The Last Day of the Year

I spent my day yesterday getting ready for the caseload and walking several pups for holiday pet sitting. It was cold out but not NEARLY as windy. As you can see from the photos it was a typical buzy day for this blogger.

Its early and its raining/sleeting outside this morning and I am going to driving to fetch food for my friend with the big head and walk 2 sets of dogs. I may have photos to show everyone. Tonite I may go to Carl's to chill with friends I do not get to see much. Well, got to go get dressed up for the drive up Rt 55

A Festive Trolley

I caught the 34 Trolley from 30th Street and it was quite a treat. Makes me forget work and the lawsuit by TrackRacket

Winter in Camden

As you know, I am taking the 408 bus to and from work. It's not so bad but some day's the sights and sounds are funky and bogus. I went to the Walter Rand Bus Terminal men's room and then to get a bite at THE worst Dunkin Donuts! I can ignore it mostly but yesterday after a long day at work I could not!! See for yourself

After this pleasant yummy stuff, I then rode the 408 bus with the loudest bus driver EVER!! In this video below, he is talking about Jamaica with a female passenger who has relatives in this poor country. I tell you interesting stuff. No wonder almost everyone who can afford it has an IPOD earphone stuffed in their ears!!
Well, its VERY windy out at 5:30am now December 29th. I am going to work today to get out Jan 09 carfare so I do not get tons of phone calls from women who threaten not to go to a work program cause they are stuck at their house. I first walk a dog at 48th and Cedar Streets in West Philly.
No Millville politics till the new year. Have a good winter day, Please!

Last Week of the Year Begins

Well, I am up at some ungodly hour since my digestive system was feeling strange. I then proceeded to get some photos and video of yesterday the 27th.
It was a really sunny day. The rain had melted ALL the snow that was covering Millville merely a week ago.I did some clean up of the dog remains that were hidden in the snow. Also I moved stuff near the studio and in the studio for a future propane tank that will heat the studio. Errands were done and we were looking to buy a vacuum cleaner. Well, there

are many types and now they make ones especially for pet owners. Of course that is marketing toward us with our bevy of dogs and cats. We went to Lowes, Boscovs and a small store in Vineland which did not sell them. There was one that you could extend the handle straight up so you do not have to carry the vacuum up the steps etc just to clean the steps and the upstairs. That one was a cool $300 or $150 for a refurbished one at Overstock.com. Well, turns out that we got the old Hover working and sucking like its supposed to. It was a minor problem that Steve figured out.
Got a buzy pet sitting week ahead this last week. I will be hustling around for sure. Work, well got to get prepared for the new caseload and those phone calls for wakka money.
On another note, I tried the new editor at Blogger but it did not have spell-check nor the ability to upload videos, so after 2 Christmas posts, I am back to the old editor. The Daily Journal finally wrote an editorial about the horrible snow removal in Vineland. Oh by the way Atlantic Electric wants to raise electric rates 4.2% starting next spring, JUST in time for the AC season.
Its now 4:30 am and I will now get ready to make coffee and clear out the dishwasher

Christmas 2009

We first exchanged presents at home and opened gifts that we got from our families. We then left the house at 2pm and went to my Mother's house in Horsham. She had a feast of lobster tail with rice and vegtables. I enjoyed a Magic Hat #9 or two and we exhanged gifts. It was a nice quiet time and the rain remained light so the driving was not so bad like late Christmas Eve. Here are some photos

Christmas Eve 2009

 We went to Densie's house for a mellow X-Mas Eve. We met their new dog who is really cute. We had veggie lasagna and just had a relaxing time

Casework starting in Jan 2010

<A note from my Supervisor at the Welfare Office:

