Schadenfreude In Millville

I woke up and did my daily reading of the news and I read about arts funding being cut. Of course I read the comments below:

noscuplz wrote:
Job creation or welfare hand outs ? Art , it's all about pain, or you do it because you love it. These bottom of the barrel locals are just a bunch of LAZY BUTTS unwilling to work for their art. Hand out, higher taxes , I'm glad you people will have to suffer like many others have to do paying your own way. The free lunch is going fast. 12/11/2009 4:32:04 AM

As you can see this person can't wait to spread the HATE...

At least Mr. Slappy set this niconpoop straight...

slappythedoorman wrote:
Why the hate?? This money is for programs that benefit children and others besides the artists. This is your STATE TAXES YOU PAID that was to come back to benefit Millville!! Do you not get it??
Why don't you go out to Wheaton Arts or the RRCA and tell them they are lazy. I bet you would not work at the income MOST arts organizations and artists make.
Did you know that HEATH CARE COSTS are the REASON that Millville taxes are going up and more and more people do NOT have health insurance EVEN if they are working.
There is a word for people like you who "delight in others' misfortune."
This word is schadenfreude.

Gay Marrage

Good Morning. New Jersey is considering legalizing gay marrage. I am in favor of this. I think that gays should be held to the same legal responsibilities as straight folks like you and me. Yes, they are going about it in a less then savory way and that is because the new gov will veto it.
Its been proven that civil unions are not equal in stature or responsibility as marrage. This will not hurt marrag. Face it 50% of marriges end in divorce and this was BEFORE gay marrage. Separate but equal does not cut it and its time to legalize gay marrige.

My First Podcast- Pearl Harbor Day

Remember Those who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice!!!!

>Good morning. Its Pearl Harbor day today. Its cold out and here is my 1st Podcast. Ronnie was up all night on her computer and Steve and I are eating breakfast. I read today in Philly.com that we are going to have a cold and snowy winter. Check back and see in March if they were correct on El Ninio. An other week ahead of us.
18 Days till Christmas

Current Thoughts & Past Events

I was on the web drinking...my coffee this morning and got an email from a West Philly list serve. Parts of West Philly are gentrified and funky in a good way. Check this video out. It's now a destination when the "alternative" weekly makes a video about how cool it is to live in your part of the city. Its the hip part of West Philly where we used to live. Again we lived in the cheaper and LESS hip part of West Philly at 49Th and Locust St but it was a 5 min car ride away . You know that when the local hipster paper writes and make videos of how funky a place, we are not talking about the smell..that's for sure.
How Y''All doing? I cooked up some pasta for a quick dinner since we were all pretty hungry. Carolyne rented from NetFlix the show TWIN PEAKS. Wow, what a trip watching that. It sends me back to 1990 when I had more hair and less cynical about politics.
Last week's City Commission meeting may have ushered a new era of politics. We shall soon see. I of course will report on what I observe and hear. I know folks are feeling victimized and it reminds me of a time not so long ago in Millville that is forgotten. Listen to the lyrics to a GREAT REM song and maybe there will be understanding. I am hoping the alarmists visions of doom and gloom in Millville politics does not occur.Its like this video in my mind. Sometimes bad stuff happens to good qualified people . Life goes on but boy it DOES suck to get screwed while the rest of the world goes on its merry way. Its tiring and depressing!!
Anyway, I hope to see some of you readers before and during the holidays. Perhaps at the Oar House or on High Street. Some of you live outside of Millville and you know where I work.
In my job in the Career Development Unit, we are going back to Alpha caseloads starting in Jan 2010. I know about that 3 weeks ago but told to not to say anything but at our staff meeting last Friday at 3pm the District Administrator told the whole staff.
I will not be doing sanctions any longer. That is my reward for being considered a decent IMCW. I am tired of sanctions and am 100 folks behind since I did not write up a SINGLE sanction since October due to SEPTA strike, absences and I was pulled to to other work... I will now have to contend with the DAMMED phone ringing off the hook for Carfare over and over especially at the end and beginning of the month. Oh well, I at least have A JOB!!!!!!!! Business is booming and our compliance rate is down to 37% as of now and we are supposed to be at a min 50%. Next month's report is really gonna be BAD. Thank God we are Union cause the bozos that run DPW would have us fired due to their incompetence.
Gee, think I am on caffeine much???? That iced tea with lemonade sure packs a caffeinated punch. I use it at work for a refreshing break in the dry indoor air.
Looks like the cold weather ushered yesterday is here to stay. Temps will stay in the 40 for the HIGH temperature. The only mild day forecast is Weds and it will be rainy and windy with a high of 50..YUM!!!
We are trying to rustle enough money to install a chimney for our wood-burning stove in our outside studio. Its gonna cost between 1,200 to 1,800 bucks. The person staying in the studio now has to sleep in the couch. In fact its 11:49 am and she is STILL sleeping. Needless to say she is 22 year old. I guess since I can not really talk on caffeine, I guess email will have to to (typo's included).
We were going to put our old dog Wolfie to sleep since he AGAIN bit someone in our home. We went to the vet and she told us that they are required by law to WAIT 15 days after a bite to see if the dog has rabies. That was a bit bizarre cause this was a different story from Weds when the vet was called. This vet was very good and we trust she KNEW what she was talking about. She said that our dog probably has a brain tumor that is making him so disturbed. We now have a muzzle on old Wolfie and will have to mull our options in the next 2 weeks. Here is a photo of Wolfie I made this past Thanksgiving. Its pretty ironic don't ya think. I wrote about this in an earlier blog entry that you might have missed since you had more interesting things to read about such as the number of chicks Tiger Woods was playing with on the side. Yup that NY Post had a story about how he likes rough sex...YEAH, news I can use...??
Today I spoiled myself and bought the Philly Inquirer AND the NY times and guess what the only story about Tiger Woods is about how stupid he was to text his lovers and expect PRIVACY. Umm...Umm girl...
Lets rewind the blog clock shall we. Back one year ago, the noise at the NJ Motorsports Park was just starting to...rev up when Millville First knowing a good election issue, held a public meeting in December 2008 that was well-attended. . In January 2009 the group TrackRacket with its leader Michelle Post made a splashy introduction with a well-organized meeting that was standing room only. This group also timed their issues to the spotlight of the upcoming City Commission election in May 2009. TrackRacket held a meeting a week before the election and in my mind, this meeting did not go so well for the interests of TrackRacket as you will notice on a video taken at the meeting. This election saw 12 candidates running for 5 seats. Commissioner Parent decided not to run. Even with opposition from 2 fronts all the incumbents managed to win. I gave my endorsements here. The Levoy Theatre in downtown Millville has been vacant for over 20 years and though the efforts of Lauren VanEmbden and her father Phillip Van Embden, we are closer then we ever have to having a 1st class venue for the arts and theatre. There has been notable success in getting the support and funding to undertake this massive renovation. I have reported on this in several blog entries over the past year. The effort began publicly at a City Commission meeting held on Tues December 16 2008. Petitions were given to the city Commission showing support from Millville residents. As time went on progress was made as seen here. Lets hope the progress continues and costs do not doom the project.
It was 2 years ago we went to the Oar House after the Soul of the Season and Saw Subculture and had a real fun time. Here is what I did 3 years ago WOW!! My blog is 4 years old. Well, no time to party,4:40am is real close and I should get some shut eye so I can catch the 5:47 bus to Philly

