Save Route 66

'If you ever plan to motor west
travel my way, the highway that's the best.
Get your kicks on Route 66!
-Bobb Troup

Route 66 is such an important and fascinating part of American history. During it's hay day Route 66 was a bustling migration route for thousand of folks looking for the American Dream out West. Today the 2,400 mile route from Chicago to LA is in a state of disrepair to put it mildly.

Back in 1926 the legendary number 66 was made official and hundreds of small rural communities were put on the map. John Steinbeck coined the words 'Mother Road' for Route 66 in his 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath (a must read by the way). In fact it is estimated that more than 200,000 people migrated to California along good old Route 66.

Route 66 IS history...a dying history. Today you can't even find Route 66 on a map. In fact in 1984 the last section of Route 66 was bypassed by Interstate 40. I know I-40 moves quickly and gets you where you're going fast but hello...BORING. Get off the highway, jump on 'The Main Street of America' and enjoy.

Driving along Route 66 truly transports you back in time. Roll down your windows and listen to the pavement speak to you, you really can hear the history of this old road. Stop, get out of your car and check out the amazing little rural communities many of which are just ghost towns now. The run down motels and diner are a map, a history map of the Depression Era that your parents and grandparents have reminisced about.

If the Statue of Liberty or Lincoln Monument were falling apart people would come together to save it right? Well, Route 66 is 2,400 miles of national pride and history and it is falling apart. The National Historic Route 66 Federation is leading the fight to save what can only be called a true American Icon.

Next time you are driving on I-40 or any of the other highways that have taken the place of Route 66 jump off and get on the highway that's the best. Rest your head at a mom & pop motel instead of the big chain hotels. Skip the fast food and dive into some good old home cookin' at a local diner. These little mom & pop outfits have taken it upon themselves to preserve our dying heritage along the 'Mother Road'. Let's join them and do our part to save a huge piece of our history. I promise you really can GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE 66!
-Rochelle

LIVE EARTH CONCERT

CHECK THIS OUT!

LIVE EARTH CONCERT
Travel Hub Radio is taking the weekend off for two reasons: 1) It's the holiday weekend and 2) we'd like you to think about what you can do to help the earth and the environment. Check out the Live Earth concert going on right now worldwide. Aside from hearing some terrific live music from your favorite bands, you'll get some great tips on what you can do to help save the earth!

You can see all the concerts live on the Internet at liveearth.msn.com or www.liveearth.org

Here's where you can see and hear the Live Earth concerts right now!

- USA -
XM Satellite Radio, Channels 39-46 (Full Coverage)
Sirius Satellite Radio, Channels 1, 16, 18, 21, 24, 34, and 97 (Full Coverage)
Premiere Radio Networks (Several radio stations in US)
Radio Express (Worldwide)


NBC-TV
8pm-11pm est

BRAVO
9am-2am est

UNIVERSAL HD
4am-2am est

SUNDANCE CHANNEL
4am-2am est

MSNBC
8am - 4pm est
(continuing coverage)

CNBC
8am-2am est

TELEMUNDO
7pm to 8pm est

MUN2
5pm to 7pm est

-Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle East-
WORLDSPACE SATELLITE RADIO (Full Coverage)

Responsible Parent

The Responsible Parents
Last week my wife and I were spending a couple of days of much needed R&R at a local hotel. Flipping through the same 15 channels on the TV (there's never a huge amount of choice at hotels) we saw a story on one of the news channels that set me off. A young couple in Orlando decided to go on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World . This would not make much news in itself, except that the couple neglected to take their three year old child along for the ride. Again, not major news until you tie an important element to the story. They not only neglected to take the child on the ride, they neglected their child!
The three year old was left in a stroller while Mom and Dad decided it would be OK to go on the ride by themselves. It was 90 degrees outside and the child had been left alone for quite some time. Obviously child services got involved but.....please explain something to me.... WHAT WERE THESE PEOPLE THINKING?!
I am Studio Producer and a co-host (third wheel) of the FLY Show on World Talk Radio and I brought this topic up on the June 28 edition of the show in the first segment. Since that program's listening base consists heavily of moms I put the topic out and for the 45 minutes or so that followed we received several calls about the topic. What was a bit interesting is that some of the parents discussed and shared stories about times when a child could be forgotten in ones regular routine. I simply cannot understand this.
I am not yet a parent and as far as we know Rochelle is not yet a parent either. I have been trying to become a parent for several years and my wife and I are still trying. What appalls me is that being a parent is something that does not require education, licensing, training. The sad unfortunate part is that there are some people out there that are not fit to be parents. When you adopt a child, you have to be subjected to a number of things; a credit check, proof of being able to provide for the safety and well being of the child, and your criminal and economic background among other things. To become a natural parent requires some talent in the bedroom, a good sense of timing, and the strength and ability to get through pregnancy and childbirth (and before I get slammed for this, mind you that BOTH parents are going through this together, not just the mom).
I know I don't know exactly what it is like to be a parent. I know there are stresses that come with being a parent that I know nothing about. I know that certain freedoms go bye-bye when you have kid(s). Here is what I don't understand. Are there really parents that think it is okay to be irresponsible? Leaving a child alone in a stroller at Disney world because you want to have some fun? I could understand if there were grandparents or other relatives along who could watch the kid. Disney World even has a program where one parent can go on the ride while the other stays with the child and vice versa. No waiting!
There are certain sacrifices one has to go through to be a responsible parent. You will get your funtime, but you have to go about it the right way. Take a few more members of the family to Disney. Take turns going with the child or being left behind. If the child is too young get a babysitter. I hope that he or she is trustworthy. Best advice: wait until the child is a few years older and come back to enjoy the park together. The good rides will still be there and I think you'll get more out of the park anyway. I know your kid will!