DAILY ACTIVITIES:
KRULL (A-DA) Alpha
One of the first things that you do when you arrive in the morning is to pull up your 155 (rejections) and 156 (terminations) alerts and follow up on them. Per policy these alerts must be scheduled within 24 hours and be brought into the office within 10 days. An example is if you receive the alert on Tuesday and can send the notice out before the day’s mail pick-up then schedule them for the following Wednesday. If not then schedule them for the following Thursday. All negative rejections (code 1 and 2) and terminations (code 3) get a conciliatory appt. All others get a partial redetermination. Remove alert, do narrative and give Miller a copy of all negative appt letters so she can refer to MOCS. The same day. At the end of the day you must hand in an annotated report as to when these people are scheduled.
A moderate example for scheduling would be to schedule a customer every half hour with an hour off during lunch time. This would come out to around 8 per day. Dependent upon the number of people we have to see this number is subject to increase. This is not an inordinate amount because at the 11:30 and 1:00 orientations we would be averaging less than 40%.
At 9:00 and 10:00 we will be having orientations for the people that ongoing, application and others are scheduling. We will see these people round robin including Miller and Baxley when here. We want to get these people in and out as quickly as possible. The person who sees this person will be responsible for the immediate follow-up such as transpass, cspren, etc.
Throughout the rest of the day your responsibilities will be
· See the people that you have previously scheduled
· Schedule the clients that are not on the 155 and 156 reports. This would include such reports as good cause, clients no longer exempt for multiple reasons, sanctioned persons, etc. These reports will be either given to you or you can get these off of dashboard.
· Special allowances
· Updating hours and screens
· Tranpasses
· Closing and putting names in the book to be sanctioned
· Voice mail /return phone calls
· Overpayments
· Scanning and imaging
· Any other project that may arisel
At the end of the day of the day you must turn in 2 reports: (1) the annotate 155 and 156 alerts as to when our customers are scheduled and (2) an annotated report of the people you sae at the (:oo and 10:00 orientation and the people who did not show at these orientations for those who are in your alpha block.. Also include on your report all the people you scheduled to be seen that day. The report includes:
Customer name
Case record #
Show/no show
Type of appt: app/partial/con
Action taken Closing, sent to be sanctioned, refer to earn center , etc

Should be a buzy new year!!

Snow Removal

Well, they got the heavy plows to do the job. I just have to wonder where the plows were in Vinland. Where does our tax money paid to the County go?? The county roads were a mess. Main Road in Vineland was real bad.

Trip Home December 22 A Video Story

I left work yesterday and it was a busy time.I caught the El to 30th Street and then caught the 36 Trolley to 46th and Cedar StreetsNext, I caught the 64 bus from 48th and Baltimore Ave to the Market-Franford El to 40th Street where I made a cash deposit. Went back to the El to 15th Streetto walk a large black lab. Next, I caught the 64 bus from 48th and Baltimore Ave toto the Market-Franford El to 40th Street where I made a cash deposit. Went back to the El to 15th Street to the Market-Franford El to 40th Street where I made a cash deposit. Went back to the El to 15th Street

Aftermath of the Blizzard

Yesterday, I took the bus from Millville to Philly. Well, it was apparent that Cumberland County does have the ability to really handle a substantial snow. It was really bad in Vineland on Main Road, Landis Ave and Delsea Drive (rt47). The bus driver described aptly as like riding a STAGECOACH! If I were living in Vineland , I would be embarrassed!! Millville did a better job for sure. I could see the road surface on High Street. My friend said that no one could park on High due to the mounds. Check out the video of the bus rumbling on Landis Ave at 7pm yesterday
My friend just wondered what our taxes are paying for. I mean, Philly has issues with $$ but they treated the roads BEFORE the storm. They use a brine mixture to prep the roads. I guess this treatment of the roads has not reached the great minds of this county.

Anyhow I did make to to work and Philly roads were already a slushy grey mess but they were passable for sure. My desk is a mess but it was quiet since nobody showed up for there welfare apts. Folks go to do other work instead. On the way back on the subway, I get to hear this busker play guiter. Neil Young was playing and it was pretty cool

The Road to Health Care Reform..

Well, the last holdouts Ben Nelson and Bernie Sanders are going to vote for the Health Care Bill. That makes 60 Votes. Republicans are hoping the blizzard that hit Washington DC will keep key votes away. Some have prayed that a Senator would die or become disabled. Yup, they actually prayed for this!!?? I have been concerned about ALL the consessions the president has made. Some groups feel that women are being thrown under the bus but another blogger wrote this and maybe its not so bad...(Senate Bill that is..)All of us are anxious to see the final language from the Senate. And a final bill must ensure that the subsidies provided are sufficient to make insurance truly affordable for working families. But based on what we know, here are my top ten reasons for why progressives should support the Senate passing the bill:

1. Largest Expansion Of Coverage Since Medicare’s Creation: Thirty-one million previously uninsured Americans will have insurance.