Its Friday Dec 4th

Good morning. Its FRIDAY and man this week has ended. Ethian Arnoff has left the County. Lets see who Big Lou Picks... Its almost 5:30 am and Steve and Carolyne and I are now up sipping yummy coffee.I need to get ready for the 5:47 Rt 408 Express to Philly. Yesterday, I figured how to get to the 555 building via SEPTA and it went pretty well. The RT 44 Bus had very large clean windows and I was able to get decent photos of 30th Street Station.
I got a shot of an eagle that is very cool We are now faced with putting our dog Wolfe to sleep. He bit someone again. He appears to having pain in his back and legs and we think that is why he tends to bite. We need to protect ourselfs from lawyers and take the dog out of his misery and pain.
Well its time to take NJ Transit and SEPTA..

The Rest of December 1st

Before attending the City Commission meeting I wrote about, I had to get to work via the NJ Transit. I was up very early having breakfast and computer time. I then caught the 408 Bus at 5:47 am to Philly and went to work to tackle the welfare wakka. I know that I will be put on a caseload in Janurary. I am not to say anything since EVERYONE will be on a caseload like it was 2 years ago. I have written a sanction in a MONTH. I took the slowest bus in the earth back to Millville. I mean it was packed and it stopped every 2 minutes and I was 20 min late! Not content with just going to the meeting, I went to the Oar House and saw folks on BOTH sides of the whole issue. Folks were civil but yet tense. The beer was soothing thats for sure! What would Millville be like without the Oar House?? Yesterday I went to Penna Hospital to have a funky mole removed from my back. It was a 20 min procedure. Dr Crawford was effecient and I did not have to wait long to get this done. As for today, I need to postpone a Dr apt since it would take forever to get there on City Line Ave via the SEPTA Rt 44 bus from 8th and Market. Then get the Rt 52 bus from 54th and City Line Avenue to 52nd and Market and walk to 57th Street in this rain we are having. Guess I have to call the Dr. Tomorrow a dentest apt to clean my teeth at Dr. Reiff right on Pine. So I can just catch the bus from 2nd Street. Feel free to comment and stay warm Y'All.....

December 1st Politics in Millville

Anyone who reads this blog or MagazzuWatch know what transpired last night at the City Commission Meeting. Jim Swift was voted out as public defender. Brock Russell the current prosecutor was installed as public defender. Lauren VanEmbden was voted in as the new prosecutor. See video:
What should have been a routine matter has become embroiled in messy partisan politics, rumors and resentment to flood out the city.
I have listend to the parties involved. I first found out this was going to happen on 3rd Friday last month. I followed up by asking questions and received strident and defensive answers. I have heard folks say that they would move out if they did not get their way on this matter. This to me was the most disturbing aspect of this political situation. It appears that scorched earth politics has reached the city limits of Millville. Not even Millville First has generated such division amongst folks who are active with making Millville a better place.
Will we see mass resignations by city activists? Will the criminals run amok with a new prosecutor?? Is Lou Magazzu involved with this decision??
This last question has cause the most anger and defensiveness to everyone I have spoken with on this matter. Some are CONVINCED that he promised jobs to 2 Commission members to make this happen. This is STRONGLY denied by others. I have considered asking directly to certain individuals this question but by the way I have been answered with a defensive tone. I will let that question go. Its the pink elephant in the room that no newspaper will ask and no one will tell.
This whole episode has left me dizzy, confused and disappointed. Now, that is not a big deal since I am not involved directly in this. I am a Center City Resident however, and if neighborhood leaders lose faith in city government, Millville is in big trouble. On the other hand to just give up and let the anger of the moment color the BIG PICTURE (A Better Millville) then there will be " blame" and shame to spread out like fertilizer
Maybe we can all move on to other issues that we can all agree on such as keeping the police dispachers HERE in Millville.
Lets chill and just do it