The Tampa Tribune from Tampa, Florida • 26

2" METRO. SUNDAY, MARCH 24. 2002 THE TAMPA TRIBUNE TBO.com CONCERT REVIEW erlman ones jnimiiiQr Mines Ufr-rayed APPRECIATIVE CROWD KEPT DEMANDING MORE MUSIC Beethoven's "Sonata No. 8 in the opening movement of which spun effortlessly. The two musicians melded as one in the menuetto, then kicked into perpetual motion in the closing allegro vivace.

Franck's ethereal "Sonata in followed, the principle melody affectionately embraced by Perlman and given warm, responsive accompaniment by Silva. After intermission, the two locked into the challenge of Debussy's "Sonata No 3 in and followed with a cornucopia of short encores. The sold-out crowd of 2,200 kept jumping up and insisting tle famed violinist come back for more. "Perlman is definitely worth it," said Robert Freedman, president of PACT which runs Ruth Eckerd Hall. "He remains one of the artists who sells enough tickets to cover the cost of the concert, which isn't always the case in classical many did for more than two hours Saturday.

Joined by pianist Rohan de Silva, Perlman perked up plenty of ears with a conservative but deeply expressive program of Beethoven, Franck and Debussy. It wasn't an adventurous evening, but Perlman brought such precision and delicacy to his playing that each work began to glow seconds after beginning. His mature view of these much-played works displayed his penchant for subdety, intelligence and elegance over fireworks. Striding across the stage on crutches he was stricken with polio as a child Perlman immediately grabbed his listeners with humor, joking about how the program was "a mystery" because the pieces weren't printed in the playbill. He left no doubts about serious intent with a crystalline rendering of By KURT LOFT klofttampatrib.com CLEARWATER Any appearance by Itzhak Perlman can be viewed as an event, an indelible mark on the pages of musical performance.

That may seem heady, but for some who attended Saturday night's recital at Ruth Eckerd Hall, sat close to the man and felt the shimmer of his playing, the experience isn't easy to forget. The 56-year-old violinist is among the supreme masters of any instrument on par with Rostropovich on the cello and Pollini on the piano and puts a personal stamp on virtually all his interpretations. He also plays a mean fiddle. That is why Perlman can command 7 Christian SteinerEMI A sold-out crowd of 2,200 heard Itzhak Perlman perform Saturday. $75,000 an appearance, sells out most everywhere and forces even the uninitiated listener to pay attention as ESTATE BEHIND THE WHEEL Florida's Tops In Rest Stops, Truckers Say By JIM SLOAN jsloantampatrib.com Florida not only has the nicest roads.

It also has the best rest stops. In the wake of a recent study that says the state's metropolitan-area roads are "smoother and in superior condition" than those in other states (Tribune, March 15), another survey ranks the Sunshine State No. 1 in rest stops. That's the finding of the Adas Van Lines Mosdy Scientific Nearly Indispensable 2002 Survey of Driver Tendencies. A total of 330 drivers responded to a questionnaire the moving giant mailed nationwide.

Twenty-five percent ranked Florida's rest stops ahead of any other state's. Georgia and Texas tied for a distant second with 6 percent of the vote, and Ohio and Washington tied for third place with 5 percent Truck driverslong have been considered a source of wisdom when it comes to where to eat and who has the best gasoline prices, says Greg Hoover, Atlas Van Lines vice president. So, the company thought it would be interesting to get their opinions on rest stops as well. "Nearly half our drivers spend more than 40 weeks a year on the road," Hoover said. "Rest stops are something they know about." The survey didn't say what the drivers liked about our rest stops.

The drivers also voted Interstate 70 in Colorado the nation's most scenic stretch of highway. California's Highway 101 and Montana's Interstate 90 tied for second place. Interstate 84 in Oregon came in third. Interstate 10 in Texas got the nod for the safest stretch of highway in the United States, followed by Interstate 80 in Nebraska and Interstate 10 in Arizona. Ask Mr.

Trucker Finally, the survey asked some "timeless truck driver questions," Hoover said. Here's some interesting results Turns gets rid of heartburn quickest, most drivers said. Most drivers had stopped to aid motorists three to 10 times. Wendy's topped the list as favorite fast-food restaurant. Kenworth makes the best tractor, followed by Peterbilt.

