Singer-actor-comedian Jim Nabors stopped by The Indianapolis Star today to talk racing, singing, his health and life in Hawaii. Following are highlights from IndyStar.com’s interview with Nabors, who for decades has sung “Back Home Again in Indiana” before the Indianapolis 500:

What the song means to Nabors: Years ago, Nabors said a friend sent him an old 78 rpm record, an early recording of “Back Home Again in Indiana,” which he has framed and hung on a wall in his Hawaiian home. “It so nostalgic for a hundred years of racing. It’s incredible the things that touch your heart. And sometimes music does. And certain songs do with me, and that’s one of them.”

About missing the 500-Mile Race because of health: Nabors, who has suffered from heart problems and has a pacemaker, said he was especially touched by the way IMS handled his absence in 2007, one of a handful of times since 1972 he couldn’t make the race.

Worried about his health, doctors wouldn’t let Nabors fly to Indiana. So the affable actor known for his role as Gomer Pyle made a video greeting played at track before the race. And instead of finding a replacement vocalist to sing “Back Home Again in Indiana,” Speedway officials invited the crowd to sing along, preserving Nabors’ status as a 500 tradition.

“I was very flattered. I thank Mary (George Hulman) for that sweet, sweet gesture,” Nabors said. “I was lying in a hospital with tears streaming down my face, because … the crowd sang to me. I thought that was kind of moving.”

How race song tradition started: In the early 1970s, Nabors met former IMS owner Tony Hulman while attending the 500-Mile race with Jim Harrah (of Harrah Casinos). Hulman had seen Nabors’ singing act in Lake Tahoe, Nev., and approached the actor about singing during the race. “Would you like to sing the song?” Nabors said Hulman asked. “And I thought he meant the Star Spangled Banner. So I says, Well, OK.”

Hulman led the actor to where the Purdue band was gathered, and Nabors asked the conductor, “ ‘What key do you guys do this in?’ And he says, ‘We only got one key.’ And I said, ‘No, you got two keys.’ And the conductor says, ‘Well, you’re not singing that.’ And I says, ‘What am I singing?’ And he says, ‘Back Home Again in Indiana. Do you know it?’ And I says, ‘Well I know part of it, I’m sure.’ I’d heard it all my life.”

To avoid goofing up in front of hundreds of thousands of people, Nabors said he wrote the lyrics on his hand, just to be sure. “I had no cue, I didn’t know what the intro was going to be like or anything. … And 30-something years later I’m still at it.”

In his free time: When he’s not touring the country, Nabors keeps busy growing macadamia nuts on his farm in Hawaii, where he has lived for more than 35 years. “We farm; I have a farm on Maui. It was all jungle, and I had no idea about farming, to be honest with you. We have about 500 acres, cleared the land and planted about 13,000 seedlings, which are now big trees, huge trees. We’ve worked hard, but in farming you don’t make much money.

“It takes eight years before you get a crop,” he continued. “And somebody asked me one day, ‘How do you plan to take care of your old age?’ And I says, ‘I’m just waiting for my nuts to drop — and hope my voice doesn’t change.’ ”

About his brush with death in the early 1990s: “It was pretty dramatic. I was in India, and I got cut there,” Nabors said. “I got sick … picked up hepatitis B and it destroyed my liver and I wasn’t even aware of it” until a doctor’s appointment some time later. “(The doctors) said, ‘Well, you’ve got about two months, unless you get a transplant.”

Nabors got the needed organ, in large part through the efforts of longtime actress-comedian friend Carol Burnett, who arranged for his treatment at UCLA. “She’s like my sister,” said Nabors, who turns 79 next month. “We’re very close.”

Race predictions: Nabors wouldn’t predict a winner for this weekend’s race. “I’ve watched all these kids grow up over the years. I never pick favorites. I like them all and I root for them all. I just hope it’s a safe race.

“I remember when Danica first (raced). I was really pleased that they had a lady there and was competing big time. That was a real change of pace, and very good, too. I remember when Danica was leading for 28 laps there, I think I’ve never seen the crowd like that, especially the women standing up, beating their husbands over the head. It was pretty funny.”

