Tuesday Tail

Around here, we call them 'gator tails.

 


Not the best picture, but we've all seem them.  The pieces of tires from retreads that big rigs leave all over the side of the road.

Only a few times in my life have i been seriously afraid while driving.  In each case, i've managed not to panic, keep a tight grip on the wheel, remember to take my foot off the gas and not brake, and get out of it.

Yesterday was another of those times.  For the first time ever, i saw a rig actually throwing tire pieces all over the road.  The noise startled me, and i'm glad i didn't jerk the wheel as i watched to see where the debris would fly.  It happened right in the never-ending-construction-zone on the interstate, but it was right at the only exit and the driver managed to get off the road because the people in the exit lane realized what was happening and backed off to give him room.

None of the pieces that flew yesterday were as big as the one above (i pulled off to take a picture at an exit), but i think those retreads are dangerous.  While i'm all for conservation, as long as we have to use the type of tire we have now, we need to find a better way to reuse the material.

In good news, it turns out that the teacher gave #2 Son a practice test, and he could most likely already pass and get his GED next week if he wanted.  She wants him stronger in the math section, though, but it's looking good for the timeline we are working on to have him in culinary school either fall or next spring.


Today is

Crowded Nest Awareness Day -- for those whose problem is the opposite of the Empty Nest, a day to remind you to keep your sense of humor and get support when you need it

Duanwu Jie -- China; Hong Kong; Macao[Tung Ng]; Taiwan (Dragon Boat Festival Day, in which spectacularly decorated boats loaded with rowers and drums race)

Festival of Mut -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Ghost in the Machine Day -- the internet holiday that explains everything!

Helsinki Day -- Finland

Ice Cream Days -- LeMars, IA, US (the home of Wells's Blue Bunny Ice Cream calls itself the Ice Cream Capital of the World and has a parade, basketball tournament, children's activities, fishing derby, and more along with tons of ice cream; through Saturday)

Independence Day -- Philippines

International Cachaca Day

Loving Day -- US (commemoration of Loving vs. Virginia decision by the Supreme Court which struct down all anti-miscegenation laws)

Marrakesh Popular Arts Festival -- Marrakesh, Morocco (the country's best Folklore Festival, featuring art and music as well; through Sunday)

Midnight Sun Film Festival -- Sodankyla, Lapland, Finland (one of the world's most unique film festivals; through Sunday)

National Jerky Day -- begun last year, possibly by one of the jerky manufacturers (no one can track it down, sounds suspicious to me)

National Peanut Butter Cookie Day

National Time Out Day -- US, sponsored by The Association of Operating Room Nurses, which want everyone involved in surgeries to take time out before the procedure to verify the surgery site, type, and patient and decrease OR errors

Red Rose Day -- found all over the internet, with June 12 as the most common date cited; may have begun with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Australia, which has Rose Days as fundraisers

Russia Day -- Russia

St. Anthony's Eve -- Brazil; Portugal
     Dia dos Namorados -- Brazil (Lover's Day, celebrated on St. Anthony's Eve)

St. Onuphrius' Day (Patron of weavers; Centrache, Catanzaro, Italy)

Tano Day -- Korea (summer food is offered at the household shrine of the ancestors, this is the final day of the three day Tano Festival)

Turtle Races -- Nisswa, MN, US (Wednesdays in June, go race a turtle, it's only $4 to adopt a turtle for the race and get a participation racing button!)

World Day Against Child Labour -- Education International and the International Labour Organization; this year, the spotlight is on child labour in domestic workhttp://www.ei-ie.org/en/events/event_details/62


Birthdays Today:

Marv Albert, 1941
Chick Corea, 1941
Jim Nabors, 1932
Anne Frank, 1929
Vic Damone, 1928
George Bush, 1924
Alexandre Tansman, 1897


Today in History:

Joan of Arc leads the French army in their capture of the city and the English commander, William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk in the second day of the Battle of Jargeau, 1429
The French begin their colonization of Algeria with the landing of 34,000 troops, 1830
The world's first Fingerprint Bureau opens in Calcutta, India, after the Council of the Governor General approves a committee report that fingerprints should be used for classification of criminal records, 1897
Shooting begins on Paramount Pictures' Dr. Cyclops, the first horror film photographed in three-strip Technicolor, 1939
Anne Frank gets her diary as a birthday present, 1942
The United States Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia declares all U.S. state laws which prohibit interracial marriage to be unconstitutional, 1967
The first man powered flight across the English Channel is performed by Bryan Allen in the Gossamer Albatross designed by Paul MacCready, 1979
At the Brandenburg Gate U.S. President Ronald Reagan publicly challenges Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, 1987
Russia Day – the parliament of the Russian Federation formally declares its sovereignty, 1990
Queen Elizabeth II reopens the Globe Theatre in London, 1997
A disputed presidential election in Iran leads to widespread protests, 2009