That's how one former coworker explained "hashing." Running and drinking were pretty equal in their priorities. I bring this up because of this report on Drudge. Something tells me one of the hashers made some smart-assed remark to a Mississippi cop and is "in a whole heap of trouble."

Funny thing, I was looking for a representative link to a hashing club website on AltaVista and found dozens of clubs all over the world. Here's one that caught my eye, A Hashing Club in Beruit, Lebanon! These groups are all over the world.

Since Drudge changes constantly, I'll post the full text here.

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Charges filed against Mississippi men following anthrax scare
Tue Oct 16 2001 15:49:33 ET

Federal charges have been filed against two Mississippi men whose actions and alleged comments about anthrax caused a 'near panic' in downtown Oxford, it has been reported.

Peter Womer, 26, a student at the University of Mississippi, and Stacy Givhan, 29, both of Oxford, face an Oct. 26 hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Allan Alexander on charges they threatened the use of a biological toxin.

Womer and Givhan were arrested Friday by Oxford police, several hours after they were seen setting out small piles of a white powder around Oxford's downtown Square.

The men were preparing to participate in a 'hashing'' event, in which dots of flour are used to mark a trail for runners. Oxford has had a regular hashing group for about 10 years.

The men are facing criminal prosecution because of apparently tongue-in-cheek comments that sent local law enforcement officers scrambling to protect the public.

According to the FBI report, after placing the powder on the streets, one of the men told a citizen the substance was anthrax.

Tests conducted in Jackson confirmed the substance was not anthrax.

At one point, the state Department of Environmental Services 'recommended closing the entire downtown business district' because of the threat, according to the report.

Developing...