Favorite part of the Indianapolis 500: “I guess it’s … after Mary (George Hulman) says ‘Start your engines,’ … that first roar; it brings goose bumps all over you, man,” Nabors said. “There’s nothing like it. It’s probably one of the most exciting things that happens in sports. Period.”

The Gold Base is the informal name of the international headquarters of the Church of Scientology,^[1][2] located on a 500-acre (2.0 km²) parcel of land just outside of San Jacinto, California. It is located at or near 19625 Gilman Springs Road, Gilman Hot Springs, California 92583. The area is the home of Golden Era Productions, the media and publications division of the church, which is the largest of the many organizational units located there. David Miscavige and other top leaders of the church live and work on the Base.

Features

Notable buildings and features in Gold Base include:

• Upper Villas—RTC offices and housing, where David Miscavige and other high level Scientologists live and work
• BonnieView—L. Ron Hubbard’s fully-furnished mansion, still maintained and staffed in the belief that he will return in another body.^[11]
• Cine Castle—main film studio in the shape of a castle, for producing church A/V materials
• OGH buildings—Old Gilman House. Formerly “isolation” space for physically ill staff. Possibly now used for auditing or solo auditing.
• Del Sol—CSI offices, and auditing rooms for staff.
• Staff berthing—four buildings where staff live.
• Qual Gold—Headquarters for Qual Sec, in charge of “quality control” as per the Hubbard organization policies. In practice this mostly means facilities staff auditing and training.
• MCI—This large building is the staff dining hall, known as “Massacre Canyon Inn” from the building’s pre-Scientology name when the property was a resort.

DEAR ABBY: Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Please invite your millions of readers to observe the National Moment of Remembrance by pausing wherever they are at 3 p.m. in honor of our fallen.

Memorial Day (first called Decoration Day) began in 1868 to remember those killed in the Civil War. Since World War I, Memorial Day has been a time to honor all those who have died in service to our nation, from the Revolutionary War to the present.

To unite the country in remembrance, Congress officially established the National Moment of Remembrance in 2000. This act of unity is a time of reflection and commitment to honor America’s fallen. More than a million men and women have died for our freedom. Their sacrifices for us live on in each constitutional right we enjoy.

On Memorial Day, Major League Baseball games will stop, Amtrak trains will blow their whistles, and 6,200 Buglers Across America will play “Taps,” while citizens everywhere pause to honor those who sacrificed for our freedoms.
The National Moment of Remembrance is a small down payment in our debt to remember these precious souls. — CARMELLA LA SPADA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE COMMISSION ON REMEMBRANCE

DEAR CARMELLA: I hope my readers will take your letter to heart. Each of the men and women who laid down their lives for this country was someone loved and cherished by family and friends. They are deeply missed. We are all diminished by their deaths, as indeed, we are enriched by the example of their courage and dedication.

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DEAR ABBY: When I was growing up in the late ’60s and ’70s, I heard very little profanity used. Today it seems like it is accepted. My husband often uses it, even though he knows I hate it.

When he’s mad at me, the filth is directed my way. That may be why profanity upsets me so much. Sometimes it makes me literally sick to my stomach.

Also, the most recent book by my favorite author includes many instances of the “F-word,” which she has never done before. I’m tempted to write her and say that I read her for pleasure and am put off by the language. Should I? — NON-CUSSER IN NEBRASKA

DEAR NON-CUSSER: When filth is directed at someone, it qualifies as verbal abuse, a weapon used to show contempt and destroy another person’s sense of self-worth. Of course, what it shows is that the swearer, besides being a bully, isn’t smart enough to come up with vocabulary that adequately describes his (or her) feelings powerfully enough to have them appreciated.

Because the verbal abuse your husband hurls at you is so hurtful it literally sickens you, it’s time for you to take a closer look at why you continue to tolerate it. And as to your favorite author, by all means write and tell her that as a loyal reader you thought her last book was a real turn-off and why.

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DEAR ABBY: If someone says, “I owe you an apology,” but says nothing more, is that an apology? If an apology is “owed,” shouldn’t the person say, “I’m sorry”? — STILL MIFFED IN OCEANSIDE, CALIF.

