Tampa Taxi Shots

United Cab Christmas Dinner

For the second year in a row, Rob Searcy has hosted a massive Christmas dinner. There was turkey, ham, pasta, egg plant, stuffing, salad, cake, fruit and on and on. For dri ers that have been living off gas station food, this was great. I even won a $50 gift certificate, and took a plate home. HOW COOL IS THAT!

James at the gas station

James is a cool young man who ia always in a good mood. He works at the Sunoco on the Macdill ave in south Tampa. We always have an interesting debate when I buy my morning coffee. He ia also a Ron Paul suppoter and aa Alex Jones follower. He believes Paul will win the election. I am not so sure of that.

Ran into Bob last night

Many long term drivers may know Bob. He used to work only days and only in the Gandy area of Tampa. He switched to nights when the economy went bad in 2008; he has stayed on nights since.  He showed up last night at the Britton Plazza stand as he was waiting for an airport call (Yellow cab got much of our business when our management fucked up last year in thier very shitty atempt to install this nuew dispatch system that drove most drivers to poverty and desperation). 

Bob says he pays more in stand dues but he believes he has a better chance of making money where he is at. If it works, stay with it. He was fired from United Cab when he had too many wrecks. He always seems to be in a good mood...kind of a take it go lucky guy. 

Taxi Shots Meets Scott Marlowe - Author Of "Cryptic Creatures Of Florida"

Tim Fasano and Scott Marlowe

I had lunch today with Cryptozoologist Scott Marlowe Of Florida. Scott and I have been friends on the Internet for some time, and it was time we met.

Scott has always been supportive of my research, and has defended me against false claims made about me. He has taken the time to talk to me often on the phone, and has got to know me as a friend. He is a very good guy.

Scott is a college teacher, writer, and crypto investigator with some new and novel ideas about finding the Florida Skunk ape. I was looking forward to meeting Scott Marlowe.

We met at a diner in Winter Haven and shook hands. I felt like I had known him for a long time and that this was not the first time we had ever been together. We were very comfortable talking about anything. Scott has been around this game for a long time and knows just about everyone in Bigfoot. He warned me about the politics, and trolls, and how to deal with them. Scott had a club sandwich with slaw and I had a bacon cheeseburger with fries.

Scott is also a film maker, and has appeared in many documentaries about paranormal stuff. He has nine published books and has been doing field research for decades. He is still active and very motivated to find the big hairy guy in Florida. He also believes eco-tourism is the wave of the future and experts are needed as guides.

Scott has a new book out called The Cryptid Creatures Of Florida in which Charlie Carlson does the introduction. The book not only deals with the skunk ape and the Sasquatch being in Central Florida, but also ice age animals that may still be around. As you know, I have put forth a theory that the giant ground sloth may still be in the jungle.

We layed out a map of Florida and Scott showed me the migration patterns of the skunk ape and the stationary locations of permanent colonies. Working smart and not waisting you time in areas that are not colonies is what a researcher needs to do. His input was invaluable to me. My game has now gone to a new height because of the information I received from Scott.

We will be working together in November in a known transitional area to catch them on the move. It does seem people don't want that to happen and are trying to undermine the outing. That will never happen. We will go private if we have to and protect our research and locations. We do not need gate crashers.

Sleeping On The Job

With business slow this time of year, drivers often take naps. Sleeping works out much better now with this Blackberry GPS dispatch because it will scream at you when there is a bid. You can awaken and push a button and go back to sleep. It will then scream at you again if you get the call. 

Work is tough enough without having your sleep interrupted. With the old system, you had to stay awake you you could work the microphone and pay attention to the next bid coming up. Not now, just sleep, sleep, sleep.

The taxi driver sleeping here is Richard. You can tell its hot, he has his shirt open. You really don't want to idle at four dollars a gallon. You long time guys should know him. This image was shot on the old stand 21. Even without stands, 21 is a good central location to grab calls from.

It cost more to run a taxi during the hot season. You spend more on drinks, gas and food. You are working more hours to try and make up for the lack of business. It sucks and that is why drivers can't wait for the cooler weather.

I will Bring Tampa Taxi Shots Back To Its Former Glory

I beleive I have worked out all of the software issues that have plauged this site for months. I've settled on a design I like because of the flash elements involved. Anyway, Tom and I did get to go to the Whitney Bank Club at the Trop for the Boston RedSox vs. Tampa Bay Rays baseball game Sunday night and it went 16 innings. Can you believe that? It was fun by the way. We were not so lucky on Saturday night...

Lose weight now...ask us how!!

There is nothing like getting free tickets to a Tampa Bay Rays baseball game. These are not just tickets, but Boston Redsox vsTampa Bay Rays tickets. In fact, they are too the Whitney Bank Club high price seating. This is where the fat cats and the bigwigs go to watch a game. These $175 tickets include free buffet style food and free booze. There is prime rib, shrimp, lasagna, and everything you could dream of. The wait staff serves your every need, and we Tom and I had tickets.

