Racin' & Internet Stuff:

                                      By Tom Avenengo

                                         Volume # 53

                                           04/21/2011

 

First:

They say that “April Showers bring May flowers”, but why must it rain on weekends – especially on Saturday when that is our race night?  A lot of racing got rained out last Saturday night.  Oh, and the forecast for the next few days and through the weekend isn’t so nice, either, with Friday being the best, so far.

 

Second:

Well, one track, New Egypt Speedway moved their Saturday show up to Friday night.  However, it was a no points night.  Is there any particular reason why some tracks don’t use Sunday as a rain date?

 

Third:

While watching some racing from Talladega over this past weekend, one of the announcers made mention that the main grandstand is a mile in length.

 

Fourth:

It was also mentioned, on TV, that the backstretch at Talladega is the longest straight out of all the tracks that NASCAR races on.  I thought that Pocono, at 3,740 feet was the longest, but Talladega is longer – it’s 4,000 feet.  The front stretch at Talladega is longer yet, at 4,300 feet, but it isn’t straight.

 

Fifth:

While I was at Accord last Friday, I “splurged” and bought a 50/50 ticket.  The young lady selling them had different colored tickets, and sold me a PINK one.  I had to bust her chops a little when I made mention of its color.  It was ticket # 870023.  The winning 50/50 ticket, for the money, was a PINK ticket - # 870024.  Now I wish I had bought two – would have paid for the two front struts I bought on Monday, for my car - with a few bucks left over! 

 

Sixth:

Some problems with a certain driver (very well known) in Indycar racing?  Sure looks that way from what’s being said.   

To be honest, as long as they’re racing on road courses, I don’t watch their racing.  But check this out:

"How Helio doesn't get penalized, I have no idea," Dixon said. "He ruined [Justin] Wilson's day by spinning him out at the hairpin, then takes his teammate out and wrecks my car.
"I just don't understand," he added. "He's obviously being given free reign to go out and crash anybody he wants. I don't know if he's nervous or trying to prove a point. I think Will is getting to him a bit. Obviously he's waxing him on straight-up qualifying laps and things like that." - Scott Dixon
 

 

Lots more, up to five pages worth, can be seen if you go here:

 http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?148898-Scott-Dixon-with-some-harsh-words-for-Helio-Castroneves

 

Seventh:

The “Road to Indy” – how times have changed.

 

I was reading about the great midget/sprint car owner Mike Caruso on the Caruso Museum's website, and I came across this:

"Schindler had his sights set on the Indianapolis 500 as 1949 began but was required to drive six sprint car races before he was permitted to take his Indianapolis rookie driver test."

 

Times sure have changed, haven't they?  I'm willing to bet at least 95% of this years Indy 500 drivers have never been in a sprint car.

 

 

Eighth:

The CRSA 305 Sprint Cars have their first race scheduled for the Fonda Speedway this coming Saturday.  If “Mother Nature” messes up things, then their first show will be the following week at OCFS.

 

Ninth:

Not racing, but NFL Football.  How about this – The Giants vs. the Jets at 1:00 PM on December 24, 2011?  And, I believe the season starts on 9/11.

 

Tenth:

Some forecasts for tracks this coming weekend – as of 9:00 PM on Tuesday – per Yahoo!

OCFS:  Saturday: Rain. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the low 50s.

Accord:   Friday: Windy with times of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 50s and lows in the mid 30s.

Lebanon Valley:  Saturday: Considerable cloudiness. Highs in the mid 50s and lows in the low 40s. (Photo shows rain).

New Egypt:  Saturday: Few showers. Highs in the low 50s and lows in the mid 40s. (Photo shows rain/thunder).

Stafford:   Saturday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 50s and lows in the upper 30s. (Photo shows rain)

Eleventh:

If you recall, I made mention of me sending an e-mail to OCFS regarding the situation with JP’s Snack Bar – as to whether it was just closed on opening night or if it might be closed, and not to be re-opened.  As of Wednesday, April 20th, I’ve had no reply from OCFS.  They say “No news is good news”, but I kinda think in this case, it isn’t all that good.

Twelfth:

As of 12:30 PM on Wednesday, April 20th, there has been no notice sent out from the New Egypt Speedway as far as them racing on Friday night again this week, due to the rain forecasted for Saturday.