Strange sniff drivers have loaded on their trucks included embalming tables, an antique sofa with a cat hiding inside, a 300-pound wooden elephant, a miniature golf course and giant insect models so huge only three would fit in a 48-foot trailer. The complete survey can be found on the Adas Web site www.adasvanlines.com under the News icon. i 9. 4 National Rifle Association. Miami-Dade County and other local jurisdictions passed similar measures.

"The opinion is very strong," said Marion Hammer, former NRA president and a Florida-based lobbyist for the group. "There was really no other way they could rule because the statutes are abundantly clear." South Miami Mayor Julio Robaina said, "This just proves the power of politics over the right to protect innocent people." He hopes to appeal. Attorney General Bob Butterworth said through a spokesman that he was disappointed with the decision. His office had concluded local trigger-' lock measures were Valid because they didn't interfere with the right to bear arms. i The 3rd District Court of Appeal ruled that the ordinance was in direct conflict with a state law passed in 2000 pre-empting local gun-control 'Frustrated Hunter' Accused Of Killing Horse With Bow GAINESVILLE A north Florida man was arrested Thursday on five felony counts accusing him of killing an Arabian horse with a bow and arrow and wpunding another horse withashotguninthefalL Donald Ray Bussey 20, of High Springs, near Gainesville, was arrested at a construction site in Alachua by agents of the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement and the Alachua County Sheriff Office.

Bussey is charged with one count of killing a registered breed, two counts of cruelty to animals and two counts of trespassing, said Terence McElroy, a spokesman for Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson. Bussey had been hunting deer with some friends in Columbia County in October and became frustrated over failure to kill one, investigators said. As they drove back into Alachua County, Bussey told his friends he was going to shoot a live animal, McElroy said. Colombian Counterfeiter Sentenced To 5 Years MIAMI A Colombian counterfeiter believed to have printed $42 million in fake U.S. currency since 1986 was sentenced Tuesday to nearly five years in prison for his role in two smaller seizures.

Investigators consider Ramiro Sepulveda Duque to be the most prolific counterfeiter from Colombia, the foreign leader in the production of fake U.S. bills, ever prosecuted by the United States7 'r "He is an artist and unfortunately an artist doing illegal contraband," said Frank Estrada, head of the Secret The Associated Press UF Professor Develops 1 Feline AIDS Vaccine GAINESVILLE The federal government has approved for commercial use a feline AIDS vaccine developed by the University of Florida, which proponents say is the first to prevent the often fatal disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has granted a license for Kansas-based Fort Dodge Animal Health to market the product developed by Janet Yamamoto, a professor at UF's College of Veterinary Medicine, who co- discovered the feline immunodeficiency virus, commonly called FTV. Yamamoto said the vaccine is composed of two different FIV strains from the United States and Asia.

"These strains take a long time to cause disease, and once symptoms do occur, the disease is milder," Yamamoto said. The FIV vaccine is expected to be available to cat owners through their veterinarians as early as the summer. Hurricane Center To Give Earlier Forecasts Next Year MIAMI The National Hurricane Center will give hurricane forecasts two days earlier in 2003, allowing officials more time to make preparations in case they have to clear the coasts for the massive storms. The expanded forecasts will be less exact, with a margin of error of about 350 miles, said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center. Three-day forecasts have a margin of error of 200 miles.

Mayfield said the Navy requested the change because it requires up to 96 hours to move docked ships and other equipment NASA officials also wanted more time to move space shuttles, and oil companies take days to evacuate workers and secure offshore rigs, he said. With increasingly crowded coasts, it could take up to three days to evacuate areas from Key West to Palm Beach County, experts said. Shands Hospital Lets 2 Transplant Officials Go GAINESVILLE Shands HealthCare relieved two top organ transplant officials of their duties Thursday after determining one of them had a substantial interest in a company that received human organs unsuitable for transplant Investigators determined Jose A Cardo, a LifeQuest Organ Recovery Services' director, was involved in the Florida Research Foundation, which received 16 research organs from LifeQuest last year. The foundation is operated out of Cardo's home and several of his relatives are company officials, said Paul Rosenberg, chief legal counsel for Shands HealthCare. Charles McCluskey, LifeQuest's executive director, was removed because officials believe he had knowledge of Cardo's activities and did not report it.

