Thursday, February 26, 2009

A little aside.

I just thought I would give you this link, passed on to me by Paddy.
You know when billions have gone missing, and those responsible have been rewarded with pensions and golden handshakes.

Makes you think and if it doesn't make you think theirs something wrong with you.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Well we marched again

Well we marched,and the scabs worked and our leaders decided that they had meetings to attend to, so they declined our offer of a meeting.

Boys we will meet you at the doodrstep at the next elections and I have a pitbull.
Lets see if you move then.




98 FM kept a close eye












Casey Jones -- The Union Scab
By Joe Hill
1879.10.7-1915.9.19
The Workers on the S. P. line to strike sent out a call;
But Casey Jones, the engineer, he wouldn't strike at all;
His boiler it was leaking, and its drivers on the bum,
And his engine and its bearings, they were all out of plumb.

Casey Jones kept his junk pile running;
Casey Jones was working double time;
Casey Jones got a wooden medal,
For being good and faithful on the S. P. line.

The workers said to Casey: "Won't you help us win this strike?"
But Casey said: "Let me alone, you'd better take a hike."
Then some one put a bunch of railroad ties across the track,
And Casey hit the river bottom with an awful crack.

Casey Jones hit the river bottom;
Casey Jones broke his blessed spine;
Casey Jones was an Angelino,
He took a trip to heaven on the S. P. line.

When Casey Jones got up to heaven, to the Pearly Gate,

He said: "I'm Casey Jones, the guy that pulled the S. P. freight."
"You're just the man," said Peter, "our musicians went on strike;
You can get a job a'scabbing any time you like."

Casey Jones got up to heaven;
Casey Jones was doing mighty fine;
Casey Jones went scabbing on the angels,
Just like he did to workers of the S. P. line.

They got together, and they said it wasn't fair,
For Casey Jones to go around a'scabbing everywhere.
The Angels' Union No. 23, they sure were there,
And they promptly fired Casey down the Golden Stairs.

Casey Jones went to Hell a'flying;
"Casey Jones," the Devil said, "Oh fine:
Casey Jones, get busy shovelling sulphur;
That's what you get for scabbing on the S. P. Line."

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Another march.





Inchacore, closing down.


I had the whole post ready to go, all the spellings done, just to add the photos of Inchicore then I lost everything.I really don't know why it did not autosave.
The fraud squad went into the Anglo Irish Bank today and had a very busy day going through files, The shredders must have been very hot after destroying all the files over the past few months.
As St Patricks day approaches our elected leaders prepare to fly our to Washington, New York, Los Angales and Sydney. Nero fiddles while Rome burns.

I find it a laugh to think of Brian Cowan and co flying off to Japan on a trade mission while our banking system approached meltdown. Japan has its own problems at present so they are not in the way of buying much.
I think the world would respect any leader who said. "Look lads there is a problem which needs fixing, so all trips away are suspended for the moment"
Lets claw back those golden handshakes and pensions given to the senior banking staff, after all where fraud is committed its the sack and no pension then perhaps a stay in prison.I am fed up hearing about white collar fraud which goes un punished.

We still have no word from our esteemed regulator or union leaders so we march on Wednesday again.

I have a video showing the taxis waiting at Heuston on Sunday night I counted 76 cars but there may be more. I will put it on you tube for you later.

An ex Garda Sargent was sent down today for soliciting sex with a five year old child...his second offence, now using Garda logic this would mean that all Garda are paedophiles.
Just as they treat us all as criminals.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Another Sunday




The new bank building on Serpentine Ave



Every taxi meter place has an antique section


Charles Stewart Parnell points the way.



Another Sunday, How was the weekend for you?

Don't ask.

On Saturday the rest of the population marched, over 100,000 marched to our Dail . Our leaders were off though.
Everyone is angry about how the bankers who gave vast swathes of money to the property developers who are being bailed out while workers who cannot pay their crazy 40 year mortgages are being evicted from their homes.

