This is what we where afraid of, Tampa hosting the Super Bowl in this recession.
We have very few fans in from Arizona or Pittsburgh as yet and there is less press coverage and fewer corporate party's in the planing, see story form Yahoo Sports.
TAMPA, Fla. – A year ago in Arizona, top Super Bowl tickets went for $10,000 a seat on the secondary market. Two years ago at the booming South Beach clubs, it could cost you $500 for the cover charge alone.
In Jacksonville a few years back, cab drivers stopped charging by the distance and went flat fee – $100 a ride within city limits.
There are few events in America that bring out overindulgence, over-the-top commercialism and obscene wealth like a Super Bowl weekend. Over-hyped fans collide with corporate money to create a party that for some can overshadow the actual game.
It’s why cities beg the NFL for the right to host one.
Tampa was one of those cities, and it will host the big game again Sunday, between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals.
Only this is no ordinary Super Bowl. This is the first Recession Bowl; the first Corporate Responsibility Bowl; the first Mortgage Meltdown Bowl.
It may have only been Monday of game week, but the mood and expectations for this Super Bowl are different than any in recent memory.
Even the cold-weather game three years ago in Detroit saw the city flooded with Steelers fans who made the four-hour drive, whether they had tickets or not.
Tampa has no such luck – including the presence of the once-lowly Cardinals, meaning there is no matchup between two big-market, big fan base franchises.
All of which explains why fans could get midfield, lower-level tickets on StubHub Monday for as little as $3,300. Upper-deck seats with $800 face value were going for $1,300 – a year ago they were fetching around $3,000.
By game time, prices might drop even further.
Bar and club owners, while bracing for what still will be an onslaught of drinkers, won’t come close to the three-digit cover charges of Miami. They also are dealing with a softened market for parties that rent out the entire place for often splashy, opulent and expensive affairs.
Many of those events have been downsized if not cut altogether.
Regular party throwers such as Playboy and Sports Illustrated are sitting this one out. Major talent agencies say they’ve cut back. And while there are no official stats, the belief is there will also be fewer private bashes hosted by NFL players and smaller companies.
The Florida Aquarium hosted four parties in 2001, the last time the Super Bowl was in Tampa. It has none scheduled this year, according to Sports Business Journal.
And the cabbies?
“A hundred for even a short drive? Noooo,” driver Absa Paracha said wistfully of the Jacksonville profits as he waited for business at a downtown taxi stand. “We have no customers right now.”
There rarely is much business on a Monday of Super Bowl, when even the teams are just arriving. Usually it’s just NFL workers and media, but even the media turnout is down this year due to struggles in the newspaper and radio industries.
The question on everyone’s mind here is whether the big business will arrive by the weekend, or if too many people will be frugal and stay home.
Judging by availability on hotels.com, fears may be realized. There were over a dozen name-brand hotels (Holiday Inn Express, Day’s Inn) with occupancy this weekend for under $200 a night. By comparison, similar hotels were going for $400 to $600 a night last year in Phoenix.
None of which is to say this is going to be a bad thing.
Barring some kind of disaster – natural or otherwise – the Super Bowl always is a good time. The weather is great. No one is going to suffer from unwilling sobriety. An economic boost will still occur.
And the game – remember that? – should be good.
The fact things are more “reasonably” priced actually opens up the event to a larger potential audience. The Super Bowl isn’t cheap, but it’s cheaper than normal.
If that means some regular fans get a chance to see the game rather than a Wall Street brokerage firm paying five figures for their executives – only to need a bailout a few months later – then perhaps this is a positive trend.
Then again, that assumes regular fans have any money right now.
Compounding the tourist problem is the local economy. Tampa specifically and the state of Florida in general are some of the nation’s hardest hit from the mortgage crisis.
About the only people unconcerned about revenue are the “entertainers” of Tampa’s famed 43 strip clubs that have earned the city the title “The Lap Dance Capital of America.”
“The numbers will quadruple during [the] weekend,” Nick Polefrone, general manager of 2001 Odyssey, told the Associated Press.
So at least Tampa has that going for it.
But for Tampa, nothing was going to compare to last year’s tilt. Having the 18-0 New England Patriots, a nationally popular, big-market, wealthy-area team, seeking history against the New York Giants and its incomparable old, Manhattan money, was a ticket-broker’s dream come true.
Add in the location out West, not far from Hollywood and with plenty of Scottsdale cash of its own, and prices for everything were off the hook. The year before featured the glamour and money of South Beach leading into a game between the popular Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears.
The Cardinals, who struggled to sell out their first-round playoff game this year, don’t have the fan base or cache. The Steelers do, but they were in the Super Bowl just three years ago, taking the “once-in-a-lifetime” motivation out of it.
So as the Super Bowl banners flap in the sun and the city does its final sprucing up, business people of all kinds are cursing the timing of the city’s big weekend.
Why did they have to get stuck with the Recession Bowl?
“I’ll take you wherever you want, only 75 dollars,” Paracha laughed.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
More crap done to cab drivers
While trolling through the results from a Google News search for "cab drivers" 3 story's jumped out at me, 2 from the Bay area and a 3ed from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Ill start by saying I know nothing about Saskatoon, Saskatchewan except it has to be a small town and I now know they have a problem with at least 1 person who likes to beat up on cab drivers, below is from CKOM a local radio station
Driving a taxi in Saskatoon is becoming a dangerous job, there have been 2 separate attacks in the last week alone, the most recent involved the driver being severely beaten robbed of his car Saturday afternoon.
The manager of one Saskatoon Taxi company says thwarting much attacks is easier said than done. Ken Yuzik, manager of Saskatoon Radio Cabs says prevention is difficult.
