don't forget...

i heard yesterday that the lovely molly was eaten by a pothole of sorts. after texting back and forth with a few heads i found out that...

1.she went to the hospital.

2.was wearing a helmet.

3.walked out of the hospital.

...good news indeed. glad you're ok lady. if you want to give her a high-five for being a trooper don't forget to head over to union park tomorrow for some food-n-brew...peace.

reminder...

looks like things are coming together in boston...


We're still fighting for and expecting the event to be free for everyone, but if not, we'll update as soon as we know and allow a cheaper pre-event payment option.

don't be afraid to read the statement above again...FREE!! i can't speak for them so who knows if it's actually going to happen but bless their heart for giving it the ol'sassy try...ha! if you're planning on going i would register early and check back with them every now and then. they have a sh*t ton of events planned and they're already talking sh*t...

Main Race

Sprints

Track Events

No brakes! Riders on track bikes compete to see who can stop the slowest, stand still the longest and go in the most circles, backwards.

Track King/Queen Omnium Competition

Arm Wrestling

Boston is home to the still current Cycle Messenger Arm Wrestling Champion (NYC05), come try and take him off his throne!

Dancing

Who's got the moves? Prove it!

Billiards

Boston's got some sharks, step up your hustle.

Tetris

Game on at OMGPOP.COM in preperation, we'll be using their system to run our competition (Blockles, Items off).

Cee-low

Hot hands, throw them three dice!

Rochambeau

Rock, paper, scissors for the purists.

Poker

all silliness aside...good job! looks like it's coming together and good looking out on trying to make the event free...good luck. the naccc-boston will be july 31st thru august 2nd. can't make it but im sure chicago will be represented...peace.

messengers...just not chicago...

anyone ever heard of huck magazine? i ask cause i haven't but they have a spread with some of our brothers and sisters overseas. i originally saw this through house of pistard(btw, don't be offended by their hate/hate for non-messengers...ha!) they seem like good people? anyway...






Central London, 5pm. Commuter hell is in full swing and the chaos of gridlock rules supreme. Cars hate buses, buses hate cars, and everyone hates that angry man in his shitty white van. But in amongst the spite and rage, the hush of pedal power is battling through. London’s bicycle messengers – addicted to speed and the scent of the road – risk life and limb to deliver on time. But this isn’t their day job. This is their life.

find more pics here. are london messengers really addicted to the scent of the road? cause in chicago the scent has an exhaust aroma...ha! you cats got some good looking ladies over there. nice pics...well done huck magazine...whatever you are...peace.

who doesn't like grill'n?

looks like the ccu is putting together some good fun for chicago messengers. who doesn't enjoy free food and brew? im pretty sure i heard that they will be accommodating vegetarians as well. everyone should come out...even if you're not a messenger.

Don't hesitate to donate what you can. Even if you can't you should come by and enjoy some bbq with good friends/people.

i believe the food and beverages provided by the ccu is free to messengers but im more than positive that the grill will be shared by any and all who wish to come out and have a good time. see you cats there...peace.

as you may know...

i sometimes have the pleasure of dispatching drivers. i cover for the city board dispatcher from time to time. i don't do as well as he does but i hold my own...at least i like to think so...ha! who knows what the drivers say behind my back...oh wells. in any case, the minute 6514 checks in he already starts to ask to leave early. he, like others, will always ask that if i don't have coverage he'll stick around. personally, it's just one of those things to ask but in reality he just means..."i want to get the f*ck out of here"...

j.dot...well. things are a bit slow now so i might be able to get you out of here early. for now i got a couple you can rock out and we'll go from there...cool?

6514...umm, no problem. we'll see what happens.

...the day goes by and he calls me clean. the funny part is...everytime he calls clean i have work where he's at. gotta give it to him. i was short staffed...sure, we're slow but with not enough drivers then slow becomes steady to busy from time to time. this is good for the drivers who do show up...more money. five-four doesn't see it that way...

j.dot...alright. i have two going north. you said you live up that way...right?

6514...thats perfect. i live right around the corner from one of those.

...i thought everything was cool. i was getting work done and i would be able to get him out of here early as he requested. i was feeling good about it. then...i got hit with work i couldn't cover but headed in his direction...

j.dot...yo. im going to have to keep you till the shift ends. i got some work headed your way.

6514...you sure you can't cover it?

j.dot...can't. i wish i could. just don't have enough drivers and you're headed that way.

