Seal Beach Car Show

For more photos from the Seal Beach Car Show visit our Flickr page.

Sanchez on top of the World

Well congratulations to WhatsUp’s favorite QB.  As you may remember on March 2 we said that the Jets really liked Mark but we doubted they be able to move up far enough on draft day to get him.  Well did they ever move up. Giving up 3 players and two draft spots (one a first round pick) to the Browns to get their guy.

Although Mark had just gotten off a plane from New York the night before after spending the weekend signing a contract for a video game and “hanging out with his pal Mark Stafford,

#1 pick in the draft, Mission Viejo’s pride and joy got right back on a red-eye flight (First Class, of course) for the big apple. We think Mark is going to be the Joe Namath of the next 10 years and I for one have another team to cheer for…in addition to my son’s “Stiller’s”

Take a look at our “Five Quarterback” photo in February (go to Search)of Stafford and Sanchez and three others at a local restaurant (Phil Trani’s) last year.

IS IT A PANDEMIC?

Tuesday April 28 the World Health Organization ( http://www.who.int/en/) is going to meet to determine whether to declare the swine flu outbreak a pandemic. US officials have announced at least 20 cases in the U.S. but as of Sunday, April 26 none were fatal.  In Mexico, however,  more than 8o people have died. The disease is much more virulent in Mexico and people are wearing masks for protection.

We encourage all our readers to follow the information on the swine flu’s progress closely.

First Photos of 2009 Car Show!

Another successful car show for Seal Beach.  It seemed to some that this year’s entrants offered a more diverse collection of cars. Might have been a few less entrants than last year but if so it certainly didn’t detract from the gathering.

Mother Nature did us a favor by holding off on the promised rain.  Its guaranteed that those old convertibles aren’t exposed to the elements any more than is absolutely necessary.

How to pick the best of bunch is far beyond the knowledge of this reporter but some of the entries that got my interest were: A WW II jeep with a trailer of authentic military hardware, excluding the khaki surfboard which Seal Beach resident/owner “Mike” assured me was not government issue; an absolutely gorgeous sand colored ’34 Ford DeLuxe Phaeton with red pin-striping that Joe Scalini of Naples has been driving for 20 years. Scalini assured me he prefers his 900 hp Hi Boy that goes to Bonneville every summer.

There was an outstanding duo next to one another near Main and Electric- a coal black ’34 Packard Phaeton and a black ’55 Gull Wing Mercedes.  A pair of cars that most of we “geezers” have been dreaming about for 50 or more years.  Some of us still are!

Only two Porsche’s this year but one was an authentic ’56 Cabriolet. Several great woodies. One owner, of a stupendous ’39 Ford commented that some of his decals were almost as expensive to collect as parts for his car.

All in all the show was a great success.

Review the photos at “Flickr” and give us your opinion of the  “Best of the Show” .  For more photos from the Seal Beach Car Show visit our Flickr page.

Huntington Beach Tower May Go Away?

Huntington Beach Mayor Keith Bohr and Councilman Joe Carchio ran into a very large and angry crowd last night at a hastily put together meeting after Harbor View school parents heard a T Mobile tower was being built next to the school earlier in the day.

Apparently the anger of the crowd was anticipated because three of Huntington Beach’s finest showed up with the Mayor.

The crowd was split 50/50 between parents and nearby neighbors. It was a full house and the crowd literally “let the Mayor have it!”

Many thought the Tower might contribute to cancer.

The homeowner’s found out that anyone living within a 2½ mile radius of the tower would have to notify potential homebuyers of the tower’s existence when selling their homes. That seemed to be one of the hot buttons.

Many of those present were incensed that this project could be launched and construction even begun without the neighborhood being told anything about it. Laurie Payne, of the city’s public information office, seemed to have a better handle on the problem than any of the city representatives that were present. She said that T Mobile got a “legal over the counter permit”  and the city was not required to notify anyone.

Payne also said that the FCC sets the guidelines and “they are scientifically constructed towers” with the implication that any damage to humans from the towers would be impossible.

Everyone got in line and waited patiently to present their questions to the Mayor. Mayor Bohr repeated many times that “T Mobile had a contract and there was nothing that could be done about it.” Through most of the “town hall” session it really seemed as if the Mayor didn’t realize how angry most of those present were until the last five minutes. Councilman Carchio, however, clearly understood the feeling of the crowd and before Bohr and Carchio left they assured the crowd they would cast ballots next week against the project and encourage the other council members to do the same.

T Mobile has agreed to stop the project until after Monday’s Council Meeting which begins at five p.m. Monday (in a closed session) and it will be open to the public at 6 p.m.

Prior to publishing this post What’s Up contacted the city to see if there was a press release on the meeting and if anyone wanted to comment. We were told there was not a PR and we were referred to one of the local print papers for information.

It promises to be a lively one next Monday.