There was a lot of dishonesty going on that's for sure.

And the English now have a joke.
"Whats the difference between Iceland and Ireland? One letter and six weeks."

Shortness of money and jobs mean that people do not take taxis now.
Job losses are putting hundreds of taxis extra on the streets every day.
Just because a man has to eat and he can drive doesn't mean he can make a living driving a taxi.

Drugs are the biggest evil that I know, the attitude of the people in power shocks me a lot.

When the France Ireland rugby match was going on the Garda were going around with a van taking goods (flags scarves etc) from people who had no hawkers licence.

When I went to Marlborough St 10 Min's later there was 6 or 7 people selling heroin completely in the open no one batting an eyelid.

Which person was doing the most harm?

Well around 1 am on Saturday morning I was heading out the Navan Rd, as I was coming towards St.Peters church I saw a blond girl looking for a taxi.
I pulled over along side her and she walked around to the passenger side of the car.

"Would you like to have some "fun" mister?"

Now when a question is asked like that it only means one thing.

She is prostituting herself.
I was horrified, she was very young and completely wasted on drugs, once she was good looking, once and not long ago.
Now she was going through hell on earth. "Fuck off" I shouted and she stumbled back in shock.
I drove forward and just around the corner where I got out and closed the door which was still open.
As I walked back around the car to the drivers side I noticed that she was already gone in another taxi.

Makes you think.

It goes back to the Robert De Niro film Taxi driver, you see things that you should not see and you feel helpless because you can do nothing.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Back for a while.


"Metal fatigue"


The inside of the taxi meter shop.


Teddy bears at the o2 (Point)


Well I am back in town with my blog layout still broken.
But that is nothing when you look at what is going on in the world.

I was in Youghal county Cork for a day to see a friend of mine and to get away from Dublin.
The countryside is looking good, Daffodils are up and snowdrops ,crocuses.
Didn't see any baby lambs though. Perhaps they are indoors away from the foxes.
The industrial gloom and doom is in every town.
Every town has big factories boarded up and closed.
Waterford crystal workers are barricaded inside the factory with banners outside.
This is one product well worth keeping.
I hope that our prime minister will not be bringing the Shamrock to the white house on St Patricks day to Mr Obama in a Tupperware bowl instead of a Waterford glass cut crystal bowl.
That would look bad.

You know I am not too bad when compared to the People who invested money with a guy called Bernard Madoff. He was running a 50 Billion dollar Ponzi scheme (as in Charles Ponzi who ripped off the gullible in 1920), a pyramid investment fraud.
Well among his clients were the family of Walter Noel who had invested....(drum roll)
$7.5 Billion and 2 of his beautiful daughters had also invested their own fortunes.

Now all gone.

One old guy had invested $114 million.....All gone.

Or the people of Iceland where the banking system collapsed..
2 ladies on the paper going in to sign for unemployment benefit, they were architects aged 59 and 53,
Their company had a turnover of 1.8 million euro and employed 28 people.
Everything gone.
It will be hard to come back at that age, as it is for taxi drivers of the same age.

The 2 things were not related but it reflects the times we are living in.

Suppose you can find loads of people who are worse off than you.
Time to get to work,
sorry I didn't bring my camera to Cork.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Nial Melon trust.




Guess who is in town, kissing all the girls

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Technical problems!!

Sorry about this folks.
The margins have vanished from the blog
and the photos are all over the shop.

My genius computer son is going to have a look at fixing it.

Don't hold your breath.

"And as Swartzaneger says I'll be beck"

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Fed up working.

Just thought you would like to see the how the new drivers are coming along.

And here is the final driving test, just like they come into town at Marino.


You can be sure that the poor taxi driver took the blame for this.


All drivers will be encouraged to make the journey as quickly as possible.

Or this an ad for clothes? value="http://www.liveleak.com/e/19d_1178385991">
I would live to get the footage showing the extent of taxis in Dublin, but this shaky cam might do for now.

Sorry I can't separate these 2 videos.

