Newsletter Editor: Thomas Reed Newsletter@chapterlam.com

Friends for Fun, Safety, and Knowledge

Next Meeting - Catfish Hut 1 March 2018 @ 6:30 pm

CHAPTER DIRECTORS

February 2018

MUDBUGS NEWSLETTER

TEAM “MUDBUG”

CHAPTER DIRECTORS/RIDE COORDINATOR TEMP Newsletter Editor Mickey & Mary Searels

WEBMASTER/HISTORIAN/

PHOTOGRAPHER

Chuck & Toni Pritchard

Scrapbook

Mary & Tim Dunn

COY/WELCOMING

COMMITTEE

Robert & Joan Partigianoni CHOY Coordinator Joan Partigianoni

MEMBERS ENHANCEMENT

COORDINATORS:

Willie & Jackie Courtney TREASURER: Toni Pritchard

CHAPTER Trainer

Robert & Joan Partigianoni

PHONTREE COORDINATORS:

Linda & Gordon Myrick

Ray and Dandi Garris

Directors of GWRRA

Red and Brenda Roussel

Louisiana District Directors

CHAPTER DIRECTORS

February is here and the weather will be breaking soon!! We are looking forward to good rides, and fel-

lowship. The ride across the two dams was beautiful!! We rode to the picket House in Woodville TX. We

ate some good chicken and soul food.

Thursday night ride to Fat Boys we had a crowd of folks show up little cold but well worth the ride!!

We have great rides coming up for your pleasure come and join in the fun.

Chapter appreciation day is coming soon will be letting you all know soon the time and the date.

We ask that everyone who needs CPR- First Aid to sign up at the Chapter meeting so that we can have a

class next month.

Joan has the Flyers for the mudbug Rally and the paper work for the Sponsors when they donate.

I want to thank you for the hard work that you have done in the past and this one will be mot different we

all have it down to a science, the rally is allot of work but the support you have giving makes it worth the

effort.

The ERC was wet but I want to thank Tommy Woods and others for making it down there!!

Good job Tommy

We Look Forward to seeing you all at the meeting

Mickey and Mary Searels

LA-M Chapter Directors

Hello Wingers,

We would like to thank all who attended the 2018 Louisiana Business meeting on Jan. 13th. A lot of info was passed on and we will have more to come in the future.

We would like to thank all of the outgoing Directors for the help they gave the District during their term of office. Chapter J, Kathy and John Gary, Chapter K, Strother and Ruth Sacra and Chapter M, Tom and Neva Reed. Now to welcome the New Chapter Directors, Chapter J, Tommy and Aleta Benoit, Chapter K, Tony Cefalu and Debbie Sutton and Chapter M, Mickey and Mary Searles. Everyone would like to thank the outgoing Director and welcome the incoming.

The District Rally will be held on April 12th, 13th and 14th. If anyone has a craft that they want to teach at the Rally, please contact us and will see what it will take to put it on. We are looking for more fun at the Rally and craft class would help us a lot. If any module presenter wants to put one on, please contact Red Roussel or Joan Partigianoni to set it up for time and day at the Rally. We have a list of Rider Ed classes we would like to put on; we need to know by Feb 15.

As we stated at the business meeting, Brenda and myself will be stepping down at the end of the Rally, also Rod Polk will step down. If you are interested in these positions, please send us your resume by March 1. The info will be shared with Ms. Anita to select a new Director for Louisiana. Many of you are capable of holding this position, so please consider applying for them.

Louisiana

Senior

District Directors

Red

and

Brenda

Roussel

Red and Brenda

Louisiana

Assistant

District Directors

Tim

and

Becky

Dinnel

I was thinking about what I was going to write about for my article this month. I kept thinking about how so many of us are now using Facebook to stay in touch with not only our families and friends, but also our GWRRA Members. I searched GWRRA on my Facebook page and was amazed at all the GWRRA posting going on. There are tons of pictures, videos, groups, events and mem-ber postings that can keep you occupied for hours. What a great way to share GWRRA with the world....or is it? I think it is, but we all just need to be aware of what we are posting and who will be able to see it. With that said, I would like to share this arti-cle found in the February 2016 Insight Newsletter, written by Ray and Sandy Garris, Directors of GWRRA. It is very enlighten-ing! Social Media, Your best friend or worst enemy?

