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July 25, 2007
Maybe it's the way you drive
[Pic]
Cab drivers are a superstitious lot. I ride in my fair share of taxis, and they have all sorts of good luck charms: pictures of wives and daughters, crosses, statues and idols. They have a potentially dangerous job, and naturally they want to curry the favor of the man upstairs. Thus, the fellow who has cab #666 in San Francisco blames the number for his bad luck. He asked the city's Taxi Commission to give him a new number:
Byrne asked for the vote in a two-page memo, claiming that years ago the cab bearing this number was burned to a crisp -- and the only thing visible in the rubble were the numbers 666.
He added that he's had at least one accident and several deaths in his family in the year he's had the number, even though he had the cab blessed at Mission Dolores.
However, there must be some crazy logistics to getting a new number, because his request was deep-sixed:
Somewhere in San Francisco Wednesday Satan's Cab will be on the street after the city's Taxi Commission voted 5-1 to keep medallion 666 in circulation.
...
But commission vice president Patricia Breslin wasn't moved.
"Where does it end?'' Vice President Patricia Breslin told the gathering. "I lived at an address of 666 and I did not go over to the dark side.''
Where does it end? That's a puzzling way to put it. Are there scores of cab drivers who want to get new numbers? Is the guy with 13 next in line? Speaking of which, I am pretty sure I've seen cab #666 in Chicago before, and it wasn't trailing fire and blaring ominous organ music.
However, I have to think that if he truly believes having 666 brings him bad luck, it can't be that hard to give him a new number. Either that, or maybe he needs to change the way he drives!
entry no. 918
Posted by oz115 at July 25, 2007 02:07 PM