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Ever found there’s a lot more
to someone than meets the eye? Well that’s certainly true about
Ricky Manetta (N16). You may know him as your friendly
marshal on Bank Street E14, but you could also see him at the
London Marathon – he’s the good looking one who sits on the back
of the police motorbike to protect the front runner. Or if
you’re a UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) fan, you could
have seen him with another DaC marshal, Stefan Fitt (P88),
walking the fighters into the Octagon and co-coordinating the
event. Many drivers have recently been asking Ricky about starting a self-defence class during the day. Suddenly, realising how interesting he was, Call Sign coerced him into an interview! He already has two classes in Essex teaching Karv Maga, the defence system that Israel’s special forces use. Delving deeper, we found his history in martial arts went back some 20 years, including boxing, jujitsu, wrestling, mixed martial arts and Thai boxing - which until recently he taught in two clubs in Holborn and Covent Garden. Now concentrating on his self-defence classes, he explained this wasn’t martial arts, it is defending yourself against anyone carrying any weapon as quickly and efficiently as possible. So with the usual journalistic expertise you’d expect from Call Sign, we could not let a statement like that go by without some proof to back up the claim. As luck would have it, we had the right man for the job as a volunteer. Mark Thurbin (M96), who is also known for trapping a street job to Marrakesh (Aug 2006 Call Sign) was in the office. He was asked to grab Ricky. He told the mag: "Ricky asked me to grab him and before I knew it I was on the floor! I can’t believe how quickly and effortlessly he was able to do it. I’m definitely going to join up!" Ricky then wanted to demonstrate how easy and effective the moves are to learn, so he taught Nuala from Driver Services a technique to escape being attacked. Smiling as Mark went down like a ton of bricks, Nuala told us: "It was so easy to bring Mark to his knees! It just goes to prove that good technique will overcome brute force. I’m certainly going to go to Ricky’s evening class in Woodford Bridge." Editor Alan Fisher, whose past is involved in pro-wrestling, told |
WHAT DO YOU MEAN JUST A CAB DRIVER? If you want to know how to defend yourself, Ricky’s the man! |
 Nuala on her way to bringing Mark Thurbin to his knees
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Ricky he believed UFC
was fake before sticking a gun into his ribs. He too was beaten
in seconds! Ricky went on to explain that your age, weight and fitness didn't matter because the classes were designed to get fitter, stronger and more flexible and like most things, what you put in, you get out. But the emphasis is on techniques and once you know them, you’ll be confident of being able to deal with any situation - even if you do have trouble running for the bus! Ricky is thinking of holding a weekly class at around 3pm as close as possible to the City. If you are interested in attending the class, please contact Ricky on 07950 267 574 or Nuala in Driver Services on 020 7553 7201. He needs a certain amount of interest before he can block book a venue. Some drivers have shown interest in a half-day seminar every few months. If you can suggest a better time or know of a good location with parking, Ricky would be very pleased to hear from you. |
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Penalty Charge Notices |
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Barrie Segal
– recognised as the UK's leading expert on parking tickets and
parking ticket law as well as being the founder of the
www.AppealNow.com website – has answered several queries for
Call Sign readers over the legality of their PCNs.
Now Barrie is assisting Dial-a-Cab in trying to cut down
the number of PCNs our drivers receive. This means some changes
to the old system… Until further notice, DaC are going to dispute all issued Penalty Charge Notices for those drivers who were on account trips. Not all the appeals will be successful, but hopefully some money will be saved and cut the appallingly high extra cost to the Society. The new procedures are as follows: 1. On receipt of a PCN - do not pay it 2. Take the PCN to Nuala in Driver Services immediately because the notice has to be disputed within 14 days. Please ensure your call sign is marked clearly on the notice. 3. If the Appeal that is lodged on your behalf fails, tell Nuala and an appeal to arbitration will be made. You will be given the option of either attending that arbitration in person or by writing. 4. Should all appeal avenues still fail, DaC will ask you to pay the fine and you will be reimbursed in your credits. Drivers have long complained that taxis are being picked on. DaC and Barrie Segal are now trying to do something about that. Failure to adhere to the above procedures will result in the driver being liable for payment of the PCN. If you have any queries relating to the above, please contact Nuala in Driver Services on 020 7553 7201. |
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