"Shy of completely enclosing the driver or locking the passenger in a cage, there's really nothing that can be done," Yuzik says.
Yuzik tells his drivers to trust their instincts."Follow your gut. If it doesn't look right, just drive away."
Yuzik adds incidents like this happen every year.
Mark, a Saskatoon cab driver says, he's constantly gauging passengers to assess if they are a threat.
Saskatoon cab driver Azhar Ahmad is recovering at home after being attacked on Saturday.
The other incident involved a taxi driver being stabbed in the early hours of January 22nd.
If you have never done a search described above and drive a cab or know someone who does I would its an eye opener.
If its not safe to drive a cab in places like Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, then where is it safe, its safe to say nowhere is safe, and all I can say is watch your back out there.
The next story is from Springhill, Hernando County, thanks to Hernando Today page of TBO.com, just another drunk using a cab driver as a punching bag.
SPRING HILL - A taxi driver was beaten early Saturday morning by the intoxicated man who had called for a ride home from a bar.
The cab driver went to the Mermaid Lounge on Commercial Way around 2 a.m. to pick up his fare. After collecting his rider, Kevin Benstead, the two walked outside and the driver asked Benstead where he was headed, according to a sheriff's report.
Benstead responded with a profanity, then began to slide off the bench where he was sitting.
When the cab driver moved in to keep the suspect from falling to the ground, Benstead became "extremely violent" and began pummeling the cab driver with his fists, according to a report.
The bartender stepped outside to break it up and Benstead, 49, was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge.
The last one happened in Tampa and its more funny then sad but then I have a twisted mind, and is also from TBO.com.
TAMPA - A scientist from the federal Environmental Protection Agency working here for the Super Bowl was arrested this morning, accused of stealing a taxicab, police said.
Louis Andrew Mattioli, 30, of Sayreville, N.J., is charged with felony grand theft auto and misdemeanor petit theft, jail records show. He was held on $2,500 bail at the Orient Road Jail today.
According to an affidavit, Mattioli was intoxicated when he took about $140 out of a cab driver's hands and stole the taxi about 3:20 a.m. in the 1900 block of North Dale Mabry Highway.
Police arrested Mattioli about 20 minutes later at Rent-A-Wheel, 2301 N. Dale Mabry Highway, the affidavit states.
In the affidavit, Mattioli told police he took the car "because he was scared."
Jail records say Mattioli is an EPA scientist at a facility in Edison, N.J.
Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said that Mattioli was working for the Super Bowl. She did not know what his duties were.
An EPA spokeswoman in Washington, D.C., referred questions to Mattioli's regional office. An official there could not be immediately reached.
This story is so good I am including some reader comments, enjoy.
1900 block of Dale Mabry? Sounds like he gave all his money to an "entertainer" and didn't have any cash left to pay for the cab ride back to his hotel. He should have just stayed at his hotel, bought a bottle of jergens and rented a movie. It is quite a bit cheaper.
Posted by ( 2bizzy ) on 01/28/2009 at 01:50 pm.
Just one of the first drunk idiots, in town for the Super Bowl, doing dumb crap. Get ready I am sure there will more to come.
The best by far and I could not say it any better myself.
Posted by ( MAILHILL ) on 01/28/2009 at 03:23 pm.
YOUR GOVERNMENT DOLLARS AT WORK SENDING AN EPA GUY TO THE SUPER BOWL.
Ill start by saying I know nothing about Saskatoon, Saskatchewan except it has to be a small town and I now know they have a problem with at least 1 person who likes to beat up on cab drivers, below is from CKOM a local radio station
Driving a taxi in Saskatoon is becoming a dangerous job, there have been 2 separate attacks in the last week alone, the most recent involved the driver being severely beaten robbed of his car Saturday afternoon.
The manager of one Saskatoon Taxi company says thwarting much attacks is easier said than done. Ken Yuzik, manager of Saskatoon Radio Cabs says prevention is difficult.
"Shy of completely enclosing the driver or locking the passenger in a cage, there's really nothing that can be done," Yuzik says.
Yuzik tells his drivers to trust their instincts."Follow your gut. If it doesn't look right, just drive away."
Yuzik adds incidents like this happen every year.
Mark, a Saskatoon cab driver says, he's constantly gauging passengers to assess if they are a threat.
Saskatoon cab driver Azhar Ahmad is recovering at home after being attacked on Saturday.
The other incident involved a taxi driver being stabbed in the early hours of January 22nd.
If you have never done a search described above and drive a cab or know someone who does I would its an eye opener.
If its not safe to drive a cab in places like Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, then where is it safe, its safe to say nowhere is safe, and all I can say is watch your back out there.
The next story is from Springhill, Hernando County, thanks to Hernando Today page of TBO.com, just another drunk using a cab driver as a punching bag.
SPRING HILL - A taxi driver was beaten early Saturday morning by the intoxicated man who had called for a ride home from a bar.
The cab driver went to the Mermaid Lounge on Commercial Way around 2 a.m. to pick up his fare. After collecting his rider, Kevin Benstead, the two walked outside and the driver asked Benstead where he was headed, according to a sheriff's report.
Benstead responded with a profanity, then began to slide off the bench where he was sitting.
When the cab driver moved in to keep the suspect from falling to the ground, Benstead became "extremely violent" and began pummeling the cab driver with his fists, according to a report.
The bartender stepped outside to break it up and Benstead, 49, was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge.
The last one happened in Tampa and its more funny then sad but then I have a twisted mind, and is also from TBO.com.
TAMPA - A scientist from the federal Environmental Protection Agency working here for the Super Bowl was arrested this morning, accused of stealing a taxicab, police said.
