​Hear this… HERE!


EXIT OF THE DAY: EXIT 17, to Lumberton, Red Springs, NC


Near Lumberton is the tiny railroad town of Hamlet, North Carolina, population of a little over 6000. Remember how I told you that there is a large Native American population around here? Well that is because Robeson County, North Carolina is home to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina which has a population of 55,000.

One of the biggest Lumbee tribe members is the diminutive Olympic Gymnast, Ashton Locklear.  Ashton was an alternate at the 2016 Olympics. 

As written in The Richmond County Daily Journal Newspaper in 2016:


“In the 120 years of the modern Olympic Games, the U.S. Olympic Committee has sent 12,355 athletes to compete against those of other nations on tracks, ice rinks and snow-covered mountains, in pools and gymnasiums, on rivers, courts and fields.


Not a single one of them listed Hamlet, North Carolina, as his or her hometown.


I don’t think any of the people in this town realize the magnitude of what Ashton has done,” said Terry Barrett, the Hamlet gym instructor who taught her to do headstands at age 2½."

Ashton was born in upcoming Lumberton, North Carolina. Her mom and Dad worked very hard to help their gifted daughter to soar to such heights in a sport that is not immediately profitable.


“It’s been very difficult, especially financially,” said Ashton’s mother, Carrie Locklear.


Carrie worked as a registered nurse at Sandhills Regional Medical Center.  Ashton’s father, Terry, works in construction.


Despite being an alternate at the Olympics, Ashton is considered possibly the best gymnast in the world on the uneven bars. She helped the US Team win the World Championships in Nanning China in 2014.  By the time she retired in 2019, she was a two-time national champion on the uneven bars. 

​Over the course of her youthful career, Ashton persevered though injuries and abuse, suffering the latter as one of the victims of Coach Larry Nasser.  Her injuries are also breathtaking including 2 broken backs.  Given her obvious appeal as a role model, Ashton was made a Nike Ambassador in 2017.

​If you want to find out more about this dedicated dynamo and see where Ashton grew up, take the next Exit. Upcoming Pembroke is the tribal seat of the Lumbee Tribe.  Aston Locklear’s birthplace of Lumberton is right next door. There is even a museum dedicated to this local hometown hero!


After all, Ashton Locklear is a hometown hero who is a role model to all girls all over the world. 


#AshtonLocklear #NikeAmbassador #USOlympics #OlympicGymnastics #LumbeeTribe #Lumberton

EXIT of the Day: EXIT 81 I-95s To: I-4 &  State Road 451 to Wilmington, NC

​

Except for the possible exception of Babe Ruth no other athlete is more famous than Michael Jordan. Upcoming is NOT Michael's birthplace. Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York. But upcoming is State Road 451 to Wilmington, North Carolina.  Wilmington was where Michael grew up. No doubt Mike has crossed and criss crossed this very interchange numerous times-- so this Exit maks it for you an intersection with greatness no doubt! You are in the footsteps of Air Jordan here folks. Wow!  And given that he IS so famous, we will take any opportunity to trumpet his North Carolina roots even so slim as to notify you about upcoming intersection that leads you back to his adolescence. ​

Even Better... we are offering a mega deal for you RoadSpoke basketball fans. If you tap your deal radar logo in the next 2 minutes you can get 20% off a new pair of Nike Air Jordans.  Even better, these air Jordans are autographed by Michael himself. So the savings is worth hundreds of dollars.  So get ready to tap and then fly in your new sneakers!   

“It was embarrassing not making the team,” Jordan later said. He went home, locked himself in his room and cried. Then he picked himself up and turned the cut into motivation. “Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop, I’d close my eyes and see that list in the locker room without my name on it,” Jordan would explain. “That usually got me going again.”


Michael played that year on the Junior Varsity. He perfected his skills. So he was ready when a growth spurt grew him to his final 6’6”.  After that, he went to his beloved University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he led them to the National College Championships… with a final second jumper over fellow Future Hall of Famer,  Patrick Ewing and his Georgetown team! ​

But let that be a lesson to all of us who think of quitting. From adversity we can find greatness. ​

For Michael Jordan, the Hall of Fame Career  would never have happened if he was not cut from Varsity at high school in Wilmington North Carolina.

And for you...you will never get another chance to buy a pair of Air Jordans with the autograph of Michael Jordan himself -- unless you tap the phone and say, "Deal Radar get me a pair of Air Jordans !"


#KobeBryant #GianaBryant #MichaelJordan #EmsleyALaneyHighSchool #Newsweek #HallofFame #NBA #WilmingtonNC ​

​In the age of post COVID, how are travel-hungry Americans hoping to travel?   If you get the answer right, you can make a few judicious decisions like, buy a stock in that particular travel vertical. That’s right. Buy Thor Industries stock which is a conglomerate that owns Jayco, and Airstream Campers among others.

Or better yet, you can buy a COVID camper itself and just profit by the ride.  That’s because demand for RV’s is skyrocketing as road trips will be the preferred form of travel in the foreseeable future. ​

Don’t take our word for it. Listen to pros like no less than Mad Money stock picker, Jim Cramer. Booyeah!