  My best taxi driver friend Tom Castros took a high-roller to the airport this morning and they businessman said he had the tickets, but his plans had changed and he wanted to just give Tom the tickets for the $25 fare. Tom took them in a heartbeat and called me on my cellphone. I said "hell ya! Lets go!" The game was set for a 4:15 start and we were both hungry. Free drink and food...I'm all over it! We would soon be surrounded by beautiful women and the rich and powerful in the Tampa Bay area. Wait till they get a hold of us.

 Since we are cab drivers, we know how to get within two blocks from the stadium without ever encountering traffic. I am not exaggerating on this. Most people are on the interstate and it is gridlock. We know a parking lot that charges only $10 to park, and you are in the shadow of Tropicania field. How cool is that? We walked right up to the stadium and got someone to take are picture. We were on our way and breaking all the rules We felt like Thelma and Louise. This was going to be awesome.

We walked up to the gate with our expensive, high baller tickets and proudly gave them to the ticket people. The lady scanned my ticket with a light and said, "I'm sorry sir; something is wrong with your ticket" I could not believe that. She did point out that we needed to go to gate 6 and perhaps everything would be all right. Tom and I headed over there. We could not believe that had happened and felt we would be fine over at gate six. Wrong. Now this was something out of a "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode.

 

Sir...There is a problem Security said that the tickets had been 'forwarded' yesterday to another party. In short, these tickets were no good. There was nothing we could do. Its bad enough to get beat out of a fare, but to go through all this and get your hopes up so high is just cruel. David Shields was pitching and I really wanted to see how good he would be against this powerful Boston batting lineup.

 It was very hot and we just wanted to get to some kind of air condition. We had no water because we were going to get that in the club suite. When we went back to the parking lot, the guy asked us why we were leaving so early. We told him that we had been ripped off and he was good enough to give us a refund of the $10 parking fee. At least something went right.

On the ride home Tom's friend called and said that he has a special who gave him tickets to Sunday's night baseball game between the RedSox and the Rays and he could not go. He wanted to know if we wanted to use the tickets. We told him yes. He then said they were not just tickets - they were to the Whitney Bank Club and they were $175 which included free food and booze. Great! I can't wait for tomorrow night.

Tampa Blogs

People often ask the taxi drivers questions. They want to know what time you started your shift, how long you have been driving a taxi and what is the most interesting thing that has ever happened while driving a taxi. I do not know if they think it is a romantic adventure, but they sure seem to romanticize cab driving. 

People always enjoyed my stories, and they were not hard to think of. Just about every day something happens that probably does not happen to the average Joe. Where else can you go from taking a physicist downtown to a Relativity conference and five minutes later picking up an urban drug dealer? Stimulation occurs all day long.

Cab drivers also like stories. When we would sit on stands waiting for the next call, we would tell the other drivers what happened on the last call, or the one yesterday that everyone had heard about. You would think this was just about taking people from point A to point B, but it is not. It is much more than that. 

Often, people would suggest that I write a book about all that. Most people seem to have seen the HBO show Taxi Cab Confessions and think that is what happens to cab drivers. Yes. That is what happens to most cab drivers. 

I had thought about doing a book, but never really knew how to approach the task. In the last twenty years, I had written nothing more complex then a grocery list. Then I heard about something that seemed exciting. 

In 2005 a new phenomena was taking off on the internet called web logs - commonly called blogs. At that time, these online journals were growing exponentially in just a few short months. In addition, cool software was available to the average person, so anyone could start a blog. 

I never thought what I did was very important but starting a blog would allow me to communicate even the most trivial of things instantly to anyone on the web. I came up with a name called Tampa Taxi Shots.

Originality is important to me and I did not want to copy what someone else was doing. The concept of taxi driving experiences was now going to hit the web and I was hoping people would visit my blog. I was correct on that.

There was a growing online community of local Tampa Bloggers. They were growing in numbers and putting out great content. They were reporting on local matters ignored by local newspapers. The St. Pete Times began to notice. 

They did an article in TBT about the local blogging scene. In fact, that article inspired me to get into this. It validated that anyone with a keyboard could get started. In fact, I still have that TBT. 

Unfortunately, many of the blogs profiled in that article are not published anymore. Sticks Of Fire was the biggest casualty. I guess life moves on and people move on.

Blogs are now a source of information that we can access anywhere, even on mobile devices. There is no telling how many there are now. 

I know that I miss some of the early ones. I kind of wish they would come back.

 

Borders Books Is Closing...I Take My Coffee Black

The meter is running and the taxi is in park. Normally I’d be outside of a strip club or message parlor, this time it’s a book store. I’m waiting for my passenger to return. 

The large poster declaring 20% - 40% off looms over my cab parked outside of Borders Books on N Dale Mabry which is closing as soon as they sell all their stuff. This well publicized sale has brought customers to this store in record amounts. The idling of my engine cuts through the conversations of happy patrons leaving with newly prized possessions. 