WOW! What a great way to stay in touch with your friends and Chapter Members or any group. It can help you with so many communication challenges in GWRRA. You can even set up your own Facebook Page for your Chapter/District/Region. What a great tool for effective communications with our Members! This type of instant communication used to be something we would dream about. Wake up folks!!! This dream can easily turn into a nightmare if we are not careful when using it. Don’t forget, “whatever you say may be held against you!” It lasts forever, you can’t take it back and the opportunity for your printed words, without facial expression, voice inflections or body language can easily be mis-interpreted or mis-understood. Instead of some-one laughing at the remark you stated in writing, the opposite happened. Now, their feelings are hurt and/or they are mad at you. This very rapid and far reaching form of communication can also broadcast whatever you wrote about when you offered your opinion about a particular Insight presidential candidate or anything political in nature. The same goes for any other sub-ject that will affect someone’s opinion, including religion. It is almost impossible not to offend someone who reads that post from you. At this point, I have a sincere concern. Whenever you post a disparaging remark about anyone on your Facebook page YOUR name always precedes it – in BOLD type. Lots of the readers of that post know YOU! How does the individual reader differentiate this “personal opinion” you have just voiced as representing only your opinion and not the Chapter, District or Re-gion that you represent in GWRRA. Worse, does the reader think that opinion represents who or what we stand for in GWRRA?

WOW! Instead of “making a friend” on Facebook we may have just lost one or more friends. How many times have we found out that the basis of a misunderstanding amongst members of a Chapter turned out to be something that someone posted on Facebook or other “Social Media?”

As Leaders in GWRRA please help all of our Members understand that Facebook can help make our experience in GWRRA even better when we can share all of the great rides and adventures that our 2, 3 or 4 wheels bring us plus the great pictures and memories that go along with them. This is all possible if we are careful of the letters that our fingers touch on our keyboards as we enter the World-Wide Web!

Be safe everyone and let's GROW Louisiana!!! Tim and Becky Dinnel

Fritz & Johnette Beter

Membership Enhancement

Hello Louisiana

“Couple of the Year” Program

Here are the latest changes to the COY program.

The existing Region Couples selected last year will participate in the Selection Process at Wing Ding #40 under the old guide-lines. They are the last of the Couples representing the "Region" designation. They are the only Couples that will be interviewed or presented at Wing Ding this year.

At the Chapter level, the designation as Chapter Couple of the Year is awarded to a deserving couple who have contributed in a meaningful way to the success of their chapter. All Chapter

Couples who decide to move forward in the program will participate at their District Rally the same way as they normally would. There are no changes at the Chapter level.

Throughout 2018, all Districts will continue to hold a District Rally or event that includes a Couple of the Year Selection Process. The District Selection Process will continue to include submission of the resume form, interviews by a panel of judges and the on-stage presentation, so there are no changes in how it is presently done. In the event that different Districts join together to hold a Rally or event, then a separate Selection Process will need to be offered for each separate District so that each District is repre-sented by their own District Couple.

After all of the District COY selections have been completed throughout 2018, the newly selected District Couples can relax and enjoy the rest of 2018 while building up their resume. They will all be contacted later this year (most likely December after all Dis-trict Selections have been completed) to see if they have decided to move forward to the International level. The decision whether to stay and enjoy their current status rests entirely with the Couple. No Couple, whether Chapter or District, is expected to move beyond their comfort level or their personal means.

Because of the timing and implementation of the restructuring of the COY Program, this year some Districts will have two District Couples - one Couple left over from last year (2017) who did not have the opportunity to move forward in the program and one Couple from this year (2018). We have adopted the policy that "No Couple will be left behind", meaning that both these Couples will have the opportunity to participate in the International Couple of the Year Selection Process, on an equal basis, should they desire to do so. This duplication will self correct after this first year of implementation and thereafter only one couple from each District will be permitted.

The Couple of the Year Program and how it is administered only changes at the International Level. As previously stated, there are no major changes at the Chapter and District levels.

In December , all District Couples from each COY Territory will be contacted and asked if their decision is to move forward. The District Couples who decide to move forward to participate in the International Couple of the Year Selection Process will now be subject to new guidelines. The three basic components of the new program are (1) Couples must agree to attend and present at the next following Wing Ding in the event they are selected as one of the six (6) International Couples of the Year, (2) they must update their resumes and forward to MEP Assistant as instructed; and (3) they will participate in a teleconference interview with a panel of judges. These are the three most important requirements contained in the new guidelines.

One International Couple of the Year from each of the six COY Territories (4 USA, 1 Canada, 1 Overseas) will be selected and announced in early May of 2019. These six International Couples will be provided with mentoring leading up to Wing Ding and will attend Wing Ding to be presented and honored for their accomplishment. There will be no further interviews at Wing Ding nor any judging but they will be individually introduced and presented on stage on Awards Day. Each International Couple will be given 5 minutes to address the membership and tell their personal story. Then they will be given their certificates and awards. For the duration of Wing Ding and for the rest of their term, they will represent GWRRA as our ambassadors, volunteers and role models.

