http://www.norfolkn.com/index.php A new Pivot weblog en lafilipczak@hotmail.com Copyright 2010 Pivot Pivot - 1.40.6: 'Dreadwind' Sat, 24 Jul 2010 22:57:02 -0400 60 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=65 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=65#comm

Watson invented many of the custom tricks that rocked the 60's show car scene. Techniques like paneling, cob-webbing, & lace painting were just a few ideas that sprang from his fertile mind.

Larry departed the custom car scene to pursue an acting career in TV & movies. Larry ended up in something like 140 different shows, such as MacGyver, Columbo, and Mission Impossible.

More pics & stuff in our Forum. ]]> 65@http://norfolkn.com/pivot/ default Sat, 24 Jul 2010 22:46:00 -0400 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=64 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=64#comm

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. - Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

- John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton ]]> 64@http://norfolkn.com/pivot/ default Fri, 02 Jul 2010 23:02:00 -0400 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=63 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=63#comm

Last week, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that police in Ohio can legally issue speeding tickets if they THINK a driver is speeding.
In a 5-1 ruling, the court said "a police officer's unaided visual estimation of a vehicle's speed is sufficient" as long as the officer is sufficiently trained and experienced in estimating speeds.

DRIVERS BEWARE, as any cop's guesstimate or SWAG (Scientific-Wild-Assed-Guess), have now become punishable under the new OH law. What kind of UnAmerican, Commie, Big-Brother, Bullcrap is that, you ask? Well, folks, it's all in the name of State REVENUE. Property Taxes are going down & they want to fill the void in their coffers. Many County Mounties (like Wayne County, MI) have been told that their raises & bonuses are now based on the number of tickets that they write.

You say that you don't think it's fair? Well, get used to it or start bitching to your State Reps. This IS a new & insidious form of taxation, all neatly cloaked in the guise of "protecting the public roads".

See more in our Forum: Traffic StopsBetter watch your speed while in these "Cop Magnet cars.

Chevy Camaro
Dodge Challenger
Ford Mustang
Chevy Corvette
Dodge Charger
Dodge Viper
Ford GT
Pontiac Solstice

But who gives a crap what happens to these:
BMW M3 or M5
Mitsubishi Eclipse
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Lexus
Accura NSX
Ferrari ]]> 63@http://norfolkn.com/pivot/ default Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:40:00 -0400 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=62 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=62#comm

Corporate Advertising Department: The place where "free-thinking, window-licking, shortbus riders" convince guys in expensive, over-stuffed suits that the Emperor really DOES have new clothes. Whereupon, these helmeted-warriors are then chartered to foist some ill-conceived advertising plan upon the general public, while keeping their fingers crossed in hopes of creating a blip on the sales trend charts, which earns them praise, accolades, & promotions. (unlike the rest of GM).

The system works well enough until the "Suits" attempt to lead these Ad-monkeys via corporate memorandum(s). Inevitably all hell breaks loose. Remember how well it worked with the Volt Dance??? (OMG) In Thursday's paper, the NY Times called out Chevy Marketing Vice President Jim Campbell and Alan Batey, VP of Chevy Sales & Service for a remarkably dumb marketing proclamation. It read that GM'ers can no longer use the Chevy nickname in communications, they must ONLY use the full & proper name, Chevrolet.

What the hell was that all about??? Are bits of Zarrella's old GM still lurking the halls of the Ren-cen? Who cares what the customers call the company, as long as they are calling. (Sheesh)

GM's response to the commotion:"Today's emotional debate over a poorly worded memo on our use of the Chevrolet brand is a good reminder of how passionately people feel about Chevrolet," the company said. "It is a passion we share and one we do not take for granted."

The memo was one step in the process of creating a consistent global marketing message for the brand, GM says.

"We hope people around the world will continue to fall in love with Chevrolets and smile when they call their favorite car, truck or crossover 'Chevy,'" the company said. ]]> 62@http://norfolkn.com/pivot/ default Sat, 12 Jun 2010 08:03:00 -0400 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=61 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=61#comm

U.S. SENATE RESOLUTION DESIGNATES JULY 9th AS "COLLECTOR CAR APPRECIATION DAY"

A mere 100 (plus) years since the invention of the automobile, after years of crafting laws against the auto industry, Congress has FINALLY gotten it right! Thanks to the tireless efforts of our own lobbyists @ SEMA SAN, the hired help on Capital Hill are starting to understand the importance of the hot rod & collector car hobby to many voters. Senate Resolution 513 (S. Res. 513) may only be a well deserved "pat on the back" for our hobby, but it's still nice to be recognized.

This resolution is important to us rodders, because it helps us understand who on the Hill is willing to support the hobby. Some may say it's only good campaigning in an election year, but I'd like to think that they really see the impact our hobby has on the US economy.

Thanks SEMA!

