Here's a news item we stumbled across recently (you did know there's a website for stumbling around on the web, didn't you? It's called - wait for it - stumbleupon.com- we're not kidding.) and we thought we would pass it along as a matter of public service.
And, here it is:
Many Unaware That Their Old TV Sets Will Go Dark
Many owners of older TV sets who still receive free, over-the-air broadcasts are unaware that their sets will no longer function after Feb. 17, 2009 without a settop converter, lawmakers observed at a Washington D.C. hearing on Thursday.
Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, observed that the government was depending on broadcasters and television-set manufacturers to educate the public about the switchover from analog to digital broadcasting on that date but that their efforts have been insubstantial. "The time to act is now -- before the digital transition devolves into a digital disaster," Inouye said. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington echoed Inouye's comments, remarking, "I think there's high potential for a train wreck here."
The government has set up a website,
dtv.gov, and the toll-free number 888-388-2009 to provide information about how people with older TV sets -- and who are not connected to cable systems -- may
receive free coupons that will cover most of the cost of converter boxes.
Don't say we didn't warn you.
The ACS MultiMedia Trucker Buddy
Driver of the Month
Harvey and Karen Zander
The time and energy that Harvey and Karen Zander put behind their volunteer efforts for Trucker Buddy have earned them the ACS MultiMedia Trucker Buddy Driver of the Month honor for July.
"Harvey and Karen have spent many hours with my students," wrote teacher Pam Halverson in her letter of nomination. "Activities have included trucker log books, road safety discussions (danger zones), tours through the truck and a variety of craft activities."
"If I was his teacher I would give him an A plus," student Shelby said of Harvey.
The Zanders, who joined the Trucker Buddy program in 2000, have been matched with Halverson's fourth grade class at Humphrey Elementary School in Waverly, Minn., for the past two years.
"The Zanders have not only volunteered their time to teach us, but they have also generously donated many gifts - holiday pencils, erasers, posters, prints, pens, pins, shirts, cameras, craft items, treats and toys," Halverson related. "We have received mail and e-mails from them also. We have even talked with Harvey on the phone when he has been on the road."
The students were duly impressed with the Zanders' driving record, an admirable four million accident-free miles, which was mentioned in almost every one of the 22 students' letters that accompanied the nomination.
The students also were wowed by the Zander's well-known and striking show truck, Icy Blu 2, a 2003 International 9900ix Eagle that has won numerous awards in truck beauty contests. Yet it is the other, less known awards the Zanders have received that show the extra mile the couple goes in their commitment to industry and community.
In 1999, Harvey was the recipient of a Jefferson Award for volunteerism. In 2000, he won the National Truck Driver of the Year contest, an annual award given to one of the top five contractors in the United States and Canada by TCA and Overdrive Magazine.
In addition to their Trucker Buddy volunteer work, the Zanders also teach safe driving to a high school drivers education class.
Like many Trucker Buddies, the Zanders teach life lessons as well as practical education, and from them the fourth graders at Humphrey Elementary have learned the value of giving.
"Anyone who gives something gets more back than what they gave," student Rebecca wrote.
"We could not think of a more deserving Trucker Buddy," Halverson said. "Harvey and Karen have been outstanding role models for volunteerism and have greatly touched all of us with their kindness and generosity."
Harvey has been leased to Dart Transit, Eagan, Minn., for more than 20 years. The Zanders make their home in St. Louis Park, Minn.
Each Trucker Buddy Driver of the Month receives a personalized jacket, along with a check for $300 to spend on the class and $200 in Trucker Buddy merchandise, compliments of program sponsor ACS MultiMedia Advertising (www.tmi-multimedia.com), the advertising agency of choice for the trucking industry. They also receive an IdleAire adaptor (www.IdleAire.com), a Koolatron cooler and a complete set of Airtabs for their tractor or trailer (www.airtab.com). Five owner operators have received a set of steer tires from Continental Tire. The class will receive a CrossCountry USA game from Ingenuity Works (www.ingenuityworks.com), which will help them learn more about how trucks move freight across the continent.
The Zanders are among some 3,500 other professional drivers who share their time with elementary classes throughout the world. The only criteria to be a Trucker Buddy is to be a professional truck driver with a CDL who is willing to send a postcard each week to a class in grades two through eight. Drivers and teachers can find out more
about the program by visiting www.truckerbuddy.org or calling 1-800-MY-BUDDY.
Trucker Buddy is dependent on corporate sponsors such as ACS MultiMedia Advertising and TruckDriver.com to fund the program.
This doesn't have anything to do with trucking, but we thought it was an interesting story so we decided to share it.
The Train Wreck
In 1904, there was a train wreck in central Missouri. It was a head-on collision involving two Missouri Pacific trains. One of them was an east bound passenger train loaded with excited travelers on their way to the World's Fair in St. Louis.
Most of the reports on the accident indicate it was one of the worst in railroad history with many passengers crushed and mangled by pieces of the shattered rail car and several scalded to death by steam escaping from the engines resting on top of them.
Thirty people were killed and dozens were injured. Two of the passengers were young girls, Dicy Ream and Gertrude Loud, both age twelve. They were cousins from the small town of Bronaugh, Missouri.
They were buried together in Worsley Cemetery on the outskirts of the small town.
To this day, visitors still place flowers on their graves.
Lyndon Irwin, a Missouri State University agriculture professor, has traveled to the towns in Missouri and Kansas where the victims of the 1904 train wreck came from.
He visited cemeteries, historical society museums and talked with local residents while researching the accident. His five years of collecting stories about the train wreck resulted in his self-published book, "There will be a wreck!"
To read the full story visit his website, World's Fair Train Wreck
You may recall that in the last issue we said we didn't know how many of you are golfers, we still don't know, but 80% of you reported that you don't carry golf clubs with you on the road. We're not going to bother asking the 20% of you that said you did how often you play, or what your handicap is, we're just going to move on to the next survey question.
By the time you read this, there is very good possibility that Barry Bonds will have tied and maybe even broken Hank Aaron's record for most homers. If you follow baseball at all, then you already know what we're going to ask, but don't let that stop you from taking the TruckDriver.com Is Barry Bonds an Asterisk Survey.
That’s it for this issue, no hits, no runs, no apologies!
Keep on truckin' and please drive safely.
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