Close Up Radio

Stockton, CA - Ken Clapp, an iconic figure in American short track racing and longtime co-owner of Stockton 99 Speedway, is taking a moment to reflect on his career and his ongoing passion for the sport. With a legacy spanning over 70 years, Clapp's contributions have shaped the motor sports industry, particularly on the West Coast. Short track racing refers to races held on tracks that are less than one mile. ?Short track racing is where most drivers start before they move on to bigger things,? Clapp explains. ?It's the heart and soul of American racing.? Nearly five decades ago, Ken Clapp became a co-owner of Stockton 99 Speedway, helping it become one of the premier short tracks in the western United States. Clapp's passion for racing began in the small town of Walnut Creek, California, during World War II. Living near a garage that housed race cars, Clapp was captivated by the excitement of motor sports. In 2022, Ken Clapp released ?Sea to Shining Sea: Racing from the Wild West to Daytona,? a memoir that offers a deep dive into West Coast racing history and Clapp's personal journey. The book, written with Bones Bourcier, features over 400 pages of photographs that vividly capture Clapp's experiences and significant moments within the industry. It serves as both a testimonial of his life's work and a source of inspiration for aspiring racers and business professionals alike. Beyond his accomplishments on the track, Clapp's enduring influence is cemented with the Ken Clapp Annex at the Woodland Estrella Museum Auto Display located in Paso Robles, showcasing his lasting impact on motor sports history. For more information about Ken Clapp, please visit https://westcoaststockcarhalloffame.com/

South Orange, NJ – Dr. Frank Gardella is a Professor in Mathematics Education and Mathematics at Hunter College – CUNY. In addition, he has devoted his career to the improvement of the education of mathematics. He has accomplished this by serving as a teacher, supervisor, an educational consultant, and as an author of several books related to mathematics education. ?In my working with teachers as a consultant, I try to become part of the school community to advance the learning of mathematics on the part of children,? summarizes Frank. ?Students come first, mathematics come second,? asserts Frank. At Hunter College, Frank has a program called the Elementary Mathematics Specialist Program. With this program, elementary teachers study mathematics and how it is effectively taught. Frank identifies one of the main concerns regarding the education of mathematics the top-down approach that is often utilized, especially with national standards and national curriculums. The main problem is that there is no middle management support for elementary teachers. Elementary principals often do not understand the teaching of mathematics. As for the future, Frank is looking to publish his newest textbook, titled What We Call Middle School Math. While he explains that this is only a working title at the moment, he ultimately feels that he will use this as the permanent title. The book is intended to explain what is currently involved in the middle school math curriculum. ?All children can learn mathematics,? concludes Frank. ?We just have to figure out a way to get them to learn it.? You may also visit his page on LinkedIn

Bowie, MD - Film historian and academic scholar Dr. Rory Palmieri is a man on a mission—a mission to bring long-overdue recognition to Miklós Jancsó, the Hungarian filmmaker who is the most under-appreciated major filmmaker of the 20th century. Despite devoting four and a half years of his life to this monumental project, Palmieri acknowledges he still has two more years to go before he can complete his manuscript. He emphasizes that Jancsó's work is almost entirely unknown outside of Hungary, despite the filmmaker's critical acclaim domestically. ?Jancsó's films are rarely seen; even scholars and critics who attended international film festivals often missed them,? Palmieri laments. Although the director is mentioned and briefly discussed in numerous textbooks and articles in English, only a few early masterpieces have made it into film festivals and home video in the U.S. The bulk of this great artist's work is unavailable anywhere in the world, except perhaps in the Hungarian Film Archive in Budapest. Rory Palmieri is an accomplished film historian and language expert with a doctorate in English focused on American literature and film. He has worked in government service as a translator and has a long-standing passion for literature, cinema, and languages. In addition, he is an amateur filmmaker and has worked on other amateur films and as an extra on Hollywood productions. He is now dedicated to bringing attention to Miklós Jancsó, through his upcoming manuscript. For more information about Dr. Rory A. Palmieri, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/rory-palmieri-a7a79176 and http://www.roryapalmieri.com