"That isn't a gun..."

You know it's a bad sign when a magazine churned out by a slightly-more respected newspaper (compared to, er, local ones) like the London Sunday Times calls a Sten a Tommy gun. The two don't even look the same, fer cryin' out loud!

(OK, granted, 'tommy' was used to describe a British soldier, but the weapon doesn't automatically become a 'Tommy Gun' just because it's being used by a British citizen... not even when it's the most pugnacious of the lot.)


Tommy
Originally uploaded by Terz.

Some sub-editors don't earn the money they're being paid for their job, I guess.

A shame too, because the article, about a biography written by Churchill's bodyguard, was a pretty good one.

***

And of course, it's never good when I blog about taxi drivers.


Taxi One
Originally uploaded by Terz.

Got to the cab stand yesterday and there were two cabs in the bay with nobody else in the queue. First one greets me with a great big smile, and I think, "Wow, this should be a good ride."

Then he asks, "Where to?"

"Kuo Chuan Avenue, then to Gallery Hotel," says I, pointing in the general direction of west.

"Telok Kurau?"

"Er, no. East Coast Road, then Mohamad Sultan..."

"Sorry... changing shift. Going to Bedok."

I'm thinking, "What the fuck? Why wait in the taxi bay then?"


Taxi Two
Originally uploaded by Terz.

So I move on to the second cab... And. Got. The. Same. Response.

So, what the hell? Seriously, why wait at a taxi stand when you're about to change shift and you won't take anyone anywhere else but where you want to go?


Right now, I'm thinking, which is worse: having private cars wait in the taxi bays when commuters need to get cabs to bring them someplace, or having taxis in taxi bays that don't want business unless it's along their way?