2. Low/Middle Income Americans Will Not Go Without Coverage: For low-income Americans struggling near the poverty line, the bill represents the largest single expansion of Medicaid since its inception. Combined with subsidies for middle income families, the bill’s provisions will ensure that working class Americans will no longer go without basic health care coverage.

3. Insurance Companies Will Never Be Able to Drop or Deny You Coverage Because You Are Sick: Insurers can no longer deny coverage because of a pre-existing condition. They can’t rescind coverage or impose lifetime or annual limits on care. Significantly, the bill also ends insurer discrimination against women — who currently pay as much as 48% more for coverage than men — and gives them access preventive services with no cost sharing.

4. Lowers Premiums For Families: The Senate bill could lower premiums for the overall population by 8.4%. For the subsidized population, premiums would decrease even more dramatically. According to the CBO, “the amount that subsidized enrollees would pay for non-group coverage would be roughly 56 percent to 59 percent lower, on average than the nongroup premiums charged under current law.”

5. Invests in Keeping People Healthy: The bill creates a Prevention and Public Health Fund to expand and sustain funding for public prevention programs that prevent disease and promote wellness.

6. Insurers Can’t Offer Subprime Health Care: Insurers operating in the individual and small group markets will no longer sell subprime policies that deny coverage when illness strikes and you need it most. Everyone will be offered an essential benefits package of comprehensive benefits.

7. Helps Businesses Afford Coverage: Small employers can take advantage of large risk pools by purchasing coverage through the bill’s state-based exchanges. Employers with no more than 25 employees would receive a tax credit to help them provide coverage to their employees. The bill also establishes a temporary reinsurance program for employers providing coverage to retirees over the age of 55 who are not eligible for Medicare.

8. Improves Medicare: The bill eliminates the waste and fraud in the Medicare system, gets rid of the special subsidy to private insurers participating in Medicare Advantage and extends the life of the Medicare trust fund by 9 years. It also closes the doughnut hole that affected 3.4 seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D in 2008.

9. Reduces The Deficit: Not only would the bill expand coverage to 30 million Americans without adding to the nation debt, it would also reduce the deficit by up to $409 billion over 10 years.

10. Reduces National Health Spending: A CAP-Commonwealth Fund analysis concludes the bill could reduce overall spending by close to $683 billion over 10 years – with the potential to save families $2,500. Even the most conservative government estimates conclude that the bill would reduce national health care expenditures

NOW they have to reconcile the Sanate and the House versions. Janurary 2010 will be an eventful month for sure. Local politics should have news that is sure to rile up folks and we might be getting more snow and snow-jobs. Well its off to work I go in the snow

A Winter Wonderland December 20th

Hello,its 8:30am Sunday December 20th. I am now eating breakfast here in Millville. There is about 20 inches or so on the ground. Check out the photos. Here is part of an article in today's Philadelphia Inquirer:

Officially, winter begins at 12:47 p.m. tomorrow, but it will be an astronomical formality.

On the eve of the winter solstice, the most potent December snowstorm in 100 years - complete with thunder and lightning - has left the region under as much as 20 inches of snow
And for the rest of the week, the faintest sunlight of the year will glance off a bright and dense cover, which may affect weather for several days.

Temperatures may not get out of the 30s until at least Thursday, when another storm threatens, although right now, that one looks to be wetter than whiter.

This nor'easter was at least as capricious as ferocious, layering the entire region with substantial snow, but in a reversal of the usual, it focused its greatest fury south and east of the city.

Dec 19th Blizzard

Yup, you and I can call this a blizzard. Really cool out. Easily the most snow since we moved to Millville. I have Video from 8:30amthis am and it just keeps falling.. Hung out Drinking Coffee then shoveling and the like. Later at 6pm we checked out the Oar House and then ordered a large mushroom pie. The top 2 photos are the beer garden at the Oar House and our house just tonite. The snow will end at 6am tomorrow. We shall see what the final accumulation is by then. See the rest of the fun at http://www.youtube.com/mkrull1

Bridge Plaza Camden NJ

I was on the bus on the way home and the driver and another fellow starting about our Pittman Express Bus
To the Tune of Moon River

Bridge Plaza

Bridge Plaza, wider than a mile,
I’am waiting here in style today.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Bus riders off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
Glassboro, Pittman at the rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend,
my bus riding friend,
Bridge Plaza and me.

