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Mark F. Barnes

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  1. Mark F. Barnes
    If you would get in contact with Sharon Lauder at the Houston Tribune I know she would love to run some of your photos in her article about Playland (713) 862-9603. I have sent her a bunch of my stuff and I know she'd love more. Roy I got your DVD, looks like the Same VHS to me with a few minor exceptions, and actually the sound is in better Sync than mine. When they ripped it to DVD they got a better result. I will send you mine just for laughs, Mack put together miles of footage, some of which is proably the only existing video of Playland I am sure. Not many poeple as dedicated as he was back then. A lot of those neighborhood shots were from the house on Hewitt street off of TC Jester. The McKenzie's were quite a crew. I tell you another old north sider that is still around and still racing. Kent Lewis Sr. is well up in his 70's and still racing sprint cars in the ASCS Gulf-South Region. He ran at Playland, Meyers, and Almeda a lot.
  2. Mark F. Barnes
    No this is nothing professionally done. These are a bunch of home movies. most are by Mack McKenzie, (my ex-wife's grandfather RIP), and some are by Bill Henson (my uncle RIP) and some are by John Dewitt and his father). Mack had a car lot on the north-side and was a huge local race fan, he sponsored his son's cars as well as put up purse money at Playland, Meyers, and Almeda speedways. Rumor was he was a silent partner with Big George "Mr. H" Hamblen, at Meyers Speedway. No telling really, that was just a rumor. Anyway Mack was a nut when it came to racing and filming them. He had an old Remington 8mm camera, the one that had the three different lenses that rotated on the front of it for different focal lengths. Anyway, Mack would just about do anything for a good racing shot, he even rode inside the stock cars for the "in car camera" shot. He had a big scar over one eye, where he was in a crash and the eye-piece was rammed into his brow. Anyway most of the good stuff (color) was shot by Mack. Anyway There was no sound so "Shorty" Lauder lent his commentary skills, and he did a pretty good job, remembering who was who, and threw in some classic rock in the background and pieced together a pretty decent little movie. Only problem all these old 8mm's were converted to VHS several years ago. And when he overdubbed his commentary and music it was good, but when I ripped it in Studio 9.0 the sound is out of sync some. I may try and take it to a pro and see what they can do. But for now it is what it is. I am going to burn some DVDs this weekend and see how they come out. There is a little slide show on the end, with various still shots, it's pretty cool. When I get the DVDs burned I will mail them out to whoever wants them. Sharon is going to let me know when the articles will be going out. This has been a long going project that is finally coming to life.
  3. Mark F. Barnes
    Anyone interested in a DVD of Playland Park Speedway and Meyerland Speedway, IM or email me with your contact info. It's a bunch of home movie footage shot in the 50's in 8mm. There was no sound, so we overdubbed some oldies music and Charles did some comentary. I think it came out real good, I am going to burn some DVD's , you'll see it isn't professional, but it is pretty cool. If any of you get the Houston/Heights Tribune, I am helping Sharon Lauder put together some articles to run on Playland and Meyerland Speedways. It should come out this spring, when I get some exact dates on the print I will let you know. I am mainly providing photos and names and dates and she is writing the articles, like I said when I get some exact dates of the print I will let you know. P.S. There is also newer footage from the 60's and 70's, there is some of old Almeda Speedway, some from Moody andClarey, and some breif shots from old Houston Dragway off of Gulf Freeway.
  4. Mark F. Barnes
    Anyone interested in a DVD of Playland Park Speedway and Meyerland Speedway, IM or email me with your contact info. It's a bunch of home movie footage shot in the 50's in 8mm. There was no sound, so we overdubbed some oldies music and Charles did some comentary. I think it came out real good, I am going to burn some DVD's , you'll see it isn't professional, but it is pretty cool. If any of you get the Houston/Heights Tribune, I am helping Sharon Lauder put together some articles to run on Playland and Meyerland Speedways. It should come out this spring, when I get some exact dates on the print I will let you know. I am mainly providing photos and names and dates and she is writing the articles, like I said when I get some exact dates of the print I will let you know. P.S. There is also newer footage from the 60's and 70's, there is some of old Almeda Speedway, some from Moody andClarey, and some breif shots from old Houston Dragway off of Gulf Freeway.
