by Harley as an option.The Quest also can be retrofitted for most Road Glide and Electro Glide motorcycles manufactured since 1998.

"By equipping the Road Glide and Electra Glide with a proven GPS navigator, bikers can enjoy the ride instead of worrying about how to get there," said Gary Kelley, Garmin's director of marketing.

The waterproof Garmin Roadtech Quest offers automatic route calculation and turn-by-turn, voice-prompted directions to addresses or points of interest. The voice commands are channeled through the cycle's audio system or an earbud.

We've all heard of solar heating, but if you have a backyard and haven't considered drying your clothes on a line outside, think about it now. Line drying ia a terrific way to conserve energy, and it really does leave your clothes smelling fresh and static- free.