...his pager isn't working so i have to wait for him to get a pen to write down the next few deliveries i have for him. time goes by and all is well. deliveries are being made until...

6514...one-four.

j.dot...whats up?

6514...you're not going to believe this. i forgot to pick up the stuff going north and im already up here.

...does anyone else see the problem with this? he didn't forget!! there's no way he did...why? cause his pager doesn't work!! he wrote down the damn addresses and was literally two blocks from one of the pick ups going north with him. he pretended he forgot them and headed north with the original two that would cause him to clean up by his house. i should have made him double back for the ones he forgot. instead...i told him to just clean up and get out of here.

6514...ok. sorry about that...10-4?

j.dot...*silence*

6514...copy that apology?

j.dot...just go home. i gotta cover some work.

copy that apology?! i had to reroute other drivers to get the work done that was forgotten as well as the work that those drivers were originally on. it was a pain in the as* and some phone calls had to be made to clients. luckily we weren't too late on deliveries and everyone was very nice about it. as far as 6514 goes...well, from what i hear im going to cover for the city board dispatcher next week...he's going on vacation or something. 6514 is officially on the hit list...peace.

you cats still reading?

dear cuttin'crew,

how did the first book club meeting go? did many show up? what book did you guys decide on? is it still going on? the weather is getting nicer...are you really going to keep reading? if you are...i found a book that you cats might be interested...thank you to the london kids for putting me up on this. whatever it is. until it's over...



Young and athletic, London cycle courier Astrid Bell is bad luck - for other people. First Astrid's neighbour Peggy Farrell accidentally knocks her off her bike - and not long after is found bludgeoned to death.

Then a few days later, Astrid is asked to pick up a package from a wealthy woman called Ingrid de Soto, only to find the client murdered in the hall of her luxurious home.

For the police it's more than coincidence. For Astrid and her six housemates it's the beginning of a nightmare: suspicious glances, bitter accusations, fallings out and a growing fear that the worst is yet to come...

if you're seriously considering the book...please read the review first. my favorite part is...

The first half is told from the point of view of Astrid Bell, a rather rootless young woman who can't decide what to do with her life since graduating from university, so she has become a bike messenger until she can decide.

haha! oh-man...im out of school and can't get my life together...i guess i'll become a bike messenger until i can get it together?!?! does anyone take this business serious? sorry about that random tangent...anywhoo, hope the book club is going well...peace.

your favorite dispatcher,
julio

velocity...LA...

saw this over at cyclehawk...



also...

pics from orange twizzle bikes...

Here are the track results:

Messenger Mens Results
1st- Evan (sf)
2nd- Derek (la)
3rd- Owen (la)

Messenger Womens Results
1st- Mimi (sf)

Non-eligible Mens Results
1st- Fergus (sf)
2nd- Tony Z (la)
3rd- Vincent (vegas)

Non-eligible Womens Results
1st- Sasha (swarm!)
2nd- Sarah (murder!)
3rd- Amanda (la)

heard about results from squid via the cyclecourier forum. btw...did you cats know that if you won the event once already you are allowed to compete but not as a messenger? you can't be a repeat winner to give others the opportunity to enjoy a once in a lifetime opportunity...the worlds. if i play my cards right i can win this thing in about 20 or so years when all the fast cats have won it already...ha! looks like they had 25+ registered...nice!! hope chicago comes deep to this event. lets not forget...the cuttin'crew will be providing the cuttin'cruiser as well as a bunch of other cats car pooling...keep your ears to the ground for that noise. can't wait for june...peace.

politics...

we were told by a client to pick up at triple-one south wacker. any messenger knows that that building could be a pain in the as*. the packages are rarely down in due time...the building has a messenger center. anyway, we were provided a phone number and were told to not go to the messenger center for the pick up. i thought to myself that it was probably for the best but...

j.dot...we tried the number you provided but there's no answer. only voicemail. also, security doesn't have the package and as you know, the building has a messenger center and security is not allowing my messenger to pick up from them.

client...well. maybe if your messenger uses some politics he can make his way in. you know, use some smarts.

j.dot...umm, not sure how familiar you are with building security and messenger centers in chicago. there are no politics. it's their way or no way at all.

