Huber's Hash by Walt Huber

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HUBER'S  HASH 

for

APRIL,  2017

by  Walter Huber

It was last month -- on March eleventh to be precise -- that I suddenly realized that we were already out fifteen and a half years since that tragic day in our nation's history when we lost almost three thousand folks here on our nation's soil in Manhattan and at Alexandria Virginia and outside Shanksville Pennsylvania because of a band of terrorists.  

And of course that included our own Linda Gronlund and Joe DeLuca on United 93 as well as two other folks with ties to the SCCA -- Craig James Miller, 29,  a Secret Service Agent who had recently come off the presidential detail and was now assigned to the Secret Service office at the WTC.  He'd been a New England Region member on his folks' family membership when he was a kid.  I understand that he had been seen outside the building but went back in to help others get out when the building collapsed.  And also Max Hammond, 39, a San Francisco Region member who'd moved east about a year earlier.  Max now lived in New Hampshire and was flying out of Logan aboard United 175 on a business trip to Los Angeles.  

Joe DeLuca's birthday will be coming up this month in April.  Joe was born in 1949, so he'd be 68 this year on April fifth.  Linda Gronlund was 46 when this tragedy struck.  She was born on September 13 in 1954, so she would have turned 47 two days later while in San Francisco.  Remember them.

"Liar!  Liar!  Pants on fire!"  Well, according to a story in the Herald-News on March 10th, page 8A, it appears this exclamation has merit!  In Miami, a lawyer was speaking to the jury on behalf of his accused client in an arson case, when suddenly his -- the lawyer's -- pants caught fire.  It appears that the lawyer had an e-cigarette in his pants pocket along with some extra batteries for the e-cig.  The batteries failed and suddenly his pants began to burn.  Somehow you've got to feel that a deity is somehow involved here, that He is familiar with the expression and that He wanted to chime in on this case!  "Liar! Liar! Pants on fire!"

Board of Trustees member, Peter Schneider, has been doing a great job of reducing the size and cost of our e-mail Constant Contact list.  With continual additions over the years, many of the names had become old and stale, plus duplications in the lists had become rampant.  Continual additions stemming from our rally, solo and race events had caused our lists to swell to over eleven thousand names.  Peter spoke with Cheryl Babbe at the SCCA National Convention.  Cheryl is a advisor with Constant Contact and she is also an SCCA member and former Regional Executive of the Arctic-Alaska Region of the club.  They have pared the lists down to about five thousand names.  And, of course, this has similarly also whittled our monthly cost from close to $200 down to nearer $50. 

Last month in my report I wrote that Peter and Joanne Schneider were heading out to Australia to again participate in a Tour Rally being conducted "down under."  And as we here in the northern hemisphere headed into the nor'easter & blizzard of March 14th, I received an e-note from Peter telling me that the temperature that day was a lovely 88° in the area of Melbourne.  Gee, thanks so much for that report, Peter!

The April issue of SportsCar magazine arrived in early March.  In it were listed the names of members who had accumulated the greatest number of volunteer days as they approached their membership renewal dates.  In the category of having volunteered between 12 and 19 days were NNJR's  Willa and Jeff Bruckner.  And in the 45 + number of days volunteered category, where only 4 members out of 65,000 total SCCA members made the list, were NNJR's Bart Carlevaro and Linda Louie.  Congrats & well done to all!

This issue also listed members with significant membership anniversaries coming up.  Congratulations to Stu French who is celebrating 45 years' membership with NNJR and SCCA.  And Jack Dalton is only five years behind with 40 years under his belt.  Catherine Balkunow may make Florida her home but continues to prefer NNJR as her home region.  Catherine is in the 35 year category.  And Bob Austin also is also celebrating 35 years membership. At the quarter century membership mark are Jerry Molitor, Frank Sangiorgio and Victor Sedlacko.  Congrats to all! 

Back about a month ago,  I believe the actual date was Sunday February 26th, former racer, former NNJ Regional Exec all-around good guy, and friend to all Darrell Anthony and Joan Denise Anthony tied the knot.  They had been dating for some time before DA finally popped the question.  There has been much activity on their Facebook pages and <Webmaster - not completes>

One of the president's new appointees, National Security Advisor & former 3-star general Michael Flynn, quit his new job last month.  Appears he didn't realize that government was unlike military and business. 

A question....  I know television has never been a place to find the greatest of drama.  The comedy is generally (but not always) good.  But serious acting? -- not so much!  However, more to the question:  Are many TV commercials purposefully designed to be bad?  Or perhaps downright awful?  Are they really meant to be skits that make you wanna puke? 

The one where some little redhead runs around wearing a skintight bodysuit, with an apron (a small doily) strategically positioned to hide her crotch -- the ad is for some crap named Viberzi.  I have no idea what this Viberzi crap is supposed to be good for -- I just cannot watch the whole commercial when it plays.  I go to the fridge and get another beer when it comes on.  (Perhaps it's really a commercial intended to sell more beer.)

And the commercial with some little guy with a squeaky voice --  I think his name's "Johnny" something.  He comes on with some wench who looks like him and says her name is (unintelligible) and that she's Johnny's favorite concubine or some-such.  I think the girl is actually the guy in drag and the ad is photo-shopped together.  They're selling Optimum something.   But, good god! -- if the product is as bad as the commercial suggests, why would anyone ever want to purchase it? 

<Webmaster - Rest in Peace Walt, you will always be in our hearts!>