Information on the case has been Jeff Rubenstein, a volunteer Delray Beach officer, shows Virtual Partner, which reads driver information aloud inside a police cruiser. In-Cruiser Software Speaks To Safer Stops, Faster Tickets Raton, plans to sell the technology nationwide. "It makes it very simple for the deputy," said Capt Mike Samec of the St Johns County Sheriffs Office in northeast Florida. "Once he types in a tag number he doesn't have to do any more. He can listen and keep his eye on the driver or the passengers." With Virtual Partner, an officer enters a tag number and the software runs several queries simultaneously.

Seconds later, a computerized voice verbally reads back the car's description and if it's stolen. It also says if the driver has a valid license and registration or is wanted on an arrest warrant. DELRAY BEACH Volunteer police officer Jeff Rubenstein was frustrated with how long it took to get information on a speeder or traffic violator he pulled over. So, using his technology background, he developed a computer program for patrol cars that reads aloud important information in seconds. It can print tickets from a printer in the police cruiser.

About, two dozen law enforce- ment agencies across the state are using the voice response software, called Virtual Partner, and praising it for making traffic stops safer and faster. Rubenstein's company, Advanced Public Safety hie. of Boca forwarded to the State Attorney's Office in Gainesville. Officials would not say if Cardo made a profit on the organs. Assistant State Attorney Greg Mc-Mahon said he could not comment on possible criminal charges because an investigation is continuing.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is also looking into the conflict ofinterest. McCluskey, when contacted by telephone, said had no knowledge of Cardo's involvement Appeals Court Throws Out S. Miami Trigger-Lock Law MIAMI An appeals court threw out a South Miami ordinance requiring the use of trigger locks Wednesday, citing a state law putting gun-control laws in the hands of the state Legislature. The ordinance adopted in 2000 was supported by the state attorney general's office but was challenged by the Service office in Miami. "He does a very good job, and he's been involved with it for a fewyears." The sentence was based on a guilty plea tying him to $3.7 million in counterfeit currency seized in Colombia in 1998 and 2000, but Secret Service fo-rensics experts have linked his printing plates to much larger amounts.

A wire report For Whom The Bell Tolls I drove a Ford Escort rental re-cendy, and was introduced to one of the worst automotive innovations in history: Ford's seat belt "Reminder System." In most cars, a bell sounds for eight seconds when the car starts to remind you to buckle up. Ford engineers decided it would be much better to drive motorists insane. In most 2001 and all 2002 models, Ford has installed a chime that sounds for six seconds, pauses for 30 seconds and then repeats for up to five minutes or until you buckle your belt. I'm all for seat belts. They save lives.

But I figure if an eight-second chime doesn't make me buckle up, neither will Ford's Intensely Irritating Reminder System, or IIRS. A study by the Insurance Institute for I Iighway Safety claims the system has increased belt use from 7 1 to 76 percent. Maybe I'm just stubborn, but it just made me want to pull over and perform open heart surgery on the dashboard with a sledgehammer. I'm just sayin'. This weekly column will address commuter concerns and take a light-hearted look at issues every motorist faces.

To let us know what bugs you, contact Jim Sloan at (813) 259-7691. HOW TO CONTACT US CourttPolicePolltk Morris Kennedy, (813) 259-7567, mkennedytampatrlb.com EdutitlonA jingSot ll Service John Vaughan, (813) 259-7524, lvaughantampatrlb.com Local GovemmentEnvlronmentTreniportation: Ken Koehn, (813) 259-7954, kkoehntampatrlb.com MilitaryWar Coverage: Pat Minarcin, (813) 259-7604, pminarclntampatrib.com State Government; John Wark, (850) 222-8382, twarktttampatrlb.com Columniit: Steve Otto, (813) 259-7809, sotto-a tampatrib.com Our address: Metro, The Tampa Tribune, 200 S. Parker Tampa FL 33606-2395 To call Deputy Managing Editor Lawrence Fletcher (813) 259-7626 To send comments and ideas through t-mail: metrotampatrib.com Metro fax: (813) 259-7676 For information about The Tampa Tribune's news departments: (813) 259-7600 1.