Jun 28, 2010

Macadam Mayhem


When the Administration recently claimed that their interest in the South Mountain timber was purely ecological, I wondered if it was the same Pawlowski and Weitzel who laid down tons of macadam at Cedar Park?

Although The Morning Call has requested the timber report through the Freedom of Information Act, the Administration is still legally resisting. One would think that Administrators, who now use phrases such as invasive species, would be more transparent about their intentions. At any rate, the macadam mayhem continues in Cedar Park, especially at the new Pavilion of Shame.


This picnic area across the creek from the swimming pool, which is often under water in heavy rain, has been paved with up to two feet of macadam. Previously, as shown in this photo, it was at ground level with a compacted stone surface.

Jun 23, 2010

Jordan Heights


In 1903, the 600 block of 2nd Street housed one Russian Jewish family after another. They built a small synagogue there, which was kept open till about ten years ago. My grandfather, who then worked at a cigar factory, had just saved enough to bring his parents over from the old country. They lived in an old house at 617 N. 2nd. The current house at that location was built in 1920. By the time my father was born in 1917, the youngest of five children, they had moved to the suburbs just across the Jordan Creek.
My grandfather lived on the corner of Chew and Jordan Streets. He butchered in a barn behind the house. The house is still there, 301 Jordan, the barn is gone. He would deliver the meat with a horse and wagon. On the weekends, when the family wanted to visit friends, the horse insisted on doing the meat market route first. Only after he stopped in front of the last market on the route, would he permit my grandfather to direct him. excerpt from My grandfather's Horse, May 13, 2008
Allentown has just designated the neighborhood west of the Jordan to 7th Street, and between Linden and Tilghman Streets, as Jordan Heights. The area encompasses the Old Fairgrounds Historic District. Allentown's old fairground, in the years between 1852-1888, was in the vicinity of 6th and Liberty. It was an open space, as is the current fairground at 17th and Chew Streets. When my grandparents moved to Jordan Street it was a modern house, just built in 1895. Many of the Jewish families moved to the suburbs between Jordan and 7th. The Jewish Community Center was built on the corner of 6th and Chew, today known as Alliance Hall.
I wish the Jordan Heights initiative well. There's a lot of history in those 24 square blocks, and hopefully much future.

Jun 19, 2010

Bridging Our History


Part of Don Cunningham's political patter as a candidate and elected official is repairing or replacing bridges in the county. When you replace a bridge which doesn't need replacing, you're wasting taxpayer money. When you replace a historic bridge which doesn't need replacing, you're stealing our culture






The Reading Road Bridge, scheduled by Cunningham for replacement, is in excellent condition. Although my observation and top photograph clearly shows that, I did confirm it's structural integrity with someone formally with the City engineering department.

The bridge was built in 1824 and totally rehabilitated in 1980. At that time a separate walking bridge was built next to it for pedestrian safety.*





Although the beautiful two arch stone bridge needs no work, and Cunningham has been in office since 2006, the steel beams of the walking bridge are in dire need of paint. How sad that inexpensive maintenance is ignored, while $million dollar projects are planned.

Let Don smile and cut a ribbon somewhere else, please join me in saving our history. Call Cunningham and our County Commissioners. Let them know our past means more to us then their political future.

* a former manager under Mayor Daddona, recalls walking bridge constructed in 1980.

click on bridge photographs to enlarge image

ADDENDUM: An engineer familiar with the bridge told me that he if was asked by supervisors to justify replacing the bridge, he will cite flooding; He added that in reality it's a moot point, because the stream flow in high water situations is also impeded by the nearby Hamilton and Union street bridges.

Jun 15, 2010

The Bridge Slayer


Lehigh County is known for the Covered Bridge Trail. Fortunately for us, former Lehigh County Executive Dave Bausch has a great appreciation of history. In the future, there will be no stone arch bridge tour. Current Executive Donny Cunningham is preparing to tear down his second stone bridge, but rest assure he will be grinning at the new bridge ribbon cutting. Shown above was the historic Linden Street multi-arch stone bridge, built in 1884. It was rehabilitated in 1950 and destroyed in 2008 by Cunningham. Cunningham now plans to destroy and replace the Reading Road Bridge.* The Reading Bridge was built in 1824 and rehabilitated in 1980. In Europe bridges are 700 years old, but preservation and restoration doesn't lend itself to press conferences and career building.