Thirteenth:

An interesting change on how Port Royal will be running their racing shows for the rest of 2011 was put out on the SJDR’s message board.  Check this out:

New Lineup Procedures and Bonus $ Package Go Into Effect Immediately, Handicapping Process Dropped
April 14th, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 4/14/11

Port Royal – A new attitude for a new decade of auto racing at Port Royal Speedway has yielded a major change to how the speedway will conduct its weekly auto racing programs for the balance of 2011.

PRS Promotions officials have announced that the track will launch a new heat and feature alignment procedure beginning this Saturday, forsaking the long entrenched handicapping system and associated penalty clauses at the oval.

“It’s our hope that this innovative new lineup process will help to bolster our regular fields while at the same time adding excitement to our programs by making every position more worthwhile in the heat races,” says PRS Promotions official and speedway promoter Steve O’Neal.
“After receiving feedback from a host of competitors and considering the current state of the economy, we realize that a lot of our regular racers cannot afford to run weekly and this move should help all racers be able to race with us whenever they are available because all penalizations have been dropped and we’re not asking them to start out the night at what has become a costly disadvantage,” O’Neal says.

The new heat draw/feature redraw system will now be utilized for regular programs that include 410 sprints, late models and pro stock divisions. Although most of these programs will take place on traditional Saturdays, the new process will be used for the divisions on a few other occasions during the course of the season.

In a nutshell, the new procedure will see heat lineups set by draw with the top two (2) heat finishers redrawing for preferred feature starting positions, which could range (dependent on the number of heat races) from four (4) to eight (8).

The rest of the cars in the feature will be started heads-up based on their heat race finish. For instance, the third finisher in the first heat would start fifth in the feature if two heats are contested or seventh if three heats are run, etc.

As an added twist to the new system for the fans and drivers, a financial bonus package has also been introduced.

If any one of the redrawn preferred position starters opts to give up his or her chosen spot and take the feature green from the 11th spot on the starting grid (or further back if more than one redrawn driver opts to try for the bonus), he or she will be eligible for the following bonus money on top of the regular winner’s share: 410 sprints – $300; late models – $200; and pro stocks – $100.

Aside from the redrawn preferred starters, any other regularly scheduled starter slated to go green from 11th to last-place in the field will be eligible to claim the bonus bucks if they race into victory lane.

If any of the redrawn preferred position starters opt to move back in the field to try for the bonus cash, the balance of the lineup in front of row six will simply advance position accordingly to take the feature green flag.”

Note:  If this proves successful, might other tracks follow?

Fourteenth:

Coming up in August, up at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, in Loudon, NH the weekend of August 13th and 14th, there will be four different classes of racing going on.

On the 13th:  Granite State Classic Oval - NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and American-Canadian Tour 75 Oval - American-Canadian Tour

On the 14th:  Firestone Indy Lights 100 Oval - Firestone Indy Lights and IZOD IndyCar 225 Oval - IZOD IndyCar® Series

Reading on the Internet, there are quite a few that say the Whelen Modifieds, whenever they are there, always put on the best show of the weekend.  I feel it’s a shame that they’ll be on Saturday while the Indy cars are on Sunday.

And don’t forget, the Vintage Race Car Meet is May 17th to the 21st.

Fifteenth:

I really have no idea as to how the racing at both Daytona and Talladega has changed from a pack of 43 cars to down to 2 cars running together.  Personally, I like the 2x2 racing.  To me it seems to be a lot safer.  It sure is weird watching as two cars, running together, can gain so much ground, so fast, on other sets of two cars.  I enjoyed the Talladega race a lot more than any other NASCAR race so far this season, that’s for sure.

Sixteenth:

MLB takes over operation of Los Angeles Dodgers.

In part:

Major League Baseball is taking the extraordinary step of assuming control of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team increasingly paralyzed by its owners’ bitter divorce.

Once among baseball’s glamour franchises, the Dodgers have been consumed by infighting since Jamie McCourt filed for divorce after 30 years of marriage in October 2009, one week after her husband fired her as the team’s chief executive. Frank McCourt accused Jamie of having an affair with her bodyguard-driver and performing poorly at work.”