  5. Mark F. Barnes
    Another one of Tony Barcelona's cars Joe Plowman John Rezek Stoner's car, not sure if that was his last name or hobby! Just knew him by "Stoner"
  6. Mark F. Barnes
    I am pretty sure Gaido's Seafood has always been in Galveston. All of my life time I am sure. Seems like they talk about being there nearly 100 years. Great food, pricey for some people's standards, but always good.
  7. Mark F. Barnes
    My guess is the License Plates are 1962. Back then you changed your plates every year. The rotated the colors of the plates, and styles. They moved locations of dates around and colors of plates changed.
  8. Mark F. Barnes
    Stand in line? Ticketmaster dude, the day they go one sale. Got front row for Lynyrd Skynyrd when they played the HLS&R.
  9. Mark F. Barnes
    No actually that was Playland Park Speedway. In one of the pictues here you can see the roller coaster in the background. Meyers Speedway was further down, and took over the crowds as playland closed down. Track Record holder MJ Burton of the Burton Brother's Crew
  10. Mark F. Barnes
    I beg to differ on the coaches, there are high school coaches out there making way too much money, some are making what college coaches make. Way too much money spent on football period, and a whole lot less on education. The big name HS teams like Odessa Permian, SA Judsen, Lamarque, Plano, etc. etc. have multi million dollar budgets, and alot of wavier margins if the run over budget. Teachers take money out of their own pockets to buy things they need in their class rooms that their teaching budgets won't cover. I know my wife spends around 5-7 grand a year on her classroom and teaching materials that her budget won't pay for. We write it off on our income tax but still, it's the point that she has to do it, and if the football coach needs an extra hundred grand for equipment, it's like "Hey no problem", bang!!! they have the funds. Absolutely, there are far too many parents that treat school like it's a day care center, and a place to get rid of the kids for a few hours. Parents are too lazy too raise their own kids and are expecting the school to do it. Not all parents but way more than it should be.
  11. Mark F. Barnes
    She teaches in Montgomery ISD @ the Intermediate.
  12. Mark F. Barnes
    My wife makes $49,000 a year, that's with a Masters Degree, and her GT Certification Bonus, and she's been teaching for 24 years. There is no way anyone can justify to me making 4 and 5 times that much just to be a Superintenent. I can see them making 2.5 to 3 times that, but not 4 and 5 times that amount. By the time they take out Insurance, TRS, and Taxes she brings home two grand a month. Now I realize they only work 188 days out of the year, but I can't count the nights she's up grading papers until 10 and 11 at night, gets up at 5 in the morning and is in school by 7 am. Grading papers all weekend, and it's BS for them to make that much less than the fat cat administrators, that don't do a 10th of the work the teachers do. She teaches GT Math and Science, has 120+ students to deal with, (Four periods with 30+ students per class), It's BS. She does it because she likes it, because it doesn't pay worth a damn. Teachers with her kind of experience should be making 60K a year, atleast. Teachers starting out these days, and most are strapped with student loans, are starting out at 18-20 grand a year. That's insanity to say the least. that's not much more than minimum wage and these are college graduates we're talking about.
  13. Mark F. Barnes
    Why so quiet, are you in shock? That's right the Texans beat the Colts. Any comments form the peanut gallery?
  14. Mark F. Barnes
    Trivia The scene where Wes chews up and swallows the worm after drinking the bottle of tequila was not scripted, but a joke done for the dailies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Patrick Swayze's wife and mother (Lisa Niemi and Patsy Swayze) choreographed the dance sequences. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Travolta had a mechanical bull installed in his home two months before production began. He became so good that he was allowed to dismiss the stunt double and do the takes himself. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the time the film was shot, Gilley's, used as the film's main nightclub location was the largest nightclub in the world in terms of available space for the patrons, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michelle Pfeiffer auditioned for the role of Sissy and was producer Robert Evans' preferred choice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Patrick Swayze taught John Travolta how to do the two-step for the movie. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Studio executives were against casting Debra Winger in the lead role at first. Director James Bridges threatened to quit the film unless she was cast. They eventually approved the casting. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The script was originally written for Dennis Quaid. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Evans sent Debra Winger back from location because he did not think she was attractive enough for the lead; it was only at the insistence of director James Bridges that she did the role. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The soundtrack album was a major hit. It sold several million copies and featured the hit tunes "Looking for Love", "Can I Have This Dance?" and "All Night Long". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 1967 Ford Mustang that Sissy drove in this movie now resides in Evans City, PA (near Pittsburgh). It is owned by two brothers and is often seen in local car shows.