*Reading Road Bridge is small stone arch bridge on Walnut Street by Union Terrace

related article: The Morning Call

Jun 12, 2010

A Field of Dreams (2)


In the movie, Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner builds a ballpark in a corn field. Here in Allentown, Lanta is proposing to tear down a ball park, Bicentennial Field, to build a garage for hybrid buses, which will burn corn oil. I don't think much of Lanta. I saw their arrogance in action when they sacrificed the Hamilton Street merchants to justify their new Transportation Terminal. My fellow blogger, Bernie O'Hare, has more respect for government, authorities and boards. His journalistic, researched posting * on a recent board nominee, Steve Schmitt, credits the bike racks on the front of the buses to this individual. Here is where Bernie and I turn off on separate paths; Now, if those bike racks were for half-wits,** as portrayed by Pee Wee, I would have no problem. Now, if those bike racks were intended for the poor, who owned no car, I would have no problem. But Schmitt's motivation was neither poverty or mental infirmity; He is one of those alternative transportation, spandex wearing, starbuck drinking cyclists, who know it all, and justify taking the buses off Hamilton Street and tearing down a ballpark. To set the record straight, although Schmitt is Mr. Bike Rack, I'm using him to stereotype the board of directors who generally have too much self esteem and not enough common sense. If they insist on hybrid buses and recycled Starbuck cardboard cups, fine; but find someplace else for the garage. Don't tear down a field of dreams for generations of little league, don't tear down an icon which would cost millions to replace. Please join me this coming Saturday and speak out against this pending mistake.

* http://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2009/05/schmitt-unfiot-for-lanta.html

** not an official term of the American Psychological Association

reprinted from May 25, 2009

Lanta announced yesterday, 13 months after this post, that the hybrid garage would be built on their existing property, sparing the stadium.

Jun 11, 2010

The Last Jews of Egypt


There are only a few dozen Jews still living in Egypt, all in either Cairo or Alexandria. The number of remaining synagogues outnumbers the remainder of Jews. Many of these synagogues are magnificent structures, and to the credit of the Egyptian government, they are protected and some are being restored. Prior to 1948, well over 80,000 Jews lived in the two cities. The current Ben Ezra in Cairo dates from 1892. The site, once a Coptic Church, became a synagogue in 882.. Tradition marks this as the spot where the prophet Jeremiah gathered the Jews in the 6th century after Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the Jerusalem temple. The adjacent spring is supposed to mark the place where the pharaohs daughter found Moses in the reeds, and where Mary drew water to wash Jesus. It was here that the famous Philosopher Maimonides studied. Last century a collection of ancient manuscripts was discovered in the compound.

Jun 9, 2010

When You Wish Upon A Star


As a little boy in the early 1950's, I would watch Jiminy Cricket sing When You Wish Upon a Star. I thought of Jiminy the other day, when I watched Johnny Callahan swoon about the new Sands Casino Hotel. It occurred to me that Johnny should be careful about what he wishes. I'm concerned that Bethlehem cannot support two large center city hotels. My fear, is that the success of the new Sands Hotel will be at the expense of the classic Hotel Bethlehem. Just as the Hotel Bethlehem's van currently takes guests to the casino, a new modern hotel could shuttle guests to and from historic Main Street. How sad to watch a talking suit clamor about some temporary construction jobs. I wouldn't bet on how many permanent jobs Sands Corporation provides, the casino always has the winning hand. Well, Donny Cunningham rode to Harrisburg and back on empty press conferences on empty steel land, so why shouldn't Johnny try chirping a little?

Jun 8, 2010

Transportation in the Valley


Two of my fellow bloggers currently have posts on subjects near and dear to me. Andrew Kleiner, from Remember, documents cars driving on the new Cedar Park Drive. Who would have guessed? Only the naysayers.


The blog known as Lehigh Valley Clancularius, examines what Easton's Sal Panto can't accept; Perhaps New Yorkers won't take a train to come see the Al Bundy Museum.

photo of Pawlowski/Weitzel Drive courtesy of Remember
photo of the Panto Express courtesy of Clancularius

Jun 7, 2010

On The Waterfront



Many consider the 1954 classic, On The Waterfront, the best picture ever made. The history of the film is interwoven with the realities of that era. The screenplay, by Budd Schulberg, was loosely based on a Pulitzer Prize winning expose about organized crime on the docks. The film's director, Elia Kazan, had testified at the House Un-American Activities Committee, naming a few associates who had attended meetings with him years earlier.