Monday, February 09, 2009

Dublin taxi demonstration 2


What do we want?

Caps on cab numbers.

The minister may not care,the regulator may not care, so brothers and sisters we must care for each other.

As many as 15 taxi drivers have taken their lives since this dispute started. We are all here together, talk to each other.

I have lived in Spain there is only one union there. We have 4 and not one of them are here today.

What qualifications does the regulator hold to justify her salary?


There is no point in coming to this office again she says she has now power.

There is no point in marching to the Dail on Monday either,they don't sit on Mondays


Minister you might not listen to us, but you will hear us next week.


Bring your partners and kids, deregulation is another word for anarchy, where no rules apply.


Deregulation is when builders build houses with no infrastructure, schools, shops or churches.Pushing the prices higher by the day.Putting homes beyond reach saddling our children with 40 year mortgages, because no one shouted stop.


When the same builders bubble burst the government baled out the wealthy bankers, while taxi drivers homes are being reposessed.


Hundreds of taxis are being rented out by the week, who knows who is driving them.
The public should ask am I safe?



This from dublintaxi.ie

The wonderful lady taxi driver(I use the word lady loosely)who gave the taxi drivers the fingers was given a ticket for smoking in a PSV and for incitement.
Kinda spoils her day.

John McDonough a New York taxi driver tells us what a scab is.


The fight continues

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Ireland 30 France 21




A motorcyclists visor, every picture tells a story.

We have had snow on the ground for 3 or more days now.
People were stuck in cars for 5 or 6 hours doing a 5 mile journey on the first day, I really don't know why we can't get our act together a bit better.
The airport was closed for the most of the day and then when the runway was cleared they couldn't move the parked planes because they had compacted snow on the aprons.
Just as well I am staying on the ground.
Well there will be sore hearts in Paris tonight, Ireland beat France 30/21 at rugby in Croke park.
After all the snow rain and frost I felt sure that it would not be played, but the new pitch has underground heating and excellent drainage worked wonders.

I worked all last night and did not get enough sleep to tackle tonight.

Driving a taxi is not a job to do when you are tired, one small error could cost you your money or your life.

Last night I picked up a guy covered in tattoos with big rings stuck in his ear lobes,when we got to his apartment complex he hopped out to open the gates, they won't open I'll try from the other side, as he left my sight I thought I had picked a runner. But he came back round and paid me, what a relief it was a e17 fare.

Others were a French girl who has lived here for 8 years. It was funny to hear her French/Irish accent, she seems to really like Ireland, that is for sure.

One other girl was Irish , she had a great job a master brewer with Diagio (Guinness).
She was just back from Australia, next off to Africa and then in the summer she is going to visit her cousin who just as it happens is a hot Irish Hollywood star.
She painted me a thumbnail sketch of stars life,living in big houses or groups of houses with private roads and security guards everywhere.

Isolation is the main problem, they have gardeners, cooks, housemaids and all kinds of personal assistants and personal trainers.Her cousin had told her to watch out as some people would use her to get to him, there is a sense of mistrust everywhere and loneliness.There is a downside to most things.

I should have told her to visit the Magic Castle on Franklin ave. in Hollywood.

Later on in the night I went up to the Dublin mountains to Stepaside and on to Kilternan, the snow was heavy up there ans all the cars from the apartment complexes were parked on the roads as the roads within the estates were too slippy with ice.
The freeze continues coldest I have seen it in Dublin for a ling time.




Another march is planned for Monday at the same place 11.am
The story continues.

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Big snow


Its not only the taxi drivers who have the hump
A camel at the circus.


A statue in the garden of remembrance depicting the moment when the chirderen of Lir were turned to swans.(Irish mythology)

Well The students are marching today.
16,000 of them

PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN WAGE

reads one of the banners.

At this time our leaders want to re introduce fees for third level colleges.