According to an article in Benzinga’s website written by Jayson Derrick, the Recreational vehicle maker Thor Industries, Inc. is taking advantage of the "no more planes, no more hotels" trend playing out among those who would have otherwise never considered RV ownership. In a Jim Cramer interview with Thor Industries CEO Robert Martin, the Recreational Vehicle is quickly earning a reputation of being the safest way to get from point A to point B. ​

That’s because Recreational Vehicles contain their own beds, bathrooms, and kitchen. In fact, if you had the RoadSpoke spoken road app for touring,  the only real reason to stop is to get gas.
​
Thor Industries has been marketing this sort of lifestyle for some time and is now gaining traction from people who don't want to go on a cruise or fly.
Says CEO Bob Martin:  ”It's a way for us to really just enjoy the United States and in Europe, it's the same thing. They are enjoying more of their homeland and we seem to fit the need right now."
​
The number of folks planning Road Trips is reflected in the number of folks making purchases. ​

​The customers rushing into RV dealerships fall into three groups, Regan said: Those who wanted to come during the shutdown and couldn't; the annual spring customer enticed by the promise of summer; and finally, a new group: people considering an RV for the first time because of the pandemic.
​
Those customers are probably most responsible for the jump in business, he said.
Mike Rhoades is one of them. The 73-year-old resident of Kyle, Texas, said he and his wife Carol cancelled scheduled trips to Germany, South America, New Zealand and Australia. Instead, the former transportation industry executive bought a 30-foot travel trailer-and a used Toyota pickup to pull it.

Now, with a gleaming new camper, they're staying on the ground.  This past weekend, they took off on a two week trip along the Texas Gulf coast. Rhoades said it's the first of many trips this summer.
​
The U.S. has about 13,000 private RV parks and an estimated 1.23 million individual trailer campsites, according to estimates from the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (and that doesn't even count campsites in state and national parks). ​

​Hear this right…. HERE! 
​On the 122nd anniversary of the first Speed Limit in the USA - May 1901! 


EXIT 12 I-95n, In Darien, CT to Rowayton, CT Tokeneke Road and Service Station, McDonalds


"Ok Road Crew. Settle down and listen because it is now time for a Road Test. So get ready for the Fast Facts. I know what you are wondering… Will there be a reward for the winner who answers this Road Test first? Well yes indeed.

The winner gets to have the person in the driver’s seat buy everyone a round of Large Cokes at the next fill up of fuel.  But don’t worry. If the driver slowly gets right to exit he can get 2 large Cokes or Coca Cola soda fountain products for free at the upcoming Exxon Mobil Service Station on I-95. 

​Fast Fact Two: Connecticut was the first state to impose a speed limit. That limit was imposed in 1901 and it was for twelve miles per hour.  Interesting aside: in 1901 there were more bicycles than auto cars.

Fast Fact Three: Devon, Connecticut city officials found it necessary to ban walking backwards on city sidewalks after sunset. But Only after sunset. Also, in certain towns it is also illegal to cross the street while walking on your hands. So just forget about it.

Fast Fact Four: here in Darien Connecticut, you cannot wear pink jackets, bright yellow pants, madras suits,  nor sear sucker after Labor Day or before Memorial Day. Such preppy clothes can only be worn during proper Summer months on pain of banishment.


Just kidding.  But you get the point. Darien is very preppy.  Think Ralph Lauren commercials.  That is because Darien Connecticut is a number one consumer of brands such as Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, and Vineyard Vines whose headquarters is in nearby Stamford.

Now, for the Road Test. How much fuel do you need to buy to get the 2 large Cokes?   You have two seconds. Two and one.  If you said  “Just $20,”  you win  2 free cokes at the Upcoming McDonalds.


But don’t forget to bring in the receipt after you fill up. And tell em RoadSpoke sent you.  Exit now.”


#SpokenRoad #McDonalds #Cocacola #Firstspeedlimit #Darien #DarienConnecticut #Preppy #VineyardVines #RalphLauren #BrookBrothers #Rowayton

Hear this … HERE!
EXIT of the DAY:
Clara Barton Service Plaza, EXT 6: I-276 to PA Turnpike, N Stumpy Rd, Pedricktown, NJ 08067 County, NJ


Upcoming is an on-highway service station that like many in New Jersey is dedicated to a famous New Jersey citizen.  This service station offers a new interpretation for the word "service" station.  It is dedicated to Clara Barton. 

​The ultimate frontline worker, Clara Barton was one of the first women to serve on the frontlines in a war.  Without regard to personal injury she gave aid to the wounded and dying. So why not stop by and check out the Clara Barton Service Plaza?  You can grab a snack, fill up on fuel, and learn more about this remarkable woman.   

You see, until recently American Women were prohibited from serving on the front lines in many battles: in war, in medicine and even in education.  ​

After a year, Clara hired another woman.  Apparently she needed just two women to teach over 600 pupils. Both women took home a whopping $250 a year.


This accomplishment compelled the town to raise nearly $4,000 for a new school building. Once completed, Clara was abruptly replaced as Principal by a man elected by the school-board. They saw the position as head of a school to be unfitting for a lady. She was demoted to "female assistant".


