ISOP 2010

There were two orientation meetings for the foreign students working in Virginia Beach this Summer. I attended the second of the two meetings this year by the International Student Outreach Program (ISOP), which was held yesterday afternoon at Virginia Beach Baptist. (The first was on the same afternoon as the May TDCHR meeting.)

It was an overflow crowd in the fellowship hall. The students were addressed by representatives from the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD), the Social Security Administration, Hampton Roads Transit (HRT), Virginia Beach Public Libraries, the banking industry, and Virginia Beach Baptist's free Internet cafe for the students. As one representative said afterwards, she was concerned they were being hit with information overload.

As Eastern Europe is integrated into the European Union, the student migration here moves further east. They come from Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. Our newest entrant is from the Far East: China. The intriguing thing is that the Chinese students speak excellent English, much better than those from the other countries. That has far-reaching implications. (see: Japan in the early 20th Century.)

A few other notes from my journey yesterday:

1. Stopping at Hardee's for lunch on the way there, a senior couple from North Carolina was visiting. He told me, "If I lived here, it would take me a week to get anywhere."

If a visitor can pick up on our transportation problems that quickly, just think how they look to companies looking to locate here.

2. After adjournment, I went upstairs to see what bus schedules the Internet cafe needed for the students. Most everything. (They stock HRT schedules for them.) Sure enough, when I got back downstairs the students had taken all the sodas.

Being resourceful, I remembered that the bags the students were being given had a bottle of spring water in them. I found a leftover bag and got the water.

3. I was disappointed to see back-to-back trolleys on Route 30 (Atlantic Avenue). We need hybrid acquisition to run faster.

4. I stopped at the Pembroke East Transfer Center coming home. I ended up playing HRT Customer Service agent, helping a few people get home.

Community On The 23

One of my axioms is that there is no stronger bond of community in Hampton Roads than on a Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) bus. With the day off today, I followed a regular template: bus into Norfolk, daily Mass at St. Mary's Basilica, lunch, a matinee at MacArthur Center, then back home by bus. This morning I made the leg from Military Circle to Cedar Grove on Route 23. It was case in point:

1. A lady was having trouble trying to get Social Security disability. It turned out that 3 of us were receiving Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), so she got plenty of firsthand advice, stories, etc.

2. A newbie rider didn't know how to get from Cedar Grove into downtown Norfolk. A lady told him: Route 310 (Downtown Shuttle). Since I was taking the 310 downtown, I told him to follow me. Got him on the bus, stop directions, and times for buses home.

Today's movie was I Can Do Bad All By Myself, the best movie by far that I've seen in 2009. First, the funniest scene was where Madea was trying to tell an unchurched 16 year old girl the story of Peter walking out onto the water to Jesus. (She butchered it badly, having Noah sail up in the arch of St. Louis, and even threw Jaws in.) Second, this movie - like many - has outtakes during the closing credits. As great as this movie was, most aren't as good, but stay since they saved the best for last.

Washington Dems Committing Political Suicide

One of the most fundamental axioms in politics is that the one group that will always go to the polls to vote is senior citizens. Even if no one else shows up, seniors will. No smart politician ticks them off.

First the Dems propose to pay for Obamacare by raiding Medicare funds to cover the costs. Now they want no COLA increase for Social Security in 2010 and probably 2011.

Mrs. Pelosi, I hope you don't have more than 15 months worth of stationary in stock....

Stimulus Checks in May

For those receiving Social Security benefits, Vice President Joe Biden announced one-time stimulus payments of $250 will be distributed in May. http://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/pr/recovery-payments-pr.htm

Transit Notes From Double Payday Morning

Friday was a double payday for me, with both a paycheck and disability check direct deposited. That meant an early morning grocery run to Walmart. Here are a few notes from the buses:

1. As of this morning, Route 6 was extended from Cedar Grove to Military Circle. The first 6 appeared at 7 A.M.

Actually, it was Bus 1252 doing the 15 Cutback with the "6 20th & Seaboard" destination sign jammed on. The driver got out and yelled "15 to Wards Corner!"

2. Both 23s I saw were running roughly on time. Has the 23 been adjusted, or was it just doing well that early in the morning?

3. Both 20s I was on had the Salter Street protocol posted on them. (There's a photo of it on HR Transit Ideas.)

Redoing The Route Map

Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) is in the process of redoing it's master bus route map. Riders have been invited in to go over the current map, suggesting landmarks that should be removed or added. Attention should be paid as to their utility to the bus riding population.

It was my turn this afternoon. I went to the Norfolk office and had some fun with it:

1. The glaring ommission: neither Old Dominion University nor Norfolk State University was on there.

When I pointed that out, HRT's Customer Service Manager was embarassed. ODU has a special bus pass that it's students can buy.

2. Two closed hospitals were on there: Norfolk Community and TPI.

3. It had Chesapeake's Municipal Center, but not Virginia Beach's.

4. Social Security offices weren't on there, even though they're a well-used stop.

In all I went 2 1/2 pages of legal paper, double-spaced. I look forward to seeing the new map.

Disability Backlog

The following story appeared in The New York Times and was reprinted in today's Virginian-Pravda. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/us/10disability.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

I myself have received Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) for 15 years now. I won it on appeal, and the 1992 appeal took just over a month. Now read what's become of the system. What's so crucial about the disability payments is work clearance with such a condition. In my case, I had doctor's orders not to work for six months. For many, they never will be able to return to full-time work. It's the payments that cover the bills.

Two things need to be done here:

1. Hire the additional appeals judges.

2. Change the rules for the original cases. If two-thirds are winning on appeal (like I did), obviously the original case standards are too burdensome. That would lessen the number of appeals that need to be heard.

I wish this story had appeared two days earlier. As my Congressperson, Thelma Drake, was at the Light Rail Groundbreaking, I would have given her an earful.