THE HOUSE OF UNSUR.

The Unser Racing Museum is a wonderful treat for anyone interested in engines,  fast cars, high-speed thrills and marvelous  race cars of every kind.  The excitement jumps out at you. I'm not a race fan, yet  I  found it to be a  fabulous experience. The museum is not the history of racing, but the history of a family of racers, the Unsers.

You know rather quickly from looking at and hearing about these cars, it takes a lot of money to develop a body and engine  that can compete in the Indianapolis 500. A lot of money. The Unsers did not start out rich. Swiss immigrants, Louie Unser was a butcher but he had a knack for tinkering with engines. Mechanics was what he loved. They settled near Pikes Peak in Colorado and his sons Louis, Joe and Jerry began building race cars and tried to get a car up to the top of Pikes Peak.   Joe was always promising himself he was going to build a car that would make it to the top. The road at the time was dirt. And, he did.

Jerry Unser Sr. inherited his father's knack for mechanics and opened up a garage in Albuquerque because it was on Route 66, where he knew he could make money.  His kids, his brother's kids, they were all into racing. at a young age. When they qualified for a race, they competed against each other, or each others records more than the other racers in the game.  Jerry Sr. was constantly putting race cars together from parts he'd acquire. He'd modify and customize them for speed and endurance. When the Indianapolis 500 speedway opened up, big money began funding development of the expensive race cars that are on the track today.

This car was one of the last of the front engine racers. Now all race cars have engines in the back. This one never won a race. And, in racing, it is all about winning because winning brings in the big money. The Unsers, were big winners.

Al Unser pictured with his son, Al Jr. got his big break through a fluke. He was hanging around the track, basically fired when someone got pulled from the race and they needed a driver. He got the shot and won the Indy for the first time. His son, Little Al, like most of the Unsers, started out on go-karts and raced as long as they could keep up their grades. He'd bring his son to the track and they'd refuse to let him in because he was too young. He'd have to prove that Little Al was on the racing ticket to get him through the gates.

The four brothers, Al, Bobby, Louis and Jerry Jr. were successful competitors in racing circles. Jerry died in a fiery crash in his second attempt at the Indy 500.  Now, their kids are racing.

Another Jeri Unser has put herself at risk on the track. Not the first female, but one of the few women in the field.

And 800 pound car you can pull around with one hand, so perfectly balanced and easy to handle. The floor in the museum, by the way, is made of ground up tires.

I couldn't help but notice the difference in tires, and they make a big difference in the race. The rubber is as thin as a credit card. The driver wants those tires to heat up to about 200 degrees to make them sticky so they grip the road. It seems to me it would also slow them down, but, what do I know?  Our docent was knowledgeable and told us many stories about the cars development and racing experiences. This was very much a family museum.

This pace car was driven by five different drivers that each won their race in it. It was like a mystery. No one could figure out why this car always won races.

Could it have been the tires?

I won't pretend to know anything about mechanics, but I found it fascinating. These "spokes" or maybe they are shocks, resemble airplane wheels. Some cars have fins which is designed to keep the car from sliding sideways.

I saw only one rear-view mirror on a race car, mounted so close to the tire it didn't look like it belonged there.

One section of the museum has a small collection of old cars like this Phaeton, and a room full of trophys. These trophies and qualifying rings, shirts, racing uniforms et al.  Another salute to the generations of Unsers who raced to the top and the big money.

Jerry Unser Jr.  once hit this wall and during the Indy 500 remodel, they gave a section of the old wall to the Museum. It is called the Milliion Dollar wall.  I enjoyed the  fabulous story and a fabulous museum.

On the way home we stopped at the Chauma River brewery for cool one. I like dark stouts and porters and when I go to a microbrewery, I like to hoist one  to Ken and Laurie.