Clara Barton quit. And like many of us, her bad stretch affected her mental health. She suffered a nervous breakdown and was chronically depressed. Then summoning hope from darkness, just before her father died, in 1861, Clara Barton was able to talk to him about the Civil War. Her father convinced her that it was her duty as a Christian to help the soldiers.​

In the spring of 1862, following his death, Clara went to Washington to gather medical supplies. Ladies' Aid Societies helped in gathering bandages, food, and clothing that would later be distributed during the Civil War. ​

​Finally recognized at the time by the Union Army for her smarts and bravery, in 1864 Clara Barton was officially appointed by Union General Benjamin Butler as the "lady in charge" of all hospitals at the front.   For time evermore, for her selfless dedication and nerve, she became known as the "Angel of the Battlefield.”

Ironically, Clay endorsed Trump on a personal level describing him as "that uncle, who embarrasses the hell out of you sometimes and you still love them, but damn, you wish they'd shut up." He also famously described Hilary as stiff and predicted Trump would win the presidency because he unlike Hilary, was authentic.  Clay himself is proud of his high profile gay relationships and he is now a proud father — a fact he promoted during his run for election in a largely conservative state. ​

But…Let’s rewind.


Clay Aiken was born and raised in Raleigh. As a young boy, Clay sang in the Raleigh Boy's choir; and, as a teenager, he sang in school choirs, church choirs, musicals and even local theatre productions. Clay attended Raleigh's Leesville Road High School and UNC Durham.


A multi talent threat Clay has written best sellers and become one of the top ten earners of all Idol Alumni several times  making about $1,500,000 a year since 2003. 

The one thing he has not achieved is the seat in Congress. In 2014, Clay Aiken lost to Republican incumbent Renee Ellmers in the general election.


But there's is always a second season. And although Clay did not run for office in 2020,  he is never content to be runner up for long. ​

Fort Lauderdale is now a major hive of many things with most having to do with water. Yachts, marinas, waterfront development, financial companies and flamingos. Flamingos you ask?  Upcoming off Exit 26 is the neighborhood of Flamingo Gardens. Flamingos are not likely to live there.  In fact it was until recently believed that flamingos were non-native species. They were categorized as "Invasive Species" by the Fish and Wildlife Department. ​The Caribbean Flamingos' native range was thought to be further south. 

As NPR reports: "A few years ago, three flamingos showed up at the Navy airfield on Boca Chica Key, about 5 miles from Key West. Big birds sometime show up on the airfield, and the Navy scares them away with fireworks or shotgun blasts. Otherwise, the bird could get sucked into the engine and crash a $70 million jet. (That would be bad news for the bird, too.) ​

Two of the visiting flamingos took the hint. But the third — the bird that eventually acquired the name Conchy — was stubborn. "Conchy would not leave," says Steven Whitfield, a conservation biologist with Zoo Miami. "They couldn't harass him away." That's when Whitfield's team stepped in. They had been looking for a flamingo to release with a satellite tracker. A flock of 147 flamingos had appeared in Palm Beach County in 2014 and raised questions: Where were these birds coming from? The researchers thought if they captured Conchy, he would lead them back to a flamingo population in Cuba, or somewhere else. Says Whitfield, " What we expected was that Conchy was going to fly to the Bahamas, fly to Cuba, fly to Mexico."

Conchy was going to tell us, finally, where the flamingos in Florida come from. In that, he was a failure." Conchy, it turned out, was already home. The satellite tracker showed that he stayed in Florida Bay. He was occasionally spotted with other flamingos. ​

Hear this here…. Driving Southbound  on I-95 at:


EXIT 70 I-95s: To  SR 704 and Okeechobee Boulevard, in West Palm Beach, Florida


Do you know what is unique about swanky Palm Beach?  Forget the Winter White House or the billionaire's Mansions or even that fabled shopping street, Worth Avenue. These are a dime a dozen in places like Newport, Rhode Island or Beverly Hills, California.

What is unique about Palm Beach is it boasts the most significant amateur paleontologist in the world. That's right. A rookie bone collector lives here.  Amazing, right?  I’m talking about a young man who personally dug up the best evidence of the day the world ended.


Robert DePalma holds the unpaid position of curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Palm Beach Museum of Natural History.

In a very rich community, The Palm Beach Museum of Natural History is a struggling museum with little exhibition space.  But that should change right?


That’s because in 2012 up in Bowman, North Dakota, DePalma heard that a private collector had stumbled upon an unusual site on a remote cattle ranch.  DePalma went out into the prairie and dug around.  

​It is widely believed that the fish and reptiles expired en masse in a massive asteroid strike.  But even more remarkable, the strike was about 3000 miles away.  That’s roughly the same distance as New York to San Francisco. Or twice the drive from here to New York.  Scary, huh?

66 Million years ago, an asteroid blasted into the sea near Mexico and obliterated all life within 1000 miles.  Fires as hot as the sun incinerated forests. Tsunamis of molten  water scoured distant shores. In the sky, clouds of poison gas asphyxiated life all around the globe. The dust created a nuclear winter so severe that 99 percent of life went extinct.


Ironically,  the sequence of events provided an opportunity for insignificant burrowing animals to supplant the dinosaurs as  the dominant species. These rat-like animals were our ancestors and they were primitive mammals.

Robert DePalma's discovery catalogues hundreds of creatures in a river mouth in Montana.  It became a veritable slurry of dead. Here perished ancient river fish, dinosaurs and even a small mammal hiding from the onslaught in its burrow.   It is a snapshot frozen in millennia. It records the moment a forced flood reached its zenith and left the detritus of the apocalypse — an apocalypse which had occurred moments earlier and thousands of miles away.

