This weekend the eyes of the NASCAR world will be on Atlanta:

http://www.ajc.com/sports/marketers-race-to-atlantas-1151923.html

As the article notes:

“NASCAR comes to Atlanta this week, bringing with it companies pitching everything from pizza to pharmaceuticals to a new mango-strawberry energy drink. More than 100 companies have marketing or sponsorship deals with Atlanta Motor Speedway in conjunction with Sunday night’s AdvoCare 500 race, according to AMS vice president of sales Greg Walter.”

NASCAR is a marketer’s dream. It has fans and plenty of media exposure. There has never been a better time to get involved with NASCAR than right now!

Over 200 students to receive iPads at Dallas Christian

DCS ChargerTech initiative enters Phase II

iPads have already revolutionized the way we use computers.  Now they’re changing the way we teach and learn.

Every teacher at Dallas Christian School in Mesquite received an iPad in December as part of ChargerTech, a school-wide initiative to incorporate tablet computers into the classroom environment.  This week, DCS launches Phase II.

On Monday, August 8, at 7 p.m., every high school student at Dallas Christian School in Mesquite – more than 200 young people in all – will be given their own iPad2. Beginning on the first day of school, those students will weave use of the tablet device into their classroom, home-based and on-the-go learning experiences.

“This initiative will help our students prepare to live and work in a digital world,” says Dr. Colleen Netterville, president of Dallas Christian.  “We are diving into an area that will take our entire school fully into the 21^st century.  The world is changing before our eyes, and we have to change with it.”

The initial distribution of 60 iPads to teachers was made possible by a gift from Texas entrepreneur and DCS alumnus Randy Hill (Class of ’86).  He has joined in helping DCS parents, friends, and alumni fund the purchase of the student units as well.

Hill believes Apple’s iPad and devices like it have the potential to revolutionize how teachers teach as well as how their students access their course work, notes and raw data from the Internet.

“We can’t keep giving our kids the kind of instruction I received in the 80’s, let alone giving it to them essentially in the way it was delivered in the 1880’s,” says Hill.  “I’m thrilled to be able to help DCS accomplish its goal of becoming a more innovative institution – a school that will get these students ready for the jobs they will want in the future, many of which don’t even exist right now.”

“From the very start, Randy has been the guiding force behind this initiative,” says Steve Bivins, vice president of Dallas Christian.  “We anticipate our entire campus will be utterly transformed by Randy’s gift.”

For the past eight months, teachers at DCS have been working with experts from Abilene Christian University, a recognized leader in the area of Mobile Learning, to prepare for complete integration of the iPad devices into the education process.

“Students at ACU are successfully using mobile learning as a part of their critical thinking and problem solving skill set,” says Dr. Billie McConnell, director of ACU’s K-12 Digital Learning Institute.  “It will be a true advantage for students in a high school setting to have this experience in and out of the classroom at such a pivotal age.”

Throughout the 2011-12 school year, DCS teachers and administrators will track how integration of iPads effects the classroom learning environment.  “It will be important for us to quantify our findings so we can build on the success of ChargerTech and, in so doing, better serve our students,” says Dr. Netterville.

This weekend Randy Hill Racing heads to Pocono for an ARCA race at one of the most unusual tracks in the world:

http://www.arcaracing.com/news.php?contentid=11176

As the article notes:

“Known primarily for its unusual triangular shape and a crafty mix of oval track and road course characteristics, Pocono Raceway has – below the general radar – endured criticism in recent years for safety shortfalls. Before the 2011 season, however, track officials decided to do something about that.”

That’s right: Pocono features a triangular track that makes for some exciting racing. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a safe track:

“For example, over a mile of new catch fence is now in place around the track’s outside, meant to keep any objects – such as an airborne car – from flying out of the race track in an incident.”

Be sure and watch the excitement this weekend on the Speed Channel and look for the Randy Hill Racing 08 ca

What an exciting ARCA race at the Lucas Oil Raceway last night!