HIGH SPEED RAIL

Last night, I attended a candidate’s night in Valley Springs. Speaking was Jack Uppal and Will Moore, both Democrats, running for the same seat in congress. Since Will is my brother, I naturally was there to support him. He stepped in the race when there was no one running on the Democratic ticket. Now, Uppal has joined the race and it was interesting to see the difference in the two candidates. Will is running as a “hard-hat” and actually wears one during his presentation. Uppal is a retired CEO of a big company, currently the anti-thesis of the type of candidate we want. Well, maybe, maybe not. I liked Uppal. Both candidates had good points. Also speaking was an old friend, Tom Aja,  involved with the labor unions. He  is working to make sure working people have a voice through their unions. The Chamber gives a voice to small and large businesses, corporations have a huge voice, but unions should not?  That is what Republicans are pushing, to eliminate, the voice of unions. Realize, I’m talking about the GOP higher-ups, not my Republican friends on the street.
Much of the discussion was about high speed rail coming to California, something the voters voted for and the GOP is pushing to reverse?  Why?  Money, money and more dirty money funneled to GOP lawmakers from automobile interests and big oil. They don’t want public transportation. Just like Shell Oil and Goodyear  Tires  bought up every company building a decent start on mass transportation. They trashed those companies, like the Red Car. They wanted the gas guzzlers, tire burning, and cement barons to be  king in California. So, now the same interests are attacking high speed rail, which will be built with union labor.
Don’t be fooled. Truck traffic is choking highway 99 with billions of  imports coming into our ports.  Having high speed rail will get the goods to market  better and faster and safer. It’s a people train. We can eliminate high-octane expensive flights to Los Angeles from Modesto. Rail will be  faster and quicker than the drive to Sacramento, and the two-hour park, inspection and wait to get on the plane.  High speed rail will give food vendors like dairy, nut growers, vegetable and egg, snack vendors, soft drinks, and coffee an uptick. It will bring huge benefits and jobs to Californians during the building of it. Those wages will be taxed. Those workers will spend. Then 120,000 estimated permanent jobs to maintain and run public transportation. And, remember, the naysayers will tell you it is too expensive to SPEND that kind of money. It isn’t an expense, it is  an INVESTMENT.  When you invest, you get a return on your money. It will keep giving back to the public for many, many years to come, just like the Bay Area BART system is doing now. The same anti-voices were present in the 1960′s when BART was proposed. I know, I was there. And, my candidate brother was too. He worked on BART’s infrastructure.

TABOO SUBJECT

Aren’t they adorable? These dogs all togged out for the holidays?  Heavily laden with jewelry and coats, sweaters and fur.
I think it’s ridiculous. Of course, anyone who dares criticize pets and pet practices is in for a firestorm of …hate!  Yes, hate. If you dare offend a pet lover,  you  are in big trouble.
I usually just smile and avoid discussing the subject, but my values do not include treating pets like humans. When I saw this display while shopping, I almost gagged. I can’t imagine the dog or cat being comfortable in the expensive adornments they are forced to wear. Pet owners ferociously defend this type of clothing and jewelry, maintaining THEIR pet loves to get dressed up and loves the attention. I maintain animals are psychologically changed by the treatment they receive. And, I will concede that to dress up an animal for a short time for a parade or the holidays isn’t going to harm them.  It seems overboard and warping of a dog’s basic needs to coddle  pooches and cats, and treat them as though they are human, which by extension includes dressing them in jewelry and fancy clothing.  People expect them to act human-like and ignore their basic instincts.
I’m a practical person. Dogs and cats, horses as well, had an important function as domesticated animals. And they still do, as companions, medical assistants, rescue animals, and just unconditional love. Isn’t that enough?  It is noble. They seem to be natural healers.
What does it say about us as humans that there are food banks begging for food; some  have quit taking applications because they just can’t meet the needs. Many children are living in cars and struggling with parents stressed because the  family is at risk. So, does it seem okay to  spend $15 to $30 or more on doggie jewelry?  I can’t imagine teaching my children, if I had young children, that lavish spending on an animal is a part of family life. Especially in times like these, even if you can afford it.  I think  giving to a charity comes first and deliberately ignoring that type of spending teaches a basic lesson about moral choices.
We taught our children and my kids have taught their children that giving and sharing is part of everyone’s responsibility. If your children love  animals, teach them about Heifer International where you can buy a sustainable animal for families in Slovakia, Malawi or the United States. $500 buys a heifer, $50 buys a share. $120 buys a goat, or $10 buys a share. Wouldn’t be nice to know some little boy or girl can get a constant supply of milk in India? Or $10 buys a share of a pig in Thailand. $20 buys a flock of chickens in Honduras. Another great close to the ground charity is Oxfam, providing loans, work, education, clean water, self-sustaining practices, working with peace keeping organizations in countries at war. It seems to me that not enough Americans  have been hungry enough in  our collective memory to consider that the amount of money we spend on pets per year, over a billion dollars, could feed or educate a small country.
I’ve had pets all of my life. I’m not a pet hater. I love pets. I just think we should put the price of a pet in perspective. The land to grow the corn and wheat they eat. The detriment to wild birds from predatory cats. Consider the horror stories of people who don’t know how to care for pets and abandon them or mistreat them by neglect. The medical resources used to treat them. The continual cost of animal control by every county and city in the U.S. is a direct result of the mishandling of pets by humans.
Go ahead. Get out the whip!