The workers of Waterford crystal are marching against closure of the manufacturing plant. The brand has problems because the dollar is weak and the euro is strong and its debts are high, the receiver wants to close it down. But to abandon ship and let it sink would be a disaster.
When people think of Waterford they think of its famous crystal.
From Sydney to Saratoga and quite a lot of places in between.
Rolex,Prada,Chanel are not just products they are iconic brands you see, they have a value well beyond there worth.

Imagine America loosing a brand like Harley Davidson, the brand is worth millions even though the company might have big debts.

Dell is off to Poland. IBM is off to Shanghai.

Worst jobless figures in the history of the state.

Well I think that's enough about the bad times.


Remember the Irish Times offer A meal in 6 of Dublin's restaurants for e20 with a glass of wine?"

Well I managed to visit 3.

Everything was very well laid out in all the places we went.
Servers in suits, meet,greet and made to feel welcome.
All the places were warm and clean.

So what did I think?

L'Ecrivian....Baggott St.
The people who had come for the special were brought upstairs and served away from the other guests..The food was excellent but for me fell down in 2 places.
Drinks were served but my water glass remained empty for the rest of the meal.
The waiter serving the water never came back.
The second was the soup, it was just lukewarm,probably because the bowl was cold, or perhaps we were too far from the kitchen.

Chapter One. Below the writers museum.
The waiter was very happy to see us and took a genuine interest in what we thought of the other places where we had eaten.
They have a lovely private function room which seats around 14 just right for a birthday party.
The food was great and we got the best of attention.
All the care that went into the design of the place really paid off well.

My partner says that for her the food here was way the best by far.

The Cellar Restaurant Downstairs on the L/H side of the Merrion hotel.
By the way this building is where the Duke of Wellington was born.
When you go in there are a series of doorways that seem to go on forever.
A great sense of perspective.
Terrific sense of adventure, with Chinese lanterns and paintings with a Chinese theme.
Perhaps it is for the Chinese new year, I don't know.
Like Chapter One it has vaulted ceilings and really good lighting.

I hate to eat in poky dark places.

The food here I found the best,flavors were subtle,servings bigger too.
All the plates were nice and hot and the soup and salmon were steaming hot. The home baked breads were great and the service could not be faulted in any way.

When you add to that that we were not segregated in any way,this made the whole experience better.

Be careful you don't wander into Patrick Gilbeau's on the other side,its the most expensive in Dublin,but really really good.
I mean that,really,I know that it is a gastronomic experience like no other.

I will probably never go back to any of them ever but, I found the Cellar restaurant the best and if I had loads of money would make it my local, I would recommend it to a good customer.

To a prat I would send him to Jo Burger.

That's enough about eating already.

Boys and Girl back to work.

It is at best fun driving a taxi.
At worst you could be stuck in traffic for 4 or 5 hours because there was a little snow.
Its not Canada!!!!!!!!!!!
There were people stuck in their cars for 5 or 6 hours yesterday because the Garda were writing tickets for taxis which were overhanging the ranks.
If they feel like it,they re-construct a robbery for TV with a helicopter overhead, where a few Garda with a bit of cop on on a bicycle could have prevented the whole thing in the first place.

I really don't know why someone does not call in and complain.

"Tom, you were on duty last night, why was the traffic locked for 7 hours?"

"Well the lads in the depot were down on there convictions for the month so I sent them down to persecute,sorry prosecute the taxi drivers at Heuston."

"Good thinking".

Seriously with all the flooding I do feel sorry for the people who bought houses built on flood plains, my house is on top of a hill.
If you are buying , look for height.
Jamese's house is 20 feet above his neighbours, he paid around 8 grand more for his site.
His uncle pushed him at the time. But his house is dry.

Great luck today to meet a beautician from Lithuania,going back into town.
Business is down she said.
Well she did look great.
A few vouchers and a 4 for 3 sun bed promotion should make things pick up.

Really boys,did you that all those Polish and Latvian girls had absolute natural looks?,
More like supernatural looks

I often look at how a Polish Latvian Czech or Slovak girls walk.Straight back with great posture, while the Irish girls often walk like they are walking up a hill with a wind against them.
I don't blame them.
I do blame Mary Harney for being their role model.

