It seems that it started with the win of a couple of wine gift baskets at my company Christmas party. My wife and I couldn’t help ourselves.  We must have went through 3 pounds of chocolate at the table, as well as the 3 bottles of wine….in addition to what was being served.

The end result was a sickish feeling and the call for a Taxi to get us home safely.

One of the solutions moted to cut carbon emissions by the big cities in America is to improve public transport. This is important but not enough in itself. People will always want to use taxis. You can get a taxi 24/7 whereas buses and trains don’t run all night. Moreover, people in a hurry and people with lots of luggage often need a taxi.

In 2003 the City Council of New York passed a bill requiring the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission to find ways to reduce carbon emissions from taxis around the city. The solution was to allocate so many licenses to hybrid taxis. This had already worked successfully in San Fransisco. By March 2010 about 30% of all taxis in New York were hybrid cars that used a combination of electricity and gas. Unlike conventional taxis, hybrid taxicabs have cleaner emissions and save fuel at low speeds and when idling.

It is this type of innovation that is needed to make the city cleaner and to keep America’s competitive edge.

It is not just in the field of automobiles and transport that we need to continue to innovate and change. We need to work harder at EDM technology, aerospace technology, IT, renewables and manufacturing. The challenge for the 21st Century is to combine engineering innovation with environmentally friendly practices.

I recently came back from a brief holiday to Venezuela or República Bolivariana de Venezuela as Hugo Chavez has chosen to call the country. I went to see the Angel Falls. The tallest waterfall in the world. It was a great adventure going down the river on a small boat and then hiking through the jungle to get to the bottom of the falls. Seeing the falls was an unforgettable experience.

The rest of Venezuela I didn’t care much for. The beaches were nice but the towns were lawless. All the police had become soldiers it seemed. For an oil rich country nobody looked very wealthy.

I did meet one nice venezuelan. He was also a taxi driver. When I told him I was a cabbie in New York and that I felt really drained from doing the job he recommended drinking coconut juice every day. So I gave it a try. At the time I thought the coconut juice from the coconut had an odd tangy taste. However, I have perservered with my coconut juice regime.

After several months back on the job in NY I notice the difference in my health. The coconut juice must be working. It contains lots of electroyltes as well as vitamins and other useful stuff. It rehydrates my body and has stopped me getting cramps while driving. I also don’t catch colds as often. And the great thing is that I can find coconuts easily in Asian markets in NY.

You can find anything in New York it seems except an easy job!

The garden centre local to me has lots to offer including gifts, cards, ornaments and books.  It has a great café at very reasonable prices.  Outside there are fish, pots, sheds and greenhouses for sale.  I like to wander around and look at unusual items that catch my eye.  There are also lots of plants, shrubs and flowers as well as gardening tools.

My favourite thing is to walk around outside on a nice day and look at all the greenhouses for sale.  There are so many different shapes and sizes that you could probably find one to fit in any garden.  The coffee and cake then go down very nicely before  I go home…….until next time!

While you want to get the top bargain, there are times when you pay a little more in substitution for a better service is a good idea. There are few taxi services that will provide you with a low value, but the service that they are offering is incredibly bad. You usually must ensure that you will get a balance between the high quality and the tariff of the particular service. Understand that your safety factors nevertheless more essential as opposed to the income you will be investing. Before you buy something, you will need to ensure that you are purchasing the right insurance plan knowing that it is effective at enduring for countless years into the future.

The web has provided all of us several amazing opportunities, specifically in the way of discovering the right insurance package. The most effective functions on the internet would be the fact it is possible to compare rates right away and next to each other. There are a few sites that enable you to make this happen automatically and from the website’s question and offer evaluations that have got truly become the cornerstone with the insurance policy market place. Perhaps, without ability; however, you can continue to compare rates without difficulty employing tabbed searching. 

I had a few different jobs before I decided on becoming a hack. I trained to be an actor for about 15 years since I was a teenager. But that’s life is quite tough to survive all along. My knowledge of the city was much more detailed than most people. Perhaps genetics me my father in and I are predisposed to be taxi cab drivers. His final day of driving a had him totaled out at 41 years and 39 days. He really want to finish on his favorite number,the answer to the ultimate question of the life, the universe, and everything. That number, 42 would have been reached without too much trouble, but  he got into an accident on his 61st birthday. And that’s how I ended up being a taxicab driver in the greatest city in the world, New York City.

I never thought I’d following my father’s footsteps becoming a hack to make ends meet but, needs must. It’s turning out to be quite the exciting job. But I’m not liking living out of town at the moment, so for the time being, I’m searching for flats to rent. I’m hoping that I will be renting a flat that will be more spacious than my room now. Renting a flat will be my first priority I hope that finding a place in Midtown will make me feel more like a single man in the city, than now where I live at home in Queens. It’s nice to be there for my dad at a time when he doesn’t get out as much anymore. Plus he’s had years of driving in the city, and I can always count on him for directions.

There are of course many plus points for the Nissan and while it may not be the driverless electric pods that so many sci fi movies have freatured the features are certainly an improvement. First there is a panaramic see through roof that will allow us to peer up at the sky scrapers without having to stand in the street looking like tourists. Then there is the space, serious shoppers may have problems filling the luggage space with their new designer shoes as there is ample storage.

One of the most important features of the Nissan however is that it can be converted to an electric engine easily further down the line.

I had just had my student loan payment through and was feeling a bit reckless – I had decided earlier in the week that I wanted to increase my fitness and I thought buying a rowing machine was the perfect solution.  The one I wanted – the concept2 indoor rowing machine was very expensive but I found a shop in the city that would sell me there display version for 40 % off as long as I could pick it up. Now, not having a car was a problem and my only friend with wheels was out of town for the week so I had to come up with a solution.  My taxi driver friend!  I gave him a ring and he was straight round to my house to pick me up.  He waited outside the shop and even helped me load the rowing machine into his car because boy that thing was heavy.  He got me home and even helped me up the stairs with my new purchase so I gave him a really healthy tip. Rest assured that he is still my go to man every time I need a taxi!

However, whether you’re dealing with a small RV unit or a large one like a Class A motorhome, the last thing that you may want to deal with is an RV-related problem.  When it comes to RVing, the road is unpredictable. Although it open to you overwhelming sceneries and landscapes, don’t forget that the road is fraught with unexpected troubles like nasty weather conditions, unknown roadside dangers and even RV breakdowns.

Therefore it’s always recommended to check your RV over before taking it on a trip – just like a cabdriver will check out his taxi! Spontaneity can be fun but it can also increase the risk of roadside troubles. If you are renting a recreational vehicle, then make sure the rental companies offer you service warranty and roadside trouble insurance.

As for roadside hassles that are not within your control like a nasty weather condition or a bad weather, the general advice has always been to drive slowly. Make sure that the road ahead is still visible enough for you and safe driving has always been the key. It’s also essential that you know when to stop and park your RV until the bad weather passes.

It would be so much better if in a team of RVers, there are at least two drivers who can take turns doing the driving one after the other.  If not, then it’s also recommended that the driver has enough rest so that driving concentration is ensured. Alert and well rested RV drivers are less likely to get into roadside accidents.

People who are driving an RV can learn a lot from the practice of Taxi drivers – drive safe now!