Louis Andrew Mattioli, 30, of Sayreville, N.J., is charged with felony grand theft auto and misdemeanor petit theft, jail records show. He was held on $2,500 bail at the Orient Road Jail today.
According to an affidavit, Mattioli was intoxicated when he took about $140 out of a cab driver's hands and stole the taxi about 3:20 a.m. in the 1900 block of North Dale Mabry Highway.
Police arrested Mattioli about 20 minutes later at Rent-A-Wheel, 2301 N. Dale Mabry Highway, the affidavit states.
In the affidavit, Mattioli told police he took the car "because he was scared."
Jail records say Mattioli is an EPA scientist at a facility in Edison, N.J.
Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said that Mattioli was working for the Super Bowl. She did not know what his duties were.
An EPA spokeswoman in Washington, D.C., referred questions to Mattioli's regional office. An official there could not be immediately reached.
This story is so good I am including some reader comments, enjoy.
1900 block of Dale Mabry? Sounds like he gave all his money to an "entertainer" and didn't have any cash left to pay for the cab ride back to his hotel. He should have just stayed at his hotel, bought a bottle of jergens and rented a movie. It is quite a bit cheaper.
Posted by ( 2bizzy ) on 01/28/2009 at 01:50 pm.
Just one of the first drunk idiots, in town for the Super Bowl, doing dumb crap. Get ready I am sure there will more to come.
The best by far and I could not say it any better myself.
Posted by ( MAILHILL ) on 01/28/2009 at 03:23 pm.
YOUR GOVERNMENT DOLLARS AT WORK SENDING AN EPA GUY TO THE SUPER BOWL.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Welfare Poem
I cross ocean, poor and broke, Take bus, see employment folk.
Nice man treat me good in there, Say I need to see welfare.
Welfare say, 'You come no more, We send cash right to your door.
'
Welfare checks, they make you wealthy, Medicaid it keep you healthy!
By and by, I get plenty money, Thanks to you, American dummy.
Write to friends in motherland, Tell them 'come fast as you can.
'
They come in turbans and Ford trucks, I buy big house with welfare bucks
They come here, we live together, More welfare checks, it gets better!
Fourteen families, they moving in, But neighbor's patience wearing thin.
Finally, white guy moves away, Now I buy his house, and then I say, 'Find more aliens for house to rent.' And in the yard I put a tent.
Send for family they just trash, But they, too, draw the welfare cash! Everything is very good, And soon we own the neighborhood.
We have hobby it's called breeding, Welfare pay for baby feeding.
Kid's need dentist? Wife's need pills? We get free! We got no bills!
American's crazy! He pay all year, To keep welfare running here.
We think America darn good place! Too darn good fo or the white man race. If they no like us, they can scram, Got lots of room in Pakistan ..
It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890.00 and each can also get an additional $580.00 in social assistance for a total of $2,470.00 .
This compares very well to a single pensioner who after contributing to the growth and development of America for 40 to 50 years can only receive a monthly maximum of $1,012.00 in old age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement.
Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees!
Lets send this to all Americans
Nice man treat me good in there, Say I need to see welfare.
Welfare say, 'You come no more, We send cash right to your door.
'
Welfare checks, they make you wealthy, Medicaid it keep you healthy!
By and by, I get plenty money, Thanks to you, American dummy.
Write to friends in motherland, Tell them 'come fast as you can.
'
They come in turbans and Ford trucks, I buy big house with welfare bucks
They come here, we live together, More welfare checks, it gets better!
Fourteen families, they moving in, But neighbor's patience wearing thin.
Finally, white guy moves away, Now I buy his house, and then I say, 'Find more aliens for house to rent.' And in the yard I put a tent.
Send for family they just trash, But they, too, draw the welfare cash! Everything is very good, And soon we own the neighborhood.
We have hobby it's called breeding, Welfare pay for baby feeding.
Kid's need dentist? Wife's need pills? We get free! We got no bills!
American's crazy! He pay all year, To keep welfare running here.
We think America darn good place! Too darn good fo or the white man race. If they no like us, they can scram, Got lots of room in Pakistan ..
It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890.00 and each can also get an additional $580.00 in social assistance for a total of $2,470.00 .
This compares very well to a single pensioner who after contributing to the growth and development of America for 40 to 50 years can only receive a monthly maximum of $1,012.00 in old age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement.
Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees!
Lets send this to all Americans
Monday, January 26, 2009
So you think things are tough with Tampa's Taxi Cops?
I have read in Tim's "Tampa Taxi Shots" an article and comments from other drivers about Tampa's Taxi Cops, but that have nothing on some of Miami Beach's Finest.
Georgina Lee has been driving a cab for 32 years. Times have never been tougher for a Beach cabbie, the 55-year-old Cuban American attests. So please excuse her if she's a bit bent out of shape with the rough treatment she's been getting from Miami Beach's finest.
"We're not making any money," Lee gripes. "And on top of that we are being harassed and abused by the cops."
In the past month, Miami Beach police officers have tagged Lee with six traffic citations. Last week, she got a ticket for running a stop sign. "The cop told me I had to count to sixty after stopping," Lee says. Her most recent run-in with the po-po this past January 16 earned her two tickets.
Lee, who drives for Super Yellow Cab, says she showed up at the cab stand at Lincoln Road and Washington Avenue to pick up her assigned cab at around 9 am. Across the street, a stocky black officer was giving a ticket to another cab driver when he noticed Lee looking at him, she claims. "He asked me why I was looking at him wrong," Lee says. "Then he said that I needed a couple of tickets and that he was tired of all us cabbies."