It’s just after sunset. I’d normally be home drinking beer at this hour - a well ingrained habit since the economy fell apart like a two dollar watch.  Habits are hard to change as you get older. 
I turn the radio down as a motorist asks if I can move up a bit. In over fifteen years of coming to this store I’ve never seen it this busy. I guess I’m not the only one that read the newspaper article about the store closing.

Then it hits me - Why does Tampa (whose economy is supposedly tied to tourism) have so many people that read books. We are not supposed to be Boston? 

I think back over the last decade or so. I have spent a lot of time in Borders. Coffee, reading, chess, browsing, music, liberal lap toppers, this place had it all, a great way to kill a Sunday afternoon and relax. You could have a bit of a repose from the ‘real world’ as books took you to other places and experiences that you one day planed to get around too, one of these days. 

The Seattle’s Best Café. Yes, that was the first thing you saw as you walked in the door. Get your espresso and stare at twenty thousand square feet of wonder, knowledge and entertainment. In the next couple of hours, you would walk out smarter and more at peace with yourself then when you walked in. All of this augmented by a fresh cup of Joe (I take my mine black). 

Coffee in a book store is Popcorn at the movies. Would in not be a shame if one day all things are by Amazon or Kindle? To me it would be like going to a prostitute for love or eating steak with a balloon on your tongue. You would still get the same knowledge and nutrition - so what’s your problem? 

I do think it is a problem.

In the future they say you will just take a pill for everything you need or pick you kids out of a test tube (I prefer the old fashion way).

I once met Jack Harris at a book signing here. I once saw happy kids at Harry Potter night with expressions on their faces not seen since the family trip to Disney World. Do we really want all this to just go away?  It is just all about the discount? What ever happened to smelling the roses? 

Anyway, my fare comes back to the taxi and tells me there were at least eighty people in line with all the cash registers ringing. You hear that Borders….You finally figured out how to get Amazons money.  Perhaps there is hope for Western Civilization. 

Samson (Former United Cab Driver) Is On Facebook

Samson was one of my best taxi buddies for about ten years. He was getting involved in video productions as a way to make money. He always encouraged me to pursue my passion for photography. He believed it was a direction that could lead away from taxi cab driving. I found this photo of Samson on his Facebook account when I accepted him as a friend. It seems things are going well for Samson. He left United Cab on September 1, 2009 and he has never come back. Good for him. He is having more fun now then sitting on stand 21 all day!

I am still pursuing my photography and now have a very successful YouTube channel with Google adds on them. I am working hard on alternative forms of income. Taxi driving now requires too many hours and pays very little.

Angela Marie Finger: Model Missing From Las Vegas Could Be In Danger

Angela Marie Finger disappeared from Las Vegas In June of 2006.  She left behind a good job as a cage supervisor at the Mote Carlo Casino on the Vegas strip. She was young, beautiful, and her family misses her dearly. She may have been pulled into a life of internet porn, and possible human trafficking. She is considered a MISSING PERSON: ENDANGERED by the FBI. I photographed Angela in Phoenix at the Arizona Shootout (Arizona Model Photo Shoot) one year after she was missing. I was not aware of her status at the time.

 
Photo shot of Angela Finger at the Arizona Shootout April 2007

Angela Finger was coerced into leaving her job at the Monte Carlo Casino in Las Vegas during June of 2006. She had met a man on the internet through MySpace, who represented himself as someone he was not. Angela soon moved out of her condo in Vegas(furniture removed, electric cut off, phone discontected) and ran off with this man.

I received emails from Angela when I was setting up personal model sessions for the Arizona shootout of 2007, she contacted me with condolences about the passing of my girlfriend. She told me how sorry she was and that she would like to meet with me.

I met with her and her "husband" when I arrived and she let me take photos of her on Saturday and Sunday of the shootout. Angela told me she was a Phoenix model named "Angel the model." She signed the model release as "Angela Raether." That was not her name, but the alias last name of the man that was controlling her. His real name wasWILLIAM MATTHEW SMOLICH. He is wanted in several States for failure to register as a sexual offender.

Angela may be in danger. She has been on many porn sights that have been taken down since Smolich found out her parents were looking for her. He was pimping her out for imcome. If you were, or have been, associated with the Arizona Shootout in Phoenix circa 2007 and may know this girl, please come forward with information

MEDIA COVERAGE

Missing Daughter Shows up in Internet Porn, Family Uses YouTube to Find Her
A Nevada mother turns to YouTube to locate her missing daughter.

May-12-2008
(SALEM, Ore.) - Michelle and Patrick Finger say they aren't going to stop trying to locate their daughter. She became involved with a man who turns out to be a wanted, convicted pedophile. Sadly, the only sight they catch of her now shows up on Internet porno sites.

Michelle Finger says that two years ago, her daughter Angela worked at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas as a cage cashier, which was looked at as a solid job that had already brought her two promotions.

"She worked there for a little under 2 years. She was bright and sweet, and was very close to her family. That all changed in a heartbeat."