...oh-man, when she said to use some politics all i wanted to do was yell at her. i had the blood boiling. why should we have to jump through hoops to get a package where you said it would be but it isn't? i tried to reason with the lady and use some politics on her but she was having it. i couldn't get through to her that messengers are simply not allowed in the building. soon, my messenger had been there already for over 15 minutes...she said to just wait it out. i had no problem with it cause we were slow and the messenger could use the wait time. we finally got a hold of the lady at the pick up and were able to get her to come down and give my messenger the package going across the street to 30 south wacker...ha!

only chicago cats are going to get that one. the building we were picking up from was literally across the street from the drop. the lady wanted us to use some smarts and politics for the pick and all i could think to myself was..."this pick up is beginning to be a pain in the as*...why don't you go across the street and use politics". if we were busy i might be tempted...ha! naw...i probably still would have used some customer service skills. either way, the package ended up costing the same with some wait time on top of it. if we were busy i definitely would have pulled our messenger until the customer was 100% the package would be where we were originally told...peace.

nothing to do with messengers...

i've just enjoyed monty python for a minute...peace.

bikeable?

im pretty sure i've mentioned something like this before. after a while...all these posts start sounding the same to me. if it's repetitive well...thats your fault for actually reading my blog...ha!

we had 6664 pick up at 200 east randolph going to 101 east erie or something. not a big deal...both those address are not that far apart. sure it's seperated by the annoying michigan avenue traffic but it's not a huge deal. he gets to the pick up and the box that the client stated was bikeable...was not. too big and too heavy. we call the customer up and let them know that the box will need a car.

customer...i've sent out many boxes like this. i've also seen many bikers with boxes on their handlebars. it's bikeable.

...im paraphrasing a bit here but i hope you get where im going with it. sure, every once in a while i get cats to haul some heavy loads but it doesn't mean that they shouldn't get paid for it. she was under the impression that if a biker took it then a bike rate should be applied...see, thats not how it works. a biker is taking it because...they want to show off? they want a story to tell? want to see how much they're capable off? they probably, and this is the most important, just want to get paid. they are putting in more effort...risking a bit more...to get paid just a few dollars difference.

riding with over 15, 20, 40, 60 pounds is not that easy and as fun as it may sound. riding with a box on the handlebars is not safe. next thing you know cats with cargo bikes doing wagon or van loads will only get paid a single bike rate...thats just ridiculous. it wasn't a big deal...things got handled and everyone got paid accordingly. if you see messengers with boxes...is it really bikeable? when you're struggling to make loot - it is but they still have to get paid...peace.

messenger town...

what started out as a flickr group has now developed into a blog...messenger town...

Working as a cycle courier, or 'messenger' for any length of time gives one a heightened sense of the environment - of the city. This group exists for working couriers to display how they see their city, their working environment. It's not about bikes, it's not about messengers - it's about where we work. Hopefully it will attract contributions from across the world, giving us all a chance to see the great cities as no-one else sees them.

i gotta admit. many of the pics aren't great but many are. not only that...i/we get to see the working environments of couriers all over the world. even though i live in chicago i can't wait to see some chicago pics go up. i would love for us to share our city through the eyes of our couriers with other cats from around the globe. very cool project...good job to all involved on getting this together.




can i add pics from the perspective of a dispatcher? oh-man...how boring would that be?


thats how boring...peace.

get your act together...both of you...ha!

before you read this make sure you know the back story...read it here. let me save you some time...basically, the ifbma has been beef'n with the bmef. here, i'll save you some more time...no need to read the following letter just know that the ifbma is basically saying...get your act together and we'll endorse/help you out again...haha! oh-man, you kids are too much. in all seriousness...im glad everone is working things out...it's a shame that cats had to publicly go after each other but i guess that was the only way to make things work properly? in any case...

Community,

This has been a very long and difficult week for all of us. For me it was the first time I was called upon as president of the IFBMA to do something that really stressed me out. At the end of the week though I had a constructive email exchange with Lucas Brunelle which calmed me down.

Everybody agrees that the IFBMA should in principle support the BMEF, but it can only do so if the BMEF operates transparently and communicates effectively. The council has a duty of care to the messenger community as a whole and we would have been negligent in this duty were to have continued to endorse an organisation that was in such an obvious state of disarray. Lucas agrees with this.

Reactions to our statement last week showed how many people care about the BMEF. Quite a few have also already come forward to volunteer and work with Lucas to pull the BMEF together. The IFBMA council will of course help in whatever way it can, and if the BMEF commits to reconstructing itself professionally, the IFBMA will return its endorsement.