But does this affect us today?  Indeed it does. Paleontologists are so frightened by what they learned of the impact’s destructive nature that many have become leading voices in calling for a system to neutralize threatening asteroids.  “There’s no uncertainty to this statement: the Earth will be hit by an asteroid again, unless we deflect it,” one claims. “Even a three hundred meter rock would end world agriculture.”

Wow!  Maybe you should EXIT right and drop by the museum to help support its budget and mission?  Given this staggering discovery, would not an entire museum be worthy much less a large exhibit in a struggling  municipal museum?

What with its great wealth, one would assume that Palm Beach County could create a world class exhibit around Robert DePalma’s world threatening discovery.

​On the other hand, perhaps it is actually that the threat to their lifestyle scares the Super Rich; despite their great wealth, this too will pass.  After all, Florida is best pitching Disney World than doom and destruction.


Okay, maybe that is too much to ask of the millionaires and billionaires. But perhaps by now, the rich folks shopping at Gucci and Louis Vuitton along Worth Avenue can at least offer Robert DePalma a paying job. Right?


#PalmBeach #RobertDePalma #AsteroidExtinction #WestPalmBeach

​Hear this... HERE! 
AT: Exit 14 northbound To Norland, FL, Miami Gardens,FL and Aventura, FL


"Hey! Driver! Want to buy some waterfront property? Don’t be deceived into thinking it’s all on some palm lined beach.  It can be lake land Or even swampland. In a state where Disney World meets the Everglades waterfront does not mean oceanfront.  Florida, it turns out, is a lot about augmented reality.


"You will have passed a lot of lakes and rivers. Surprisingly, most are man-made.  So in Florida, humans create waterfront property.


Humans have been re-engineering much of South Florida for the last two hundred years.  In fact, water was perceived as a problem. People first proposed draining the Everglades in 1848, but no work  was attempted until 1882.

Drainage Canals were constructed throughout the first half of the 20th century prompting land development. In 1947, Congress formed the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project. It built one thousand four hundred  miles  of canals, levees, and water control devices. Enough to run to Colorado from here.  Even the beaches below Fort Lauderdale in South Florida and the islands upon which many reside are mostly artificial or are reliant on human efforts of dredging to maintain their existence.   ​

​So what happens in between, from northern Palm Beach down to Miami? This stretch of coast is not insignificant when one considers that about five million people live on this man-modified shore.  After all, the Everglades is the world’s widest River. That's right.  It's a 150 mile wide seep that flows ever south into the Florida Keys... Which means this area has been artificially accrued  inch by inch above sea-level into being habitable for millions of people.

​Hear this…right…HERE!


EXIT 27: To Millville & Route 55 in south New Jersey, near Haddon, New Jersey


If you love sports, you will love this upcoming Exit 27.  No doubt the greatest baseball player that a lot of people have never heard of takes this exit to get home.  

That’s because in an era of boastful arrogance, he is not loud. He is not controversial. He is not even super famous. But Mike Trout is possibly the best baseball player in the game — today or yesteryear.  In fact, in  2019, Mike Trout from South Jersey, won the biggest payday of any professional American Athlete. Ever!


A lifelong Phillies fan, Mike Trout grew up in nearby Millville, New Jersey and began playing baseball in Cal Ripken Baseball. 

His position was shortstop and he even wore #2 in honor of his childhood hero, the equally soft spoken class act, New York Yankees shortstop, Derek Jeter.   After high school, Mike later attended the nearby University of Delaware. Little did the little leaguer realize he would one day share the diamond with his idol, Derek Jeter, both in regular games and even better, as members of the All Star Team. 

Fast forward to today. The so-called Millville Meteor has led the American League in runs and times on base four times. As of 2018, he led all active major league ballplayers in career slugging percentage (.573), and stolen base percentage (84.75%).

In a game where you win with singles and doubles, Mike Trout is worth his weight in gold — or maybe more.  The total contract from 2019 is worth  just under $427 million, the largest deal in North American sports history.


So why would Mike Trout still be driving down upcoming Exit 27?  A big shot like him likely has a home in Beverly Hills or on Fifth Avenue, right? Well yes. He probably does.  But it is not just Mike’s family who hails from Millville.

Seems Mike’s wife happens to be his high school sweetheart. According to local Millville Mythology, young Mike Trout sat in his Millville Senior High School Spanish class when he noticed Jessica Cox for the first time. Seeing an empty desk next to her, Trout started acting out so the teacher would “punish” him and move his seat to the front of the class.  That was where Jessica was.  It worked.  

One thing is for sure: High-school sweethearts Mike and Jessica Trout will be bringing their small fry back to their home town to meet the families.  No doubt they may very well be taking the upcoming Exit to get there.  So think about yourself being on the path of greatness. And also something to think about… with their income, the Trout family can drive any car they want!


#MikeTrout #MVP #CorvetteStingray #MVPStingray #JessicaTrout #BeckhamTrout #LosAngelesAngels

​We are fixin to speak about one talented pretty lady known as Trisha Yearwood. Since she also acts, Trisha Yearwood is actually a triple threat having acted both on TV and in Major Motion Pictures. 