She says that through MySpace, two days before Mothers day 2006, her daughter met a man who said his name was Craig Raether. He said he was 27, and that his parents were killed by a drunk driver. His story didn't add up for Angela's parents, but she was interested and they seemed to have little impact on her decision to begin spending time around the man who used the name Craig Raether

It wasn't long according to Michelle, before Angela began acting odd. "She started dressing like a street girl, and acted rude to us all the time. We were fighting a lot. Fathers day came, and she took her dad out to eat, and bowling. We started talking about her brother's upcoming wedding, and I told her we would take her, I didn't want Craig there. Thats the last time I saw her. They left shortly after that not to be seen or heard from for the next year."

Angela Finger's parents said it made them crazy, and they began digging up whatever information they could. They learned that the man had a shady past and that much of what he had told them was not true. Then at the age of 46, Angela Finger's mother Michelle had a heart attack.

"I came home from the hospital more determined than ever. I put up a fake myspace with his picture, and the words 'have you seen me?' I also put his picture on classmates.com, hoping to get a hit."

She also wrote to Craig Raether on Classmates, urging that he get in contact with her. She says that three weeks later she received a reply from the REAL Craig Raether.

"He had looked me up after my email on classmates, and wrote me. He told me that the guy with my daughter and impersonating him was a childhood friend named William Smolich. I was floored, but, I did know something was off from the begining."

She says that over the next two days, they combed the Internet and found porno sites with their daughter, and movies starring her.

"I was devastated. In the weeks that followed, we called the Boulder police, who are useless, and said if I was going to keep investigating to let them know, so they wouldn't waste their time, he is wanted there."

She says she does hold the Boulder City cops responsible for this, at least in part. "He is a sexual predator they let out to do this to our family, and we want our daughter home. As of the last week, I have heard nothing, but, found more sites where she is the pin up girl. Any and all help would be so greatly appreciated! If ANYONE has any private suggestions that could help, or any questions, please let me know."

William Matthew Smolich, who also uses the name Shawn Odow and several others, is 39-years old. He stands five foot eleven and weighs approximately 195 pounds. Smolich is a white male with blonde hair and brown eyes.

Police urges anyone who sees William Matthew Smolich to call 911 and not try to apprehend this individual yourself.

His prior convictions requiring registration are Attempted Sexual Assault on a Child by one in a position of trust (F4); and Sexual Contact-no consent (M1). If you have information regarding this individual contact the Boulder County Sheriff Office at (303) 441-4444. You can also contact the FBI at 702 636-5033.

 

IN THE IMAGE BELOW YOU CAN SEE THAT SHE SIGNED THE MODEL RELEASE WITH ME UNDER HIS LAST NAME...RAETHER

IMAGES I TOOK OF ANGELA IN ARIZONA AFTER SHE WAS MISSING

 

 

ANYONE WHO WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ARIZONA SHOOTOUT IN COW TOWN IN 2007, PLEASE CONTACT ME AT MY E-MAIL IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION OF HER WHEREABOUTS. SHE MAY BE IN DANGER. PLEASE, IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING, CONTACT ME SO HER MOTHER AND THE FBI CAN HAVE THE INFORMATION

What Ever Happened To Tommy Duncan and Sticks of Fire Blog?

I ran into Tommy Duncan Friday at Sweetbay supermarket in the pasta section.  I was very glad to meet him again since I have not seen him since the blogger meeting at Wings Gone Wild on Bay To Bay about three years ago.  

In case you did not know, the Sticks Of Fire blog is down.  It was once the biggest blog in Tampa and two years in a row voted by Creative Loafing magazine as the best blog in the Bay.  Tommy was the owner of that blog.  I asked him what happened. Many things got in the way. 

The economy has not only affected cab drivers, it has affected normal people, as well.  Tommy, and his associates, went into survival mode when the economy went south, and Sticks Of Fire suffered as well (I would leave a link, but Norton says it is infected with Malware).  Sticks of Fire is no more.  That is a total mind freak to me. 

Tommy is now working on a new project.  He is the regional editor of a sports blog called SBnationtampabay.com.  He goes by the name of Gregg Burrage.  The site is awsome, and I hope he does well. 

It is always a reality check when you hit in the face of how life moves on for everyone. The irony is weather you are ready or not - it will. 

Tommy still has his rock band the Johnny G Lyon Band featuring Tommy Duncan, and they seem to be still putting out hot music. 

 

The Black Cat And Obamanomics

 I got a call to pick up a fare named’ Mark’ this morning, just before sunrise. Mark is one of those guys that you look forward to picking up; he is smart, witty, interesting and gay - literally. He lives on a street north of Tampa in an older neighborhood which ten years ago was pretty much urban scare tissue. Then, a phenomenon happened. Mark, and many like him, began to move into the area, and with their flare for decorating and remodeling, the area was soon being re-gentrified into a marvelous and quant place to live.

