Friday, May 17, 2013
Eric Savage left the VW/Audi world to work on MINIs and BMWs in Manayunk.
It’s possible to walk past Helix Motorsports on Umbria Street in Manayunk and not know what happens in the building. Nestled between row homes and close to a bar, an elementary school and a purveyor of tomato pie, Helix’s headquarters could pass as a law or a dental office. It’s modest, just the way owner Eric Savage likes it. Savage comes across as a mellow guy, but he’s taken some risks in his career … and they seem to have paid off, as his MINI and BMW tuning business is now a pretty heavy hitter in the car community. In 2001 Savage left AWE Tuning, a Willow Grove-based VW/Audi-focused company, to start something of his own. He then bought a MINI, rented some brewery space and then moved to Manayunk. “Basically, the way we started, we…
40.030615
-75.230063
4648 Umbria St, Philadelphia, PA
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Thursday, May 16, 2013
The Lehigh Valley Tea Party issued this statement on the scandal over IRS targeting of Tea Party groups for scrutiny.
The Lehigh Valley Tea Party has followed the rules since its creation in 2009. Our organization has tried very hard to do everything the way we're supposed to. We consulted lawyers and advocacy experts about legal options for non-profit grassroots organizations, and applied to the IRS for tax exempt status just like non-profit groups engaged in all kinds of activities do all over the nation every day. We believe that the Lehigh Valley Tea Party provides a vehicle for patriotic Americans with a wide variety of political affiliations to voice their opinions and become more educated about the important issues of the day. We are not a political organization, and our group's bylaws specifically prevent us from endorsing or opposing political …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay may be riding off into the sunset with the team if he returns to pitch this year.
You hate the "What If's." You wonder what if "The Rotation" held up and made it through the 2011 season healthy. Would it have brought the team another World Series championship? We may never know. All we know is that Roy Halladay—once the franchise ace of the Philadelphia Phillies—may be riding off into the sunset. Doc's tenure with the Phils is bound to come to an end this year now that he is on the shelf facing shoulder surgery next week. Maybe he comes back at the end of the year and pushes the Phils into the playoffs for a World Series run. Doc's contract is up at the end of this year and there's no way the Phillies will pick up his $20 million option. So Doc may win that elusive World Series. But it just might be with another team …
Friday, May 10, 2013
How and where not to drive your car, from the car manufacturers.
I don’t find car commercials particularly interesting. Sure, a handful of car ads have been entertaining, and they’re usually for Volkswagens (remember the ad with the guy trying to race to the church?), but the most part, the ads are trying to peddle mass-produced people haulers and grocery getters. They usually don’t focus on the car, or how it performs, rather they feature an announcer shouting words at the viewer, accompanied by lots of numbers on the screen. What I do find interesting, or just plain absurd, are the warnings slapped on the ads. In fine print at the bottom of the screen, the warnings tell me what not to do with a particular vehicle. Drag racing on city streets? Don’t do that. Pegging the speedometer to the right as you…
Saturday, May 4, 2013
The Philadelphia Eagles made some big picks in the recent NFL Draft and pulled out a few surprises.
There's a lot to get excited about if you're a Philadelphia Eagles fans these days. For numerous years, the fan base has shaken its head after hearing the news about who the Philadelphia Eagles took in the NFL Draft. Does anyone remember Mike Mamula? How about Freddie Mitchell? At least he had great hands—well, Mitchell said he did. So when the Birds were gearing up for the recent NFL Draft, many fans were cringing over who their selections would be. We had visions of Andy Reid dancing in our heads. And even though owner Jeff Lurie absolved general manager Howie Roseman from blame for past drafts, we weren't really buying it. And then the Birds began selecting... Now offensive linemen aren't the sexy picks we all love, but they usually …
Friday, May 3, 2013
No one likes to be left out, and car companies are no different.
I was driving to work the other day and a silver car with LEDs and a gaping front end came up behind me pretty quickly, stopping next to me at a red light on Henry Avenue. Though the car could have been anything … with its LEDs, and gaping grill, I gave it a quick glance. According to its front caliper, it was an Audi R8. Being not your typical grocery-getter, it qualified for a quick thumbs-up … as is customary. The driver smiled and nodded in appreciation … as is customary. Five years ago, I would have thought that this car was either a manufacturer’s prototype, never meant for production … or a spaceship. The R8’s 12 LEDs look like single units from some distances and look like one strip of light from other distances. The look was …
Monday, April 29, 2013
Easton Area superintendent candidates are bailing, taxes are rising, school board members are bickering and the teaching staff is getting shredded.
The Easton Area School District is a mess. There's no easy way to say it. It's the case. And anyone who would just look at the information coming out of the district these days would be able to make that same objective observation easily. While most school boards have already finalized their 2013-2014 preliminary budgets, our school board is still deciding what kind of tax hikes and staffing cuts should be attached to it. And, by the way, let's offer a zero percent tax option—Read My Lips: No New Taxes—but threaten to cut music and sports programs in the process. Scare tactics. The kind of scare tactics that forced my 13-year-old nephew to have to go before the school board and plead that music programs stay safe. No child should have to …
Saturday, April 27, 2013
The Philadelphia Phillies usually get off to a bad start in April. And they are once again this year.
They say you can't win the season in April. But you could certainly lose it. And after the first month of the season, the Philadelphia Phillies are letting April showers drown them. They stand at 9-14 going into Friday night's game against the New York Mets. Five games under .500 and their worst start since 2006. Basically there's one word to sum up their performance so far this season: pathetic. The starting pitching has been inconsistent. The bullpen has gotten rocked. The offensive bats aren't just cold; they're pretty much icy. The defense stinks. The fundamentals are lacking. Pathetic. Case in point was Roy Halladay's performance Wednesday night. The pitcher has turned things around since a shaky start and question marks about his …
Friday, April 26, 2013
... and yours probably will too.
When I’m driving around town, either for work or just for the heck of it, I find that my car gets about 19 to 20 miles per gallon. The car is up to date on maintenance, its tires are usually filled up properly and I drive conservatively. Still … it goes through a gallon of dino-juice after about 20 miles. It’s not bad, as the car is nine years old, and I don’t complain about it. There have been a few instances — usually after leaving a late-night municipal meeting in which every commissioner/board member had to thank everyone from his mother to his tailor in closing comments — where I have had the opportunity to do some hypermiling around town. Hypermiling is paying close attention to driving habits to maximize fuel economy. It’s fun, …
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Pat Toomey seems to understand that he has to reach moderates and independents as Pennsylvania becomes increasingly blue.
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Thursday, April 25
By G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young No one yet has called him “Benedict Toomey” but make no mistake: many conservatives view his recent effort to broker a gun compromise as a stunning act of perfidy. These critics see compelling evidence that Toomey’s flirtation with compromise has damaged seriously his reelection chances while disappointing his conservative supporters that expect him to hew to ideological rigidity on guns as well as other issues. Already invidious comparisons are being made between Toomey and the late Senator Arlen Specter—long the reigning bogyman of conservatives. We hear that Toomey’s gun compromise reveals him as just “another” Specter, lacking core principles or consistent policies. In fact, already a Facebook page…
Danielle
7:49 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013
All the more motor heads need quality mechanics! Your talking to a wife who's husband tooled for funny cars when he was young. Plus he's restoring his 64 vette cpe and 69 Chevrolet super sport more ›