He gave her a second ticket for not having on her seat belt. "I hadn't even gotten in the car when he came up to me," she says. "I opened the door to sit down while he wrote me the ticket." When she lit a cigarette, the surly cop threatened to take her to jail if she didn't put out her square. "This guy was very aggressive," Lee alleged.
The cabbie was only able to get the officer's last name, Campbell. She drove to the police station on Eleventh Street and Washington Avenue where she complained to Campbell's superior Sgt. Jerome Berrian. "But he said it was my word against the cop," Lee grouses. "It's not fair."
Georgina Lee has been driving a cab for 32 years. Times have never been tougher for a Beach cabbie, the 55-year-old Cuban American attests. So please excuse her if she's a bit bent out of shape with the rough treatment she's been getting from Miami Beach's finest.
"We're not making any money," Lee gripes. "And on top of that we are being harassed and abused by the cops."
In the past month, Miami Beach police officers have tagged Lee with six traffic citations. Last week, she got a ticket for running a stop sign. "The cop told me I had to count to sixty after stopping," Lee says. Her most recent run-in with the po-po this past January 16 earned her two tickets.
Lee, who drives for Super Yellow Cab, says she showed up at the cab stand at Lincoln Road and Washington Avenue to pick up her assigned cab at around 9 am. Across the street, a stocky black officer was giving a ticket to another cab driver when he noticed Lee looking at him, she claims. "He asked me why I was looking at him wrong," Lee says. "Then he said that I needed a couple of tickets and that he was tired of all us cabbies."
He gave her a second ticket for not having on her seat belt. "I hadn't even gotten in the car when he came up to me," she says. "I opened the door to sit down while he wrote me the ticket." When she lit a cigarette, the surly cop threatened to take her to jail if she didn't put out her square. "This guy was very aggressive," Lee alleged.
The cabbie was only able to get the officer's last name, Campbell. She drove to the police station on Eleventh Street and Washington Avenue where she complained to Campbell's superior Sgt. Jerome Berrian. "But he said it was my word against the cop," Lee grouses. "It's not fair."
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Maybe its the water in Detroit
Maybe its me, or maybe it is the water in Detroit, how crazy is this, a group of 3 cab drivers take a fare to Washington, DC with no cash up front.
We all have been beat on some rides including some that where not around the corner or across the street, but for 3 people to take someone over 500 miles with no cash up front is well past where I want to go, here are 2 different story's on this fateful trip, sounds like a 3 hour trip a group took a few years ago, something about a professor a movie star, etc.
The first story is from the Detroit Free Press and the second is from MSNBC.
Three Detroit cabbies agreed to drive Anthony Nguyen about 525 miles from Detroit to Washington on Christmas Eve.
Though Nguyen didn't have the $1,600 he said he would pay for the trip up front, he promised to pay the drivers, one of whom agreed to the ride because he'd never been to the nation's capital.
But Nguyen, wanted in Pennsylvania for theft, fraud and forgery, ran off on the trio during a stop early Christmas morning in Maryland and left them without money to get back to the Motor City, they said.
Enter one of Santa's helpers: Officer Mark Gribble. The Montgomery County police veteran who responded to the cabbies' 911 call gave them about $60 from his own pocket to help pay their way back home.
"We take the chance. We got played," said one of the cabbies, a 53-year-old Detroit man who asked not to be identified because he was embarrassed by the misadventure.
The cab driver said he picked up Nguyen at the train station in Detroit. Nguyen said he wanted to go to Washington, where he said he owned a restaurant, and put his luggage in the cab. The driver said Nguyen, whom he suspected had a gambling problem, planned to come back to Detroit and was willing to pay another $300 for the return ride.
The cabbie didn't want to go alone so he called his friend, another cab driver, and asked if he wanted to share the driving duties and split the money. The other driver agreed and his wife, also a cabbie, came along.
When the foursome got to Maryland, they missed their exit and took another one to get straightened around. While one driver used a restroom, another got out to check the tires. That's when Nguyen ran off.
He was later captured and police learned he was wanted in Pennsylvania. The cabbies waited for Nguyen's wife in Kentucky to wire them the money, but it never came, one of the drivers said.
But Gribble helped the group, providing them about $20 from his pocket and another $40 he withdrew from an ATM for their ride home.
Nguyen was charged with being a fugitive from justice by Montgomery County police, spokeswoman Lucille Baur said. He was later picked up by authorities in Pennsylvania on the warrants. Baur said her agency hasn't charged Nguyen with failure to pay the cabbies because it hasn't determined if the theft occurred in Maryland or Detroit.
The one driver said he and his friends should be paid and he acknowledged they should have asked for the money up front. He said it's the first time he hasn't received a fare and he's shuttled riders as far as Minneapolis and Chicago.
Though they didn't get paid and they didn't see Washington, there was a highlight to the trip, the driver said.
"I enjoyed driving up through Pennsylvania, the mountains," he said.
DETROIT - Three Detroit-area cab drivers took a chance on big money, a big trip and a big gambler on Christmas Eve and as fate would have it, they lost.
It was Christmas Eve and a gambler's luck had run out after playing at MGM Grand in Detroit.
The man was going to take the Amtrak Train from Detroit to Washington, but the rails were icy and the trains were canceled.
Meanwhile, cabdriver James Mathenia got a call from his Jamaican cabbie friend, Erroll Paisley, with a proposition. Paisley said a man needed a ride from Detroit to Washington to go see his family and he was willing to pay $1,600 for the trip, and half of that money would be Mathenia's, if he split the driving.
Mathenia told Washington Post writer John Kelly that he gladly agreed to do it. Most cabbies wait for big fares because driving to and from a Laundromat four times a day, at $4 a trip, doesn't add up to much.