The BMEF is, as Joe Hendry reminded us, the jewel in the centre of the messenger community. The priniple it embodies is in fact the defining characteristic of this global family. We all work in traffic, and we all know how dangerous it can be, how often the drivers of vehicles who cause collisions get away, while the messengers injured as a result are no longer able to work. And because we know this, all of us would help a fallen colleague in whatever way we can. We've all been there .... this feeling, this commitment, this sense of solidarity with colleagues in whatever city in the world, is as much part of our culture as arguing about whether or not to mount a front brake on your fixie.

Many issues were raised during the reaction last week that must be clearly addressed both by the BMEF and the international messenger community as a whole. As many others have said, the most obvious obstacle to straightforwardly administering an international emergency fund is the different laws and regulations relating to health-care and insurance in different countries. This means that criteria applicable in one country may be inappropriate in another, and tends to suggest that a network of locally organised messenger emergency funds would be better than one global fund. But then again, if funds were only local, those of us working in rich decadent societies with sophisticated health-care and insurance systems, and with no real need of a BMEF, would not find it easy to make donations in support of fallen messengers in poor countries like the USA, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa and so forth.

Before the email exchange with Lucas Brunelle, I was on the point of making the following announcement on behalf of the IFBMA council. At the end of last week, reaction was looking like a game of Chinese whispers as more and more of our initial announcement simply disappeared from the picture. It is a little curt, but to the point:

That the IFBMA has withdrawn its endorsement of the BMEF does not mean that the BMEF has been closed down, nor does it mean that the IFBMA no longer supports the principle of supporting fallen messengers with a fund. Nor is it a personal attack on Jean Andre Vallery.

The crucial words in our original announcement are these:

"For such a fund to operate, it must be transparently administered, it must communicate effectively, and it must maintain a reputation that inspires trust. As far as we can tell, this is not the case."

And also:

".... we will always credit Jean Andre Vallery with inspiring the international messenger community and having started the BMEF."

The IFBMA council will consider endorsing the BMEF once more if it can demonstrate that it is doing what it was set up to do in a way that does inspire confidence and trust.

There are very many messengers who have benefitted from the support they have recieved from the BMEF, but there are also quite a few who have put in claims and heard absolutely nothing at all. We would be derelict in our duty as caretakers of the interests of the international messenger community as a whole if we did not speak out about this.

This is a crisis that strikes at the heart of the community. We are aware of this. But as is often said, a crisis is also an opportunity.

But now it is different. The reaction settled down. Ashira's remark was the turning point :

...it's actually a really good thing that the BMEF was brought up like this ... makes people realise that things sink if they're not cared for ... and if this is something we care about, ... then we gotta take care of it


People often wonder exactly what the IFBMA is. Ashira has the answer. It is much more than the eight of us who sit on the council. Actually, it is the international community itself, every messenger everywhere, you!

So what better endorsement of the BMEF would there be than if everybody just worked together to support it? It is surely up to all of us to thrash out how best to run a global fund that assists fallen messengers anywhere, to raise money, to volunteer and do the work necessary.

love and peace,

Andy Duncan, IFBMA president.

...that last part is the most important. while a few are helping to organize it takes all of us to actually help out...peace.

click on image to enlarge...

june will be here soon...

saw this updated flyer over at cyclecourier...

click on pic for larger view...

june 13th will be here before you know it. everyone should get their race legs ready for the madness. me...well...i'll be there cheering on my favorites and sabotaging my least favorites. actually...i'll just be spectating for blog content...haha? don't forget to keep an eye on cyclehawk for more info...peace.

reminisce...

i try not to get too personal at times with this blog. i try to keep it about the crew and their experiences...well, at least their experiences with me. anyway, the weather is starting to get warmer and i can't help but begin to reminisce of back in the day. i get the urge to jump on my bike and ride all day...well, at least stand-by for 86% of the day...ha!

where is all this going? i have no idea...i randomly get moments in life popping back into my head. i get images of super dave riding around like a maniac on his yeti in full gear...chest, shin, knee, gloves, full facial helmet...holy sh*t! i know he must have gotten a bit too hot at times. i remember picking up pizza to help gina replenish the truck. watching joey love skitch from one street into another. bumping into t-bone and asking him where he was headed...if we were headed in the same direction then we called out a finish line...i won the last race so i think im up on that competition...ha! listening to rene on the radio hooking me up with the best sets a messenger could ask for. coming out of a building only to see that my bike was gone...freaking out...then realizing that hector has moved my bike and can't stop laughing at me almost crying. watching james implement his yoga skills while trackstanding...try not to imagine that one...ha! heading to cal's for some nice refreshments after a long day of work with good friends. fridays after work blazzing up ashland with chris and the mole-man to another bar for more drinks. the greatest weaving in and out of traffic ever seen with jeremy, david, and aaron...that sh*t was bananas. i could go on and on...