And of course everyone knows that Trisha Yearwood is a country singer extraordinaire. In fact, Trisha believes to sing well she needs to become a character in a play; the love sick lady, daddy’s little girl, or even our favorite, the open road traveler. Trisha uses method acting to get into her songs and that makes her audience believe her musical stories.


She must sell her characters well. In her day job as country and western musician, Yearwood has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide.  She has won three Grammy Awards, three Country Music Association Awards, and two Academy of Country Music Awards. ​

Yearwood rose to fame in 1991 with her debut single "She's in Love with the Boy”, followed by hits, "How Do I Live”,  "Walkaway Joe",  and "I Would've Loved You Anyway”. But do they know the triple threat is that this real farmer’s daughter is also a diva in the kitchen?


Trisha, and I call her Trisha because we are friends, loves to cook up classic southern dishes. She whips up candied lemon slices and of course, Georgia Peach Cobbler. Yearwood has so much fun with cooking she has ventured into the culinary arts writing and releasing three successful cookbooks. Since she does everything good these books earned her the status of two-time New York Times best-selling author. ​

She does love to bake cakes though and to many of her cooking fans, cakes and Peach Pies are this diva’s forte.  But what about this person Garth? Does he love her home cookin'? ​

Garth Brooks must have loved it plenty.  They started dating and became the biggest couple in country music and then some!  Today he is her biggest fan on stage and in the kitchen.  According to Yahoo news, "Ask Garth and her three stepdaughters what her signature dish is though, and they'll reply with something totally ordinary: mashed potatoes. "That was the thing I think that really won them over when I first moved to Oklahoma," Trisha shared. “The kids were like, 'Okay, this girl can marry our dad because she makes really good mashed potatoes!’" ​

But what about Garth?  Can he cook? Mostly sandwiches it turns out. And that ain't cookin'!  But that’s just fine cause sometimes it's ok for us to skip a meal.   Especially when the meal is made by a man in a black hat.   Ain’t that right, my fellow Georgia Peaches?  

#TrishaYearwood #Farmersdaughter #GarthBrooks #Countrywesternmusic #CountryMusic #Grammy #Diva #KitchenDiva ​

EXIT 70 I-95s: To Palm Beach
 
Do you know what is unique about swanky Palm Beach?  Forget the Winter White House or the billionaire's Mansions or even that fabled shopping street, known as Worth Avenue.  These are a dime a dozen in places like Newport, Rhode Island or Beverly Hills, California. ​

What is unique about Palm Beach is it boasts the most significant amateur paleontologist in the world. That's right. A rookie bone collector lives here.  Amazing, right?  I’m talking about a young man who personally dug up the best evidence of the day the world ended.


Robert DePalma holds the unpaid position of curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Palm Beach Museum of Natural History. ​

​In a very rich community, The Palm Beach Museum of Natural History is a struggling museum with little exhibition space.  But that should change right?

66 Million years ago, an asteroid blasted into the sea near Mexico and obliterated all life within 1000 miles.  Fires as hot as the sun incinerated forests. Tsunamis of molten  water scoured distant shores. In the sky, clouds of poison gas asphyxiated life all around the globe. The dust created a nuclear winter so severe that 99 percent of life went extinct. ​

But does this affect us today?  Indeed it does. Paleontologists are so frightened by what they learned of the impact’s destructive nature that many have become leading voices in calling for a system to neutralize threatening asteroids.  “There’s no uncertainty to this statement: the Earth will be hit by an asteroid again, unless we deflect it,” one claims. “Even a three hundred meter rock would end world agriculture.” ​

Maybe you should EXIT right and drop by the museum to help support its struggling budget?  Given this staggering discovery, would not an entire museum be worthy much less a large exhibit in a municipal museum?


What with its great wealth, one would assume that Palm Beach County could create a world class exhibit around Robert DePalma’s world threatening discovery.


On the other hand, perhaps it is actually that the threat to their lifestyle scares the super rich;  despite their great wealth, this too will pass.  After all, Florida is best pitching Disney World than doom and destruction.


Okay, maybe that is too much to ask of the millionaires and billionaires. But perhaps by now, the rich folks can at least offer Robert DePalma a paying job. Right?


#PalmBeach #RobertDePalma #AsteroidExtinction # ​

Many immigrant doctors in the US, despite having years of experience, are left on the sidelines of the COVID-19 fight. 



FAST FACT: ​Muslims in Healthcare is hardly unusual. According to the American Medical Association (AMA),  more than 10% of American physicians are Muslim, while Muslims make up less than 3% of the total U.S. population. “Thus, its safe to say there is number of Muslim physicians is above average,” says Dr. Salim Aziz, a prominent heart surgeon with offices in Maryland and Washington DC.
​

Khalif was born in Somalia.  His family came to the US as a child. Growing up, he travelled the world with his father and learned the languages of the places he lived - ranging from Somali to Hindi and Mandarin. After graduating from a medical college in China, he worked as a primary care doctor in Somalia. He returned to the US five years ago in hopes of doing the same here. 


Despite passing his board exams and having broad experience, he did not land a residency this year, the final and highly competitive step before becoming accredited to practise medicine in the US.