In the film, Marlon Brando, is slowly convinced to testify against the crime boss who employed him. Kazan and Schulberg insisted on realism for the production. The movie was shot in black and white on the docks of Hoboken. Bodyguards of the crime boss, played by Lee Cobb, were actual former heavyweight fighters.
Tami Mauriello ---------------- Tony Galento --------------Abe Simon

Jun 5, 2010

Timber, Again


In an incredible act of fiscal desperation, the Pawlowski Administration is preparing to justify harvesting timber on the South Mountain Reservoir. It is being filtered through the Park Department as woodland management, blah, blah, blah, but make no mistake, they're selling the tree's because they need money. Currently the timber is being surveyed. I must have missed the public announcement for the meeting on that plan. Our heritage, our parks, are being threatened by the perfect storm. The Parks and Recreation departments have been administratively combined. The director's background and training is in recreation. The administration has created no less than two cover groups; The Environmental Advisory Council and Friends of the Parks. Both groups have unwittingly failed in their own mission, as stewards of the parks. In the first phrase of the Cedar Park Plan, the structural integrity of the Mirror Ponds has been compromised by under digging the stone walls. A contractor now will apply gunite in an attempt to stabilize the walls. The Administration and Parks Department is using surveys and studies to justify the pre-determined master plan; for example a survey taken on the east side of Cedar Parkway of young people at the basketball courts may be used to justify extending recreational venues into the traditionally passive Rose Garden side of the park. Press conferences will be held, awards will be won, resumes will be enhanced, but what kind of park system will our grandchildren inherit?

above reprinted from July 2, 2009

Although there is an article in today's Morning Call, what has been lost in the forest, is that the newspaper learned of the contract FROM THIS BLOG.
related posts:
from this blog; Timber, Blogs and MSM
from Morning Call; South Mountain Forestry Study

Jun 2, 2010

The Jew Card


Yesterday, an esteemed fellow blogger suggested I was playing the Jew Card in regard to my post entitled Damn Jews, which dealt with the ship intervention. I know that the last thing Israel wanted was the operation to result in deaths, and world controversy. Books will be written about the incident, but this post concerns the Jew Card. To me, playing a card refers to bringing up a topic, as an excuse or distraction from the more relevant issue. There is no Jew Card, only one excuse after another for anti-semitic acts throughout history and geography. The current excuse is Israeli oppression. There was no Israel to explain why my paternal grandparents fled the pogroms of Russia in the 1890's. There was no Israeli occupation to explain why all my maternal relatives from Hungary died in the concentration camps in the 1940's. Yesterday, a former U.S. diplomat aboard one of the ships said that the Israeli's were armed to their teeth, even though they were carrying paint ball rifles. The Turks didn't riot in 2003 when the two main synagogues were bombed in Istanbul.

There was no world outrage when the Jewish Community Center was bombed in Buenos Aires. The internet is full of allegations that 9/11 was an Israeli plot. If the Jews have a card, it is called survival. My fellow blogger should drive by a synagogue on a Jewish holiday. He may wonder how the Jews feel needing a police officer outside, to be safe praying inside, even in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

ADDENDUM: THE DOUBLE STANDARD. THE WORLD WAS QUICK TO BLAME ISRAEL. A LOCAL ESTEEMED BLOGGER CALLED THE DEATHS MURDER, HE WENT ON TO SAY; The proof of Israel's guilt lies in its feeble attempts to control what messages are going out concerning this atrocity. NOW THAT TAPES HAVE SURFACED SHOWING THE "PEACE ACTIVISTS" PREPARING WEAPONS TO BEAT THE ISRAELI'S TO DEATH, AND HOPING TO PROVOKE A RESPONSE, AND EVEN THEIR OWN DEATH, SHOULD NOT THE CONDEMNERS CONCEDE THEIR ERROR?  IS POINTING OUT THAT DOUBLE STANDARD PLAYING THE JEW CARD?
DELETIONS: THIS BLOG IS THE "EARLY MORNING EDITION" OF THE LOCAL BLOGOSPHERE. I TEND TO POST VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING. THREE VIDEO'S WHICH HAVE APPEARED IN THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS AS ADDENDUMS, HAVE BEEN DELETED TO RESTORE CONCISENESS TO THE ORIGINAL POSTS. IT IS MY INTENTION TO CONTINUE WITH TEMPORARY EARLY MORNING VIDEO'S AND LINKS WHICH ELABORATE ON THE POSTS.

Jun 1, 2010

Damn Jews



Just because you're running a naval blockade, and you beat them with metal bars, they're outnumbered 100 to one, they think they have the right to shoot to save their life, those damn Jews.