Mathenia told the paper that most of the days, he is just happy to make a profit. After leasing the ca b for $75 a day, and putting gas in it, whatever is left at the end of the day is his.
A golden rule exists among the cab community: Make sure you get paid up front for big fares. However, when Mathenia, his wife Sylvia, also a cabdriver, and Paisley piled in a Crown Victoria and went to pick up the gambler, he said he didn't have the money on him.
The gambler assured the drivers he was good for the $1,600 and he owned a restaurant in Washington, and that when they arrived, he would make them a big Christmas meal.
Mathenia decided to take a gamble and give the man a lift anyway. Besides, he figured he had the man's luggage in the trunk for collateral.
So the trio of Detroit cabdrivers and the gambler left Detroit at 6 p.m. They reached the Beltway around 2:30 a.m. Suddenly the gambler started shouting that Mathenia had missed his exit, but Mathenia told the paper he was more worried about his bladder, which was about to burst.
He pulled off on 495 and pulled into a gas station to use the restroom. He said the next thing he knew, he heard his wife and friend yelling20that he had gotten out of the car.
Mathenia chased the gambler, but had to stop and call 911 because he didn't feel well.
The police were there in five minutes. "You don't get that kind of response in Detroit," Mathenia told the Washington Post.
Police were able to catch the gambler, but they are not sure of his real name because he had one ID under the name Anthony T. Nguyen, which matched a 36-year-old man wanted for theft charges in two states.
The man was arrested and faces theft, forgery and fraud charges.
The trio turned the car around. Erroll, worrying that they would be the laughing stock of the cab community, sat quietly until they got home at about 1 a.m. Friday.
Mathenia realized the shortness of breath he experienced while chasing after the gambler was a sign of a heart attack. Mathenia is in the acute wing of the Botsford Hospital awaiting a triple bypass surgery.
The lesson learned: Get your money upfront, Mathenia told the Washington Post. But he added that if he hadn't chased after the gambler, he wouldn't have noticed the symptoms.
Mathenia also said that despite the bout of bad luck, he did learn that there are some Good Samaritans in the world. The Pennsylvania officer who responded to the cab drivers's call realized they were broke, and gave them $22 from his wallet and rallied a few other local cab drivers to give them money to make up for their run-in with an angry Lady Luck on Christmas Eve.
We all have been beat on some rides including some that where not around the corner or across the street, but for 3 people to take someone over 500 miles with no cash up front is well past where I want to go, here are 2 different story's on this fateful trip, sounds like a 3 hour trip a group took a few years ago, something about a professor a movie star, etc.
The first story is from the Detroit Free Press and the second is from MSNBC.
Three Detroit cabbies agreed to drive Anthony Nguyen about 525 miles from Detroit to Washington on Christmas Eve.
Though Nguyen didn't have the $1,600 he said he would pay for the trip up front, he promised to pay the drivers, one of whom agreed to the ride because he'd never been to the nation's capital.
But Nguyen, wanted in Pennsylvania for theft, fraud and forgery, ran off on the trio during a stop early Christmas morning in Maryland and left them without money to get back to the Motor City, they said.
Enter one of Santa's helpers: Officer Mark Gribble. The Montgomery County police veteran who responded to the cabbies' 911 call gave them about $60 from his own pocket to help pay their way back home.
"We take the chance. We got played," said one of the cabbies, a 53-year-old Detroit man who asked not to be identified because he was embarrassed by the misadventure.
The cab driver said he picked up Nguyen at the train station in Detroit. Nguyen said he wanted to go to Washington, where he said he owned a restaurant, and put his luggage in the cab. The driver said Nguyen, whom he suspected had a gambling problem, planned to come back to Detroit and was willing to pay another $300 for the return ride.
The cabbie didn't want to go alone so he called his friend, another cab driver, and asked if he wanted to share the driving duties and split the money. The other driver agreed and his wife, also a cabbie, came along.
When the foursome got to Maryland, they missed their exit and took another one to get straightened around. While one driver used a restroom, another got out to check the tires. That's when Nguyen ran off.
He was later captured and police learned he was wanted in Pennsylvania. The cabbies waited for Nguyen's wife in Kentucky to wire them the money, but it never came, one of the drivers said.
But Gribble helped the group, providing them about $20 from his pocket and another $40 he withdrew from an ATM for their ride home.
Nguyen was charged with being a fugitive from justice by Montgomery County police, spokeswoman Lucille Baur said. He was later picked up by authorities in Pennsylvania on the warrants. Baur said her agency hasn't charged Nguyen with failure to pay the cabbies because it hasn't determined if the theft occurred in Maryland or Detroit.
The one driver said he and his friends should be paid and he acknowledged they should have asked for the money up front. He said it's the first time he hasn't received a fare and he's shuttled riders as far as Minneapolis and Chicago.
Though they didn't get paid and they didn't see Washington, there was a highlight to the trip, the driver said.
"I enjoyed driving up through Pennsylvania, the mountains," he said.
DETROIT - Three Detroit-area cab drivers took a chance on big money, a big trip and a big gambler on Christmas Eve and as fate would have it, they lost.
It was Christmas Eve and a gambler's luck had run out after playing at MGM Grand in Detroit.
The man was going to take the Amtrak Train from Detroit to Washington, but the rails were icy and the trains were canceled.
Meanwhile, cabdriver James Mathenia got a call from his Jamaican cabbie friend, Erroll Paisley, with a proposition. Paisley said a man needed a ride from Detroit to Washington to go see his family and he was willing to pay $1,600 for the trip, and half of that money would be Mathenia's, if he split the driving.
Mathenia told Washington Post writer John Kelly that he gladly agreed to do it. Most cabbies wait for big fares because driving to and from a Laundromat four times a day, at $4 a trip, doesn't add up to much.