Mark has a cat (I love cats). It is solid black (reminds me of a cat I had long ago named Amos).  The cat is usually involved in some kind of antics when I show up. This morning, he was just sitting in the yard near the driveway looking at me as I pulled in. His pale blue eyes lit up like demon eyes as I entered the driveway, the one true pointer that I was indeed at the right place. For time immortal people have acquainted cats with strange bewitching abilities. I think it has more to do with their female characteristics. Face it; you have cat women, not cat man.

Cats don’t need you, they can do fine on their own, they feign attention when they want something, they treat you like a servant, they are aloof and always looking for the next bigger and better deal, they don’t respond to auditory commands, and seem to prefer that you are not around, but will give you just enough love to keep you wanting more. I find all of these qualities to be female in origin. Again, I love cats. 

Mark hops in and tells me where he is going. He works at the hospital now, and no longer cuts hair. As he puts it, even the recession has taken its toll on hair cuts. He needed a steady gig and had some nursing experience. The steady pay check is important to him right now. Times were much better three years ago, and I remember him back then. 

Mark had taken advantage of the easy financing that was available a few years ago.  He, at one point, had over five houses that he had mortgages on, and was fixing them up and flipping them. His plan worked for some time and he made a profit on every house he sold. I should have bought one of them. I walked into a mortgage company office back then to pick up a fare (I had five bucks in my pocket) and they wanted to give me an ARM. How cool is that? 

“Sorry,” I said. 

“I don’t like packing my stuff up and moving six months later“. 

Perhaps I could have found a way to hold onto the property. Who knows?

Anyway, Mark got caught short - way short. He was holding the bag (many bags) when the economy fell apart like a two dollar watch and his life went down the drain like liquid Plummer. He says he is alright about this, and he knows who to blame. There is a villain and this man did him in like a back ally mugger…George Bush.  

Mark is convinced that “W” ruined his life. Like many fares I pick up, who are embroiled in domestic issues, the blaming is immense. Humans simply wont live what Socrates called “the examined life,” Instead, opting for “a life of quite desperation” seems more functional…some more quite, some more functional than others. 

The fact that he was done in by his own poor decisions is a concept that is anathema to this man. Was it Bush that forced him to take out those mortgages? I don’t think so. I think many people did enough to do themselves in. Mark also holds onto the mantra I hear often…”It took eight years to mess things up; it will take another eight to un-mess them.”  Really?  Is that right?

We were told the current occupant of the White House is a genius. Keith Olberman claims Obama has the highest IQ ever recorded (next to his, I imagine). My question to all my fares that hold onto this concept is this:

What can a moron do in eight years that a genius can’t undo in five minutes?  I am just trying to follow your logic. Because now I am hearing from the “unexhausted” Obama supporters that it is going to take time for the economy to get better with natural market forces needed to play out. Hummmmmmm.

Was that not the Republican plan all along?  Seems the horse is being changed in midstream. 

To be fair Obama has done this:

1) Bailed out the Banks (he did not have too because only the account holders money is insured)

2) Bailed out Wall Street (he did not have too…what was it Marcus Aurelius said that if Gordon Gekko has what you want, you do business with him). Politics is indeed a practical profession.

3) Bailed out GM.  They are now making a profit and millions of jobs were saved. How cool is that?

I am not sure John McCain would have done any of this stuff.

A floor was put under the economy and total collapse was avoided. However, none of this was George Bush holding a gun to your head so YOU would perform irrationally. 

Notice how cats will never blame anyone for anything. They just go with the flow, adapt, hunt and move on. That is what I, you, and America need to do. It’s time to turn the page and right our own destiny without ever mentioning George Bush again. 

Do You Like Watching People Screw?

 Well, you can watch all day long and night at the Fantasyland Video store in Drew Park. If you don't mind all the swingers, fags, drunks, crackhead, jerks, perverts, voyeurs, idiots, dirtbags, undercover cops and taxi drivers, this is your place. Glory holes and everything goes. Word of this place has spread faster than AIDS in the '80's. Just go by and look. The parking lot is overflowing and people are everywhere. I don't care, I make money picking up here and taking fine ass girls here who want to screw strangers, or people they met on the internet.

The image here is the 'pool room.' I think you are a step ahead of me. Your right. People do it on the tables. Its just not the eight ball that is going in the hole. Cum on by, and join the fun. The most fun in Tampa since the Led Zeplin Concert.

Sunrise Tribute To The Fallen On Memorial Day

I go every year to the VFW cemetery on Kennedy Blvd in Tampa Florida at sunrise. My reasons are deeply personal. Today I gave a little speech while I was there. We owe our freedom to the fallen soldiers that lie here. 

In The Florida Jungle

Followers of this blog know that I like to hike in the remote areas of Central Florida and bring my video camera with me in case I encounter the Florida Skunkape or Bigfoot. I like the exercise and the fresh air. For over the last year it has been a hobby of mine.

It has been a good hobby. My YouTube Channel called fasanotampa has over 347 subscribers and a Blogger blog I started is getting steady traffic. However, it is getting difficult to try and make daily post for eight different blogs when Tampa Taxi Shots has been my longest running and most successful blog ever. I just need to consolidate and make this the Official Tim Fasano Blog or website. 