The new Couple of the Year Handbook has been submitted to Home Office for final approval and is expected to be released to the general membership in the very near future. When this document is released, we are here to answer any further questions you may have.

Louisiana District Webmasters

Fritz & Johnette Beter

Tech Tip

Cell Phone Security

Do you know your cell phone is a mini computer and is just as vulnerable as your PC? It is and you need to

pay attention to security on your phone just like a PC. Here are some things that you can do to protect

your phone, your information and you.

From email to texts, phonebook entries, and pictures, your phone has lots of personal information that's

potentially accessible to prying eyes. Bottom line: if you take your phone out of your house, you should

definitely use a lock code. You can use a 4-digit PIN or an actual password with letters, numbers, and

characters. This will help keep nosy people or thieves from easily accessing your information.

Any information you provide on a website is collected and likely used for serving you relevant advertise-

ments. The Do Not Track option asks websites to refrain from collecting your data. The Google Chrome

browser for Android and Safari on iOS will allow you to set up Do Not Track. While enabling this option

does not guarantee that your data will not be collected, some websites will adhere to your preference.

When you call a business that might collect your number, it’s a good idea to thwart its efforts. Many plac-

es will collect your number, any information attached to it, and then use it for profit. If you don’t want to

toggle number blocking on and off just for businesses, you might consider using Google Voice to call busi-

nesses. Then you can very easily block any incoming call that isn’t in your phone book.

There are a lot of telemarketing services that will call your phone just to determine if the number actually

reaches a person. Once that happens, your number is put on a list that is sold to other companies, and

you'll receive even more spam calls and possibly texts. If you’re not on an unlimited plan, you may incur

additional charges for text messages you didn’t want to receive in the first place. Instead of picking up and

confirming your number, use a caller ID solution to figure out who is trying to reach you. On Android,

check out Current Caller ID by White pages, which will display caller information as small window on the

incoming call screen. On iOS, you’ll have to use a slightly different approach: install Truecaller and take a

screenshot of an incoming call for the app to identify the caller (the app creators say that currently there

is no way to intercept the call process).

Despite all your efforts blocking access to your apps, number, or other information, you are still faced with

the threat of someone physically stealing your device. To combat this, keep a firm grip, putting the device

in a hard-to-access place (tight front pocket, deep pocket in bag), and refraining from advertising the fact

that you have an amazing new device. Hopefully these tips will keep your phone from taking an unwanted

excursion with a thief.

Changes in Laws affecting Motorcyclist

National

ANTI-PROFILING LEGISLATION FILED IN U.S. HOUSE & SENATE

A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers introduced a resolution to address the issue of motor-cycle profiling and promote collaboration between the motorcycle and law enforcement communi-ties. U.S. Representatives Tim Walberg (R-MI), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Michael C. Burgess, M.D (R-TX) and Collin Peterson (D-MN) led the effort in the House (H.Res. 318), and U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the Senate version (S.Res.154). “This bipartisan resolution should send a clear message to relevant regulatory and law enforcement agencies across the country: motorcycle profiling has no place on our roads. Instead, we must foster collaboration and cooperation between these agencies and the riders in order to promote safety and ensure all motorists are treated fairly under the law,” stated Rep. Pocan in a press release issued by Rep. Walberg, co-chair of the House Motorcycle Caucus. “From coast to coast, Americans of all backgrounds responsibly ride a motorcycle as their means of transportation or simply to enjoy the open road. This bipartisan resolution aims to raise aware-ness about the reality of motorcycle profiling and foster an open dialogue between motorcyclists and law enforcement,” said Walberg.

H.Res.318 – “Promoting awareness of motorcycle profiling and encouraging collaboration and communication with the motorcycle community and law enforcement officials to prevent instances of profiling,” has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee, and defines profiling as; “motorcycle profiling means the illegal use of the fact that a person rides a motorcycle or wears motorcycle related apparel as a factor in deciding to stop and question, take enforcement action, arrest, or search a person or vehicle with or without legal basis under the Constitution of the United States.”