Mathenia told the paper that most of the days, he is just happy to make a profit. After leasing the ca b for $75 a day, and putting gas in it, whatever is left at the end of the day is his.
A golden rule exists among the cab community: Make sure you get paid up front for big fares. However, when Mathenia, his wife Sylvia, also a cabdriver, and Paisley piled in a Crown Victoria and went to pick up the gambler, he said he didn't have the money on him.
The gambler assured the drivers he was good for the $1,600 and he owned a restaurant in Washington, and that when they arrived, he would make them a big Christmas meal.
Mathenia decided to take a gamble and give the man a lift anyway. Besides, he figured he had the man's luggage in the trunk for collateral.
So the trio of Detroit cabdrivers and the gambler left Detroit at 6 p.m. They reached the Beltway around 2:30 a.m. Suddenly the gambler started shouting that Mathenia had missed his exit, but Mathenia told the paper he was more worried about his bladder, which was about to burst.
He pulled off on 495 and pulled into a gas station to use the restroom. He said the next thing he knew, he heard his wife and friend yelling20that he had gotten out of the car.
Mathenia chased the gambler, but had to stop and call 911 because he didn't feel well.
The police were there in five minutes. "You don't get that kind of response in Detroit," Mathenia told the Washington Post.
Police were able to catch the gambler, but they are not sure of his real name because he had one ID under the name Anthony T. Nguyen, which matched a 36-year-old man wanted for theft charges in two states.
The man was arrested and faces theft, forgery and fraud charges.
The trio turned the car around. Erroll, worrying that they would be the laughing stock of the cab community, sat quietly until they got home at about 1 a.m. Friday.
Mathenia realized the shortness of breath he experienced while chasing after the gambler was a sign of a heart attack. Mathenia is in the acute wing of the Botsford Hospital awaiting a triple bypass surgery.
The lesson learned: Get your money upfront, Mathenia told the Washington Post. But he added that if he hadn't chased after the gambler, he wouldn't have noticed the symptoms.
Mathenia also said that despite the bout of bad luck, he did learn that there are some Good Samaritans in the world. The Pennsylvania officer who responded to the cab drivers's call realized they were broke, and gave them $22 from his wallet and rallied a few other local cab drivers to give them money to make up for their run-in with an angry Lady Luck on Christmas Eve.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Taking pot shots at cab drivers
Hi everyone its me again (yeah I pop up everyonce in a while to see if my name is still on the blog)
Every few days or so I do a Google News search for Taxi Drivers looking for something interesting to write here, I am trying to get back into posting a bit more often.
Today among the many stories about driver's getting shot I found one that hit a nerve.
It takes place in ANDERSON, SC, it seems a driver who was off duty had some kind of procedure on his knee and then did something stupid he had a drink.
There must have been an interaction between whatever he got at the DR's office and the drink and the guy had, but decided at 12 in the afternoon to go walking and yelling at cars in traffic.
Yes it was not the smartest thing to do and yes he was arrested, but why come out in the paper and say he was an off duty cab driver, with the name of the company he worked for and the street he lived on. Anyone want to take bets as to weather he still has a job there or not.
You know what would be the chance of this happening to a cop or lawyer how about slim to none but a cab driver, yeah why not take pot shots at cab drivers its ok,I guess.
Every few days or so I do a Google News search for Taxi Drivers looking for something interesting to write here, I am trying to get back into posting a bit more often.
Today among the many stories about driver's getting shot I found one that hit a nerve.
It takes place in ANDERSON, SC, it seems a driver who was off duty had some kind of procedure on his knee and then did something stupid he had a drink.
There must have been an interaction between whatever he got at the DR's office and the drink and the guy had, but decided at 12 in the afternoon to go walking and yelling at cars in traffic.
Yes it was not the smartest thing to do and yes he was arrested, but why come out in the paper and say he was an off duty cab driver, with the name of the company he worked for and the street he lived on. Anyone want to take bets as to weather he still has a job there or not.
You know what would be the chance of this happening to a cop or lawyer how about slim to none but a cab driver, yeah why not take pot shots at cab drivers its ok,I guess.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A inspiring story
This is a great story, sort of like "and now the rest of the story"
thought you might need an inspiring story. Read the
true story below about Kurtis and Brenda the Checkout Girl.
KURTIS THE STOCK BOY AND BRENDA THE CHECKOUT GIRL
In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy, was busily working
when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a
carry out at register 4.
Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh
air, and decided to answer the call. As he approached the
check-out stand a distant
smile caught his eye, the new check-out girl was
beautiful. She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was
only 22) and he fell in love.
Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the
punch clock to find out her name. She came into the break
room, smiled softly at him,
took her card and punched out, then left. He looked at
her card, BRENDA.
He walked out only to see her start walking up the road.
Next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and
offered her a ride home.
He looked harmless enough, and she accepted. When he
dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again,
outside of work. She simply
said it wasn't possible.
He pressed and she explained she had two children and she
couldn't afford a baby-sitter, so he offered to pay for
the baby-sitter.
Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the
following Saturday. That Saturday night he arrived at her
door only to have her tell him that
she was unable to go with him.
The baby-sitter had called and canceled. To which Kurtis
simply said, "Well, let's take the kids with
us."
She tried to explain that taking the children was not an
option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed.
Finally Brenda, brought him inside
to meet her children. She had an older daughter who was
just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, then Brenda brought
out her son, in a wheelchair.
He was born a paraplegic with Down Syndrome.
Kurtis asked Brenda, "I still don't understand why
the kids can't come with us?" Brenda was amazed.
