Global Positioning System (GPS)

sent in by Wayde Dudley....

WHAT IS GPS ?

Wayde Dudley is planning a discussion of GPS. Everyone knows a little about GPS but not many know a lot. GPS is a reasonably simple method of calculating a position on the surface of the earth. Using that position together with accurate maps allows people to navigate their way to desired places.

The theory of GPS will be explained, what equipment is involved, accuracy of positioning, limitations, uses and truths and untruths.

Plan to attend this presentation and ask your questions about GPS. The time and place will be announced after we determine the level of interest.

Editors note... Wayde asked for a poll to be created to gauge interest in this class so you will see it on the left side of the page soon.

NewsGator Online

NewsGator Online: "'Quit worrying about your health. It'll go away.'"

We know exactly where one cow with Mad-cow-disease is located
among the millions and millions of cows in America, but we haven't
got a clue as to where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists
are located. Maybe we should put the Department of Agriculture in
charge of immigration.

State Government - StatesmanJournal.com

State Government - StatesmanJournal.com: "House Bill 2639, sponsored by Rep. Vicki Berger, R-Salem, and others, would require drivers 75 and older to renew their licenses every four years instead of eight. It also would require them to take the driving-skills test, although Berger said she's willing to drop that provision to enhance the bill's chances for approval.

'I am not against old people, and I am not against old people driving,' Berger said. 'But in Oregon, we can go eight years -- eight years -- without ever having to enter the Driver and Motor Vehicle (DMV) Services office. That is a long time, and a lot of older people are not monitored by family and friends.'"

Turn Your Home Green, A Few Simple Steps Can Save You Money And Help Protect The Environment - CBS News

Turn Your Home Green, A Few Simple Steps Can Save You Money And Help Protect The Environment - CBS News: "MINIMIZING DIRT: Stop wearing shoes inside your house. It's estimated that up to 80 percent of all household dirt is brought inside by shoes and clothes. You can cut down on allergy-causing dirt by doing what many Asian households do: Leave your shoes at the door. When guests come over, offer them a cozy pair of cashmere socks to make the ritual less demanding, and more inviting. "

NewsGator Online

NewsGator Online: "Lucille Ball
2/20/2007 5:00:00 PM [rss@quotationspage.com (Quotes of the Day)]

'The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.'"

NewsGator Online

NewsGator Online: "Mae West
2/21/2007 5:00:00 PM [rss@quotationspage.com (Quotes of the Day)]

'You're never too old to become younger.'"

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | NZ fishermen land colossal squid

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | NZ fishermen land colossal squid: "world-record-breaking colossal squid.

Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said the squid, weighing an estimated 450kg (990lb),took two hours to land in Antarctic waters."























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Alerting the community

We have been tossing around ideas to come up with a signal that would alert the entire community to go to CH 5 FRS radio and find out what's happening that an alert has been called without having to spend hours dialing everyone in the park. Buying a radio and using CH5 FRS to broadcast alerts and information on CH5 are two components. The third, alerting the community that there is an event that needs their attention is a bit more elusive.

Two of the components, monitoring and getting the entire community to buy and learn how to use their radios are making great progress. New folks are coming on board regularly. The third component is elusive but we have some good leads to track down. The idea of megaphones being used to call an alert is not workable due to the heavy insulation our homes all have they are just not audible when the windows are closed like in winter. We thought that a series of automobile horns oscillating on emergency horn honk would be the answer but again these well insulated homes tend to cancel that idea out also.

BUT, today at the CERT meeting a couple of team members spoke about other parks similar to our own that had a special system installed where the neighborhood watch member or like person pushed a button on their phone and it rang every phone in the park with a special tone. If such a system is available to us we could say if that special tone sounds everyone go to CH 5 on their radios for an announcement and update on the problem. Such a system would tie the whole park together almost instantly and put everyone on CH 5 throughout the event with continuous updates. A staggeringly wonderful idea. We will research it and keep you informed from the KnowZone this is RT signing off.

CARD GAME GOING STRONG AT LVH'S........