when i first started we had a bada*s crew...

mike(mo)
trey
hektor
t-bone
patrick
mike g.(40)
james
rene(dispatcher)

thats an all star line-up if i've ever seen one. we had some fast cats on the squad. i used to roll to base and ask rene why he was dispatching. i still remember telling him..."i'll never do that"...ha! boy was i wrong...now he's back out and im inside. i wonder if it'll reverse again?

while all this was going on...we were getting paid. not much but it was enough to keep me waking up and doing it again. well, maybe it wasn't the money keeping me around but the people i met and continued to meet. thats what makes this job so great...although it's a high turnover industry...it brings in some of the best characters i've had the pleasure of knowing. even now...i may not be out there but when i wake up i feel good going to work. you never know what other stories will randomly pop in your head...peace.

roll the dice...

everyday we gamble. not talking about our lives and things like that. instead, as dispatchers we gamble on telling messengers to clean up or hold off. sometimes it pays off and sometimes...well, the messenger is out of luck. it's been so slow that holding packages just isn't an option.

i can get a messenger to hold a loop package headed north but...what for? for more work? there isn't more work. not only that...i got a stand by list that just keeps getting longer and longer. i gotta set cats up with one at a time...sucks but i have to spread the love. ocassionally some of the crew gets a few extra just cause...well, cause they are at the right place at the right time. it's just a gamble...constantly.

lets say i got you holding an econ going west till something else pops up. we can go all day with you holding the package and nothing will pop up. then what? you're stuck traveling out west for your last drop at the end of the day...sucks, especially if you don't live in that direction. also, we run a risk of something happening to that package. the longer it's in your bag the bigger the risk of damage to the package or, even worse, you may lose it. i know, i know...i trust my messengers but sometimes the mind wanders.

lets say you do go and drop it...what if when you drop it i got a few coming out of where you're headed? it rolls both ways...i could get you to head out west to drop...hoping something will bring you back but that may not happen. it's so unpredictable and, at times, hurts to play this game. i might have told one cat to head out but the minute i do...five pop up right were he/she was and on the way to drop s/he's headed. i might have told the messenger to hold off but then five pop up where the drop s/he's holding is headed...wtf?!

it feels like you just can't win. this business is funny though. i feel like karma loves playing a huge role in this industry. one day you won't get any work. the next day you won't stop moving. it's a never ending gamble. your hand could be hot when you roll the dice and sometimes you just can't win. the good news is...we never stop gambling...sooner or later, as frustrating as it may be, we hit the jackpot...peace.

hot doug's update...

man-oh-man...i posted it and didn't think cats would be quick to get at me with more info. thanks to BIG B and nat for getting me flyers and links. it's much appreciated.

now...to the topic at hand. first off, im an idiot. why didn't i try to find the website more extensively? i have no idea. i was spelling the website with an "s"...big mistake. the site is hotdougdrop.com...the site looks great.

we know it's hard to get what we want in this world. hot doug's famous encased meats shouldn't be one of them. check out his specials and order dogs for the whole crew in the loop.

mad props to gary and nico for coming up with a great plan. like i said...cats love these dogs so why not get them delivered to your office? here's the flyer...

click on images for larger view of flyer(s)...

gapers block did a piece on them already...sounds like there's some friction between the doug man himself and the doug delivery cats...

-- Hot Doug Drop is profiting off the project, which in Sohn's eyes makes it morally questionable. After all, a big part of the Hot Doug's experience is the anticipation -- going and standing in line. If Hot Doug Drop turns out to be a big success, those orders are going to slow down production for the in-store customers, who've spent up to an hour waiting outside the store.

"I know the guy who started it, and I'm going to talk to him about shutting it down the next time I see him," Sohn said.

oh sh*t...if you read my blog then you know i love me some good ol'fashion beef. sounds like the doug-man isn't too happy with these cats. i wonder if they could come to an agreement?

see...look at how angry they are with each other!! pic from hotdougdrop.com

it'll be interesting to see how this all unfolds...for the complete article over at gapers block go here. to start placing your orders before this goes out of business...go here. im sure this will all work out...as we all know...C.R.E.A.M...peace.

hot doug delivery?

thank you nat for the heads up. from the LTH forum...