Most men would run away from a woman with two kids,
especially if one had disabilities - just like her first
husband and father of her children had done.
Kurtis was not ordinary - - - he had a different mindset.
That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to
dinner and the movies. When her son needed anything Kurtis
would take care of him.
When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of
his wheelchair, took him and brought him back. The kids
loved Kurtis.
At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to
marry and spend the rest of her life with.
A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of
her children.
Since then they have added two more kids.
So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the
check-out girl?
Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona, where he is currently employed as the quarterback of the National Football League Arizona Cardinals and has his
Cardinals in the hunt for a possible appearance in the Super
Bowl.
Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person.
thought you might need an inspiring story. Read the
true story below about Kurtis and Brenda the Checkout Girl.
KURTIS THE STOCK BOY AND BRENDA THE CHECKOUT GIRL
In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy, was busily working
when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a
carry out at register 4.
Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh
air, and decided to answer the call. As he approached the
check-out stand a distant
smile caught his eye, the new check-out girl was
beautiful. She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was
only 22) and he fell in love.
Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the
punch clock to find out her name. She came into the break
room, smiled softly at him,
took her card and punched out, then left. He looked at
her card, BRENDA.
He walked out only to see her start walking up the road.
Next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and
offered her a ride home.
He looked harmless enough, and she accepted. When he
dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again,
outside of work. She simply
said it wasn't possible.
He pressed and she explained she had two children and she
couldn't afford a baby-sitter, so he offered to pay for
the baby-sitter.
Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the
following Saturday. That Saturday night he arrived at her
door only to have her tell him that
she was unable to go with him.
The baby-sitter had called and canceled. To which Kurtis
simply said, "Well, let's take the kids with
us."
She tried to explain that taking the children was not an
option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed.
Finally Brenda, brought him inside
to meet her children. She had an older daughter who was
just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, then Brenda brought
out her son, in a wheelchair.
He was born a paraplegic with Down Syndrome.
Kurtis asked Brenda, "I still don't understand why
the kids can't come with us?" Brenda was amazed.
Most men would run away from a woman with two kids,
especially if one had disabilities - just like her first
husband and father of her children had done.
Kurtis was not ordinary - - - he had a different mindset.
That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to
dinner and the movies. When her son needed anything Kurtis
would take care of him.
When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of
his wheelchair, took him and brought him back. The kids
loved Kurtis.
At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to
marry and spend the rest of her life with.
A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of
her children.
Since then they have added two more kids.
So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the
check-out girl?
Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona, where he is currently employed as the quarterback of the National Football League Arizona Cardinals and has his
Cardinals in the hunt for a possible appearance in the Super
Bowl.
Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person.
Monday, January 19, 2009
And you thought you have had some long and strange rides
Cabby's £2,000 fare from UK to Germany
Sunday, October 5, 2008
A cab driver did a double-take when a customer asked to be driven 1,200km (740 miles) from Portsmouth to Munich.
Though at first he thought it must be a joke, Mick Hogan agreed to take the passenger in his 30s on the 17-hour trip – at a cost of £1,950.
Mr Hogan, 54, was sitting at a rank when the customer called Dave ran up and jumped in the back of his cab.
He explained he had to get to the Munich beer fest as soon as possible as he had missed a flight for his friend's stag night.
Mr Hogan said: 'I thought he was having a laugh to start off with or it was one of my cabbie mates doing a wind-up on me but he was deadly serious.' The cabbie warned Dave it would cost £1,700 for the trip plus £250 for the Channel tunnel and a hotel for the night.
Mr Hogan admitted it 'felt surreal and a bit weird'.
'I assume he found his pals because he was on the phone to them trying to find out what bar they were in,' he said.
'I didn't need to give him a lift back because he said he still had the ticket for the return flight. It's not something I'd want to do every day but it beats taking a few pensioners out to the shops.
N.Y. couple completes 2,500-mile cab ride
Pair moving to Arizona takes taxi to better accommodate their cats
New York City cab driver Douglas Guldeniz, left, stands with Bob and Betty Matas by Guldeniz's SUV taxi after arriving at the Junipine Resort in Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, Ariz., on Monday..
Jake Bacon / AP
updated 9:52 p.m. ET, Mon., April. 16, 2007
PHOENIX - A New York couple who wanted to spare their cats a trip in an airliner cargo hold during a cross-country move completed a 2,500-mile cab ride to northern Arizona on Monday.
Neither Bob nor Betty Matas had any regrets about making the move to the region known for its beautiful red rock landscapes in such an unconventional fashion. But Bob Matas said he has no desire to take another road trip any time soon.
"It was pretty tiring, for my wife especially. ... We're happy where we are. We're happy and that's it," Bob Matas told The Associated Press.
The Matases, who are retiring in Arizona, met cab driver Douglas Guldeniz when they hailed his taxi in Manhattan after a shopping trip three months ago and jokingly invited him to come along on their upcoming move.
As the three talked over the ensuing weeks, the gag became reality. The Matas, their two cats — Pretty Face and Cleopatra — and Guldeniz left the couple's Queens neighborhood April 10. They arrived Monday in Sedona, about 90 miles north of Phoenix.
"It's quite thrilling to be in the place we want to live and retire, said Bob Matas, 72, a former audio and video engineer for advertising agencies. "There's beautiful red mountains and weather and friendly people."
$3,000 flat rate
Guldeniz drove his canary-colored Ford SUV cab about 10 hours a day for a $3,000 flat rate plus gas, meals and lodging. The SUV is a hybrid-electric vehicle, which helped lessen the cost of fuel.
Matas said he was "flabbergasted" by the attention surrounding the couple's trip. Passers-by recognized them when they saw the New York cab, he said.