A long time friend of mine is 99 today, she is a fantastic person.
Agile in mind,she cooked cleaned and fended for herself until Christmas. Then an attack of shingles over Christmas put a wobble in her stride.
But you know I am still
Looking forward to the day she is 100.
Up to few months ago the phone would ring.
The Simplex crossword puzzle 7 across ?
But in Truth is that the answers were mostly from her side.

I am so happy to know the people that I now know whether through taxiing or through normal life.
Outside my door I met a mum with 3 children under 5. The boy was playing around,so I asked the young girl how she liked the new baby?
She was very happy with him.
The mum was a bit restless about talking to strangers.
Are you French? I said.
No,I am Swedish.
Well,it must be your mother I helped before Christmas?.

Well you would think I had electrocuted her.
You are the taxi driver?
Yes, I saw what had happened and took action.

What had happened was simple. She got off the bus with 2 small kids and left her bag on the bus.I put her into the taxi and raced the bus to the terminus. She got her bag intact, so then I I brought her back home.

But she wanted so much to pay you.
Well if you want to have good luck you can't except payment for a good deed.

You are a hero in our house for sure,did you know that?.

So I went from pest to hero in 5 mins... not bad.

Monday, February 02, 2009

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Marching on Monday


Film studios beside Clarkes pub.

The new Irishtown Garda station, wait till you see the one in Ballymun.

Well another week done and tomorrow is the day of the MARCH to the regulators office. It starts at 8.30 which I think is a bit early for our representatives who are much more used to getting in around 10.30 and home by 4pm.

In case you live outside Ireland and don't know, we have the highest number of taxis per head of population in Europe. The next highest has 1/2 the number of taxis per head of population.

Well a week of ups and downs..The biggest downer must be the case of the lady who was coming to Holles St hospital for an emergency procedure.
The ambulance asked for a Garda motorcycle escort for when they reached the City.
"Sorry no one available" came the reply.
The ambulance got stuck in traffic and the baby had to be delivered by the paramedics near Lucan.

Sad to say the baby died.

Every day it seems to me that motorcycle escorts are bringing criminals up and down to Portlaoise prison (where we keep our "Special" criminals).
One would not want to deny them justice.
John Gilligan has been fighting to retain his assets which he got from importing tons of heroin over the years.
One reason I did hear was that the Garda were providing an escort to our president who was going up to Northern Ireland.

Someone somewhere should have had the power to get an army escort to come out. It is likely that emergency phones are now manned by civilians who are not paid to think things through,I hope this will change before the next time.

I put in the photo of the guys loading vans with video and film gear.

Years ago when I worked with Metro cabs I had a collection of clothes from RTE to there for a film shoot. When I delivered they said that the person who was to pay was not there, would I call back later? I called back around 4 times. Later on when calling back yet again I was told that that film company had closed and there was no one to pay me. In spite of the same people being present.
A few months later I was asked to collect clothes from the Abbey theater wardrobe dept and RTE for some more and bring them over to Irishtown.
I parked the car around the corner and went in for my money. "Just drop the clothes over there". Once bitten twice shy as they say. "I must get paid for the last run and this run now,in cash".
There was a lot of coming and going and I know they looked for the car outside, "The meter is running, every minute I stand here the more it is costing you" I said.
Pretty soon they saw sense, money change hands and soon it was Lights, Camera.....Action".
Actors,extras and others often get short changed by film companies,it is a very much hit and miss business to work with them.
Talking of Filming,I had a lady in the car going to RTE (our National broadcaster) She had spent the previous 2 years making a natural wildlife program for them. The weather was so bad it delayed things all the way. Now there are cut backs and she knew there would be no more commissions for her. They will be avoiding me or lying through their teeth all the time I am there, she said.
Strange thing is that she is in an area where there is no broadband, so her business suffers as a result.
They should introduce a policy where they roll out broadband nationwide,the denser populated areas subsadising the more remote areas.
On Friday i picked up a girl with a case going to John Rogerson's quay, I cut down by Clanbrassal St and down by Christchurch, when the traffic slowed she got a bit narky and started on about"going the wrong way". You have to bight you tongue but I just said if she had any suggestions I was open to listening to her.Silence.
On arrival I told her the price and knocked off 2 euro for the inconvenience.
She walked off without a thank you.
I was 20 yards from her office when her mobile phone rang from the back seat.