I don't know if you have a YouTube channel or not but you have to admit the flaming that goes on is beyond the pale. I have really lost my interest especially that someone has started a blog just to bash the videos I, and a few others, put up. Crazy if you ask me. 

Everyone has their own interest, and I have mine. This is a commercial site. Like I get paid to do this blog. I get a monthly check from advertisers and that pays for my blog. Simple, I got my reasons for this. 

We are going into the Memorial Day Weekend which is significant in Bigfoot History. Memorial day 1996 was the day of the famous bigfoot sighting in Washington State which was featured in the Hisotry Channel special Bigfoot Where Legend Meets Science with Dr. Jeff Meldrum.  Here this interview of him on Coast To Coast AM Radio.

Happy Mothers Day, A New Blog, And The 'Gable Film'

Happy Mothers Day to everyone.  My mother is no longer with us only in my heart.  I have started a new blog that is more in line with my interest.  It is called Intriguing Phenomena and it is about unsolved mysteries from the begining of mankind- Atalntis, bigfoot, Jack The Ripper, Loch Ness Monster, UFO, Zombies and so forth.  Just a diversion.  Why not.  The cab business is not so hot right now.  Check out the blog!

I was linked by Tampa's very own Nolan Canova of the most popular pop culture blog going.  He did an update on the Gable Film and noted where he got the info.  Thanks Noland!

From the Crazed Fan Boy site of Nolan:

The Gable Film
Last summer, I was told about this unusual home movie from Tampa taxi driver and popular paranormal blogger Tim Fasano. A Super-8 home movie, supposedly bought at an estate sale, showed a wintery family outing for several minutes before concluding with a shot of an unusual animal---seen in silhouette against the snow---that looked like an odd combination of dog, gorilla and bear. After several seconds, the animal charges the photographer, the camera falls to the ground and the film runs out.

Emery Rowe Was Let Go

I don't know if anyone remembers Emery Rowe (or is it Emry?) but he was let go by United Cab after 14 years of service.  It seems he ran over some lady's foot at the Sweet Bay grocery store on Gandy.  

Emery was always a Gandy driver and would never leave that area no matter what changes were going on.  I always believed  that "adapt or parish' is the law of nature. Some people just never get that. 

United Cab does not have a 'blanket policy' on how they make personal decisions. Discretion is the better part of valor.  They take a look at your track record, and go from there.  That was the problem. 

Emery had a long list of customer complaints and accidents going back years.  A couple years ago he hit a jogger on Davis Island that was clearly on the sidewalk.  Now this.  Not good. 

He was a friend of mine (but he could be difficult).  I suspect he was not happy about getting the grocery call and aggravated the situation that led to the accident. 

Oh well, he will probably surface again with Yellow Cab Of Tampa.

Facebook Photos: The New Porn

If I were to give anyone advice about the internet, it would be you are not alone.  Your friends aren't the only ones oohing and aahing over the bikini-clad beach photos you posted on Facebook: the most common activity on the site is men looking at pictures of women. Call it G-rated porn, writes Amanda Marcotte for the Daily Beast, who talked to men who say they aren't looking for smut—they just like to ogle photos of partying females. "You can stare as long as you want to," explains one guy, somewhat creepily. "I can print out, bookmark and/or download the images I see on Facebook to look at again and again and again.”

And in some cases, Facebook is becoming a replacement for other, dirtier sites. "Porn seems impersonal and gross," said a 29-year-old, who says eying photos of women on Facebook feels "semi-enlightened, in a way." And while "it’s hard not to feel optimistic if so many men are having fantasies about 'real' women," writes Marcotte, "there’s an undeniable ick factor to the idea of men getting off to pictures you posted for your friends to platonically peruse." So consider the "again and again and again" guy before posting anything provocative.

Knights Of The Road

Two of the more interesting guys I have picked up in my cab in some time were hitch-hiking thru America.  They were two young guys from California and spend most of their nights out 'under the stars.'  On occasion, they take a cab to get away from a major metropolitan area.  Today, I got their call and they went up to State Rd 52 and I75 at the truck stop.  They had the $52 for the fare.  Not bad for two guys that ate a squirrel cooked over an open fire last night!

You can see them as they walk away on the on ramp to sr52 in Pasco County.  They are as free as the breeze.

James Riley Former Taxi Driver

I was sitting on the Dale Mabry strip zone stand waiting for a call.  This little toyota came puling up, which is not unusual.  People often ask the cab driver for directions this time of year. The guy behind the wheel looked familier, perhaps he was someone I have picked up before.  As he got close, I could tell it was James Riley.  I had not seen this guy since 2002 when he left town after his girlfriend flipped out on him and left him holding the bag.  James "Irish" Riley.

He said he had been living in New York but was kind of vague on details.  He has an apartment but no phone.  The reason he was in Tampa was to look over his parants house in Lake County.  He just wanted to catch up with some old friends.

