There are so many funny things in this story, I don't even know where to start! <i>White powder mixed with fear can be potent By MIKE TOLSON Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle In a time of fear and paranoia, a little powder can go a long way. Some people in the West Houston neighborhoods near Memorial and Gessner were worried that two strangers in running togs had to be up to no good as they dropped little bits of white stuff along the street Sunday afternoon. Potentially, it was a matter of grave concern. If terrorists can contemplate dropping nerve gas from crop-dusters, what's to keep them from, say, tossing some anthrax on your front yard? Police responded quickly. Hazardous materials officers were dispatched by the fire department. Precautionary measures were taken around the tiny white piles. Samples were sent for testing. After word spread, residents nervously called the Chronicle seeking an update. Turns out the powder, when mixed with sugar, eggs and water and covered with chocolate, can wreak havoc on your waistline -- but nothing more. The little white mounds were nothing more than flour, used by a local running group to mark a four-mile trail. "Every Sunday we run," said Jim Fisher, a member of the Houston Hash House Harriers. "The way we set it up, one or two people go ahead and lay a trail in flour. That's how we get from start to finish." And the finish is crucial. That's where the kegs of beer are. "We're really just a giant social club," Fisher said. The hash, as it is known, is affectionately referred to by members as a drinking club with a running problem. Hashers go by nicknames exclusively. In many cases, they don't know the other members' real names. Fisher, aka Donut Holer, participated in Sunday's run. Pound Puppy and his wife, Roll Model, set the trail. Nothing seemed amiss until the runners noticed all the cops and fire department personnel in the street. Puppy, who would not give his legal name, told the Chronicle he put the flour on leaves near the storm sewers so that it would easily disperse and no one would have to clean it up. A couple of the hashers informed police what the white mounds meant. Authorities didn't take the matter too seriously, but they did keep an eye on the group after it finished its run.</i>
I've seen these runners at the end of their run... talk about kegs! These runners have their go-cups and stand around and drink beer as the rest of the stragglers come running in... and they can put away a keg too! Man, if I wanna drink beer, I ain't running 4 miles to get to it! rH