Harbor View Parents Up In Arms

“What’s Up” was contacted yesterday by angry parents of students at Harbor View elementary school regarding the construction of a “giant T Mobile  tower “ bordering the school property at 4343 Pickwick Circle, near the intersection of Saybrook and Heil.

According to our contacts neither the parents nor the school officials had any notification that such construction was even contemplated until Wednesday (April 23) and at that time they were told construction would begin the following day.

There were considerable neighborhood concerns regarding the environmental impact of the tower on the school and the community. A meeting was scheduled last evening at the school with school district officials,  Harbor View officials the Mayor and angry parents.

Whether the tower construction is right or wrong we don’t know at this point, however, the perceived “secrecy” surrounding the construction smells of the many “midnight” diggings and existing wetland area  destructions that haunted Huntington Beach during the 30 years of battle between environmentalists and the contractors who wanted to build 5,000 homes and a Marina on the Bolsa Chica Wetlands.  Lets hope the city and its leaders have progressed since those days.  

 

 

 

“Earth Day” is also “Save Our Beach Day”

Earth day is the day each year when beach residents are especially cognizant of  what they can do to help the beaches and wetlands of  our Southern California coast.  Seal Beach, Long Beach and Huntington Beach folks come out in droves to do their bit. 

Unfortunately our beach towns are the first stop for the trash that  floats across the Pacific as if on an oceanic highway from  China and Tokyo to the California coastline. Our beaches are also a dumping ground for everything that 8 million people in the L.A. basin toss  into the storm drains near the Sierra Madre mountains and all the towns in between.  That’s a lot of trash.

You’ll find that helping out even one day a year is therapy for the soul.  You‘ll feel so good and set such an example for your children that you’ll be talking about it for months.

Go to either http://www.saveourbeach.org/ or http://www.bolsachicalandtrust.org and find out where you can meet  this Saturday.  

And don’t forget to write back and send a photo, or better yet, have your children write  to us and tell us of their experience

Aquarium of the Pacific Free Shark Nights

The public is invited to get up close with the ocean’s ultimate predators at the Aquarium of the Pacific for FREE during Shark Lagoon Nights. Guests will have the opportunity to touch bamboo sharks and see large sharks such as sandtigers as well as rays in the Aquarium’s Shark Lagoon.

Coffee, hot cocoa, beer, wine, desserts, and snacks are available for purchase.

When:   Friday nights from 6:00-9:00 pm April 24-May 22nd! 

For more information visit AquariumofPacific.org.

Get Off the Cow!

Cut Fat, Protect Your Colon …. and your life! Colon cancer is the #2 “killing” cancer in the world.

WE WANT YOU ALIVE…. so go to RealAge tips and find out how to stay healthy and eat well at less cost. Click now http://www.realage.com/ct/tips/8502

The Ultimate Auto Showroom at Lowe’s Hardware near Cal State Long Beach.

So here I was, last Saturday, driving along in the fast lane,  minding my own business, on the way to the hardware store. My Prius runs like a watch and I’m never envious of other drivers.  Well almost never.  So this guy in a black 250 GT Ford whistles past me in the right hand lane, cuts off two other cars, and zips over to the left turn lane in front of me.  In my opinion the GT Ford ($250,000) is one of the prettiest cars ever built in the U.S. so just looking at it made me forget what a jerk the driver was.

We continued up Bellflower Blvd. with the GT well in front, now back over in the right hand lane. Suddenly, out of no where a Lamborghini Murcielago ($340,000) followed by a 599 Ferrari GTB Fiorano ($300,000) and two more Lamborghinis squeeze into the lane if front of him.  Out of nowhere I’m alongside  a parade 5 cars worth about 1.5 million dollars! I almost got out of the car to take a picture of my little Prius until I realized I couldn’t pull it off.

                                                                                  

 

 

I followed as long as I could then turned into Lowe’s made my purchase and got in the car to head back home…when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a gathering of ponies that would make any man’s eyes tear! (sorry but I had to say it.)

In the Lowes parking lot there were about 100 to 125 of the most beautiful and expensive cars in the world. A few (3)  racing Porsches (About $500,000 each) at least a dozen Ferraris, Lotuses (..should that be “Loti?”) and the main mark of the day Lamborghini.  Every kind of Lamborghini you can imagine.  Cars with exotic license plates and some very wierd even one Ferrari from Saudi Arabia.  A $400,000 Rolls Royce that had been painted with black primer! Everything painted…even the chrome.

Turns out these people get together every year, at this same venue, on the Saturday before the Grand Prix.  I think they just like to meet with one another once a year to see who has the hottest new wheels and I was lucky enough to stumble into it.  I ran around like a wild man trying to get as many pictures as I could (Go to our Flicker link bottom right for more photos) before they took off.  You know when you crash a party of the rich and famous you want to have as much proof as you can get to prove you were there before you get thrown out, right?

Anyhow put the date and the place on your calendar and you can crash it with me next year. To see all the photos go to our flicker

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