I tryed to find out what kind of
card game these ladies were
playing, but seems to be a secret.
They all still had there clothes on
and so we are safe. They were having a
great time and lots of laughs.
(picture by C. Burke)

WeatherBug

WeatherBug: "SNOW ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR THE NORTH AND CENTRAL OREGON COAST RANGE AND THE WILLAPA HILLS OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
Issue Time: 7:58 PM PST Tuesday Feb 20 2007
Valid Until: 4:15 AM PST Wednesday Feb 21 2007
Details"

OBSERVATIONS

OBSERVATIONS

There were a couple of articles in Monday's Salt Lake City Tribune that
might not have made it to Newport yet and I thought you'd like to be kept up
to date.

"People Different From Us". The New Jersey Department of Health and
Senior Services issued a warning in January to residents of the city of
Ringwood that they should limit their intake of squirrel to no more than
twice a week (children once a month). (A toxic waste dump is nearby).
Dan Gulley Jr., 70, and David Brooks Jr., 62, fought in January in
Atmore, Ala., and acccording to police, Gulley pulled out a gun and shot
Brooks. The two were arguing over how tall the late singer James Brown was.

"When Bad Things Happen to Stupid and Unlucky People". Glenn Vickers,
58, allegedly intoxicated, wildly tailgated a driver in January on
Interstate 64 that happened to be Kanawha County, W. Va., Sheriff Mike
Rutherford in an unmarked car. After jockeying behind Rutherford for a
while, Vickers peeled off at an exit and flipped Rutherford the finger, but
immediately crashed into a guardrail.

The March/April issue of AARP magazines delights us by telling us that
"They'll be back-- four million kids ages 25 through 34 will move back home
this year".

Warren Beatty turns 70 next month, be sure to send him a card.

I think I am finally starting to understand why the Muslims in Iraq are
killing each other, and it took Garry Trudeau's "Doonesbury" cartoon in last
Sunday's paper to clue me in. In the strip an American GI and an Iraqi
interpreter are cruising the streets of Bagdad in a Humvee looking for a bad
guy. The GI tells the interpreter that their orders are to capture the bad
guy and do him no harm. The interpreter says that as soon as he sees the
suspect he is going to kill him instead. The GI is puzzled and asks why?
The Iraqi explained that a member of the suspect's family had killed a
member of his family and he was sworn to avenge the act. The American
asked: "Gosh, when did this happen?". The Iraqi said: "In the year 1358".
(This is a great time for an Editorial Comment, but I will refrain and let
you make your own comment here).

The next time you see Ben Davi, pull up a chair and ask him to tell you the
joke about the talking dog. I advise that you hold onto the chair to keep
from falling out when he delivers the punch line.

The Dixie Chicks are releasing their new album "Shut Up and Sing" today.
Oh, well.....I DO agree with half of the title.

Fill in these answers: "I'm gonna love you like nobody's loved you......"
(when?)
"They bring the flowers that booom in
May....." (who?)
"So I just did me some talkin' to the
sun....." (why?)
"Getting soaking wet, torturing my heart by
trying to forget....." (what?)

You got them all right, didn't you? When....come rain or come shine.
Who....April Showers. Why....Raindrops keep falling on my head.
Why....Just walking in the rain.

I dunno if the Editor's Box is still up in the Club House. I will be there
on March 3 if there is anything you'd like to share.

Jim and Marilynn McCrea (Utah transplants)

Scanners

Uh-huh... Like a cat in a sand box I'm covering more bases with our CH 5 monitoring.... IDEA! There are folks in the park with scanners that listen 24/7 to fire calls, PUD, ambulance, and police. It's kind of a hobby for some and others like to stay on top of what's happening. Sitting here and thinking about it, I know of 5 people park wide that do this. There are probably more.

I will find out what the frequency of CH5 FRS is and post it here and email those with scanners with it asking them to put it on their scanners. That will get us even more folks monitoring Ch5 all the time.. It may just fulfill our goal of around the clock monitoring and put more ears on our KnowZone network.

If you are a scanner person please tell your Neighborhood Watch Coordinator... They are like a clearing house for all information park wise. They talk to one another and keep each other informed. The park is divided into 3 areas with a coordinator in each area. The coordinators pretty much monitor CH 5 all the time. You can tell or ask them about park going ons any time between 8:00 AM and 6:00pm.. After that time make calls only to inform of something going on or to find out about an outage. Call 911 if something bad is happening.