Axes to Grind in the Cold

Hello,
Well, its 3rd Friday and boy is it cold. Looks like we are in for a small snowfall tomorrow. I have yet to send Cards to folks yet and its one week before Christmas. It seems like the axes are being sharpened in the political world of Millville. Come Janurary if Jim Quinn and or Dale Finch get County jobs, the axes will be out. Man, the County way of doing politics has infected Millville and that is a crying shame. Lets hope calmer minds prevail in the end and we can work togeter for Millville. You may say I am a dreamer but I am not the only one (Forgive me John Lennon!!)

How to Pick a College President in Cumberland County

I was talking to a friend who told me about the strange going on at Cumberland College. They had picked a new president due to a public outcry for him. This was after:

The board formed a committee and hired consultants in its half-year search for Ender's replacement, and a list of three potential candidates emerged.

So they spent all this time looking for a candidate um..

I read this in the press of AC this morning.

But Board Chairman Charles Thomas said the college received many letters asking that Isekenegbe be given a shot. Isekenegbe was offered an invitation to participate, and this time, he took it.

"We were looking for the best candidate possible," Thomas said. "After looking at the other three we thought, why not give him a chance? Consequently, we gave him an opportunity and he proved himself to be the best candidate."


I bet that public was friends with the Freeholder Director. There is some funny business going on... Ya think?????

Removing a Growth

I had a small growth removed 2 weeks ago and just had the stiches done. Dr. Crawford explains the proceedure

Millville Budget 2010

The Millville City Commission voted to raise its real estate tax by 8 cents per $100 assessed. Each Commissioner explained in detail the effort that went into developling this difficult budget. Commissonor Joe Derlla talked about future negotations with the city unions and he thanked Millville First for meeting with him on the budget. There was the typical grumbling that the city keeps raising taxes so much that folks have to move out.The new municipal budget raises the city property tax rate to $1.21 per $100 of assessed property value. The owner of a home assessed at $145,000 will pay $1,754.50 in municipal taxes next year -- or $116 more than they now pay.One cent on the tax rate is worth $146,973.
Cuts were made through the elimination of municipally-provided health insurance for professionals in the city payroll, including the city prosecutor, public defender and judge. Now why can't the County do this??
I asked a question concering a proposal to close the Millville Police Dispatch to save $400,000 in the budget. This issue will be discussed in further detail later. Check out my videos at www.youtube.com/mkrull1

Route 408 Bus

I notice on the evening commute, I have noticed that I miss the 6:15pm bus, the next bus the 6:53pm is ALWAYS LATE...15-20 min on the average. Here is video proof boys and girls. The photo is from the 5:47am Philly Express which features cliques from Glassboro and the glorious Pittman. Can you believe it snobs on a bus???

Fithian House ETSY Shop

Hey folks!! Check the right panel of this blog and check out the FITHIAN HOUSE ETSY SHOP Just click and see what I mean

Sunday: RAIN and the Week to Be

This past weekend I went to my step-daughter's house and helped with some painting and moving a few things. I saw they are having a new garage built and right now its in mid-construction. It looks like a mortar landed right next to their house and there is quite the large hole to fix!! for sure. I can not wait to see what it will look like and believe me I will have the photos and video for all to see.
Well, I am going to be processing (LIHEAP) applications instead of my CDU stuff. This ought to be something different. Caseworkers are being asked to do this since the program appl. deadline was shortened to Dec 31 instead of Feb like other years..
This Tuesday the Millville City Commission will be voting on a real estate tax increase of 9c for each$100 of assessed value. Most of the increase stems from health care costs. A close source states the commission will bring the tax increase down to 8 cents. There will be no layoffs of city employees. The Frozen UEZ funds cast a long shadow over the proceedings and may put the MDC out of business. Umm.. Maybe the Millville Merchants Association can pick up some of the slack. Just a suggestion.
Maybe I can become a Paperback Writer!! What!!! you ask?? Good question. I am inspired by Carl Johnson book on his art and now he plans to publish a book on his newspaper INFERNO. A Route 55 book.....umm We shall see if the economy is in better shape and get feedback.
Boy it sure did RAIN today. I mean its the 2Nd rainstorm this December 2009 and it was blowing sideways at one point. Well, no use to complain about the rain.