"Every state that we hit, people would say 'Are you the ones?' and we would say 'Yes, we are the ones,' " Matas said.
The Sedona mayor welcomed the couple at a noontime ceremony Monday, presenting them with a bag of Sedona souvenirs. Their real estate agent presented them with the keys to their new home.
Jake Bacon / AP
Cleo the cat gets up close with a TV camera as she sits in her owner Bob Matas' arms at the end of a 2,500-mile taxi ride from New York to Sedona, Ariz., on Monday.
The Matases will stay at a hotel for a few days until all their belongings can be moved into their house. A friend followed the cab in a rental truck carrying the couple's possessions.
Since neither Bob nor Betty Matas, 71, a retired executive administrative assistant, know how to drive, this won't be their last taxi ride.
"There are taxi services to take us around. We're only a couple blocks from the Hilton Hotel," Matas said. "I'm sure we'll manage. There shouldn't be any problem. We can always get a golf cart."
Sunday, October 5, 2008
A cab driver did a double-take when a customer asked to be driven 1,200km (740 miles) from Portsmouth to Munich.
Though at first he thought it must be a joke, Mick Hogan agreed to take the passenger in his 30s on the 17-hour trip – at a cost of £1,950.
Mr Hogan, 54, was sitting at a rank when the customer called Dave ran up and jumped in the back of his cab.
He explained he had to get to the Munich beer fest as soon as possible as he had missed a flight for his friend's stag night.
Mr Hogan said: 'I thought he was having a laugh to start off with or it was one of my cabbie mates doing a wind-up on me but he was deadly serious.' The cabbie warned Dave it would cost £1,700 for the trip plus £250 for the Channel tunnel and a hotel for the night.
Mr Hogan admitted it 'felt surreal and a bit weird'.
'I assume he found his pals because he was on the phone to them trying to find out what bar they were in,' he said.
'I didn't need to give him a lift back because he said he still had the ticket for the return flight. It's not something I'd want to do every day but it beats taking a few pensioners out to the shops.
N.Y. couple completes 2,500-mile cab ride
Pair moving to Arizona takes taxi to better accommodate their cats
New York City cab driver Douglas Guldeniz, left, stands with Bob and Betty Matas by Guldeniz's SUV taxi after arriving at the Junipine Resort in Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, Ariz., on Monday..
Jake Bacon / AP
updated 9:52 p.m. ET, Mon., April. 16, 2007
PHOENIX - A New York couple who wanted to spare their cats a trip in an airliner cargo hold during a cross-country move completed a 2,500-mile cab ride to northern Arizona on Monday.
Neither Bob nor Betty Matas had any regrets about making the move to the region known for its beautiful red rock landscapes in such an unconventional fashion. But Bob Matas said he has no desire to take another road trip any time soon.
"It was pretty tiring, for my wife especially. ... We're happy where we are. We're happy and that's it," Bob Matas told The Associated Press.
The Matases, who are retiring in Arizona, met cab driver Douglas Guldeniz when they hailed his taxi in Manhattan after a shopping trip three months ago and jokingly invited him to come along on their upcoming move.
As the three talked over the ensuing weeks, the gag became reality. The Matas, their two cats — Pretty Face and Cleopatra — and Guldeniz left the couple's Queens neighborhood April 10. They arrived Monday in Sedona, about 90 miles north of Phoenix.
"It's quite thrilling to be in the place we want to live and retire, said Bob Matas, 72, a former audio and video engineer for advertising agencies. "There's beautiful red mountains and weather and friendly people."
$3,000 flat rate
Guldeniz drove his canary-colored Ford SUV cab about 10 hours a day for a $3,000 flat rate plus gas, meals and lodging. The SUV is a hybrid-electric vehicle, which helped lessen the cost of fuel.
Matas said he was "flabbergasted" by the attention surrounding the couple's trip. Passers-by recognized them when they saw the New York cab, he said.
"Every state that we hit, people would say 'Are you the ones?' and we would say 'Yes, we are the ones,' " Matas said.
The Sedona mayor welcomed the couple at a noontime ceremony Monday, presenting them with a bag of Sedona souvenirs. Their real estate agent presented them with the keys to their new home.
Jake Bacon / AP
Cleo the cat gets up close with a TV camera as she sits in her owner Bob Matas' arms at the end of a 2,500-mile taxi ride from New York to Sedona, Ariz., on Monday.
The Matases will stay at a hotel for a few days until all their belongings can be moved into their house. A friend followed the cab in a rental truck carrying the couple's possessions.
Since neither Bob nor Betty Matas, 71, a retired executive administrative assistant, know how to drive, this won't be their last taxi ride.
"There are taxi services to take us around. We're only a couple blocks from the Hilton Hotel," Matas said. "I'm sure we'll manage. There shouldn't be any problem. We can always get a golf cart."
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The garbbage truck driver
Good morning folks, this was sent to me this morning from a former rider of mine.
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!
The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'
This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so... love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.
Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!
Have a blessed, garbage-free day!
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!
The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'
This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so... love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.
Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!
Have a blessed, garbage-free day!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Rays
It was nice that the Rays got Pat Burrell, good power hitter and was right behind Dunn in walks. However, I think they need to address the problem of a closer. Even if Percey comes back he is no spring chicken.
It is back to the drawing board for the Bucs. Is is my thought or everyones that as soon as Monte announced his going to work with his son that the defence went down the tubes. The lasts four games teams were going through us like a hot knife through butter. If ideas on a replacement.
It is back to the drawing board for the Bucs. Is is my thought or everyones that as soon as Monte announced his going to work with his son that the defence went down the tubes. The lasts four games teams were going through us like a hot knife through butter. If ideas on a replacement.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
