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2A - Thursday, January 25, 2007
MONDAY: TUESDAY:
The Extremist Arbor Anecdotes

WEDNESDAY: THRDY
Before You Were Here Capshrcts

FRIDAY:
Explained

Life in the love lane
Local cab driver keeps mood 'loose'

Expecting a typical silent cab
ride homemany students are sur-
prised when the Kenny Lnggins
lyrics "Lonse, footloose/kick off
your Sunday shoes" blasts frnm
the speakers aa they climb intn
the back of Myrna Ismail's cab.
Ismail, who has driven a taxi
fur Yellow Cab for the past three
years, said she relates to the musi-
cal Footloose because it is about
"a rebel preacher kid," and she is
"9a rebel cab driver."
When students get into
Ismail's cab - she calls it the
"Love Bug" - things are dif-
ferent than the bare interior of
most taxis.
Ismail decorates her taxi with
a different theme for each sea-
Right now, it's a Valentine's
Day theme. Pink streamers hang
in the front of the car and paper
hearts with customer's names
written on them are posted on
the ceiling.

"I spend so much time in my
cab, it's got to be a happy place,"
Ismail said.
She said she helieves people
have "love tanks", which work
the same way as the gas tank in
her cab.
"My cab has to be a place
where people can fill their little
love tanks," Ismail said. "I trycto
fill as many love tanks a day as
I can."
The paper hearts on the ceil-
ing of the "Love Bug" are actually
part of a fundraising effort. The
hearts cost $1 and will go toward'
film to use on the mnission trip to
Mexico that Ismail takes with
her father each year.
They visit terminally ill chil-
dren in the hospital, giving each
child a teddy bear and snapping
a family photo so that the par-
ents will have a keepsake of their
child.
Ismail said she tries to help
locally as well. She gives out

tacos and bags of empty pop
cans to the homeless, have earn-
ing her car the nickname "The
Taco Cab."
Ismail, a mother of five, is,,a
native of West Branch, Mich.
which she lovingly dubbed
"Hicksville."
Ismail worked as a carpenter
for 25 years before retiring due to
a knee injury.
But she said she didn't enjoy
retirement and decided to try
her hand at driving a cab after
moving to Ann Arbor four years
ago.
"There are not many places in
Ann Arbor that will hire people
with personality but no educa-
tion," she said. "Cab driving
doesn't require much of any-
thing."
AMA NDA MARKOWITZ
-Knew a campus chararter wor-
thy af a profile? f-mail suggestiosato
sews( lsmirhigasdoilyxrom.

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TheMician Daly(SSN0745-967)is puhliohed Mondayihrough Frday durngthe
fall and wintr trms by students ath Uivesity o ichigan.One copy isaailable
f reoflchargeto alees. Additionalcopies may bepckedup atithelaily'soffice
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.0

Myrna Ismail, as Ann Arhsr taoi driver, is known for her "Love Bag' cah,
which she decorates according to the season. Myrna is selling paper
hearts to raise money foar a missios trip tos Mexics.

CIME NOTES
Door damaged
by punch
WHERE: Angell Hall
WHEN: Tuesday at about
noon
WHAT: A door was punched
and damaged, the Depart-
ment of Public Safety report-
ed. Police have no suspects.
Bunsen burner
melts plastic
WHERE: Medical Science
Research Building 111, 1S00
E. Medical Center Dr.
WHEN: Tuesday at about I
p.m.
WHAT: A student using a
Bunsen burner accidently lit
a plastic cover on fire, DPS
reported. The fire caused
about $200 of damage.

CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES

Trespasser
reported
WHERE: G.G. Brown Laho-
ratories, 23S0 Hayward St.
WHEN: Tuesday at ahout
2 p.m.
WHAT: A person not affili-
ated with the University
was caught going through
the crash, OPS reported.
Man injures
thumb
WHERE: South Quad Resi-
dence Hall
WHEN: Tuesday at about
1:30 p.m.
WHAT: A man cut his thumb,
OPS reported. The man was
taken to MWorks, the Uni-
versity's occupational health
division.

Community
health event
WHAT: A discussion for
women of color about health
barriers
WHO: Counseling and
Psychological Services and
Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs
WHEN: Today from 11:30 to
1:00 P.M.
WHERE: MSA Chambers,
third floor, Michigan Union
Fiction reading
WHAT: A readinghby
authors Elwood Reid and
Eattawut Lapsharonesap.
WHO: The Zell Visiting
Writers Series
WHEN: Today at 5 p.m.
WHERE: Residential Col-
lege Auditorium

Circle K mass
meeting
WHAT: An informational
meeting about the volunteer
student group.
WHO: CircleRK
WHEN: Today from 7 to 8
p.m.
WHERE: Ruenzel Room,
the Michigan Union
CORRECTIONS
0 An article in yesterday's
paper (Tire gov't did it,
speakers argue) said Sun-
day's discussion of Sept.
11, 2001 will be held in the
Michigan League. The
event is schuled to be held
in the Michigan Union
Ballroom at 6:30 p.m.
Please report any error in
the Daily to corrections@
michigandailycom.

1A oman attempted to hijack a
flight to South Africa using
ass inhaler and lip balnm
yesterday, BBC News reported.
He was arrested upon land-
ing. Police said the two objects
"posed no real threat.",
2On a recent road trip to
Alaska, members of the ice
hockey team went curling
as a teano bonding exercise.
>>FOR MORt, Stt SPORTS, PAGt 8
3 A70-year-old man chased
down and tackled a 19-
year-old thief on Sunday
in Glen Falls, N.Y., the Post-Star
reported. The teen snatched a
$100 bill fronm the man at Rite
Aid and attempted to flee. The
thief faces charges of fourth-
degree grand larceny.

0

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b3raini
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MEET CAMPUS CHARACTERS FIRST-HAND.,
COME TO OUR FINAL MASS
MEETING THIS SEMESTER ON
MONDAY AT 7:30
413 E. HURON ST.

0

Offer valid 1/15/07-3/30/07
at this location only:
2139 W. Stadium
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-665-5741

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