transmission
So this is a bit of a different post than usual. Something happened yesterday that I’m pretty disappointed about, and since this is my only real venue for voicing my opinion to any kind of pseudo mass I will now write a little story (which of course is new). SOOO I’m waiting for the subway with my friend mike last night we’re heading downtown to get a drink. We’re at st clair west station when a sunway pulls in. We anticipate where the doors are going to be when it stops and we prepare to board. Well the train stops and the doors open half way, then start closing again. A guy right in front of me is trying to get off the train and is now stuck between the doors I’m standing with MIke and another guy on the platform having hoped that we could get on the train we are now tugging this guys arm to try and dislodge him from the train doors. All the while the woman operating the doors is looking at us like we’re ass holes trying to get on the train at the last minute. WE all yell down at her “Hey this guys stuck in the door” she unphased does not open the doors we finally get him out (this all occurred within 10 seconds) and the train rushes out of the station. What the hell happened???? I was flabbergasted!! totally shocked! It was completely unacceptable. What kind of service is that? Why should I continue taking public transit after something like this? We live in a capitalistic society, an open market! why is there no competition to our public transit system??? If the ttc was private they would be ruled out as one of the worst run businesses in Canada, they wouldn’t last two days. The situation is so infuriating to me I will simply stop writing about it now.
IN OTHER NEWS!!
I saw a man from mars on the subway the other day, I think he was related to sun ra. Also I got my hair cut, here are some before and after shots (I wanted to see the back). Thank you Sydney, you did a great job. I took some photos of Emily today (my room mates girlfriend) she wanted some head shot type photos so we were messing around a bit. the end bye bye.
okay
rm
Tags: , art, photo
Yeah, public transport can be fucked up like that. Privatizing that sector comes with a lot of shit too though. A quite heavily debated sector in the Netherlands.
Anywho, the hair looks cool! I liked the old longer hair too though
How, precisely, could one introduce market capitalism to the subway system? You aren't going to have multiple distinct subways competing for riders. It would end up a monopoly, which is the current problem. People would still be caught in doors, and you'd still be pretending to be offended. The answer isn't privatization (though that is of course the answer to virtually every other question), it's making the government work better. Better people, better technology. Simple. I think the Japanese have already nailed it. They seem very happy on those Bombardier commercials.
Public transit is poorly run. Shocking story. Also, moot.
Sometimes the things you decide to go off about are comically arbitrary. Do you ever worry that people are just going to tune you out entirely, and you'll be stuck in a twilight zone where no one seems to hear what you're saying?
Nice pictures, as usual. And nice haircut. Though the haircut could well be long gone. Either way, at some point you looked good.
ummm, i could be wrong, but i'm pretty sure the subway is a privately owned company. again, i could be wrong, but really how likely is that?
"Privately operated transit services in Toronto began in 1849. In later years, a few routes were operated by the city, but it was 1921 when the city took over all routes and formed the Toronto Transportation Commission to operate them. … In 1954, the TTC adopted its present name, opened its first subway line, and greatly expanded its service area…"
– Wikipedia
who the fuck is wikipedia
Ken you've failed to miss a very valuable point! The transit system does hold a monopoly but the advantages to it being a privately held monopoly (of public transit) should be clear to you and frankly I'm shocked that you have missed them. Firstly a private ttc would instantly be concerned with making a profit. This is good. Why is this good you may ask? Well let me tell you, currently the ttc is heavily subsidized by the government and their management (and union heads) have little interest in increasing ridership.
You seem to think that public transit is a monopoly when in fact it is not. I have many options here in the city in terms of transportation. I can ride my bike I can own a car I can even take a cab. Currently all of the options I just listed are substantially more convenient than the ttc.
If you are to go back a couple blog posts of mine you'll find a wonderful post about the MTR in hong kong. You will also note that the MTR is a privatively held and operated company who have created the most efficient transit system in the world, one so efficient and free of head aches that the costs associated with traveling by any other manor seem terribly illogical. Of course by costs I don't simply mean monetarily.
Back to the ttc! So if the ttc was a privatively held business, a business that was extremely efficient and interested in making the transit system as appealing as possible as a mode of transportation, they would cut deep into the market of other modes of transportation. Especially when we live in a time where it is increasingly morally irresponsible to drive or get into a taxi. It would be hard for such an organization not to increase ridership and in turn profits!