Lots more on this can be seen here:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AmIDJLj9Q2phKgq5iUedb7ARvLYF?slug=ap-mlb-dodgers

 

Found on Jayski’s website:

 

Mayfield claims NASCAR forced SPEED to edit interview: Jeremy Mayfield accused NASCAR of forcing the SPEED Channel to edit Mayfield's one-on-one interview with Steve Byrnes. Mayfield said, " I had a great interview with the SPEED Channel about a month ago with Steve Byrnes, the best one ever. It was going to be great! I couldn't wait for them to air it. It was honest. From his point of view, he was asking me honest questions that I could answer, he wasn't trying to set me up...everything was great - and then NASCAR gets wind of it. Paul Brooks (from NASCAR) calls the President of the SPEED Channel and says, "If you air this show with Mayfield on it, it's going to jeopardize our relationship." So, they took out everything I said, anything that amounted to anything at all - took it all out and basically made me look like an idiot on TV like I wasn't saying anything."(Captain Thunder)(4-13-2011)

Note:  In a way, I could see this happening, if indeed it did.  I’m willing to bet that there’s quite a lot that NASCAR does that we, as race fans, are not aware of – things that would make NASCAR look bad if things ever came out.

Bill Elliott Uncertain about plans: Bill Elliott isn't sure when he'll be driving again. He started the season with Phoenix Racing and had planned to run 17 races with the team throughout 2011. But since his release from Phoenix last month, he's only qualified and started the Talladega race for #46 Whitney Motorsports. Elliott used a past champion's provisional to get the team in the race, then turned the driving duties over to J.J. Yeley during the event. "I'm taking it one day at a time," Elliott said. "I don't know [what I'll do]. I'm just kind of on the sidelines going fishing, you know what I mean? Ain't much been happening. If you look at where the economy and stuff is, that's pretty much status quo."(SceneDaily)(4-20-2011)

Wood Brothers to skip next three races: #21-Trevor Bayne and the Wood Brothers team, who have planned a limited Sprint Cup schedule this year, will skip the next three Sprint Cup races and return to the track on May 21 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race with sponsorship from the Good Sam Club. Bayne and the Woods are guaranteed a starting spot in the All-Star race because of their victory in the season-opening Daytona 500.(Wood Brothers Racing)(4-20-2011)

 

Former Oakland Valley Speedway (Dirt Oval) runners:

Note:

I’ve been away from the track for a few years now, so it’s very possible that there have been other drivers – other than those I make mention of, that have also gone onto bigger forms or racing vehicles, so chances are real good that I do not know their names.  If you know of anyone that’s gone onto bigger things, and had run at the Dirt Oval, how about dropping me a line and let me know their names and where and with what they are now racing.  Thanks!

Last week I missed Nick Pecko coming in 4th in the Sport Modified feature at Mountain Speedway.

Accord: 

Modified feature:  Danny Creeden 3rd, Michael Storms 8th, Anthony Perrego 19th and Clinton Mills was a DNQ

Sportsman feature:  John Lodini was 5th and Brad Szulewski 15th after being a victim of the first turn.

Spec Sportsman feature:  Matt Hitchcock was the feature winner while Kyle Rohner finished 5th.

At Big Diamond,  Mike Mammana won the Sportsman feature.

At New Egypt, Johnny Guarino was 7th in the Modified feature last Friday night.

 

Going back, in time – in racing history:

Note:  Most of the following information was found here: 

http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/history.html

 

Covering the days of April 22nd to April 28th.

 

April 22

1956

Walt Faulkner... Died ... AAA driver from 1949 to 1955. He also competed in NASCAR races. In 1950 Faulkner became the first rookie to win pole position at the Indianapolis 500. He died after a racing crash at a USAC Stock Car event in West Coast Speedway California on April 22 1956

1975

Greg Moore... Born ... A Canadian racecar driver who competed in the Indy Lights and CART World Series, where he had great success with several wins in both series and a championship in the 1995 Indy Lights series. However, his promising career and his life came to an end on October 31, 1999, when he was fatally injured in a violent crash on the 10th lap of the CART season finale, the Marlboro 500, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

 

April 23

1936

Dick Atkins... Born ... One of the best sprint car drivers of his era and was just begining to shine in the USAC Championships when he was killed at Ascot Park when Don Branson's car bounced off the wall back into his path. Branson died instantly and Atkins passed away the next day from what at first were believed to be burns. However an autopsy revealed that the cause of death was a fractured skull.