I owe a lot to Riley.  He was my first friend when I moved back to Tampa in 1995 and he helped me get my first apartment.  He was my neighbor for many years.  I wonder if I ever will see him again.

Oh, if he looks stoned....He is!

The Ghost Of Tom Joad - United States Economy Is Now Killing People

Tony the Itlalian died today.  He was worked to death by an economy that took more than he could give.  Taxi drivers are dying every week now.  They no longer have it in them, and their lives are no different now then Tom Joeb in the John Stienbeck novel The Grapes Of Wrath.

MY NEW BEST FRIEND

Considering that all of my best friends in the last two years have died , it has been hard to find new friends.  Tom Castros is one that I can call anytime I want, and he calls me with multiple text messages each day.  Hay, that is a real friend nowadays!

He also went to VPI...now how cool is that?

Don't let his "skin head" looks fool you.  He is a flaming liberal of the extreme kind....He would make Jimmy Carter look like a conservative Republican!

TAXI MAN ON THE RUN!

Watch as my older sister chases my twin brother and I around a tree circa 1958!  That was a long time ago.  My father was using super 8mm, state of the art at that time.  I imagine many people from my generation can find an old box with old film in it, a real treasure if you can find it.

A Picture Of Paul

Here is a shot of paul taken last summer. You can see his condition was detererating. He did not want anyone to know he had lung cancer. He was in his glory in front of a computer with a cold beer.

Paul Meagher Has passed Away

My best friend Paul Meagher has passed away after a long bout with cancer. He was retired Air Fprce NCO. He also drove cab for United a couple of years, and that is where I met him. Paul was my best friend of ten years.

Paul was the type of friend everyone wants to have. The friend that you hang out with on Saturday and crash on his couch and go see when you are bored. He was the friend that would call if he had not seen you in a few days. He ould give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.

His wife Debbie took care of him in the final weeks. He will be missed by many.

My Purrrrrrrfect Friend.

This little lady is my new best friend. Unfortunately, she is homeless. She has been living under the porch of a restaurant that I often eat breakfast at. It took a while for her to even get close to me. I lured her out with turkey meat and cat food. She goes crazy now when she sees me.

She is just a little shy, and I have not been able to pet her yet. I am working on it. I have not had a pet in a while and she seems like a very nice little kitty. I don't even think she is full grown. Poor thing.

What should I name her?

Australopithecus africanus And The Burial Of Jullianne Lea 1968-2007

This is not Doug Lea. He is not that advanced. His sister Julianne Lea died in early March. Tim Fasano, who was the only person on Earth that was looking for her, found her unclothed body in her condo in Hudson Florida.

This image is Australopithecus africanus this was the first hominid that developed the ritual of burial and the first concept of religion and life after death. This guy was important to human development and the rise of the Neanderthal who took the concept of religion to organize society and add structure to advanced society.

All humans claim their own, except Doug Lea. His sister died and he let her remain in a refrigerated drawer at the Medical examiners office for 18 days. He never made final arrangements. Australopithecus africanus would of buried his own and grieved and conceived of an afterlife. Doug Lea did not.

What he did was contact Typepad(My blog host) and complain that I was posting his email on my blog. They threatened to take my blog down unless I removed the email. I removed the entire post. Doug Lea seems more concerned about his email than his sisters body. Even Australopithecus africanus would of thought that was primitive and barbaric. What does a caveman know anyway!

I LOVED JULIANNE LEA. I loved her more than anyone on this Earth. My heart is broken forever because of her passing. I cannot understand or will I come to terms with her family never claiming her body like some pre Australopithecus africanus Hominids.

You won the typepad thing Doug. Cool. You cared more about that than your own sister. But understand....there will be a day, not tomorrow, not next week or next month or next year, when you walk around the corner of a building and something worse than Australopithecus africanus  is looking you in the eyes and says "So simple even a caveman can bury his sister."

I want search engines to pick up on this by key words. Doug Douglas Lea Brother Julianne Lea he has no honor or integrity Java Tech support computers let his sister rot Doug Lea no good  Search engines Google Yahoo, Dog Pile Doug no good very bad left his sister to rot. Left her boyfriend to grieve Doug very very bad search engines Tampa Pasco County Haysville North Carolina 312 Beach Park tech support Java Atlanta Madeline Kenneth Ken Julianne Elizabeth Lea actress pipe fitting niggers with blow torches pipe fitting niggers with blow torches cave man Temple Terrace Julianne lea questioned by Pasco Eric Seltzer homicide about her death detective

Life Can Be Unfair

Meet one of the fastest runners in the world! At least he used to be. In the Olympic Games of 1976 Clive Sands(a taxi driver) represented the Bahamas in the 100 meter and 4x100 relay. His relay team actually had a modicum of success by advancing to the Semi-Finals against formidable opponents.

The reason I say life can be unfair is that if Clive was running today he might be able to convert his track success to a payday. He like many others of his era had to stop running after school to get a job to pay the bills.

