Posts Tagged ‘Sep-2009’

The sound is deafening. It’s the collective snarl of a half-dozen heavy diesels prowling “the pad,” hoisting and dragging massive hunks of steel, loading them onto four-and five-axle flatbed trailers. The temperature here is hovering near 100 degrees, and the wind — an unrelenting force on this barren patch of rural Texas — is, at times, hurling huge clouds of dust and sand, creating the effect of a blizzard in a blast furnace.Welcome to the world of rig moving, a…

It’s a crude reality: the price of diesel can change dramatically from one week to the next. Between June 1 and July 6 this year, the average diesel price began at $2.352 per gallon and skyrocketed to $2.616 per gallon, before leveling off somewhat at the $2.60 mark. Just over one year ago, diesel prices hit their peak at $4.76 per gallon, after increasing steadily for 14 straight months.That makes long-term business planning a bit tricky for the trucking business. But why are irregular …

Regardless of what you call it — frank, frankfurter, wiener, weenie, ball park, red hot, dog or dachshund, the hot dog is one of my favorite foods. I’ve been enjoying these delicious little red tubes of meat ever since my parents first served them to my brothers and me way back when we were youngsters. Unlike some folks, I don’t consider a hot dog just a fun summertime food to be eaten while at a ballpark, fair, beach, cookout or family gathering. I have them all the time, pre…

The Chevrolet Corvette is an American icon. It was a crowd-stopper when the concept car, the Chevrolet EX122, was introduced at the 1953 GM Motorama, General Motors’ travelling show that took new models and concepts to cities all across America. In its 56-year history encompassing six generations of Corvettes, it has developed into one of the most sophisticated and desirable automobiles in the world. As with all collectibles, enthusiasts gather to show their cars. Often, show cars are cu…

David Borroughs, one of the show’s founders, came up with the idea of evaluating authenticity. Experts compared each car with its condition when it left the factory. A car could earn Gold Certification by being 95 percent or more original. Authenticity does not equal perfection. Remember, the history of the Corvette spans a time when all American cars had quality problems. But there are few opportunities in life to go back and correct errors, as many customizers do with cars. So Bl…