Anyone tried the Hot Doug's loop drop-off service? It's not Doug himself, but someone who takes orders and drops them off at either the Mercantile Exchange or Board of Trade. A coworker saw them handing out flyers today and brought one back to the office. I read over the flyer quickly so I may be missing some details, but basically you fax in your order and choose from a set drop-off time/location. The service charges $1 per dog/sausage as their fee. According to the flyer, they've been up since February. The flyer does state that they are not affiliated with Hot Doug's, Inc.

this comment is followed up by...

So maybe it's the fact that I got two hours of sleep last night and my eyes are playing tricks on me, but I could have sworn I saw a bike messenger wearing a shirt that said something along the lines of:

hotdougsdrop.com

Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about? I saw him riding his bike in the loop around 12:00 today right at LaSalle and Jackson, and he was carrying what looked like a cooler/heater attached to his bike.


if you're from chicago, especially the northside, you have probably already heard of hot doug's. sh*t...even if you're not. it's a big craze around these parts. many people enjoy their different type of dogs. so why not take advantage of peoples love for their food and try and make some loot?

thats exactly whats going on here. i don't know about the dollar per dog payment but there's probably more to it than that. i would love to get my hands on one of these flyers...if anyone comes across it let me know so i can share. i applaud the person(s) in making this happen and thinking with their wheels. gotta branch out into all kinds of deliveries, no matter the distance or the package, in these times.

wait...does food delivery count as actual messenger work? haha...man-o-man, im a jerk. personally, im not a huge fan of doug's. i think it's mainly cats not born and raised in chicago that love doug's. most chicagoans know you don't mess up a good thing...keep it chicago style...ha! for those of you who do enjoy it...keep your eyes peeled for the flyers. i'll try and dig up some more info...the site that the cat thought he saw on the shirt isn't quite up...peace.

messenger hero...

from the chicago sun-times...

Chicago Sun-Times, March 3, 2009

FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS

A bicycle messenger is being credited with helping catch a man who allegedly robbed a bank using a butter knife Monday afternoon on the North Side.

The 44-year-old man was arrested at 4:30 p.m. on the 2000 block of West Belmont Avenue, according to Shakespeare District police, who were citing preliminary information.

He remains in custody and hasn’t been charged with anything as of 1:15 a.m. but the FBI is investigating whether he may have been involved in other bank robberies, police said.

The robber, armed with a butter knife, is suspected of walking into the North Community Bank, on the 2800 block of North Western Avenue and threatening a teller. The suspect allegedly grabbed money from the teller, who was counting it, and fled the bank by jumping into a cab, police said.

A bicycle messenger who saw what was going on began following the cab, which was weaving in and out of traffic. The messenger was able to use a cell phone to call authorities and direct police to where the suspect was, police said.

The messenger’s name was not immediately available but police said he may be considered for some type of recognition for his efforts.

anyone know who the messenger hero was? why didn't i notice this earlier? i read the damn sun-times on the daily...oh wells. must have been busy that day or something. good job whoever it was...peace.

BEEF...

if you cats keep up with this silly blog you know that the IFBMA has some beef with the BMEF. wait...the IFBMA is the international federation of bicycle messenger associations and the BMEF is the bike messenger emergency fund. there...i hope i don't have to spell those in full text again...ha! Lord knows i love me some good ol'fashion beef/drama...once again, thank you to cassandra for putting me up on these lovely letters...say, can i just call you cass-drama? anyway...before you begin to read the following letters don't forget to read the one that sparked it off...

Dear IFBMA Council,

This announcement surprises me. IFBMA may have come to BMEF with this complaint and worked out a solution.

BMEF needs more help and volunteers and not withdraws of endorsements.

As the treasurer I am responsible for making payments after they have been verified. I have also assumed many other duties. BMEF has lost many volunteers.

I am aware there have been miscommunications in the verification process and late payments.

Four disbursements of $300 each were made for FY 2008 totaling $1,200 and none YTD.

Our balance is presently $1,589.74

Jean Vallery just called me to inform me that he setup $25,000 of roller racing equipment, computers, and trainers setup to make sure there are consistent funds coming in without donations. He has fallen ill and could not stay on the phone with me for very long but said that if there’s a city willing to pick up this equipment and donate a percentage of proceeds to BMEF he would assist in this transfer.

BMEF has been around for ten years with its mission to donate 100% of monies received to fallen messengers.

I am interested to know how many verified non payments there are.

I hereby request that the IFMBA council reconsider its decision to not endorse BMEF anymore and I am available as always for any questions.