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/arca-dillon-takes-lucas-oil-raceway-thriller/

As the article notes:

“Ryan Blaney was charging, but Ty Dillon had too much left in the tank. Dillon, a rookie and the points leader in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, held Blaney’s late rally at bay to take his sixth victory of 2011 in the Ansell Protective Gloves 200 and extend his impressive lead atop the series point standings.”

And it was another great race for Casey Roderick and Randy Hill Racing:

“By the time the top three reached Lap 30 and only 20 cars remained on the lead lap, Blaney and Buescher had cleared most traffic and had Dillon clearly in their sights. Just behind them, Chad McCumbee (No. 1 ModSpace Ford) and Casey Roderick (No. 08 Randy Hill Racing Chevrolet) drove fourth and fifth, respectively.”

This is just the beginning for Randy Hill Racing!

Tonight the fun begins all over again in Indiana:

http://www.whowon.com/Results.asp?TrackID=746&StoryID=313239

The ARCA Racing Series will hit the track at Lucas Oil Raceway. And the #08 car will be in the running. Randy Hill Racing is off to a great start thanks to a great car, a great crew and a great young driver: Casey Roderick. Watch us on television as we go for the checkered flag.

We’re chasing the dream and we have every intention of being competitive and winning races for a long time to come!

Last week we ended by announcing that we received a U.S. patent for our Advanced Trailer. This week we’re going to explain why that’s so important and what it means.

We’ll talk about the patent process, why we received a patent and how this could potentially change the landscape of the biomass industry.

So be sure and check us out each day this week on our blog!

Today we continue our blog series on taxes. And we do so by focusing on a different tax than the income tax.

Did you know that most people in America pay more in payroll taxes than they do income taxes? Payroll taxes come straight out of your paycheck and are supposed to go to fund entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. But in these tough economic times, these payroll taxes are hurting many working people.

So then why is the Obama administration proposing to increase payroll taxes to pay for health care?

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/print/61720

This is a bad idea and a bad policy. Raising taxes is not the way to improve health care.

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This week has been a great week for me. And I believe it may turn out to be a great week for energy policy in this country.

This week my company, Advanced Trailer, announced that the University of Idaho has been selected as the recipient of a grant:

http://www.spokanejournal.com/article.php?id=4456

Our company will provide the University with equipment and financial resources to test the use of crop-drying trailers to dry wood chips which are then used for biomass. The implications of this research are profound. Dozens of power plants around the country are experimenting with biomass. And by introducing the trailer as a part of the process, we believe we will be able to make biomass more effective and more available to communities across America.

As I’ve written about before on this blog, we need to explore alternative energy in this country. Biomass is a big part of that. And I’m proud to be doing my part.

March is National Peanut Month. So despite what the media say, I’m going to celebrate this wonderful, nutritious, affordable product:

http://www.peanutbutterlovers.com/loversmonth/index.html

As the website above points out:

“One serving of peanuts is a good source of protein, Vitamin E, Niacin, Folate, Phosphorus and Magnesium. Peanuts are naturally cholesterol-free and low in saturated fat.”

Peanuts are both good tasting and good for you. That’s a powerful combination. And, as I have written repeatedly on this blog, the peanuts you see in the store are safe.

So buy them and enjoy them…this month and every month.

Yesterday, the media reported that the Food and Drug Administration advised people not to consume products sold by Westco Fruit and Nuts. This is a classic case of where there is more to the story than the media reports:

http://www.upi..com/Science_News/2009/03/23/FDA_announces_more_peanut-related_recalls/UPI-64841237831962/

What this story doesn’t tell you is that Westco Fruit and Nuts already tested all of their peanut products in an FDA-approved lab. And guess what? They all came back safe.

I understand that the FDA is being overly cautious. But the FDA is on the verge of destroying entire companies and maybe an entire industry. I repeat what I have written on this blog several times: peanuts are some of the safest, healthiest and most affordable products on the market. If you see a peanut product in the store, it is safe to buy and safe to eat.