Khalif hopes states will allow foreign medical graduates to work, even if in rudimentary roles. This could range from working as a scribe in emergency rooms to conducting nasal swab tests for COVID-19 to simply cleaning contaminated areas.. ​

​As the death toll rises across the USA, Khalif said the most frustrating part is not being able to practice, even after having passed all the necessary exams. He described it as watching his house being attacked while being tied up and left defenseless.


"All of us are just itching to get out there and help our fellow colleagues," he said.

EXIT of the DAY: Exit 58 in GA I-95s To: Townsend Rd, Eulonia near Townsend, Georgia​.
If you drove by this EXIT and had RoadSpoke, you would hear this:


"Up the next Exit many music superstars have driven. This unassuming EXIT was an onramp for success for rock stars like Little Richard, The Allman Brothers, Bill Berry of R.E.M, Otis Redding, and Country Star Jason Aldean.  No surprise the Macon sound is a mix of influences and the musicians have no problem mixing with others in the broader industry.


In July 2018, like many  Country Stars, Jason Aldean drove up this Exit to his home town,  Macon. He had just played a benefit concert to a sold out Atlanta crowd.  But Jason is a new breed of country star. ​

Jason’s songs liberally include rocker licks. On top of that,  he rubs shoulders with hip hop stars. In fact, his pal Georgia born rapper Ludacris​ joined him on stage for a set. ​

So while Jason sells out stadiums with country and western audiences, he is not afraid  to think different. And he draws in a more mixed bag of fans.  It’s a mix that allows for diversity and inclusion.    


Jason loves to use his celebrity to do performances that are about something bigger than himself.  For the man whose hits “Any Old Barstool”, “Tonight Looks Good on You,” and “Fly Over States”, this was the third year he has done a concert benefiting sick kids cared for at the @Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital.





​



​​Says Jason: “There are a lot of reasons I love doing what I do, but being able to give back to these kids and their families is definitely really important to me.”   Obviously he is moved by having a large raucous family. Even on the road he tries to get home as often as he can to his 4 kids and wife, Britney. ​

Jason’s roots run deep in Macon. He was raised by his Mom in Macon. He first performed on stage at the Macon VFW Hall when he was 15.  But before that,  during summer break, he would spend time with his Dad in @Homestead,Florida. Before his father went to work he would instruct Jason where to place his fingers to play chords. Then while his dad was at work, young Jason  practiced all day. When his dad got home, they got out their guitars and played together.


Moving home to Mom was no bad thing for Jason though.  Jason loves Georgia deeply. In fact except for watching @Bulldogs Football every Saturday you could find Jason in the Georgia woods since he is an avid outdoorsman. He even owns a Hunting Company called Buck Commander. ​

Until recently, Jason stayed out of the debate that's going on over gun control. Then in a new interview, he reveals there should at least be a more thorough vetting process. After the shooting Jason visited survivors in the hospital. He admits to serious guilt over the fans who got shot. They were present to see him.


He also feels a connection to the survivors from  the high school mass murder in @Parkland,Florida.  Many of those students have become gun control activists. Says Jason,”Unless anybody has witnessed anything like that, it’s really hard for people to really understand where you’re coming from on that stuff," he reflects. "It’s like the kids from the school in Florida, that shooting. I get it, man. I understand how they are feeling.” ​

EXIT OF THE DAY: Exit 26  I-95n  to Spiney Bluff, GA.
Hear this here:

On your right, you're passing the Sanctuary Golf Club.  What with the all year climate, the varied terrain and the presence of The Master’s Tournament up at Augusta, it’s no surprise that Golf is huge all over Georgia.  Locally several Pro golfers have hung up their woods and called the region home. 

The Golf Icon had reason to fear the less famous Zach Johnson.  An Iowa native, Zach maybe naturally gravitated to Georgia since he won his first Pro Championship here. Zach won his first Tour event at the 2004 BellSouth Classic outside of Atlanta.  He followed that up with another major win on Georgia greens. On Easter Sunday April eight, 2008, Johnson won his first major title. He put on the green blazer at the Masters Tournament in Augusta. He won the tournament by a margin of two strokes over the runner up. That contender was Tiger Woods.  


After winning, Zach thanked God, saying: "This being Easter, I cannot help but believe my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was walking with me. I owe this to Him.”   


Zach must feel closer to God in Georgia; he, his wife, their daughter and their two boys now live on the coastal island of Saint Simon’s. ​

​But Zach is not the only pro golfer in the neighborhood. Therefore he does not lack for competition in his daily rounds. Other notable professional golfers owning Saint Simons  real estate include Davis Love III, Matt Kuchar, and Jonathan Byrd.


With practice rounds with players like that, much less Phil Michelson and Tiger Woods --  plus a little boost from the Man upstairs, Zach Johnson is sure to win again -- Tiger Woods notwithstanding.


#TigerWoods #ZachJohnson #Bellclassic #TheMasters #PGATour
#Augusta #DesMoinesRegister

​In the 1800’s, society women bound themselves into rib cracking corsets to look beautiful.  By the turn of the 20th century, women longed to abandon the “it hurts to be beautiful” mentality. ​

They dreamed of  comfort.


According to Women's Wear Daily magazine, by 1910 New Rochelle's own 19 year old socialite Mary Phelps Jacob had had enough. The prick of inspiration occurred from exactly that -  a painful prick.


