Porsche 928

Porsche 928

 

 

Paul Katsus is a car guy like many of us, with a budget that does not match his dreams. One car that Paul Katsus has always wanted to collect was the Porsche 928. Was the first V-8, front engine Porsche ever made. The Porsche 928 was manufactured from 1977 to 1996 (sold In the US until 1994 but continued until 1996 in Europe). The V-8 powered 928 was originally intended to be a replacement for the flat six cylinder Porsche 911. The original premise for the 928 was that Porsche management decided that the six cylinders 911 had come to the end of its product life cycle.  To be competitive with the other high end sports car manufacturers of Europe, a new model was needed.  The 928 was intended to be the flagship of the Porsche lineup and thus commanded a much higher price than the 911. To the conservative Porsche crowd, the styling proved to be divisive, with some believing it too trendsetting and others loving it. The front engine V-8 car was a radical departure and just not Porsche enough for the true believers of the brand. The 928 V-8 produced a modest 240 horsepower when it was introduced. These horsepower numbers grew to 310 hp on the S and S2 models. The S4 model was 316 hp and the top of the line GTS model V-8 output increased to 340 hp.  In the U.S. 85% of all models sold were automatic transmissions, with the remainder being five speeds.

Fighting Memory Loss

There is new research that suggests that a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, fish, whole grains, along with daily servings of nuts and olive oil can help fight off age related cognitive abilities decline. The research seems to conclude that we can take steps to prevent cognitive decline and memory loss. A recent medical study compared the brain health of groups of older people in Spain (in their 60s and 70s). As part of the study, researchers gave the participants a series of cognitive tests to measure aspects of brain health, from working memory to processing speed to executive function. Four years later the cognitive tests were repeated. One  of the groups had been assigned to eat a Mediterranean diet, plus either extra daily servings of extra-virgin olive oil (about four tablespoons) or daily servings of nuts. The other  control group was assigned to eat a low fat diet.

What researchers found was that the people eating the lower-fat diet (the control group) did worse on their cognitive tests. But the participants in the Mediterranean diet, showed no measurable age-related decline or improvement. There was no change either direction, better or worse. The subjects therefore had no change in their cognitive and memory  compared to those with the low fat diet which did display some decline.

The key finding of the study is that the Mediterranean diet is preventing  mental decline. The study suggests that there can be benefits to making diet changes to maintain a healthy brain even for people in their 60s, 70s or older. This study backs up an original research finding from the PREDIMED study, on the  long-term nutritional effectiveness of the Mediterranean diet in seven communities in Spain. It has been reported  that in 2013 study the Mediterranean diet cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes by about 30 percent.

Both studies help to prove that eating a heart-healthy diet can also protect the brain. The heart and brain are seemingly linked , as far as health is concerned. There is also the possibility that the people on the Mediterranean diet are also changing some other aspect of their lives, such as walking more or smoking less, factors that influence cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood glucose regulation. However, the weight of the evidence points the fact that what is good for the heart is good for the brain.

While the studies are very encouraging they do not prove to be conclusive. One key factor is that so far these studies did not last long enough to track the rates of dementia among .the study participants. While even if the Mediterranean diet may help to maintain memory and cognitive abilities, the jury is still out if this will result in the prevention of  or lower rate of Alzheimer’s down the road.

Paul Katsus, this article author, has worked as an electric utility service consultant for a Houston, Texas electric utility company, CenterPoint Energy. Paul Katsus enjoys passing on information of general interest.

Bluegills -Easy to Catch & Tasty

Paul Katsus has worked for twenty five years for a major utility company in the Houston, Texas area as a Service Consultant. Paul Katsus enjoys fishing for a variety of fish species in his spare time. Paul Katsus had begun catching Bluegills, as his first species of fish, as have many young fishermen. Bluegill and other sunfish, are sometimes called bream, and are often referred to as perch. But the Bluegill is not a Perch. Perch are very different and actually belong to a separate family of fish not related to bluegill or other sunfish. The most common species from the perch family include walleye, sauger, yellow perch and darters. Bluegills are an important species when it comes to fisheries management Bluegill provide an excellent forage species for bass due to their ability to reproduce at a rapid rate. During one summer, a female bluegill can spawn up to three times releasing 2,300 to 81,100 eggs per spawn. This rapid rate of reproduction helps to provide the necessary numbers of bass forage to help maintain a balanced bluegill/largemouth bass fishery. The Bluegill has a thin saucer-shaped body with a smallmouth and a black or navy gill flap. It is mostly olive green with an orange to yellowish belly. Bluegills are usually 4-6 inches but it is not uncommon for them to grow to 12 -14 inches. They have been recorded to weigh up to four pounds.

