Taxi Licence Test Is Too Difficult

Making entry tests for such things as taxi driver licences or new residents has really gone off course. This is not restricted to Australia. The US test for residency has been shown to have incorrect answers to key questions. New migrants to Australia complain about the relevancy of some questions. In regard to the test for a taxi licence in Queensland one in six is failing despite many being Australian born.

The Queensland test is extensive with reading, writing, numeracy. speaking and listening all being evaluated. Just how this improves taxi service and safety is unclear. It should be adequate for drivers to understand what customers are saying and to be able to communicate satisfactorily in return. It seems the whole job is tested as well. Map reading, following verbal directions, determining fares, giving change and solving situational problems are all thoroughly checked. It is known that many people are stressed and nervous doing such examinations. Even normally intelligent and adaptable people can fail.

Queensland taxi drivers are saying the test is too extensive and unnecessary. Even Australian born drivers with decades of experience are not passing. Many say it is a show test, a gimmick developed by bureaucrats. Many things tested for can only be learned on the job, after drivers have a licence to use. Experienced drivers are also being caught out because they must sit the examination when renewing their licences. One driver who had driven taxis for most of his life failed and said that's the end for me I will have to live off the pension now.

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Society

The Cost of Electricity Will Rise If Electric Car Ownership Increases

There isn't much doubt that as people adopt alternative means of transportation and relinquish the hold that the internal combustion engine has over us that costs will increase for alternative "fuels". A hope for the future is electric cars, the cost now being only a fifth of comparable petrol or diesel vehicles. If the majority of the population actually do buy electric cars the supply of electricity will have to be increased. More power stations will have to be built.

The Japanese accident shows that nuclear is no longer an option for future power generation. This means more pollution from coal and oil power stations. Electric cars are not an easy solution to the pollution problem. It is just a cheaper means of transportation, for the present.

The market always pushes up the price of alternatives. Households in the future will have a hefty electricity bill for lighting, heating and so on of their homes. Two tier pricing is not an option. All electricity will eventually have to be paid for at the same price from the first unit used, whether it be for home heating or the car.

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Dog Biscuit

"Oops! I've been snapped."

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Them Scooters Ain't Motorcycles?

I don't know about other countries but here in Australia there is a silly law that says you can ride a scooter on a normal motor vehicle driving licence. I believe that this is also the case in other English speaking countries - let me know. It is true that motor cycles are different monsters than cars. A quite different drivers technique is involved. It is said that many people could not handle a motorcycle and sidecar, for example, because steering it around corners needs some natural skill that one is born with.

Surely if one can ride a scooter, 60cc motorcycles should also be included. The engines are powerful enough to give a good ride to a large person over hill and dale. Years ago there was a "chink" in British law which allowed people to drive a three wheeled vehicle on a motorcycle licence. Some took offence at this and set many three wheelers alight in car parks. They were made of fibreglass and readily burned. This is much like the hostility some have towards those darned electric vehicles that try to run you down in shopping centers. The ownership of them should be controlled. People drive up to the tills then boldly walk in. There nothing nothing wrong with them.

Getting back to real issue. It seems scooter manufacturers are bending the law in new scooter designs. Take a look at this link Pinktentacle.com. There are some great space age designs here. They are nothing like the traditional Italian made machines. You wouldn't be laughed at drawing up on one of these. The bike above looks somewhat like a Harley Davidson. The Bosozuku is terrific. Perhaps it is the paint job but it looks just like a fast motorcycle at a glance.

In my view there is too much made of a situation with revolves around having fresh air between your legs. For all intents and purposes these machines are motorcycles. It seems if authorities make a ridiculous law the smart ones will change things to slip under the barrier.

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Roo Loses Car Keys

"Where did I put those car keys?"

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Odd Dog

"What do you mean, I look odd?"

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Court Decisions Are Ridiculous

It seems that you can get away with anything if you put up an absurd defence. A woman was charged for driving her car without light while the car had a flat tyre. The woman's defence was that she had taken the sleeping drug Stilnox earlier and she couldn't remember driving. Being interviewed by police was also out of mind.

Remember the weird claims made when Prozac was first brought onto the market? You don't hear anything bad about Prozac today. The same thing will happen for Stilnox. If the drug is so dangerous it would not have been allowed onto the market at all. It is just convenient to have something to blame for strange behavior.

The Court found in favor of the woman. It must be said when reviewing court decisions that the government puts weird people in charge of courts. Magistrates and judges continue to give lenient sentences despite pleadings by police and the public. They are certainly a law unto themselves. Indeed, many judges believe that they are above the law. They see the separation of powers as an avenue to become dictators which gives them the right to make absurd decisions.

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Roo Loses Car Keys

"Where did I put those car keys?"

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Dogs on Fire

"Where's the fire, Mrs?"

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Claims in New Zealand That Car Windows Do Not Offer Protection From UV Are Suspect

Calls from New Zealand to cover up one's hand by wearing gloves when driving a car is silly to say the least. This may be something to think about if one is a delivery driver or a trucky but ordinary people don't drive enough to warrant it. They say the belief that glass provides protection from ultraviolet radiation is a myth.

Sunscreen maker "Oasis Beauty" has suggested putting sunscreen on hands before driving. This is sound advice, coming from a producer of sunscreen. The International Agency for Research on Cancer says drivers should wear gloves, long sleeved shirts and sun glasses. Unless one is a professional driver this is a bit much.

Car producers state that laminated windscreens do block UV radiation: 80 percent of UV-a. It is side windows that are dangerous, though 37 percent of UV-a and 97 percent of UV-b are blocked. From these data obviously the New Zealand Cancer Society and Oasis Beauty are wrong and car glass does offer protection. Furthermore, most countries do allow side windows to be tinted which helps.

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