One evening, as she was dressing for yet another debutante party, she noticed that whale bone and metal were sticking out of her corset and showing through the sheer fabric of her gown. It cramped her waist and pricked her body. She asked her maid for silk handkerchiefs and some ribbon and crafted an undergarment that was not only comfortable, it also separated her big breasts and gave her the silhouette of a woman instead of the body of a cello.


Mary's new undergarment complemented the new fashions of the time. ​

She was mobbed after the debutante dance by other girls who wanted to know how she moved so freely. When she showed her new garment to friends the next day, they all wanted one. ​

Always precocious, Mary filed for a patent for her invention in February 1914 and in November the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted her a patent for the 'Backless Brassiere'. ​

Later Caresse and her husband Harry Crosby moved to Paris and would become leading evangelicals of  the 1920’s Lost Generation and were pals with F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway with whom, in Pamplona, they would run with the bulls… ​

… but that story awaits another EXIT.
  
Unlike the usual stiff armor, the modern bra was  lightweight, soft, and feminine. It was the first  bra to gain widespread acceptance, though it didn’t become really popular until the United States entered World War One in 1917. That was when American Women were asked to stop buying corsets in order to help conserve metal.


So thanks to rationing and World War 1, women never went back to corsets. Who would think the success of the bra was linked to the country's world war? ​

#NewRochelle #Covid19 #Rationing #BlackSun #CarresseCrosby #Bras

This week in Seattle, Kaiser Permanente was first to develop and test-vaccinate  44 volunteers to immunize against the Coronavirus. The first human guinea pig to be vaccinated was Jennifer Haller, a tech worker and mother of two.    Americans owe all involved a debt of gratitude. 


Since World War 2, companies created by the late Henry Kaiser have been in the forefront of many industries. So today we explore a prominent landmark which drivers can see from Interstate 95 and which — like the COVID-19 Vaccine — is the legacy of an American Immigrant…


EXIT OF THE DAY: EXIT 67A I-95s to: Bellwood, Virginia


Off to the left you can see a factory. It is a Kaiser Aluminum Plant. The founder of Kaiser Aluminum was an immigrant who rose from very humble beginnings. Born in 1882 to German immigrants, Henry’s mom was a homemaker and his father was a shoemaker.  Although in time he would become one of America’s wealthiest citizens, he did not forget his impoverished origins.


From the high seas to Healthcare, Henry Kaiser pioneered many firsts. An inveterate tinkerer and a stickler for efficiencies, Kaiser became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. On the west coast, he established the Kaiser Shipyards, which during World War Two built Liberty Ships launching almost one freighter a day. ​

Liberty Ships were essential as merchant ships to supply the far flung war efforts and which kept beleaguered allies like Britain and Russia supplied with weapons and food.


After getting a contract to provide ships to the US military during World War two, he began to worry about his workers lack of health care.  To provide affordable care and economies of scale for his thousands of ship-builders Kaiser took over the local Permanente Hospital in Oakland, California. ​

Therefore, Kaiser Permanente (now Kaiser Permanente Thrive) became the first voluntary group plan in the country to feature group medical practice, prepayment, and comprehensive medical facilities on a large scale. Kaiser's Healthcare became a forerunner to company health plans and pioneered today's HMO's. ​

​After the war, Kaiser founded Kaiser Aluminum by leasing and later purchasing surplus aluminum facilities in Washington state from the United States government.  Buying huge factories cheap and running them lean made him a wealthy man.  With his wealth, he established the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit, non-partisan, charitable organization which focused on health care issues.


While the man, Henry Kaiser, died in 1967, his intrepid legacy lives on in this trail blazing Foundation which is not associated with Kaiser Permanente nor Kaiser Industries.


In fact, the Kaiser Family Foundation operates independently as a think tank; it makes facts and analysis available to policymakers, health care groups, and the media.  A leading authority on many issues, The Foundation echoes its founder’s nature. Both valued independent thinking and innovation. So apart from hulking factories, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Kaiser’s various medical companies continue to be the best legacy in Henry Kaiser's life.


#HenryKaiser #KaiserHealthCare #KaiserShipBuilding #KaiserAluminum #KaiserFamilyFoundation #LibertyShips #WWII #Industrialist #Philanthropist #COVID19VACCINE #FirstCOVID19Vaccines #Coronavirus

EXIT of the Day: Hear this here…
I-4, EXIT 108s onramp I-4S: To Valdez, Deltona FL




“Ok Road Trippers, as we approach Deltona, it is time for a Road Test. This Road Test is brought to you by Joe’s Gas and Convenience Store 1 minute off upcoming Exit 108.  If you get the answer correct, you can get a "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" deal of any Pepsi or Dorito Product with a fill up of fuel above $15. So get right to exit. Now listen to the Fast Facts! ​

It's illegal there.  Not sure about the rest of the state, but they have a problem with torpedoes in Destin. Must be a lot of large alligators or something. 


Also Good to know: in all of Florida, men are not allowed in public wearing a strapless dress. As long as you've got straps of some sort, you're cool.  ​

Also, in Destin, it is illegal for an ice-cream man to sell ice cream in a cemetery.  But what’s really weird, in Hialeah, strolling or ambling is a misdemeanor.