1961

Chris Kneifel... Born ... Cart / USAC driver from 1982 to 1984

1969

P.J. Jones... Born ... P.J. has raced in NASCAR, the IRL, and Champ Car. He is the son of racing legend Parnelli Jones, and brother of Page Jones.

1971

Dempsey Wilson... Died ... USAC driver from the 1950's and 60's.

 

April 24
1933

Billy Garrett ... Born ... USAC driver 1956 to 1958

1967

Fred Lorenzen , one of the most successful Stock Car drivers in history, announced his retirement at a banquet in his honor. Suffering from ulcers, the 33 year old driver said "I want to go out while I'm on top...". The ulcers forced him to miss the North Wilkesboro and Martinsville races.

1969

Hermie Sadler... Born ... NASCAR driver. His brother Elliott Sadler is also a NASCAR driver.

 

April 25

1884

Arthur Chevrolet... Born ... AAA driver 1909 to 1920. One of 3 brothers that emigrated to America and went into auto racing.

1928

Frank Lockhart... Died ... AAA driver 1925 to 1927. Won the Indy 500 in 1926. He was killed in the crash of his Stutz Blackhawk during a land speed record attempt on the beach at Daytona, Florida.

1942

Wally Zale... Died ... Wally Zale hailed from Chicago and was one of the pioneers of midget auto racing when it was introduced to the Midwest in 1934. His 67 wins with various organizations in 1940 is believed to have been the greatest number ever by a midget driver in a single season and broke his old record of 65 feature wins set in 1936.

1962

Fred Frame... Died ... AAA driver from the 1920's and 1930's. Ran the Indy 500 8 times and won in 1932.

 

April 26

1970

Lloyd Ruby outdueld Mario Andretti and Al Unser to win the 200 mile USAC Championship race on the 1.5 mile peanut shaped Trenton Speedway in Trenton, NJ. At the start, pole winner Al Unser took the lead followed by Ruby. Local favorite Wally Dallenbach got by Ruby for 2nd on lap 7 and took the lead at the line on lap 34. Dallenbach closely led A. Unser until lap 59, when Dallenbach lost it and spun into the wall while lapping A.J. Foyt. Foyt spun to avoid and A. Unser's Lola-Ford managed to slip by after just clipping Dallenbach's Eagle-Offy. The yellow flew and the leaders pitted. Andretti's crew got him out first and Bobby Unser fell from contention when his crew had trouble removing the right rear wheel. Andretti and A. Unser swapped the lead 2 more times before Ruby made his winning pass low into the right hand backstretch dogleg on the 104th of 134 laps. A yellow 2 laps later bunched the field, but Ruby pulled out a slight gap on the restart. Ruby kept his turbocharged Drake-Offy powered Mongoose out front, with Andretti closing to 1.4 seconds at the checkered. A. Unser finished 3rd, 3.6 seconds behind Ruby. A. Unser said nicking Dallenbach's car threw the handling off. It was the 7th, and final, Indy Car win for the 42 year old driver from Wichita Falls, Texas, who had only finished one prior start at Trenton.

 

April 27

1914

Russ Klar ... Born ... He was a race driver in the Northeast. He drove midgets , sprint cars and 'big cars' in the 1940s and '50s and late in his career modifieds (stock cars).  His daughter, Anne, is married to Drew Fornoro, son of Nick and Bette.  Anne is the PR person for the AJ Foyt race team.

1933

Bob Bondurant... Born ... An American former sports car driver who also raced for the Ferrari and Eagle teams in Formula One. He later started the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving.

 

April 28

1957

Paul Goldsmith drove his Smokey Yunick Ford to victory in the 250 lap NASCAR Grand National race at the Greensboro Agricultural Fairgrounds 1/3 mile dirt track in Greensboro, North Carolina. Jack Smith's factory backed Chevrolet finished 5 seconds behind in second. Under pressure from the manufacturers association, Bill France banned superchargers and fuel injection. Both had been legal because they were available to the public.