Now she was off to London for the weekend and the loss of that phone would have really upset her plans.

Revenge belongs to the Lord.

I dropped the phone into reception and told the girl to answer the phone when it rang again,find the owners name and to call her down from her office.

On the subject of mobile phones, they are cheap to replace what is not cheap is replacing all your numbers. Go to the website of you phone company and register. Then go to the My phone book section and type in all your contacts.
When you loose your phone. Chances are you will too.
Just go back to the web site and you can download your phone book.
You do know that there is free web text? So a good joke can be send out to all your mates in a few seconds. (o2 300 free texts per month)

On the old streets I messed up badly last night, I went out around 8.30 and drove around until 9.30 without getting anything. One girl flagged me down at the crossroads in Kimmage.
I flashed her,she waved back and while I was waiting for the lights to change a car on my right cut across the traffic and picked her up.
Its dog eat dog on the streets.
I was so annoyed I went home and then off to my local pub to support my local publican. I only had the pint finished when someone asked me what I thought of the match and fireworks display?

Well as they say "If it was raining soup I would be out there with a fork"
I went to bed and slept very well I am tired of work.

The GAA are celebrating 125 years-, they have a good web site look here

When I worked in the international telephone exchange there was a call that used to come in from New York every Sunday evening. It was to a small rural exchange with a 2 digit number,"New York calling. Operator I have a call to Kingscourt 86, could this be right?" The rural exchanges had plug in jacks and handles to twist to ring the number..Sometimes the rural operator would know that "Mary is at devotions and won't be back before 7 provided she meets no one"
Anyhow the story I was going to tell was how when the call got through, news was passed about scandal from both sides of the Atlantic. Then "Here she's coming"
At that point you could hear the excitement grow as the phone in NY was out on to speaker and the sports results were relayed via the telephone to the assembled people in the New York bar with cheers and whistles.
Then the line from America would drop off with the final round up.

Now the games are streamed live via the internet and cable.

I hope we are happier now than we were then.

Just in on the wire..



Ireland Headlines
Taxi drivers to stage airport protest
01/02/2009 - 13:10:39

Taxi drivers have vowed to push ahead with their planned protest at Dublin Airport tomorrow, demanding a right of appeal to decisions by the Taxi Regulator.Taxi drivers have vowed to push ahead with their planned protest at Dublin Airport tomorrow, demanding a right of appeal to decisions by the Taxi Regulator.

Trade union SIPTU said unlike other groups in the workforce, taxi drivers have no method of airing their grievances.

Up to 30 drivers will demonstrate from 7am to 11am at one of the roundabouts outside the airport.

SIPTU branch organiser Jerry Brennan claimed no cars would be used in the protest and they would not be disrupting airport services.

"We apologise for any inconvenience our campaign may cause tomorrow but we have no option open to us if we are to protect members' rights and livelihoods," Mr Brennan said.

The union has been lobbying officials at the Department of Transport to introduce an appeals process and had postponed the protest for three weeks after contact with the all-party Oireachtas Transport committee.

Mr Brennan added: "While we welcome the interest of the Committee it appears that there will be no change in Government policy.

"This leaves our members in the position that, unlike other workers, they have no access to the Rights Commissioner Service, the Labour Relations Commission or the Labour Court."

"We are seeking an independent appeals board that will be able to hear appeals from decisions of the Regulator."

SIPTU members voted 98% in favour of the action during a series of ballots before Christmas.