Louisiana

BILL ADDRESSES “MASKED” MOTORCYCLISTS BEING CITED IN LOUISIANA Louisiana has a law prohibiting the wearing of masks in public, and according to an article in the Baton-Rouge Times-Picayune, motorcycle riders are being “pulled over and ticketed under the mask-wearing law because they were wearing helmets that concealed their faces.” Louisianans are banned from “concealing their faces with masks or hoods, except during Mardi Gras, Halloween or for religious reasons.” Now a bill authored by Rep. Alan Seabaugh (R-Shreveport), HB161, would revise the law to ex-empt motorcycle safety helmets. By all indications, the bill will pass, and it is currently pending Senate final passage. Speaking before the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice, Rep. Seabaugh said his bill arose out of complaints from motorcyclists in his district who said they have been harassed by "overzealous law enforcement officers." Riders have been pulled over at random, according to testimony by ABATE of Louisiana, claiming one officer in particular has targeted motorcyclists whose helmets and face shields concealed their faces. Apparently recognizing the absurdity of ticketing motorcyclists for wearing helmets, when helmets are required by law, committee members unanimously agreed that the mask-wearing ban needs revision. They tacked on an amendment “clarifying that the exemption only applied to motorcycle helmets being used during a ride,” then recommended the bill for full House approval. Rep. Terry Landry (D-New Iberia), a former Louisiana State Police superintendent, thanked the committee for supporting the bill. "I think it corrects a wrong."

The Catfish Hut

181 Catfish Rd, Deridder, LA

1st Thursday every Month at 6:30 pm

Next Gathering March 1st 2018

181 Catfish Hut Road, DeRidder LA 70634 – (337) 462-2266,

Up Coming Events

2018

February 1st Chapter Gathering at Catfish Hut starting at 6:30 pm.

February 3rd Long Leaf trail ride

February 10th Sweetheart Banquet, Beaumont TX with LA J and TX J

February 24th Kent Plantation House ride.

March 1st Chapter Gathering at Catfish Hut starting at 6:30 pm.

March 3rd Open Ride

March 16 to 18 HY 1 Ride (3 days) adventure that starts at the southernmost

point of LA 1 in Grand Isle and ends at the northern most point of

LA 1, the Louisiana/Arkansas border just north of Sandra, Louisiana

April 5th Chapter Gathering at Catfish Hut starting at 6:30 pm.

April 12 to 14 LA District Rally, Ramada Inn, Lafayette

April 21st Chapter H’s Progressive Dinner Ride

May 3rd Chapter Gathering at Catfish Hut starting at 6:30 pm.

May 17 to 19 Texas District Rally

May 31 to Jun 2nd Missouri District Rally

June 7th Chapter Gathering at Catfish Hut starting at 6:30 pm.

July 5th Chapter Gathering at Catfish Hut starting at 6:30 pm.

Aug 28 to Sep 1 Wing Ding

Sept 27 to 29 Oklahoma District Rally

Events Calendar for 2018

February 2018

1 February — Chapter Gathering, Catfish Hut, starting at 6:30 pm 3 February — Long Leaf Trail ride, departing the DeRidder Wal*Mart at 10 am 8 February — Dinner Ride, Stu’s in Merryville, departing from the DeRidder Wal*Mart at 6 pm 10 February — Sweetheart Banquet, Beaumont TX, departing the DeRidder Wal*Mart at 8 am 22 February — Dinner ride, Super Y, departing the DeRidder Wal*Mart at 6 pm 24 February — Kent Plantation House, Departing the DeRidder Wal*Mart at 10 am 25 February — Ice Cream social kick off, departing the DeRidder Wal*Mart at 2 pm

March 2018

1 March — Chapter Gathering, Catfish Hut, starting at 6:30 pm 3 March — Open Ride, Member pick destination, depart the DeRidder Wal*Mart at 10 am 4 March — Ice Cream social kick off, departing the DeRidder Wal*Mart at 2 pm 8 March — Dinner Ride, TBA, departing the DeRidder Wal*Mart at 6 pm

16 March — Boot Ride (3 days) adventure that starts at the southernmost point of LA 1 in Grand Isle and ends at the northern most point of LA 1, the Louisiana/Arkansas border just north of Sandra, Louisiana.

April 2018

5 April — Chapter Gathering, Catfish Hut, starting at 6:30 pm

April 12 to 14 - LA District Rally, Ramada Inn, Lafayette

April 21st — Chapter H’s Progressive Dinner Ride

February

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28

Chapter

Gathering

01—Judy Anderson

14—Jimmy and BJ Ashfield

Kent Plantation

Long Leaf Ride

Stu’s, Merryville

Super Y

Ice Cream Social

Sweetheart Banquet

OUR SPONSORS

OUR SPONSORS

Dairy Queen

410 Mahlon Street, DeRidder, LA 70634

337-463-7454

Open January to June