 

 

News from the AARN:

http://www.aarn.com/

From their April 12th issue:

It’s being said that the sale of the Oswego Speedway is getting closer.  The IMSA race that was scheduled for May 7th has been postponed to a possible later date.  Opening is now scheduled for the Memorial Day weekend.

The North-South Shootout (John Blewett, III Memorial) has been moved from the Concord, NC Speedway to the Myrtle Beach, SC Speedway, for 2011.

It might be possible for Bobby Santos, III to win both the NASCAR Whelan Modified Tour and the USAC Pavement Sprint Car Series, in 2011, if things work out right.  Santos is scheduled to run 25 USAC events in Midgets, Sprint Cars and Silver Crown cars – all on paved tracks.

Note:  I think if he does that, he would be the first ever?

Some weekend dollars that get spent by top 20 teams that are running the Nationwide Series:

Engine lease:  $30,000.00 – Tires $10,000.00 to $12,000.00 -$6,000.00 for motel rooms and $5,000.00 for plane tickets.

At the Waterford Speedbowl, last week, some thieves took thousands of dollars worth of tools out of some trailers while the teams were watching the races.

Chris Eggleston won $75,000.00 when he won the Pro All Star Series (PASS) South race at North Wilkesboro.

Steve Buckwalter has a hauler that has a gas gauge that doesn’t work along with a speedometer that doesn’t work.  He says he drives for three hours and fills up the tank, then again three hours later.  As for speeding – he tries to keep up with the flow of traffic.

Kimi Raikkonin, former Formula One driving champion, is heading towards NASCAR.  He had his first run a week ago on a Kyle Busch Motorsports truck at Rockingham.  Unfortunately, we don’t know much as far as the rest goes.  It seems that SPEED Formula One analysts Bob Varsha and Leigh Diffen were escorted off of the property.

As of now, the “Prelude to the Dream” race will be run in 2011 – on June 8th, a Wednesday night.  Tickets for this event can be purchased on line at:  eldoraspeedway.com or via the phone at:  937-338-3815.

Note:  if you recall, a few columns back, it was still up in the air as far as this event being run, with some sponsors needed.

The Wayne County Speedway, out in Ohio was sold.  However it will not be used as a speedway, anymore.

The Bethel Motor Speedway has a practice session scheduled for April 23rd, with an opening night of racing on April 30th.  Classes that run there are:

Dirt Sportsman, Pro Stock, Legends, Bandoleros, Street Stocks, BMS Modifieds and 4 cylinders..  The track has been completely re-paved.  Hoosier tires are the tires you need to run there.  The “Operations Manager” is Tracy Chirico.

http://www.bethelmotorspeedway.com/BethelMotorSpeedway/Home_Page.html

Note:  One little piece of news out of Bethel that I never saw mentioned was the change from the Rockets, Dave and Joanne, running the track, to the new people.

In 2012, for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, it has been announced that the Grand Marshall will be A.J. Foyt.  That race is on January 28th and 29th.  The speedway office is attempting to locate all Rolex 24 at Daytona overall race winning cars for a big heritage display.

Note:  Last week I said I’d have more about the schedules that were shown in the AARN..

One thing that caught my eye was a date listed on the SpeedSTR schedule – July 27th – Accord Speedway (Tentative).  That’s a Wednesday night show when they have Karts, Slingshots, Micros etc, etc.  The SpeedSTR’s are not listed on the Accord schedule, however, for that date.

I did inquire with the AARN to see if it might be possible to have the schedules listed alphabetically, but that’s almost an impossibility, since, say a track with the beginning letter of “C”, might send in their schedule at the last minute.  There are about 150 different tracks/organizations that have their schedules listed in the AARN, and I know of some tracks that aren’t listed, too.

 

More racin’ stuff:

 

Erin Crocker Evernham took the lead with about 5 laps to go and went on to win the USCS Sprint car race at Carolina.  After taking checkered flag, Crocker went high in turns 1 and 2, car jumped cushion, hit wall, started flipping and flipped completely out of the track.  She did get the win and was ok.

 

Note:  There’s a little bit more on this story:

She wasn't sure if that was the white flag or the checkers, so she staid on the gas in turns one and two. Ray Evernham, her husband, was slowing because he knew it was over He moved high, she hit his car and flew over the wall and down about a 30 foot embankment.
Asked what she was thinking as she flew out of the park..."I Hope that was the checker!"

http://www.trackforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2651-Erin-Crocker-wins...then-flips



Other forums/message boards and websites:

 

You might find some interesting reading if you go to the links below.

