That Covers It

DIY Writ Large

The citizens of Colorado Springs, all 380,000 of them, have agreed that their city - just a hike down the road from Denver, doesn't really need or want government...or its questionable services.

In true American libertarian style they have decided to go it alone.

That includes parks, trash, lawns, dogs, you name it.

Outrageous! Madness! You say.

Or is it a sign of things to come and a warning to the idiots who mismanage governments everywhere at all levels - which, roughly means all of them?

This Curiosity Just Arrived

For Immediate Release

February 8, 2010

Vancouver Taxi business “dead” just days before Olympics
Drivers unsure of how they will survive the next 2 months

Vancouver, BC – A combination of factors associated with the Winter Olympic Games have resulted in the slowest period for the taxi industry in the past 15 years, says Amrik Mahil, President of Black Top and Checker Cabs.

“I have never seen it like this, and I am very worried about the lingering effects from two months of this kind of business climate” said Mahil. “While everyone thought that we would have too few cabs for the Olympics, the reality of the situation in this final week before the Games tells a vastly different story.”

There are dozens of temporary licenses that have been issued for the duration of the Games. Taxi operators in the GVRD who cannot usually operate within the City of Vancouver are now able to deploy up to 35% of their fleet to pick up passengers at Olympic sites or anywhere else in the city. The Olympic transportation plan and associated road closures make using taxis within the city to get to and from Olympic events very inconvenient (no right lane stopping, meaning the amount of cab stands is severely reduced during the Games). Finally, the economy is still soft, making cab fares an expense that many individuals and companies have cut back on.

With fixed costs ranging between 80-$120 per shift, many cab drivers are having trouble breaking even. In fact, many drivers are now contemplating a departure from the industry because of an inability to make ends meet.

The long-term health of the taxi industry in Vancouver is now at risk, according to Mahil.

“We would not be able to withstand a mass exodus of drivers from our company, and yet we cannot even guarantee these individuals a consistent income over the coming months” said Mahil. “VANOC and the Passenger Transportation Board have grossly overestimated the need for taxis during the Games, and now we are all paying the price.”

Black Top is Vancouver’s second largest taxi company with 197 vehicles and over 50 years of service within the city.

Media contact:

Amrik Mahil
President – Black Top and Checker Cabs
(604) 614-3777

Merry Men

As part of TCM’s Oscar month, “The Adventures of Robin Hood played the other night and I was able to catch and to enjoy immensely the last half hour or so.

This 1938 movie starred Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone and Claude Rains.

I’ll give you a hint.

Rathbone played neither Maid Marian nor Friar Tuck.

What made the movie so much fun was Flynn’s cheeky charm and Olivia’s ethereal beauty.

There was a full and necessary slate of sword fighting and arrows falling we know not where, but the over-all take by director Michael Curtiz was lightness and feather touch.

This is, after all, a kind of fairy tale.

But that is all about to change, children.

Any moment now the new Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe monstrosity, “Robin Hood”, will overwhelm your neighbourhood screens.

Crowe was born to play “brute.”

He specializes in brute force.

Crowe and Scott were the pair who brought you “Gladiator.”

Do you remember anything from this movie? I don’t.

Here’s what the new “Robin Hood” will offer.

Heads hacked in two by axes.

Severed arteries exposed by missing limbs spurting blood in your face.

The intensity and mystery and neuroses of Cate Blanchett.

I can’t wait till this team tackles Sir Galahad.

Then Snow White with Roman Polanski playing all seven dwarfs.