See more in our FORUM:
link ]]> 61@http://norfolkn.com/pivot/ default Fri, 14 May 2010 07:08:00 -0400 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=60 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=60#comm

If you had a kid-hood like mine, you remember sharing the lone, well read copy of Felsen's Hot Rod book with the other gearheads in school or at the local library. I thumbed through the well-worn copies of all of his tales of fast cars & hot rods from the 1950s. These books are sadly missing from library shelves today, but thanks to his daughter Holly, teenagers today will have an opportunity to read the stories we loved as kids.

Holly Felsen has confirmed that her father's 1950 book, Hot Rod, will be reprinted and re-released in May, after an absence from bookstores of more than 30 years. After posting on various websites, Holly quickly learned that many guys & gals are still enamored of her father's books. " I've been amazed at the number of fans who have contacted me. I didn't realize just how many people he touched through his books. "

H.G. Felsen wrote about 60 books, many about hot rodding, often about the dangers of fast cars & poor judgment that some teenagers use with them. These books have become highly collectable since the series went out of print decades ago. Holly Felsen said that if she sees enough interest, then re-publication of the rest of HG's of the books would be a possibility after the re-release of Hot Rod.

For details on the re-publication of Hot Rod, send a mailing address to hfwelch@me.com. ]]> 60@http://norfolkn.com/pivot/ default Sun, 25 Apr 2010 23:43:00 -0400 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=59 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=59#comm

Now his efforts are being memorialized by the US Postal Service on a new 1st Class stamp. The stamp, designed by Postal Service art director Terrence W. McCaffrey, shows Mauldin in uniform and helmet sketching, based on a photo taken in 1943 in Italy by Life magazine photographer John Phillips. Mauldin’s image is looking toward his Willie and Joe in full combat gear from a cartoon that is now in the 45th Infantry Division Museum in Oklahoma City.

More on Bill, Willie & Joe in our Forum

Twenty million of the stamps will be produced in self-adhesive sheets of 20. Buy 'em for Dad or buy 'em for Grandpa, they'll probably tell you some great tales from the time they spent abroad. ]]> 59@http://norfolkn.com/pivot/ default Sat, 03 Apr 2010 11:33:00 -0400 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=58 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=58#comm

Doni & Trish are two of our pals that have been bustin' it to make their dream a reality. This mag is all about the women in the hobby that ride & wrench, written by women that ride & wrench. Every month featured gals show off their bikes, bobbers, rods, vintage cars, etc.

Encouraged by friends & family, driven by boundless energy, these 2 chicks have found a hole in the magazine market & have a put together a product that covers topics that the big guys always miss. The articles are 1st rate, the photos make the featured girls shine, & the topics cover many aspects of the hobby. Few others have had the guts to do what these two chicks have done.

The Singlefinger crew will proudly sponsor each month's "centerfold", so get your copy & check it out! Singlefinger Store

Congratulations to Doni & Trish, we wish you much success!

Get more Info in our Forum ]]> 58@http://norfolkn.com/pivot/ default Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:36:00 -0400 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=57 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=57#comm

Peeking through the fencing in the basement of a NYC apartment building, tenants were treated to the unusual sight of 36 vintage Corvettes quietly collecting dust.

These cars have a rich history as the Grand Prize in the VH-1 cable network's huge giveaway to announce the new cable network to the world in 1989. The winner of that contest promptly sold the lot to pop-artist Peter Max, who shuttled them from LA to NY, where they have languished since.

Max is currently in the process of restarting his vision to use these icons as the canvas for his next series of paintings.

More info in the Singlefinger FORUM. ]]> 57@http://norfolkn.com/pivot/ default Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:40:00 -0400 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=56 http://www.norfolkn.com/pivot/entry.php?id=56#comm

There's always a danger to being #1, because everybody in the schoolyard dislikes the the kid that's biggest, the best, the braggart, but it gets worse when the kid is a liar & a cheat. We've always said that Toyota has been BS'n consumers for years now, telling them how their "World Class" Engineering & Manufacturing is superior to the rest of the world. The last few months have taught the gullible world just how much "horse-hooey" that statement was.

We also have to question the credibility of the much lauded Consumer's Reports magazine, which has never mentioned the fact that Toyota's junk keeps suffering through recall after recall. CR never said a word about the acceleration issue until traditional media outlets, like the Detroit Free Press made it headline news. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Consumer Reports Automotive Editor Rik Paul is STILL defending Toyota in interviews yesterday. (YIKES!!!)

We've also learned that the pencil-necks @ NHTSA have been bungling this major safety issue since 2004, when it 1st was brought to their attention. (HOLY CRAP!!!)

Many US customers have found out that the transplants can't make a decent truck either, as owners have had to suffer through LOADS of recalls & even a SILENT Buy-Back Campaign on early Tundra trucks.

Drive American, for Quality & for Safety!

You'll find more info posted here:
Toyota Sh**boxes ]]> 56@http://norfolkn.com/pivot/ default Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:11:00 -0400