PODCASTING 101 AND MARDI GRAS MUSEUM

Out of the blue, Jim and I got a call from a guy named Craig Kraemer, a native New Orlean, who does podcasting. In my personal realm, I already have people who say blogging? What's that? Well...you know the routine. So, now I'm going to try and explain podcasting.

Craig, pictured with me above, does audio on-line interviews with people about his favorite city. He is passionate about New Orleans and his card reads: New Orleans, PodCasting.com. His mission is: Rebuilding New Orleans One Voice at a time. The Chamber of Commerce ought to hire this one man cheering squad! He feels deeply the pain and frustration the whole city went through after Katrina, because he had to fight the same brick wall, dealing with insurance, Fema, and so on. Voila! New Orleans Podcasting.com was born out of that tragedy.

Podcasting is like a local public access event where you and your neighbors turn the spotlight on yourselves and listen to and network in a positive way with your friends and neighbors-your community. Normally, he interviews locals but got wind of our blog and asked us to communicate on his Podcast. We sat on a sunny bench near Cafe Du Monde and talked with him about our visit here. Its simple really. He has an affordable device, an Ipod with inputs to take your audio, then uploads it to a computer. He can edit the information if needed, then post it on-line for anyone with a computer to listen in. Sort of like blogging, only live audio instead of reading. He has a whole library of podcasts that you can select from once you are on-line. Groovy! His phone number is 504.944.8879 if anyone is interested in contacting Craig. He is going to email us a lead so we can listen to it when its posted.

The great part of this experience for us was learning about podcasting, plus he gifted us with a coveted, decorated coconut shell offered during Mardi Gras by the Zulu Krewe, and a Zulu Medallion. He asked us if we'd seen the Mardi Gras Museum? We told him we had. Not true! What we saw was Mardi Gras World, a huge difference.

The Mardi Gras Museum is a treasure. It has videos, great photos and a fascinating history of Mardi Gras as it developed over the centuries.

With coconut in hand, we read with heightened interest the struggle black Americans had to simply organize themselves to march in a parade that leaned heavily on black culture, their music, ritual masking, colorful costume and joy de verve.

In 1781 authorities forbade slaves and people of color to wear masks or feathers, or mimic white people during carnival season. The carnival celebration went through several metamorphosis' from mud slinging disgust, dismissing the parade as a low class exhibition, disallowing women to participate in Krewes and more. The parade and the fancy balls that are part of Mardi Gras had their own changes reflecting various mores of society as well. The Zulu Krewe insinuated themselves into the parade by dressing in black face. They mocked white society and got away

with it. It opened the door for black participation.

Elaborate costumes are a treat for all of us to behold. These were worn by the chosen queens of the parade. The selection of a king, called Rex and a queen is explained in the museum. A later krewe began a hollywood flavored entry, where a celebrity is chosen each year to head their cortege. A great place to visit before your first Mardi Gras.

The first king from 1902. Today a king, called Rex, is selected by his contribution to New Orleans Society rather than his money or influence in the Krewes. America lacked royalty, so they made up their own. An interesting take on that, when British royals, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were guests at the Rex ball in 1950, they were escorted to Rex's throne. Then the confusion in protocol, who would curtsey to whom? The Duke and Duchess graciously curtsied and acknowleged Rex and his Queen.

The Indian's costumes are so elaborate they can cost thousands of dollars to make. Without knowing the costs, we ran into the Indians playing in the French Market and got a photo of this years orange feathered costume. They are works of art, embroidered, beaded, bejeweled, with silver, leather, feathers and all manner of elaborate decoration. As soon as Mardi Gras is over, they begin work on the next year's costume.

Why do they do it? Because they enjoy it, being central to the celebration, exhibiting their work and talent, sharing it with others, having their work recognized and photographed and participating in the grandest party in the U.S.

Jim and I visited the New Orleans Mint and, a very different laundromat, the St. Louis Cathedral and Cemetery, and bought tickets for the Cabildo. Louisiana Museum employee Jimmy Jackson gave us a vivid run down of this place and promised that we will be visiting a museum where we can dance?