And don’t forget: you can’t always believe what you read in the newspaper.

Never let the facts interfere with a good story. That seems to be
the media’s approach to the peanut industry.

The fact is peanuts remain safe and healthy. The fact is less than
2% of the peanut industry has been impacted by salmonella. The fact is the
press has blown this out of all proportion. And who is paying the
price for it? Hard-working peanut farmers:

http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10057009

As the article correctly notes, peanuts are a “good source of
protein, lots of energy, stores well, easy to serve. Peanut butter
can stretch a food dollar a long way….” Yes it can. But not if everyone is scared.

I’m calling on everyone to get the facts. Go to http://www.peanutsusa.com/USA/Index.cfm and find out the truth for yourself.

They say one bad apple can ruin a whole bushel. But recently, some peanut farmers in Georgia met to show that one bad peanut producer can’t ruin a great industry:

http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=10049695&nav=5kZQ

As I’ve written on this blog, peanuts remains one of the healthiest, safest and most affordable foods on the market. Yet the media have focused on one bad producer–the Peanut Corporation of America. Yes, this company did not do enough to ensure safety and quality at its plants. But 99.9% of the rest of the peanut industry has. Here is how Congressman Sanford Bishop described it:

“It’s unfortunate. They [the Peanut Corporation of America] have such a small percentage in regards to the peanut industry. They have done a great deal of damage to consumer confidence, but we are not going to let that hold us back.”

Amen, Congressman. We are not going to let that hold us back. Let’s all go out and buy some peanuts today!

Today is the day! Around noon today, I’ll post my first e-book, entitled “From Tragedy To Triumph: How Economic Challenges Often Create  Economic Progress.”

This book takes a tour through some American history to show that some of our greatest economic inventions occurred not in times of growth but in times of challenge. In our current economic climate, that’s a good message for all of us to remember.

Check back later today and I’ll have the ebook posted on the website!

I believe free market enterprise is the best economic system in the world.

In fact, I believe it’s the only system.  But to work effectively, the free market depends on rational people making rational decisions and rational conclusions.  Being humans, we sometimes manage to mess with the effectiveness of the market by thinking and reacting emotionally rather than rationally.

I’ve previously written about the salmonella scare in the peanut industry.  The fact is more than 99% of all peanut products are perfectly safe. But some people continue to think emotionally.  Yesterday I was told of a man in Allendale, South Carolina, who went in a local convenience store to pick up a quick snack. When he presented his handful of items, which included a package of peanut butter crackers, the cashier immediately seemed alarmed and told the man “don’t eat that, it’s got peanuts in it.”  This is a perfect example of the public perception being influenced by emotions. I am not saying every small town convenience store in the country has cleared its shelves of products that could be on the list; I am saying 99% of all the products in all of the convenience stores across America containing peanut butter is safe.

Another example is the oil industry.  As I’ve been predicting, the price of oil continues to go down:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25043297-12377,00.html

Today, a barrel of oil costs $35.  Yet gas prices at the pump have risen to about $1.80 This violates the law of supply and demand.  With inventories high and demand low, the price of gas should better reflect the price of oil.  What explains this discrepancy?  Emotional thinking.  Daily I have people comment that they think a barrel of oil will soon be back over $100 and many say they think it will happen this summer. What is the basis or economic indicator for these conclusions? Nothing! It’s all emotions and right now with all that’s going on in America: we’re letting our emotions get the best of us.

I encourage each one of you to go out today to your local Wal-Mart and buy some peanut butter. As you are driving look at the prices of gas and think back a year ago and realize that our country and economy will survive and we still may see gas prices below $1.00. And I think its going to stay cheap for a long time.

The free market system works best when rational people make rational decisions.  Come to think of it, the whole world works better that way, too.

-Randy Hill