DEAR STILL MIFFED: When someone says, “I owe you an apology,” it is an admission of guilt, not an apology. What you have described is a half-hearted, “miserly” effort to make amends. The apology is implied, but not clearly stated, and frankly, I can see why you’re still miffed.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -The King of stock-car racing got the royal treatment at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, savoring every moment at his first Indy 500 as team owner.

The seven-time NASCAR champion Petty planned to watch the race from pit road and stay as long as his blue-and-red No. 43 car, driven by John Andretti stayed on the 2.5-mile oval. Andretti started 28th, the inside of Row 10.

“It’s interesting with all the excitement and stuff around here,” Petty said before the race. “I’ve been around stock cars all my life, and you don’t always see the excitement on TV. But when you’re here, it’s really exciting, really fun.”

When the race ends or Andretti goes out, Petty will board a helicopter for the short ride to Indianapolis International Airport, then fly to Charlotte, N.C., for Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600.

Andretti, the first man to try the Memorial Day weekend double in 1994, acknowledged the double would be easier for Petty than it was for him.

“He’s probably got more people worried about him making the helicopter on time than I did,” Andretti said. “If he happens to miss the start of the 600, that’s not good, but he’ll still get there.”

Petty, who attended last year’s race as a fan, has not said whether he intends to make another foray into IndyCar racing. Of course, reaching Victory Lane might make a difference.

“I don’t know what I’m doing next week, much less next year,” Petty said, dressed in his trademark cowboy hat and sunglasses. “I can tell you the better John runs, the longer we’ll stay.”

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BABY WATCH: Driver Alex Lloyd had one close call before the race even started. His pregnant wife, Samantha, who’s due date is Sunday, started having contractions during Saturday’s Indy 500 Festival Parade.

Fortunately for the driver of the pink No. 99 car, it was a false alarm.

And Samantha Lloyd still planned to sit along pit road for the race after spending the morning resting in the team’s air-conditioned motor home. And Alex Lloyd still intended to be in full blackout mode for the race as he awaits the delivery of their second daughter.

“I think we’ll be all right, because she (the new baby) seems to be pretty active at night,” Lloyd said. “The first one always seemed to be active at night, too, so I think we’ll be OK. We were a lot more concerned last night, but fortunately that worked out.”

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AWARD WINNER: David Janquart, chief mechanic for Petty’s No. 43 car, received a $5,000 check for winning the Clint Brawner mechanical excellence award Sunday.

“I get a chill when I think about it,” Janquart said. “It’s unbelievable to think I was even considered for the award. It’s an awesome achievement that I didn’t even expect.”

The 40-year-old has worked with former CART teams Tasman Motorsports and Forsythe Racing, and also worked for owners Adrian Fernandez and Tony George before joining the Dreyer & Reinbold team 1 1/2 years ago. Dreyer & Reinbold co-owns the Petty entry and has four cars starting Sunday.

TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Lottery today announced that the Saturday, May 23, Powerball drawing resulted in a rollover, producing a $222 million jackpot for the next drawing. Two Florida players won $1 million by adding Power Play and matching five winning numbers. The winning Powerball numbers were: 19 – 23 – 34 – 52 – 57 and the Powerball was 21. The Power Play multiplier was 5.

The next Powerball drawing will be held Wednesday, May 27, at 10:59 p.m. with a $222 million jackpot. Powerball drawings may be viewed on the Lottery’s TV carrier stations statewide and on the Florida Lottery Web site at flalottery.com. Winning numbers are available on the Lottery Web site, at retailers statewide and by phone at (850) 921-PLAY.

A view form the controls of Atlantis as it lines up for runway 22 landing at Edwards Air Force Base after NASA waved off both landing opportunities to land space shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center, shuttle landing facility,Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, 24 May 2009 due to unstable weather in the outlying areas of the landing facility. Atlantis and its crew of seven will land at Dryden space center, Edward’s Air Force Base in California on runway 22 after a thirteen day mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. EPA/GARY I ROTHSTEIN

Faced with dismal weather in Florida on Saturday, the Atlantis astronauts were ordered to back out of landing preparations and to remain in orbit a second extra day in a row.

Their next chance to land comes Sunday.

In Washington, meanwhile, the White House announced that former shuttle commander Charles F. Bolden Jr. will be nominated as NASA’s next administrator, along with Lori Garver as his deputy, ending four months of speculation.