  15. Mark F. Barnes
    Can we get LaDainian Tomlinson?
  16. Mark F. Barnes
    Carr's house will be popping up on HAR any day now.....It was that bad today D. Carr 16/28 127 0 4
  17. Mark F. Barnes
    Brady Quinn, 6-4, 222, Notre Dame/JaMarcus Russell, 6-6, 250, LSU Adrian Peterson, 6-1, 215, Oklahoma Justin Blalock, 6-4, 330, Texas Josh Beekham, 6-2, 325, Boston College Cory Anderson, 6-2, 270, Tennessee Kyle Young, 6-6, 330, Fresno State
  18. Mark F. Barnes
    Boy, talk about a morgue!
  19. Mark F. Barnes
    watching this game
  20. Mark F. Barnes
    Top draft pick Mario Williams has had plenty of trouble with his feet this year and probably wishes he could buy new ones with all that money he got from the Texans on the eve of the draft. During the summer, Mario had problems with his toenails so he had some of them removed. Being a football player, Williams probably has a high pain threshhold. I think I would have needed general anesthesia to endure the pain of such a procedure. Now, midway through the season, Williams has been diagnosed with "plantar fasciitis", which sounds like something that affects people who spend too much time gardening. Physics I can talk about, Physician no I am not. So I went to the trusty internet to find out what the hell "plantar fasciitis" is and how long poor Mario must suffer with it. After redirects to several porn sites and foot fetishists, I came across "ourfootdoctor.com" which definies plantar fasciitis this way: It goes on to say: So I think in other words, there's a tissue that connects the heel of your foot to the ball of the foot and it can become sore from overuse or improper pressure placed on the feet while walking. It's a problem one would expect from people who spend a lot of their day standing and walking, such as waitresses and door-to-door salesmen. You would think it's an occupational hazard to have sore feet when your job description is to rush around 320-lb. behemoths who will do anything to stop you. Would you want Flozell Adams waltzing on your Reeboks? But you can't blame plantar fasciitis on offensive linemen. Most likely, it's caused by not evenly distributing the weight on your feet. This could be from bad shoes or from planting your heel when you step rather than walking evenly on your feet or putting the toes down first. I doubt anyone is going to teach Mario how to walk. When the ball is snapped, we want him concentrating on where to find the ballcarrier rather than how to step pain-free. While there are splints and exercises that can assist you, there is no type of corrective surgery for this. Mario is not likely to miss any time with this malady but he will have to fight through the pain until it subsides. Perhaps the Texans should consider putting Dr. Scholls on the payroll to help out Williams and fellow tenderfoot Jerome Mathis. It wouldn't surprise me if there are more sore feet in the Texans' locker room but these two are the only ones getting ink about it. Hopefully, soon we can hear about Mario planting faces of opposing quarterbacks again and less about plantars fascia. But at least I got to learn about a different body part other than knee ligaments and shoulder joints.
  21. Mark F. Barnes
  22. Mark F. Barnes
    With all the so called experts saying Houston appears to be the perfect whipping boy for the Pats. I am getting a funny feeling there may be an upset in Gillette Stadium. Mark my words, it will not be a blowout by the Pats, they may even get their hat brought to them!
  23. Mark F. Barnes
  24. Mark F. Barnes
    Sir, please step away from the keyboard please. I pulled you over because you appear to have been drinking. Sir do you realize it's against the law to post while intoxicated? Wait right here while I call the pumawagon...excuse me....paddywagon!
  25. Mark F. Barnes
    Fickled bunch aren't they?
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