Sculptor Randy Gachet of the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham scavenges rubber “gators” from the roadside and makes art of them, such as the cyclical “Ouroboros” (pictured) or a thicket of “Carbon Spires,” tall totemlike poles built around rebar.
Ain’t that a kick in the teeth?
A radio ad for TomTom GPS devices angered reader Chuck Winborn of Birmingham, Ala.: “I can’t remember word verbatim how it went, but it said something like this: ‘Who would you rather get your directions from, a truck driver with stage three gum disease or TomTom?'” Other listeners complained, too, and the ad has been yanked, reports Lori Robinson of TomTom agency Hill & Knowlton: “We had several consumers write to us expressing concerns, and we took their comments seriously and appreciated their feedback.”
Out of the cab and into the cage
When out-of-shape West Coast trucker Todd Sturgis decided to become a mixed-martial-arts fighter, his wife and co-driver, Tamera, decided to put the whole midlife crisis on videotape. One reviewer calls Tamera Sturgis’ documentary, Under Pressure: Diary of a Cage Fighter’s Wife, “what would have happened if Adrian had filmed Rocky.” There must be an easier way to lose 40 pounds. The multitalented couple is back to hauling on I-5; their DVD is $20 at www.mycagefighter.com.
“We had the worst road system in the country, according to Truckers Magazine. Five years later, I was proud to be the governor of what was called the most improved road system in the country.”
– Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, now a Republican presidential candidate, misremembers the name of Overdrive on Fox News Sunday but correctly remembers that Arkansas topped our Worst Roads list in 1999 and our Most Improved Roads list in 2004 – after he signed per-gallon tax increases of 3 cents on gasoline and 4 cents on diesel to pay for road building.
GET YOUR FIX of trucking trivia at channel19.blogspot.com, an expanded version of Channel 19 in blog format, where you can also contribute or write comments. Submitted items will be considered for use on this page.
Andy Duncan, Overdrive, P.O. Box 264, Frostburg, MD 21532, or e-mail [email protected].