“These talented individuals will help put NASA on course to boldly push the boundaries of science, aeronautics and exploration in the 21st century and ensure the long-term vibrancy of America’s space program,” President Obama said in a statement.

On Sunday, the astronauts will have two opportunities to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and two at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. For the first Florida opportunity, the astronauts would fire Atlantis’ twin braking rockets at 8:58 a.m. EDT, setting up a landing around 10:11 a.m.

The astronauts had hoped to land Friday at the Kennedy Space Center, but rain, lightning, and low clouds forced a one-day delay in hopes of better conditions. Kennedy was socked in again Saturday, with low clouds and rain showers near the shuttle landing strip. The forecast for Sunday is marginal, with clouds and rain expected.

The shuttle has been in orbit since May 11to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. The efforts were a success, and the Hubble was relaunched on Tuesday.

LOS ANGELES, May 24 (Xinhua) — Space shuttle Atlantis will land at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 11:39 a.m. EDT on Sunday, NASA announced.

Weather conditions forced flight controllers to pass on the shuttle’s first landing opportunity at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA said.

Atlantis arrived at the Hubble Space Telescope on May 13 at the International Space Station, and the crew performed five spacewalks on five consecutive days to repair and upgrade the telescope, according to NASA.

Due to bad weather, the shuttle’s scheduled landing on Saturday was delayed until Sunday.

Conditions are favorable at Edwards Air Force Base in California, NASA said.

New software from I.B.M can suck up huge volumes of data from many sources and quickly identify correlations within it. The company says it expects the software to be useful in analyzing finance, health care and even space weather.

Bo Thidé, a scientist at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics, has been testing an early version of the software as he studies the ways in which things like gas clouds and particles cast off by the sun can disrupt communications networks on Earth. The new software, which I.B.M. calls stream processing, makes it possible for Mr. Thidé and his team of researchers to gather and analyze vast amounts of information at a record pace.

“For us, there is no chance in the world that you can think about storing data and analyzing it tomorrow,” Mr. Thidé said. “There is no tomorrow. We need a smart system that can give you hints about what is happening out there right now.”

I.B.M., based in Armonk, N.Y., spent close to six years working on the software and has just moved to start selling a product based on it called System S. The company expects it to encourage breakthroughs in fields like finance and city management by helping people better understand patterns in data.

Steven A. Mills, I.B.M.’s senior vice president for software, notes that financial companies have spent years trying to gain trading edges by sorting through various sets of information. “The challenge in that industry has not been ‘Could you collect all the data?’ but ‘Could you collect it all together and analyze it in real time?’ ” Mr. Mills said.

To that end, the new software harnesses advances in computing and networking horsepower in a fashion that analysts and customers describe as unprecedented.

Instead of creating separate large databases to track things like currency movements, stock trading patterns and housing data, the System S software can meld all of that information together. In addition, it could theoretically then layer on databases that tracked current events, like news headlines on the Internet or weather fluctuations, to try to gauge how such factors interplay with the financial data.

Most computers, of course, can digest large stores of information if given enough time. But I.B.M. has succeeded in performing very quick analysis on larger hunks of combined data than most companies are used to handling.

“It’s that combination of size and speed that had yet to be solved,” said Gordon Haff, an analyst at Illuminata, a technology industry research firm.

Conveniently for I.B.M., the System S software matured in time to match up with the company’s “Smarter Planet” campaign. I.B.M. has flooded the airwaves with commercials about using technology to run things like power grids and hospitals more efficiently.

The company suggests, for example, that a hospital could tap the System S technology to monitor not only individual patients but also entire patient databases, as well as medication and diagnostics systems. If all goes according to plan, the computing systems could alert nurses and doctors to emerging problems.

Analysts say the technology could also provide companies with a new edge as they grapple with doing business on a global scale.

“With globalization, more and more markets are heading closer to perfect competition models,” said Dan Olds, an analyst with Gabriel Consulting. “This means that companies have to get smarter about how they use their data and find previously unseen opportunities.”

Buying such an advantage from I.B.M. has its price. The company will charge at least hundreds of thousands of dollars for the software, Mr. Mills said.