As someone who is business minded (which I consider myself to be) I see massive opportunity in transit. People are begging for someone to come in and offer a new wonderful hassle free form of transportation, one that allows them to consume massive amount of alcohol and get home without incident. I can add to my list but I think you get my point.
did anyone hear something?
no?
must have been my imagination
First of all… your Batman.
Secondly, I had a whole bunch of things to say about your suggestions, but then I scrolled down to the comments, and I think Ken pretty much covered what everybody was thinking. Sorry Ryan, but he even did some research to support his argument…all you did was poorly write a story that may or not have been true.
Also, "who is wik-pedia?"… funniest comment i've seen on facebook so far.
I think that the TTC should undergo a massive transformation into a structure that mirrors the premise of the "Quantum Leap" series. Scott Bakula just leaps through time into the bodies of other people until he leaps his way back into his body (if leaping back into his own body is even possible…let alone at the chronologically accurate time, which i highly doubt).
Any thoughts?
ps i love the haircut.
You look like someone who left home to join the Army because Dad didn't understand, then realized that the Army is fucking insane, and returned to civilian-status to pursue an interest in analog synthesizers.
You bastard you didn't even read my reply to ken. I'm clearly right!
I don't care what they say about your haircut, Ryan. I like it. Carrie-Anne Moss couldn't pull it off any better herself.
AH I see what you did there you deleted and re-wrote! OH wasn't good enough the first time around!
I'm just pissed off my image wont embed.
http://i72.photobucket.com
that is the haircut of hers you mean….right?
Thought I'd clarify. Your pout and knife-wield could use some work, but this is essentially the idea …
http://imagecache2.allpost
Oh I remember that, that's when I said this right?
Ryan: How did you do that?
Neo: Do what?
Ryan: You moved like they do. I've never seen anyone move that fast.
Ryan (gently brushing back Neo's hair): I know because I saw the Oracle. And she told me that I would fall in love with a man, and that that man would be the one … to privatize the TTC and ensure efficient transit and market capitalism are instilled in a society where the subsidies of our government eliminate the need to compete and offer riders the best chance for a pleasant and reasonable commute.
Theatre-goers: This movie is laaaaaaaame!
HAHAHAHAHA.
In The Matrix, an obvious cinematic allegory for the evils of market capitalism,
(1) subways are prominently featured;
(2) Neo wakes up in the Real World with his hair is gone; and
(3) Morpheus is a black man.
I ask you, could all of this be some mere coincidence?
I remember it a little differently:
Ryan: All right, pop quiz. Airport, gunman with one hostage. He's using her for cover; he's almost to a plane. You're a hundred feet away … Jack?
Neo: Shoot the hostage.
I'm pretty sure this is what I said
Neo: You're crazy! You're fuckin' crazy!
me: NO! Poor people are crazy, Jack. I'm eccentric.
listen public transit is garbage because the conservative/liberal push to slice budgets in half so that people who drive cars and live in the burbs can have more of their tax dollars back made it so, dont blame the starved public service for its woes
same goes for universities and hospitals, billions of surplus dollars federally and nobody gets a share because when you make cutbacks for so long you create a crisis in the public system so that people are comfortable with the idea of privatization. where did the surplus come from DUH the cutbacks to said transit and services
this doesnt just go for party conservatives, it goes for chretien- martin liberals so dont worry im not picking on your party of choice
anyway i agree with suzan you are a long hair face, short hair makes you look mini and far too emo-pro
xox
seaflow
Ryan: NO! Let me tell you what you've produced… Over the last two weeks, you two have produced exactly squat! SQUAT! During which time the ex-presidents have robbed two more banks. Now for Christ's sake, does either one of you have anything even remotely interesting to tell me?
[brief pause]
Neo: I caught my first tube today… Sir.
RYAN: What's your power animal?
NEO: That’s personal.
Hi,
I don’t know who’s the girl on the picture, but i’m sure that her face is the most betiful i’ve seen, the kind of face i was always looking for, nothing more to say, just perfect.
Best Wishes..by the way, I’m really happy to have found out this site, it’s really nice..every picture has something nice in it, but, as i told before..She’s the best..