Wikipedia even has a link to Clive and his relay team from the Bahamas.  The members of his  team are listed Danny Smith, Walter Callender, Clive Sands, and Leonard Jervis They ran a combined 40.43 but did not advance to the finals.

Clive went on the University of Iowa and played football. I meet Clive years ago when he was driving a cab for United Taxi. He went through a tough period were he actually was homeless for many months. I would drive by and see him were he was hanging out, give him some money and think that an Olympic competitor deserves much more that being cast to the streets.

He has always remained of proud of his running days and being honored by representing his country at the Olympics. So the next time you get in a cab, remember, the driver may be someone of consequence. So get off your cell phone and talk to the guy. You may find his story interesting.

Traffic Jams, Old Flames And Old Cab Drivers

On News Year day I-275 was backed up in all directions because of the Outback Bowl and because of an accident going into the airport. Some guy lost control of his car on the slick road and crashed into the guard rail...Happy New Year!!!

While I was waiting...I had just got there right after it happened and could not avoid the delay, my fare missed his flight. As I was letting the ambulance in to get to the wreck, this yellow cab pulls in behind the meat wagon thinking this was his ticket around this mess...right. Check out this videoDownload Video008.wmv  that shows the traffic stopped in both directions and just how messed up our roadways are with the increased population.

New Years was great and when I got home, I received a call from "Kate." She was my girlfriend for 5 years until her life fell apart in 2004 and she had to split for reasons that go beyond anyones ability to help or even comprehend. Apparently she has inherited a giant sum of money and has now moved back to Florida and owns a condo near Bayonet Point close to Hudson. Don't worry if you have never heard of it, I did not know where Bayonet point was until yesterday. I went to see her and had a wonderful time. We ate pizza, watched movies(including Spartacus....Charles Laughton and his nemesis Laurence Olivier are phenomenal as a Roman General and Senator at odds with each other. Great writing...Peter Ustinov says: "Since parsimony and temperance are your new found virtues, perhaps courage should be included" ), hung out and I was able to relax for the first time in a long time. It was hard to believe I had not seen her for such a long time. The reason I came back today was by this morning she was knee walking drunk and on a roll and beginning to get very angry....I left. It was very sad and hard to just split. I had every intention of staying for an indefinite period to "get caught up." I wish it could be.

What was cool was 3 of my cab driver friends called me on my cell because I had disappeared and they wanted to know if I was alright. One of them was Paul the drunk guy. Paul used to drive for United Cab but since he inherited about a million bucks all he is doing is drinking himself to death. To the people that remember Paul from "back in the day" look at all the weight he has lost. This image was taken off of a video cam where you can just watch a man drink all day. LEAVING TAMPA BAY I guess.

Speaking of old cab drivers. Here is an actual video of Larry who is one of the most prolific posters on this blog. This is him sitting on our Dale Mabry "The Strip" stand waiting for a call. Download Video005.wmv

See what the TAXI CAB MAN SEES FROM THE FRONT SEAT

;written by a DISPATCHER. How cool is that!

Tampa's Pop Culture Guru

Nolan Canova is an expert on almost anything dealing with modern life, art, entertainment, magic, Star Trek, movies, Horror shows and all of Pop culture. He works the late shift at the 7-11 at Gandy and Mac-dill. I met him by accident.

I was in the store one night getting coffee and noticed an FHM magazine cover and mentioned out loud the type of camera I thought they had used (Medium format with digital back) but I did not know what Photoshop editing they used. This guy behind the counter says,"dodge and burn." and some other things at the time I did not know about. I wanted to know how a clerk at the 7-11 knew about photshop...He wanted to know how a cab driver knew about digital photography. In fact, He seems to know about everything! You can walk in and mention a scene in any movie or Star Trek episode, and Nolan will know it. No matter the subject, he knows it.  I once asked him how the magician David Blaine levitates himself off the ground when he seems to be surrounded by a crowd. Nolan said that was by "exploiting technology and devices unavailable to yesterdays generation." OK. Then he turned his back to be and proceeded to RISE OFF THE FLOOR ABOUT 6 INCHES!!!!!! No way it could have been a trick. Noland said it was. He then showed me how it was done. I am sworn to secrecy.

Needless to say...This guy is cool. Check out his fantastic web site at http://crazedfanboy.com/index.php It has been up since April 17, 2000. It is worth a spin. And you can sign up and check out his extensive archives.

This guy even has info on the old SHOCK THEATER. When I was a little kid my me and my big sister would stay up and watch this if we had been good.

"HE'S DEAD JIM!" Boo Boo The Chicken Gone

Poor Boo Boo. The chicken from Arkansas did not seem to have 9 lives like cats do.

This is the chicken that became famous a few months ago when she was found face down in a pond on a farm and given "beak to beak" resuscitation.

Boo Boo lived long enough to lay 3 eggs and receive love and care as the family pet. She was obviously sick and has passed away. Very sad.

They called her Boo Boo because she frighted ed easily. Like me.