If you live on Windmill and south of Windmill your coordinator is Bill Furgason.. If you live north of Windmill but south of the lake your coordinator is Rod (Coach) McCready. If you live north of the lake your coordinator is Marlene Crites. If you live in between any of those lines you can talk to your choice of coordinator.

New Oval Sticker Aimed at Promoting Tourism on Oregon Coast

New Oval Sticker Aimed at Promoting Tourism on Oregon Coast: "Now, the central Oregon coast town of Newport has got in on the act, with its own sign of civic pride and tourism marketing."

The glass ceiling - In Depth - theage.com.au

The glass ceiling - In Depth - theage.com.au: "But even today's incandescent bulbs remain very inefficient, converting only about 5 per cent of the energy they produce into light."

FDA reissues Internet Drug Warning - The Emergency Email & Wireless Network .......... www. EmergencyEmail.ORG ........ NewsEmergency.com

FDA reissues Internet Drug Warning - The Emergency Email & Wireless Network .......... www. EmergencyEmail.ORG ........ NewsEmergency.com: "FDA reissues Internet Drug Warning

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has become aware that a number of Americans who placed orders for specific drug products over the Internet (Ambien, Xanax, Lexapro, and Ativan), instead received a product that, according to preliminary analysis, contains haloperidol, a powerful anti-psychotic drug."

The Know Zone

The plan for the communications part of the Know Zone is evolving and some very good foundation blocks are in place. The first major hurdle was to find a rapid way of communicating with you folks. We have it and it is in place and working pretty good.

We have been working on it for a couple of months now and here is a report. There are 3 Neighborhood Watch Block Captain Coordinators. At this time they all happen to be members of the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) They have been trained by local police, fire, Red Cross, Coast Guard, State Police and Pacific West Ambulance.. Some have been certified in Red Cross First Aid, CPR, and AED (Automatic Electric Defibrillator) . They also have trained most diligently on a weekly basis to enhance LVH's safety.

What has been done with communications.... Thanks to some great benefactors the park has 5 radios with rechargeable batteries. They have 3 chargers. Each one of the Coordinators has a radio tuned to CH5 FRS all the time and they listen most of the time, 24/7. As time goes on more of the CERT team will be asked to carry rechargeable radios much of the time and monitor CH 5 if they wish to volunteer. When we can say we have coverage 24/7 all the time we will have reached a milestone.

Your part at this point is to buy a radio.. preferably with a charger, and learn to use it... CERT team members will help you learn just ask them. Practice any time from 9:00 AM to 6:00PM. Call for a radio check or to ask if there are any Neighborhood problems or to report a problem.. HOWEVER, we are not the police or ambulance service you should make those calls yourself but you could give us a heads up on CH 5 FRS. Do Radio Checks and ask questions on the air until you can work your radio with your eyes shut. A problem may happen during the night with no electricity... Buy your radio and practice now.

NewsGator Online

NewsGator Online: "Andrew W. Mathis
2/18/2007 5:00:00 PM [rss@quotationspage.com (Quotes of the Day)]

'It is bad luck to be superstitious.'"

NewsGator Online

NewsGator Online: "Evan Esar
2/18/2007 5:00:00 PM [rss@quotationspage.com (Quotes of the Day)]

'Anger is the feeling that makes your mouth work faster than your mind.'"

New Trail in Newport Captivates Oregon Coast Locals, Visitors

New Trail in Newport Captivates Oregon Coast Locals, Visitors: "t’s the opportunity to walk through wetlands without impacting them, and it’s an out-of-the-wind activity in Newport,” Protiva said.

First, the explorer has to find the trail – and you may initially get fooled. An unmarked paved path at the east end of the parking lot at Agate Beach apparently wanders off into the woods. It quickly forks to the south or north; the southern stretch takes you back across a creek running through the wayside, and down a path which wanders below the Agate Beach Best Western hotel, eventually taking you to the western end of the parking lot. This is not the trail, but a pleasant and pastoral diversion, nonetheless."







e

Oregon lawmakers push bill requiring mountain climbers to carry beacons on Mount Hood - International Herald Tribune

Oregon lawmakers push bill requiring mountain climbers to carry beacons on Mount Hood - International Herald Tribune: "SALEM, Oregon: There is danger aplenty on Oregon's tallest peak — including avalanches and crevasses. Some say a small electronic device can improve the odds of survival.