Bluegills can be found in lakes, ponds, reservoirs, streams, creeks, and rivers, in other words, just about any body of fresh water. While, most experienced anglers might say they prefer to catch  other fish such as trout, largemouth bass or crappie, they probably learned to fish while catching bluegills with their bobber baited with worms or liver. Almost any bait (live or dead)  or small spinners will catch Bluegills. Paul Katsus would recommend introducing newcomers; especially children to Bluegill fishing because they are relatively easy to catch and will readily take a huge variety of baits

Jensen Healy – British Sports Car Classic

 

Paul Katsus is an electrical utility professional employed by a large electrical utility in the Houston Texas area. Although not a professional car collector, Paul Katsus has enjoyed sharing his knowledge of sports and muscle cars. One such interesting sports car from the past, the Jensen Healey deserves not to be a footnote in automobile history. Produced in the 1970’s, the Jensen Healy was a British 2-seater convertible sports car produced by Jensen Motors in West Bromwich, England. The Jensen Healy was produced from 1972 thru 1976. There was a fastback version of the car, known as the Jensen GT which was produced from 1975 -1976. The first Jensen Healy model was the Mark 1 and was manufactured from March 1972 through May 1973, with a total of 3,347 Mark 1’s produced.  The second model followed was the Mark 2 Jensen Healy and was produced from August 1973 through August 1975, a total of 7142 Mark 2 were sold making it the highest sales volume Jensen of all time. A grand total of 10,503 (10 prototypes, 3,347 Mk.1 and 7,146 Mk.2) were produced by Jensen Motors. The last Jensen Healy was the Jensen GT Fastback mad from 1975 to 1976 which had a total output of 473 examples.

When it was launched in 1972 the Jensen Healy was a fast luxurious convertible sports car that was positioned in the automotive market between the Triumph TR6 (it was lighter and had 40 more horsepower than the TR6) and the Jaguar E-Type. With its 50/50 weight balance, the car was well received by the automotive industry for its exceptional handling. It was powered by a lightweight high output (for the time period) Lotus engine. The lightweight all alloy Lotus 907 engine not only attributed to the ideal weight balance but also provided more than ample acceleration. The engine that was produced by Lotus and suppled to Jensen was a two liter, dual overhead cam; sixteen valve all alloy power plants with a 7,000 RPM redline. The engine produced 144 horsepower and would had a zero to 60 mph sprint in 8.1 seconds and a top speed of 119 mph. The cars curb weight was at 2,408 pounds, with a wheel base of 92 inches. This Jensen engine produced by Lotus was the first mass produced multi-valve engine in the world.

The world-wide financial crises combined with the 1975 oil crises caused tremendous financial strain on Jensen Motors. The sales of the much larger and high end Chrysler V-8 powered Jensen Interceptor model crashed due to the dual financial crises. To compound Jensen Motors problems even further, in 1975 the Jensen Healy GT fastback model was rushed into the market. The expenses of bringing this new model market created a strain to the already cash strapped company. Jensen Motors could not recover from all of the financial setbacks and was forced to liquidate in 1975 and close forever in May 1976. Paul Katsus would remind readers that Jensen Motors not only created the Lotus powered Jensen Healy but also the Chrysler V-8 powered Jensen Interceptor. Paul Katsus would like to encourage readers to read up on other British cars such as MG’s, Jaguars, Triumphs, Aston Martins, Rolls Royce’s, and Bentleys, just to name a few.

Speckled Trout

Paul Katsus is a Service Consultant for a major electrical utility company. Although Paul Katsus has fished for fresh water trout most of his life, he has recently discovered the salt water speckled trout. The salt water speckled Trout is not actually a trout at all but a member of the drum family of fish. Speckled Trout can be identified by their elongated bodies with spots. On younger Trout the spots are more prominent and are more numerous on the back. Specks have two very easy to recognize identification features; 1) they have two large canine teeth and 2) the inside of their mouths are yellow. Specks can grow to a maximum size of about 16 pounds but the average size is around one pound.

Speckled Trout are popular salt water gamefish mainly because it is an aggressive feeder and will often school up in large numbers making for rapid fire fishing action when they are found congregating. The trout is also known for its tasty flaky meat and good flavor, making speckled trout very popular not only as a sport fish, but also as table fare. Paul Katsus can recommend Speckled Trout both for sport and excellent healthy eating.