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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 9, 1998)
hursday ■ Thursday • April 9, 1998 MKk The Battalion mOLl I jjjC i I Ef B ho| ds s Rickshaw transports come to Austin Sk h T 'tanic Sow;- 1 By Quatro ;ica| ) (Platinuin! AUSTIN — In a few weeks of owning and operating Let's Talk 4boui Golden Boy Rickshaws, UT student Daniel Navarro has (550 Music) (P^een pleasantly surprised with his business’ success. The Pillage, O Navarro and his crew have pulled an estimated 500 larp-Epic) customers, including working downtown San Antonio Ray of Lieti )ne Weekend. jrick) S “It’s like taking a taxi,” he says. “Tourists can get a Savage Garc- our ( ^ downtown Austin or partygoers can get bar-to- 'olumbia) P car service. We will even wait for them to go somewhere 1[n n m ' else. People want to get from point A to point B, or even ° drt :o point C and I take them there.” Rickshaw runners pull the carriage by two five-foot o«#q , mo ^ en handles that have two bicycle-like tires, while *** 3 passengers sit in what looks like a ferris wheel seat larkin is 44. Roc. Tndjlay back to enjoy their ride. um is 34. Actoi-ccy The rickshaws hold about 600 pounds, so runners 1 Actor Jon Cry can pull about four people at a time around downtown. ■flake a ride, we work for tips!” yells rickshaw runner promoter Don K-Wwaul Navarro as a couple of students approach him 4e Shelley of the: uid t hen hop in for a ride. r is 31. Bryan Deham, a master’s candidate in business ad- Robert Hooks $ .niniM ration, watched the runners for several hours be- Actor James Wocc- ore Anally deciding to take a ride. 44. Actor EricREllr think we ran over someone’s foot, but it was quite PattinsonofEch: 3n tei'taining,” he says after the ride. “It is definitely a how host ConanC >t eai idea — it’s especially adding to the greater city of es (“Frasier' Austin. It’s the best way to get around downtown.” 5 31. "■Navarro said the idea for his rickshaw business came liter watching a kung fu movie at 4 a.m. with his broth er and roommate last October. “Runners were pulling rickshaws throughout the movie. It hit me like a big light bulb in my head: I could do this in Austin. So I put it down on paper and started working on my ideas that night,” he said. “I started finding out more about rickshaws. I bought them in Canada for about $2,000.1 got a city license permit and had to get insurance for them, but every thing finally came through.” Rickshaw runner Kama Bruce said he enjoys just about everything about his job, even running from Stubb’s Bar-b-q to La Zona Rosa, his farthest pulling distance so far. “You have to be in somewhat decent shape as far as your legs go and by the end of the night you’re ex hausted, but it’s better than jogging on your own,” said Bruce, an elementary education junior. “I’m not in it for the money, I’m just doing it for fun, but my biggest tip has been $40 from a lady. It’s a different adventure every night; you never know who you’re going to meet or pull.” Austin Police Department Officer Lee Sayga, who has been patrolling Sixth Street for the last 14 years, said although there have not been any problems with the rickshaws, he is skeptical of their safety. “They don’t bother me,” Sayga said. “But I wouldn’t take a ride on them ... I don’t even ride a bicycle.” However, runners say they are as careful as possible and respect the safety concerns of customers. 3 einfelcT series finale to air May 14 LOS ANGELES (AP) — After early a decade of chatting in he coffee shop, munching on ereal, breaking up with all po tential mates and yada yada ?ada, Jerry, George, Elaine and ranter are ending their run as tasters of their TV domain. The final episode of “Sein- — famously about nothing at all except laughs — was to be taped Wednesday night. The show is going out on top, still television’s No. 1 comedy and the centerpiece of NBC’s pow erhouse Thursday night lineup. The hour-long finale, which will air on May 14, was being handled under top-secret con ditions reminiscent of the “Who Shot J.R.?” episode of “Dallas.” A VIP crowd was expected to watch some scenes, but the ending will be filmed without an audience. Those involved with the show were asked to sign confidentiality agreemen ts, and scripts were kept from actors and NBC executives. “It’s surreal if you’re an actor. You don’t know what you’re go ing to be doing,” John O’Hurley, who plays catalog guru J. Peter man, told the Los Angeles Times. “We’re just told what to do.” Supposed leaks about the ending — one of which had Jer ry and his pals ending up in Los Angeles — were dismissed by producers as inaccurate. The finale was written by Larry David, who created the show with its star, Jerry Seinfeld. Despite an offer to raise his pay from $1 million to an esti mated $5 million per episode next season, Seinfeld decided to end the show. “I wanted to end the show on the same kind of peak we’ve been doing it on for years,” Se infeld told The New York Times. “I wanted the end to be from a point of strength. I wanted the end to be graceful.” Loyal viewers were left to ponder a future without “Sein feld” (not counting those re runs in syndication). No more new adventures with Jerry, the New York comic with the comical friends: neu rotic loser George (Jason Alexan der), frenetic Kramer (Michael Richards) and Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the sassy ex-girl friend who’s one of the guys. Critics had complained the quality of the writing had slipped recently. But the audi ence appeal of “Seinfeld” has remained strong to the end — as has its financial value to NBC. The network sold two 30- second commercials on the fi nal episode for a record $2 mil lion each. The old record for the most expensive ad time on television was set in January, when NBC sold a Super Bowl half-minute for $1.3 million. Ewe Hall By JED Simel & Lewis it iu s TbOfcV IS TH& UAST DAV OF LBlTC. that mbahs that you CAfJI 60 BACK r0 WUATfcVep. you o-ave \jP. HALL GIVE UP HUMOfc-T HOW THET &£. that SACK I Wi COrr, coverage. Tke n*-job-Havin' SelecTEMP provides temporary health coverage between graduation and your first job. You’re about to graduate from college. You’re about to embark on that amazing experience called “the real world.” You’re about to begin wandering around aimlessly, unemployed and uninsured. Maybe it’s time you found out about SelecTEMP from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, Inc. It’s affordable health coverage available for 1 to 6 months. SelecTEMP is what you need if your student coverage is about to end and you still haven’t landed that dream job with all those benefits. It also works if you’re between jobs. For more information on why SelecTEMP could ®^ e ^' ross BlueShield be right for you, give us a call at 888'422-2789, ext. 837. MMT °f Texas *Health questionnaire required. ★An Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association ©Registered Marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association ©’Registered Mark of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, Inc. SelecTEMP Need a Job For The 1998 Fall Semester? "OK >U0S College Station > Are you a fun person? * Do you enjoy working with kids? * Looking for valuable work experience? > Are you available Mon.-Fri., 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.? * If you answered yes to any of these questions, we may have a job for you. Applications are now being accepted for the Kids Klub After School Program at Central Park Office until April 14 For more information call: 764-3486 f I' -T.-Vh Outfitting Aggies Since FORMAL WEAR IIOO Harvey Rd. next to Post Dak Mall.... 409-693-0947 See store for details. Some restrictions apply, expires 4/25/98 rA\s Campus Tux Party Wings n’ More Across from the campus on Texas Ave. Thursday, April 16 ^ from 11am to 4pm OJ w Barb Flares will be broadcasting live 11-1 Visit Al’s Mobile Tuxedo Store for on-site rental reservations until 4pm. It's easy & fun...or corns to the Harvetj Rd. store. Register to Win the Ultimate Ring Dance Date • A Tuxedo from Al’s Formal Wear • Dinner at Outback Steakhouse • Flowers by University Flowers • Hair by Dana at Couffieurs • Nails by Nails Magnifiq