I additionally request anyone to come forward to fill any number of vacant seats on this fine non profit that was once much more active and will return.

Sincerely,

Lucas Brunelle
Treasurer
Bicycle Messenger Emergency Fund, Inc.
501 c3 EIN Number 20-0842274
www.bicyclemessenger.com
www.bicyclemessengers.org/forums/
617 262-2626 ext. 212

man-o-man...it seems like the ifbma might have jumped the gun? maybe all this could have been avoided with a phone call? next we have jean andre getting gangster on that a*s...


From Jean Andre, chair BMEF

part one:

You can quote me on this as well.
If you want to bring up issues for all messengers to learn and make a diffrence, then volunteer to collect money and send to the BMEF. spread the word in each city that has 100's of new messengers that need to know the truth about the industry. Also explain to them to get help from the BMEF they need to let others know they are hurt and don't have a good snail mail/email address for checks to be sent to. Sanctioned hasn't gotten people to make a diffrence and send in 5$ a month for the past 10 years so being un-sanctioned should bring in ton's of cash and volunteers. I'm not slamming anyone . But I need all three director's of the BMEF to stand up and be heard. Cory,bill justin. Kim the vice president hasn't communicated with me in years. Isn't this about helping other messengers and working to make a diffrence??

Jean Vallery



Part two

I never thought that this would every become a issue that required public blasting of a honest nonprofit that currently has only two people running it. To tell the world that in a span of 10 years to now decide it isn't worth spreading the word for free cash for a injured person. That the BMEF isn't a trustworthy 501 c3 and to remove any links to the website for future assistance.

Let me see I recall a few months ago giving 1000$ cash to the BMEF to keep it afloat. I don't see anyone donating from the corporations. I didn't see any money from the sale of the chrome cards come to the BMEF.

Is this a example of what messengers refered to in the past as not trusting companies that have no clue about messengers and now you decide that I'm a example of that?
Have you even bothered to check around to see how many people that tried to scam money from the BMEF to have a good friday night bash? How many long distance phone calls that it has taken in the past years that are not charged to the operarting expence of the BMEF. The cost to register the 501 c3 corporation yearly, as well as pay for the website itself? It comes out of Jean Andre Vallerys pocket. I looked at it as the cost of doing business for people ( messengers ) I cared about and still do.
Where are all the messengers from the past who were helped and all there responses for this action being taken?

You might as well remove me from the Markus Cook award list as well from the way you publically slammed me. Yes I take it personal, what the hell you think I've been doing all these years, anyway??? Oh don't forget to remove me from the messengers mailing list so the truth can be discussed!!

Jean Vallery

holy sh*t!! i don't know who went wrong where but, again, this probably could have been avoided with a phone call, e-mail, messenger delivery...hahahaha! im a jerk. you cats are all too much. i hope you cats work this out somehow...even if you can't live together doesn't mean you still can't co-exist. in any case...good luck? i thought chicago had problems...it's good to see that bringing the messenger community together is an international problem. i'll say this about this beef...it reminded me of one of my favorite songs...



...peace.

my mama always said...

yesterday wasn't that bad of a day...seems like work is holding steady for us. we're still not busy but at least we're somewhat steady. steady is good.

yesterday we received a phone call from one of our clients requesting a specific messenger to make the delivery. it isn't rare but it isn't common either, if that makes sense. sometimes we're able to accommodate and sometimes we just can't do it. who knows where a messenger will be...he/she may or may not be able to fit the order on their routes and whatnot. anyway, we informed the customer that said messenger...6706...would not check in to work till about 1030 or 1100...she pushed back the ready time. holy moly...this lady is hungry for 6706.

0-6 checks in from up north and i try to get him car runs to bring him in. we informed the lady that it would be a while and she pushed back the ready time yet again...man-o-man...did she just get dumped? is it cause summer time is coming and it's time to play again? is 6706 really that cute? wait...did i just say that?

j.dot...goooooooooooodmorning.

6706...hey, goodmorning. checking in.

j.dot...we have a special request for you. got a young lady waiting for you to make the delivery. in fact...she's pushed back the time so that it would be possible for you to grab it.

6706...haha! well, i guess i'll start making my way in.

...i had the man a bit busy to grab the order right away but sooner or later i got him over there. i didn't bring it up till it was time for him to say goodbye...

j.dot...so, was it you the lady wanted to see?