 

Track Forum: - http://www.trackforum.com/forums/

Frontstretch.com:  http://www.frontstretch.com/

Jayski: - http://www.jayski.com/

Open Wheel Racers3:  http://www.openwheelracers3.com/

Race Pro Weekly:  http://raceproweekly.com/

Syracuse forum:  http://www.syracuse.com/forums/motorsports/ (Must register to post)

South Jersey Dirt Racing:  http://theboard.southjerseydirtracing.com/Msgboard.asp?ForumID=27&Return=Msgboard.asp&D83jsd=True

(Must register to post)

Victory Speedway:  http://s2.excoboard.com/VictorySpeedwayForum (Must register to post & no nonsense allowed)

Yahoo Race History Group: 

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/RacingHistory/ (when one posts something on an e-mail to the group, they do have what is called the “Len Sutton rule” – you put in your name and where you live.  And, yes, things are “policed” too.

New England Tractor:  http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/

Wheels of Speed:  http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/

The Caruso Racing Museum website:  http://www.carusomidgetracing.com/  A great website if you are interested in the history of legendary Mike Caruso, his cars and his drivers.

First Turn Pro:  http://www.firstturnpro.com/

Vintage Sprint Car: 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=236178

Vintage Midget:  http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=337192

Briggs Cunningham race team – history:

http://www.briggscunningham.com/race_history.html?YEAR=1955

Note:  Disregard the “error” notice on top left.

 

 

Racing and television:

Racing on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm

 

Some non-racing stuff:

In Financial Crisis, No Prosecutions of Top Figures

 

In part:

“It is a question asked repeatedly across America: why, in the aftermath of a financial mess that generated hundreds of billions in losses, have no high-profile participants in the disaster been prosecuted?

Answering such a question — the equivalent of determining why a dog did not bark — is anything but simple. But a private meeting in mid-October 2008 between Timothy F. Geithner, then-president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and Andrew M. Cuomo, New York’s attorney general at the time, illustrates the complexities of pursuing legal cases in a time of panic”

“But several years after the financial crisis, which was caused in large part by reckless lending and excessive risk taking by major financial institutions, no senior executives have been charged or imprisoned, and a collective government effort has not emerged. This stands in stark contrast to the failure of many savings and loan institutions in the late 1980s. In the wake of that debacle, special government task forces referred 1,100 cases to prosecutors, resulting in more than 800 bank officials going to jail. Among the best-known: Charles H. Keating Jr., of Lincoln Savings and Loan in Arizona, and David Paul, of Centrust Bank in Florida.”

“Even civil actions by the government have been limited. The Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a broad guideline in 2009 — distributed within the agency but never made public — to be cautious about pushing for hefty penalties from banks that had received bailout money. The agency was concerned about taxpayer money in effect being used to pay for settlements, according to four people briefed on the policy but who were not authorized to speak publicly about it.”

Note:  There’s a ton more info on this, and you can read all about it here:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/In-Financial-Crisis-No-nytimes-220824617.html?x=0&.v=1

 

Obama snubs border governors on ‘stakeholders’ immigration meeting

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 10:41AM

In part:

“President Barack Obama held a meeting on immigration attended by those he called “stakeholders” at The White House on Tuesday.

The president snubbed many experts who could contribute firsthand experience for addressing what he calls immigration. Greta van Susteren at Fox News said not a single border governor was invited. Wouldn’t you think those governors are the real ‘stakeholders’?

Among those included, according to various media, were identity politics opportunist Al Sharpton and AFL-CIO strongman Richard Trumka. The official White House readout did not even include the names of those who attended.”

“The immigration system is in chaos, and that condition is a direct result of failed US foreign policy with Mexico, failed border security and a massive exodus of Mexican citizens as well as citizens of Guatemala, El Salvador and numerous other countries. Don’t assume the foreign nationals coming to the U.S. are all from countries south of the border. There’s no accountability because you can’t document the undocumentable. Foreign nationals enjoy more privacy rights than American citizens and documented migrant workers.”