Several Oregon lawmakers want to require climbers to wear electronic locators above 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) on Mount Hood — an idea mountaineers resist."

Scotsman.com News - Sci-Tech - It may hit Earth ... but don't worry, we've got a plan

Scotsman.com News - Sci-Tech - It may hit Earth ... but don't worry, we've got a plan: "It may hit Earth ... but don't worry, we've got a plan
RAYMOND HAINEY

A £150 MILLION space mission should be launched to deflect an asteroid which is set to pass dangerously close to Earth, experts warned yesterday."

TV WE LIKE

See some of the TV Ron & Jacky watch and the way we rate it. Like the concept? Send your favorites with dates, times and Channel and the way you rate it. Your name will be on the rating so make it good.

Find new programs and introduce them to others....

This is a test run.

The link is on the left next to the rotating star.

Send you favorites to:

teckron@gmail.com

Looking outside the box

Recently, I ran into a new friend down at Staples here in town. He is recently retired Police sergeant Dean Sawyer. Retirement being not being what he thought it was he looked for a part time job and found it with the tribal council in Siletz. He is their emergency coordinator now. We talked about the FRS radios that go on sale periodically for around $15 a pair and then he went on to tell me something that got my brain whirling...

In the office building at Siletz everyone has an FRS radio at their desk. In case of emergency they pick it up and turn it on. Instantly, everyone is connected and good to go. That is what we want here with our Neighborhood Watch FRS Security system. But, (there is always a but isn't there?) there is something missing.. it's right there in front of us... a basic component that would tie the whole thing together for us!

Here is what is needed... We need a signal of some kind that would alert everyone to pick up their radios and turn them on to CH 5.. Everyone interested in being notified would be in instant communications.

Here is what we have. 3 Block Captain Coordinators with radios tuned to CH5 and on 24/7 but not necessarily listened to 24/7.. That would be asking a lot of any volunteer. However, it is a good system that can be improved. They monitor CH 5 like many hobbyists in the park listen to a scanner to hear what public service agencies are doing.

Now we need a system that channels phone calls to these 3 coordinators about park events and emergencies. They then need an alarm of some sort to sound if they deem it necessary to make a park wide broadcast on CH 5.

I know there would have to be stringent rules about what constitutes an emergency that requires an alarm to be set off lest we begin to cry wolf to often.

For the most part things affecting the park that are non- emergencies like the shutting off of water or loss of power (even though they have the potential of becoming an emergency) could be relayed by a neighbor tuning to CH 5 and asking one of our coordinators if anything is going on. The coordinators will be informed about this type of information by Larry Henson.

However, if a coordinator, following park guidelines, (that don't exist as of yet) deemed a situation an emergency then he/she would activate the neighborhood emergency alert system and everyone would know that they should tune to CH 5 FRS to be informed and to get help.

The Alarm? Here is the way it could work for no cost to LVH or it's residents. Selected volunteers through out the park would agree to click the emergency horn icon on their car's key chain and let their car horn oscillate for 5 minutes. Neighbors hearing that would be asked to turn on their horns for 5 minutes. Horns can be activated from inside the home by just a press of the button. At the end of 5 minutes horns are turned off and folks are tuned to CH 5 to listen for instructions.

This system would need practice drills to get people used to what to do.

I would like to give the system a try but we need folks to buy into the idea... That means that there will not be 100% agreement. There are people on one end of the spectrum who think readiness, Neighborhood watch and CERT are a bunch of hooey. There are those on the other that think they should be involved in preparation for any event. Of course the majority live in the middle.

Do you have a comment or suggestion on how we can use this system? Let's hear them. Bad good or indifferent.

NewsGator Online

NewsGator Online: "Kin Hubbard
2/17/2007 5:00:00 PM [rss@quotationspage.com (Quotes of the Day)]

'Honesty pays, but it doesn't seem to pay enough to suit some people.'"

NewsGator Online

NewsGator Online: "Jane Caminos
2/17/2007 5:00:00 PM [rss@quotationspage.com (Quotes of the Day)]

'A waist is a terrible thing to mind.'"