Still all that’s nothing compared to selling certain fruits in Miami.  In Miami, you could face up to 30 days in jail for selling oranges on the sidewalk.  And don't even think about showering naked!  It's an actionable offense. ​

Maybe the cops perp walk you with your handcuffs in front.... Raincoats must be popular round here.  And as if people do not have enough outdoor activities to entertain them, in Daytona Beach, you're banned from molesting trash cans.  In Key West, don't molest the chickens. They're a protected species. But they need to hear that in Key West… 


Finally, here is one that does make sense.    In the state of Florida, it's illegal to have physical relations with a porcupine. Ouch! ​

But maybe you can have relations with a chicken outside of Key West. The State Law is not clear on that issue. And finally, in case you are riding down the interstate on Jumbo, know this: When you tie it to a parking meter, your elephant gets charged just the same as your car would. ​

Oh and go get your "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" Deal of Pepsi or Doritos at Joe’s. Just tell em RoadSpoke’s Silly Laws sent you!”


#sillyFloridalaws #Roadtrippers #FastFacts #Jumbo #ParkingElephants #Florida #Snowbirds ​

This is the story of a girl of sixteen who rode 40 miles to New York warning towns and minute men all along the way. But who beyond local school kids have heard of her? Typical right? The man gets all the press. Anyways, on a dark and rainy night in April 1777, the British invaded Fairfield County landing on beaches from ships off Westport. ​

Sybil Ludington mounted her horse, Star, and galloped into sorta history.


During the Revolutionary War, Connecticut's agricultural output led to it being known as "the Provisions State”.  In 1777, the British Commander-in-Chief, General William Howe in New York City ordered  an officer, William Tryon to interrupt the flow of supplies from Connecticut that were reaching the Continental Army around British New York City. Tryon led a fleet of 26 ships carrying 2,000 men to Westport's Compo Beach to raid Continental Army supply depots 20 miles north up in Danbury. That’s when Sybil galloped to New York to alert the militia. ​

Though they arrived too late to save Danbury from burning,  the New York militia later dislodged the British at the Battle of Ridgefield. ​

Most importantly, Sybil’s ride and the British incursion galvanized neutral citizens to join the American cause.  In the days after Tryon sailed away from Compo Beach, approximately 3,000 Connecticut Citizens joined Washington’s Continental Army. ​

Now for the Road Test: how many miles did Sybil gallop?  And how many did Paul Revere gallop? If you said 40 and 16 — congrats. You would be correct! And Sybill deserves more credit!


#SybilLudington #PaulRevere #WestPort #CampoBeach #RevolutionaryWar #WilliamHowe ​

If you had the RoadSpoke app… you would hear this> Here!
 
EXIT 15E I-95n in Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal to Holland Tunnel to NYC


OK Road Crew, you are about to pass under a lot of EXIT signs with Presidents' names on them.  The Exits up ahead offer you the options of getting into the City of New York via either the Lincoln Tunnel named for Honest Abe Lincoln, or taking the George Washington Bridge named -- obviously -- for the first President of well, any nation on earth.  In fact the concept of democracy was so novel back in 1789 that President Washington actually went to his grave 10 years later believing this government, as Lincoln wrote, “For the People, by the people” would not in fact succeed. ​

Good thing Washington was wrong. It has lasted for over 225 years. But even before he took the first oath of office, George Washington was aware he was setting a precedent for all other Presidents to follow.


Of his presidency, Washington himself said, “I walk on untrodden ground. There is scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn in precedent.”   


First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, if you take the Lincoln Tunnel and drive south to Wall Street, there on the steps of the Federal Hall in Manhattan, America's First President was inaugurated as the first nationally elected President of the United States. ​ Today a large statue marks the spot.

It also marks the beginnings of the first modern democracy in the world.


In an era of absolute rulers, the concept of democracy was utterly unique. It required wholly new and invented protocols and beliefs.  Washington was a man of great civility. He was an adherent of liberal enlightenment, dignity, and admiration of the truth.  Despite his sorry hypocritical  record as a Slave Owner, in white society, these attributes were tantamount in Washington's character.


After taking a vow to uphold the Constitution on the Federal Hall steps, the first President then retired indoors to read Congress his inaugural address in which he spoke of “the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”  Being a politician, Washington was not ignorant of the art of self promotion.  But he was not boastful either.


No one in the room was certain democracy would work. Many even hoped that Washington would take over as King.


But Washington did not seek to be a tyrant.  Years earlier in the throes of the American Revolution, on a sub-zero day  in icebound Newburgh, New York, a coterie of his officers had even proposed that he seize power from Congress. ​

​Their pay was late. Their rations thin. They had no winter uniforms. Some had no shoes. Even Washington had to sleep in the frozen elements.


But Washington was aghast. He angrily disavowed any desire to create another tyranny. That was precisely the purpose of the American Revolution -- to throw off the yoke of monarchy and give power to the people!


General Washington threatened to arrest any who spoke further of such treason.  The incident went down in history as the Newburgh Conspiracy.  Yet no officers were arrested and General Washington held sway.

Still, at Federal Hall in nearby Manhattan, Congress was certainly aware that Washington was ideal as the first president. Not only was he a lover of democracy but he had no biological children which meant no dynastic aspirations. ​ His kids were those of his wife Martha from a previous marriage.