“Both parties know America has a problem documenting foreign nationals and it's likely both have set their sights on using immigration as a political ploy to garner votes in 2012.”

More can be seen, here:  http://www.theusreport.com/the-us-report/2011/4/20/obama-snubs-border-governors-on-stakeholders-immigration-mee.html

 

As Gas Prices Rise, Oil Companies Enjoy Multibillion-Dollar Rise in Profits

In part:

“Pumped up about skyrocketing gas prices? Many American motorists are.

According to AAA, the average U.S. price for a gallon of gas was $3.33 on Feb. 26, up from $2.70 a year ago. Some experts predict gas prices in some areas of the country could skyrocket to $5 a gallon this summer.

While we’re paying more to fill up, the three largest publicly traded oil companies based in the United States have been filling up on profits.

Those three companies – ExxonMobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips – collectively pulled in an eye-popping $58.3 billion in profits in 2010, according to financial figures announced in January 2011. Mind you, that’s profit – the amount of money that companies pocket after covering their expenses.”

ExxonMobil: $30.5 billion, up $11 billion from 2009. In a substantial understatement, ExxonMobil’s vice president of investor relations, David Rosenthal, said he was “very pleased” with the company’s financial results for 2010.

 Chevron: $19 billion, up from $10.5 billion in 2009.

ConocoPhillips: $8.8 billion, up from $4.9 billion in 2009.”

http://technorati.com/business/article/as-gas-prices-rise-oil-companies/#ixzz1K7FJrHU5

 

 

Is this true?:

 

Maybe you’ve been sent this in an e-mail, as I was:

 

Just a few problems that come up with “Illegals” – Part 2:

 

"As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should be aware of:

He qualifies for food stamps..

He qualifies for free (no deductible), no co-pay) health care.

His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school.

He requires bilingual teachers and books.

He qualifies for relief from high energy bills...

If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for SSI.

Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare. All of this is at (our) taxpayer's expense.

He doesn't worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance.

Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material.

He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour in benefits.

Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00/hour left after paying their bills AND his.

The American taxpayers also pay for increased crime, graffiti and trash clean-up.

Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT! Wake up people!

THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS WE SHOULD BE ADDRESSING TO THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR EITHER PARTY. 'AND WHEN THEY LIE TO US AND DON'T DO AS THEY SAY, WE SHOULD REPLACE THEM AT ONCE!'

THIS HAS GOT TO BE PASSED ALONG TO AS MANY AS POSSIBLE OR WE WILL ALL GO DOWN THE DRAIN BECAUSE A FEW DON'T CARE

 

 

 

A big part of the problem:

OK, we all know how certain “groups” of people stick together, right?  So here’s someone that’s being said is a big time crook, yet he’ll still draw a nice fat pension.  Should he?  I say no, but there are ways that he will be able to get that pension and we can’t stop it.

 

From the editorial in my local paper on Tuesday, April 19th:

 

“Friends don't let friends lose pensions

Published: 2:00 AM - 04/19/11

The sentencing of Alan Hevesi, former state comptroller, to one to four years in prison has released another blizzard of promises to make a long-awaited change in the state pension system, denying payments to those who use public office to commit crimes.

Hevesi provides the most despicable example yet. He was the sole trustee of the pension fund, responsible for investing billions of dollars, yet despite that betrayal he will be able to collect his own pension because that's the way the state laws and Constitution work.

Only by changing those can New Yorkers get the justice they want.

So how come nobody in the Senate or Assembly has been able to do any more than draft some legislation and park it in a committee? You would think that with a slam-dunk issue like this, with no evidence that anybody thinks that crooks are entitled to a comfortable retirement, with several ripe examples of convictions in just the past 12 months and several others waiting for court action, some sort of pension-removal plan would be on the books.

The only reasonable conclusion is that senators and members of the Assembly are not that interested in punishing their friends.

As frustrating as that might be, it might not be all that bad for the state. Those pension-denying bills collecting dust in Albany committee rooms are not exactly what the public expects when it calls out for justice because the procedure to take back a pension is not simple.

The bills contain detailed descriptions of crimes and activities that will take a lot of court time and money to process. Those facing the loss of a pension will have the presumption of innocence, as they should, and the state will have to first win felony convictions, then show that the crimes were linked to the performance of officials duties or the failure to perform those duties, then hold hearings, then allow for appeals. All of this will take many years, and the burden will fall on the state at every point.