6706...yup. in fact, there were four ladies there waiting. they asked me if i had a lady and when i said yes, they said that if that doesn't work out to just come back. that isn't the funny part...the funny part was when i dropped off the package. the man on the other end asked if my name was phil...when i said yes he said..."im supposed to give this to you". it was the ladies number...ha!

...f*ck!! sometimes i wish i was still out there...ha! my wife isn't gonna like that statement. anyway...if one of you cats want to know a bit more about 0-6 don't forget to read the latest interview. maybe i should call 0-6's lady and tell her to keep him on a tight leash?

oh yeah...as the title of this post states...my mama always said, "you gotta keep several candles lit in case the one you're with blows out"...peace.

cmwc'09 update...

the tokyo cats are slowly getting their act together...ha! im just jazzin'...im sure they are doing everything they can to make this event one of the most memorable in messenger history...

To Global Messenger family

We would like to make an apology for not being able to make the announcement earlier.
We were hoping to start the registration on april 1st, but we are still in the middle of negotiation for finding the right exact place to host the event.
Although we cannot annouce the place yet. The dates are finally fixed for the announcement. Event will be held during

sept 19th(sat) to sept 23rd(wed) : Main race & side events
sept 26th : Track race at Tokyo Oval Keiokaku (Keirin Velodrome)

As soon as the place is fixed, we will make an announcement on the web site.
We are doing our best to welcome every one to Tokyo to ensure that every one can have a blast.

TKBMA

track racing on a real velodrome?!! holy sh*t...



you cats better bring your track racing faces to the worlds...i couldn't understand any of the language but i found this gem...



oval angels?!?! this is too much already and it hasn't happened yet. im jealous...i won't be able to make it. don't forget...keep an eye on the site over at cmwc2009 and, if you can understand how to read japanese, check out the track site at keiokaku...peace.

whats that falling from the sky?

this may be a bit morbid but it's getting a bit ridiculous. problems are problems but there has to be better ways to take care of yourself...i am referring to suicide. just this past month someone jumped off the marina towers and landed on a car. today...there was some lady that jumped from the lyric opera house...20 north wacker...

A woman reportedly jumped to her death Wednesday morning from a 40th-floor window at the Civic Opera House downtown.

i know, i know...why post about this on a bicycle messenger forum? well, honestly...is one of these falling bodies gonna land on one of chicago's messengers? i could see you somewhat laughing at that but seriously...look out. you never know what may come down on you. when i was messengering i experienced two suicides...one at the thompson center. it happened inside. the person jumped from the top floor all the way to the food court on the lower level...chicago heads will be able to visualize that bright idea. another time...some cat threw himself off the bridge on madison into the river or some sh*t. at least then no one could have been harmed. when the cat at thompson jumped i heard he was about 3 feet from hitting some little girl.

well...how do i end this post? i don't really know...umm, well...peace.

mmi...

the results are in...head over to youngblood for a full list...

We had 98 registrants. Thank you to everyone who came out and participated. Thank you to all of the volunteers who battled the cold winds at their checkpoints for 3 hours+. Thanks to Nicole LaBrie who handled a HUGE chunk of the organization and layout of the race. Thanks to all of our sponsors: Milwaukee Bicycle Co., Ben's Cycle, Twin Six, Heroine Salon, Three Floyds Brewing, Pabst, Comet Cafe, Hi Hat Garage, Breakaway Bicycle Courier, Bell Sports, SWRVE Apparel, COG Magazine, All City, Sanchez Workshop, Shag Bag, Knog, Panaracer, Stone Creek Coffee, Chris Zito, and One on One Bikes.

1. Kevin Sparrow - 1st overall
2. Steve Bilek - 2nd male
3. Blew Leader - 1st messenger male
4. Katy Steudel - 1st female
5. Cale Wenthur - 3rd male
6. Ryan S.
7. Eric O'Ghallager
8. Jim Huber
9. Armahn
10. Pink Leader
11. Mike McGerry
12. Jake V.Z.
13. Ben Fietz - first male out of town - CHI
14. Violet Leader
15. Brian
16. Antonio Wlth
17. Anthony Mingome
18. Lefty
19. KREMIN
20. Christina 2nd place female

pic by jen price...ben chewing on saltines at a check point...

...look at that...chicago representing strong with 1st place out of town. as some of you know ben has graciously provided us with an interview...he was also one of the cats i've had the pleasure of dispatching and riding next to. i have a feeling it was me that provided the training for this moment...ha! looks like alot of fun was had...bum'd i missed it. eh...maybe next year? check out the pics here...peace.