Bio-fewwwwwl

In August 2004, I penned a column humorously suggesting that biodiesel should be made with various kinds of aromas, since the sense of smell is a powerful one that can affect mood and attitude.Now there is news that makes me hope they won’t take my automotive aromatherapy idea too far. In Canada, scientists have proposed turning used diapers into synthetic fuel.On the face of it, so to speak, the

’Twas the night before ...

I was talking to veteran owner-operator Howard Hart not long ago about a topic on which I was, frankly, idealistic. Until Christmas Eve. The topic was helping strangers and the quandary that presents: When do you let yourself be guided by the “goodness of your heart” and when do you listen to the voice that says “the dude could have a gun and shoot you dead.”Howard said he used to always help

Where valor sleeps

They shall grow not old
As we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them ...
Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun,
And in the morning,
We will remember them!
– Lawrence Binyon
Have you ever seen Arlington National Cemetery? It’s an eye-blinking, jaw-clenching, throat-closing place to experience.Early last week, an OOIDA member from Maine sent me an article that proved to be

Is greed good for the green movement?

I saw an interesting story the other day regarding the launch of a new investment opportunity based on the green movement.According to Reuters, Evolution Markets is working with the New York Mercantile Exchange to offer trade in global carbon credits beginning next year.Heavy-hitting financial institutions such as Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch Constellation and several others will join

Tough crowd there in Scranton

In what could be a redefinition of the phrase “Potty Mouth,” Scranton, PA, resident Dawn Herb escaped a jail term and a hefty fine. Her crime was swearing at an overflowing toilet.Off-duty police officer Patrick Gilman overheard Herb shouting profanities and yelled “Watch your mouth.” Herb replied: “F... Off.”On-duty Patrolman Gerald Tallo was called in, and after Herb admitted to cursing her

Put the hammer down

Too many government people are carrying hammers around these days and nary a piggy bank is safe.Intent on spending our fuel tax dollars on things like museums, pet projects, mass transit, landscaping and just about anything but highway repairs, these hammering fools have shattered just about every porcelain piggy within reach.Something’s got to change.The solution is not creating more ways to

Taking aim at Big Brother

Despite the risk to public safety, I have to admit to feeling guilty pleasure at a recent incident in Knoxville, TN, where a guy was charged with shooting a red-light camera three times. With a gun, not with the bird. To read the story, click here.It seems one Clifford Clark III, for reasons unknown – who has never gotten a ticket from one of the cameras – was accused of blasting away at the

Carload of teens: precious, dangerous cargo

I saw a scary sight this morning. Here in Missouri, we’re iced in at the present. Streets in my neighborhood are wretched. Not fit for the best four-wheel drive. But, there was my neighbor’s teenager, climbing in a car with a bunch of pals, iced-over windows, snow still all over the back windshield. Off they flew on the glazed rink that was my street.What concerned me the most was that there were

Youth poems are both ‘Pooh’ perfect and grittily realistic

As the new copy editor for Land Line Magazine, I have read some fascinating magazine articles, columns, Web news, radio scripts, and blogs in the past few months. Few pieces, however, have been as sincerely written and poignant as the poems written by Land Line’s youth readers.The youth entries were divided into the following categories: age 10 and under, ages 11 to 14, and ages 15 to 17. You can

All dogs go to heaven, but lawyers and billboard writers aren’t dogs

It’s not unusual for the OOIDA switchboard operators to field 2,500 calls every day, and it’s not unusual for a number of those callers to have suggestions for the “Roses & Razzberries” column in Land Line.It is also not unusual for the “Razzberry” suggestions to include law firms that have advertisements portraying truckers as wild-eyed speed demons or sleepy-eyed accidents waiting to happen. It

Shame to waste good doughnuts

Anybody that works with me here in Land Line knows of my love for sweets – especially doughnuts.So you can imagine my sadness upon hearing the news that a truckload of Krispy Kreme doughnuts was wasted – scattered along the highway following a high-speed chase in Madison, WI.Warren G. Whitelightning – yes, that’s his last name – of Crandon, allegedly led police on a high-speed chase through

From an American soldier: a letter home

This week OOIDA is doing something neat. The Association’s membership gang has teamed up with Mark Reddig and the “Land Line Now” radio crew and is now conducting its first ever membership radio telethon. Ten percent of the membership fees will be matched by the Association and go toward care packages to be sent to U.S. troops stationed overseas. The response has been spectacular.In the spirit of

Yo California, the ships are pulling in

Land Line readers may start to see some familiar articles making their way into daily newspapers and local newscasts from coast to coast.That’s right, the battle to clean the air in California statewide and specifically in the twin ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles is now being watched by mainstream media sources such as the New York Times. The Times, aka “the old gray lady,” chimed in with a