In the end, the state is very likely to end up paying more to deny these pensions than it would have in pension payments themselves.

Even those who will say that the cause of justice is worth the expense need to understand that in Albany not everything that looks like a crime is defined as one. The former Senate leader, Joe Bruno, ran a private business out of his Senate office because he could. The state Public Integrity Commission is trying to find out how his daughter ended up getting a well-paying job with a branch of the State University of New York.

Unless legislators broaden the definition of criminal activity, most of those who want to abuse their power will be able to do so and stay well clear of any efforts to remove pensions.

Although it will not be as satisfying as taking away a crook's pension, New Yorkers would be better served if legislators would act on some other bills they have been avoiding, ones that would impose new and higher ethical standards including full disclosure of outside income.”

Kinda sucks, doesn’t it?



 

Video time - # 1:

At times it gets a little difficult finding something that most that read my columns can enjoy.

Here’s one of someone that’s “been there and done it” – quite successfully, I should add, and more than most others, too, in almost every kind of racecar, too, as you’ll see.  The great A.J. Foyt, in action.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij2WR38-Scs

 

Video time - #2:

Something cute – the kids will like this one!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic4AjElA6uk

 

 

 

 

Closing with these:

With Easter coming up, I thought these might fit in pretty well here.  Thanks to my friend Elaine for sending them via e-mail.

 

A father was approached by his small son who told him proudly, "I know what the Bible means!"

His father smiled and replied, "What do you mean, you 'know' what the Bible means?

The son replied, "I do know!"

"Okay," said his father. "What does the Bible mean?"

"That's easy, Daddy..." the young  boy replied excitedly," It stands for 'Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.'

 

There was a very gracious lady who was mailing an old family Bible to her brother in another part of the country.

"Is there anything breakable in here?"  Asked the postal clerk.

"Only the Ten Commandments." answered the lady.

 

"Somebody has said there are only two kinds of people in the world. There are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, it's morning."

 

A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter.

Then he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have circled the block 10 times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses."

 

When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note "I've circled this block for 10 years. If I don't give you a ticket I'll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation."

 

There is the story of a pastor who got up one Sunday and  announced to his congregation: "I have good news  and bad news. The good news is, we have enough money to pay for our new building program. The bad news is, it's still out there in your pockets."

 

While driving in Pennsylvania, a family caught up to an Amish carriage. The owner of the carriage obviously had a sense of humor, because attached to the back of the carriage was a hand printed sign... "Energy efficient vehicle: Runs on oats and grass. Caution: Do not step in exhaust."

 

A Sunday School teacher began her lesson with a question, "Boys and girls, what do we know about God?"

A hand shot up in the air. "He is an artist!" said the kindergarten boy.

"Really? How do you know?"  The teacher asked.

"You know - Our Father, who does art in Heaven... "

 

A minister waited in line to have his car filled with gas just before a long holiday weekend. The attendant worked quickly, but there were many cars ahead of him. Finally, the attendant motioned him toward a vacant pump.

"Reverend," said the young man, "I'm so sorry about the delay. It seems as if everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip.."

The minister chuckled,  "I know what you mean. It's the same in my business."

 

Sunday after church, a Mom asked her very young daughter what the lesson was about.

The daughter answered, "Don't be scared, you'll get your quilt."

Needless to say, the Mom was perplexed.  Later in the day, the pastor stopped by for tea and the Mom asked him what that morning's Sunday school lesson was about.

He said "Be not afraid, thy comforter is coming."

 

The minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money  than they were expecting for repairs to the church  building. Therefore, he was annoyed to find that the regular organist was sick and a substitute had  been brought in at the last minute. The substitute wanted to know what to play.

"Here's a copy of the service," he said impatiently. "But, you'll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances."

During the service, the minister paused and said, "Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected and  we need $4,000 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up."

At that moment, the substitute organist played "The Star Spangled Banner."

And that is how the substitute became the regular organist!

 

 

May “Guardian Angels” sit on the shoulders of all of our race drivers and race fans, and guide them safely around the tracks!

Drive safe! 

 

Until next week!

 

As usual, you can reach me at:  ygordad@yahoo.com