European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 1, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 18 o stars and e sunday april 1 2007 having a pot farm for a next door neighbor by Errin Haines the associated press Lawrenceville a in a Middle class housing develop ment outside Atlanta the neigh Bors mind their own business and respect each others privacy Ideal conditions it turns out for growing marijuana in the suburbs police last month raided an utterly Ordinary looking redbrick House on the Block and broke up a pot growing operation with 680 plants arrayed under Bright lights youd never know from the outside i guess that the said Doug Augis who lives with his pregnant wife and a toddler in Coldwater Creek that Doest give you a really Good around the United states investigators Are increasingly see ing suburban Homes in mid dle class and Wel Todo neighbor hoods turned into indoor marijuana farms typically investigators find an empty Home save a mat Tress a couple of chairs some snacks in the fridge and an elaborate setup of soil free growing trays grow houses have been a prob Lem for years in California and signs a House is a grow House some signs that a House might be the site of an indoor marijuana farm the windows Are often Cov ered and the blinds drawn there May be excessive condensation around the windows electrical outlets May be rigged to divert Power from neighbouring Homes the houses Are largely unoccupied people Stop by periodically to mow the Lawn or do other chores then leave there Are guard dogs keep out signs or other Secu Rity in Winter after a snowfall the House May be the Lone Home on the Block with no Snow on the roof heat from the lights often melts the associated press Canada but investigators Are now seeing dozens of them in the Southern and northeastern in the past six weeks alone More than 70 have been uncovered in Northern Georgia nearly 10 times last years total for the entire state Only one was busted in 2005 indoor pot farms also have been discovered in recent months in residential areas of new Hamp Shire Pennsylvania new York North Carolina and Florida crackdowns in Canada and elsewhere have apparently led some operators to move into parts of the United states where the Public and police Are not As familiar with the operations and less Likely to detect them authorities say they can go in and basically Fly under the said Ruth Porter Whipple spokeswoman for the Atlanta Field division of the drug enforcement administration these Arent neighbourhoods where they would stand in Georgia the latest busts averaged about 200 plants per House with each Plant yielding on average per Harvest that works out to about Mil lion per year considering the plants can be harvested every three months the Dea said More than Nick Robert Varela a television cameraman shoots a closeup of marijuana growing in a Home in Diamond bar on wednesday detectives seized More than marijuana plants growing in the upscale Home in the second such raid in Diamond bar in a week police said plants with a potential an Nual value of billion were seized from grow houses in the last year up from about the year before that is less than 10 percent of the Mari Juana Plant seizures in the most pot is grown outdoors on farms and in ditches backyards and gardens grow houses typically grow marijuana hydroponically that is using a nutrient solution in Stead of soil they also use 24houraday lighting to produce plants More rapidly the marijuana is usually Cut dried and pack aged on the premises video games there not just for the Young anymore by Kathy Hanrahan the associated press Jackson miss Flora Dier Bach lived video Gam free until her retirement Community introduced her to the interactive con sole Nintendo Wii Dierbach a 72yearold who lives in Lincolnshire has be come an avid video game Bowler since the Community got the Wii in december Wii system players use a Remote to control game action when playing sports games this Means moving the controller As if you Are rolling a Ball Down the Lane or swinging a baseball Bat it is so easy that anybody can do it some of us older people that Arent As Mobile can do Dier Bach told the associated press in a Telephone interview it is not like lifting a 16pound Bowling Ball and sending it Down the Dierbach is one of a growing number of Gray gamers peo ple 50 years and older who Are spending their free time playing video games Sedgebrook Village has been hooked on Wii holding tournaments for gamers to show their skills and win trophies for top scores residents have been getting interactive with boxing Golf and Bowling All in the Comfort of their Al purpose room Dierbach said the games pro vide a form of exercise and hand Eye coordination she thinks it has also helped people socialize and keep their minds Sharp it is a Little brain exercise Rogero v blues legend King is shown on june 10 2006 alongside his trusty Laptop computer in Philadelphia miss King uses the computer to play a few hands of solitaire or other similar card games to relax you have to know when your turn Dierbach said residents at Sedge Brooks Sis Ter facility in Springfield also have gotten hooked Mel Tansill spokesman for bal timor based Erickson retire ment communities which owns the two communities said the Wii will be introduced in upcoming weeks to All 18 Erickson proper ties it really is a test of reflexes tenacity teamwork there is a lot of socialization As groups of people Are playing this it is very invigorating it is a Good solid activity for people of All Tansill said King is a Gray gamer when the blues legend wants to forget about music for a while he turns on his Silver Laptop and plays a few hands of solitaire when you play games that you enjoy it can take your mind off of All of the problems you have i even forget about music when i am fooling with he said Dominos solitaire hearts and Spades Are the 81yearold Itta Bena natives favourites some experts think video games could help delay or ease the effects of alzheimer disease or other illnesses there is an emerging Consen sus among researchers that cognitive exercise can play a critical role in healthy aging said Ben Sawyer Confounder and director of the games for health project the serious games initiative created the games for health project to design games for Vari Ous aspects of health care con duct studies and research Poten tial uses of existing games in healthcare settings an estimated 47 percent of Ca sual gamers Are people 50 years of age or older totalling 70 million said Garth Chouteau a spokesman for pop Cap games is so easy that anybody can do it some of us older people that Arent As Mobile can do it Flora Dierbach 72 Gray gamer Send a giant 7foot tall Bunny mothers Day bears l up to 8feet tall web Iff brooklyn1 fast worldwide shipping say i love you in a big Way styles of giant stuffed animals laptops Wiff Power Eree financing military Zero Money Down Irro Blueml
