Sep 30, 2012
Jostling With Windmills
I had a chance encounter with an opponent of the water lease plan in the grocery store. The person mentioned how tiring the battle has been, and how difficult it will be to succeed with keeping the water system in the citizen's hands. I know a little bit about this exhaustion, I have been fighting City Hall for well over a decade, as an army of one. The last group I belonged to was the Cub Scouts. I ran as an independent for office. I think my visits to City Hall inspired some of the security buffers now in place. There are few reporters, or editors, at The Morning Call that I haven't had words with, at one time or another. I could list a few victories here, but I won't risk jinxing my limited success. Blogging has been a fortunate vehicle for me. My detractors would be shocked to see a who's who of my readership. I thank you for that. Michael Molovinsky
Sep 28, 2012
The Selling Of Allentown
Ed Pawlowski & Company has been selling off Allentown the past several years. He sold center city to the Hammes, Brooks, and J.B. Reilly groups without much public resistance. The former merchants and their supporters virtually had no influence. When he sold the city air rights to the Trash To Cash&Energy Company, it raised a few eyebrows. A chamber full of outside union members, and a few motorcycles, intimidated the Council into staying with the Administration's yard sale on that deal. It was reported last night that the public's right to referendum was mentioned, that may well be the card to play. Although City Council can issue a referendum on their own, on their own, they don't have the will. The water opponents will have to do it the old fashioned way, the hard way. The procedure requires 2000 signatures. If a successful restaurateur, and a former successful merchant, combine energy, that should be a doable feat.
Sep 27, 2012
The Radiation Mystery: Wetherhold & Metzger
The Shoe giant Wetherhold & Metzger started in 1908 on Hamilton street's south side. When business began to prosper, they moved across to the more prominent north side of Hamilton Street. Their store at 719 Hamilton was recently demolished, along with most of Allentown's mercantile history. It was a two story store, with the children's department on the lower level. This post originally was scheduled for sometime in the future, and was to include a Buster Brown poster. Today's Morning Call has a story on the mystery radium 226 found in the debris of the former buildings, and I thought perhaps the molovinsky on allentown historical division could help. Wetherhold & Metzer's downtown store was quite the adventure for a kid. In addition to your mother's money being transported away in a tube system like the bank drive-ups use today, you could look inside your shoes and see your feet.
Needless to say, eventually these shoe fluoroscopes were banned, but for many years one stood in the lower level of 719 Hamilton Street. Many a child, including myself, saw our foot bones in our new Buster Browns. Wetherhold & Metzger also had an uptown store in the 900 block of Hamilton Street.
Betraying General Trexler
This evening many former supporters of the administration will gather in the Council Chamber to try and persuade City Council to reject the administration's water lease plan. These former supporters were on board when the mayor paved Cedar Park, and sent the merchants packing. Don't know if you have been on Hamilton Street lately? We have solved the seedy customer problem, there are no more customers. Things started going bad between the mayor and the supporters back with the Trash to Energy contract. Supporters or not, seems that they're particular about the air they breath and the water they drink. Bless them for thinking that democracy is in play this evening, or in Allentown. What they should be doing is speaking to an outside attorney about an injunction against the lease. Around 1900, General Trexler donated hundreds of acres along the Little Lehigh to protect the watershed for the benefit of Allentown's citizens. They should be petitioning the Trexler Trust to protect the intentions of the General.
Sep 26, 2012
The Morning Call Idea Contest
The Morning Call is in desperate need of ideas, especially for it's columnists. Ideas can be submitted as letters to the editor. Your intellectual property will be deleted from your letter, but reappear without credit or attribution, as a headline by one of their writers. Blogger Michael Molovinsky has won the contest several times. Only one submission per week will be accepted.
Yom Kippur 1973
On Yom Kippur in 1973 Egypt and Syria surprised Israel with a coordinated attack on two fronts. 80,000 Egyptian troops overran Israel's Bar Lev defensive line in the Sinai. 175 shells per second rained down on Israel's 500 defenders from 2000 Egyptian artillery pieces. On the Golan, Israeli tanks were outnumbered by the Syrians ten to one. It took Israel two full days, and thousands of casualties, to mobilize. By the time a truce went into effect three weeks later, Israeli commanders had marched within 25 miles of Damascus, and 63 miles of Cairo.
Shown above General Ariel Sharon with Defense Minister Moshe Dyan in Egypt
Shown above General Ariel Sharon with Defense Minister Moshe Dyan in Egypt
Sep 24, 2012
Bill White, Something Borrowed
Readers of this blog know that I was upset about the editing of my last column in The Morning Call. My premise was that there would be a political price to pay for voting for the water contract. I wrote that "One Councilman, Michael Schlossberg, who is going to Harrisburg unopposed as a State Representative, is resigning early from Council to evade this damaging baggage." The Morning Call changed the sentence to "One councilman, Michael Schlossberg, who is going to Harrisburg unopposed in the election for state representative, is resigning early from council." That deletion significantly changed the meaning, and compromised the cohesion of my piece. When I called in protest, the Your View editor told me that he accommodated another editor who requested the change. I didn't ask who he was accommodating. It is generally known that Bill White is now assisting with the Letters page. Tuesday's Bill White column questions if Michael Schlossberg resigned early to avoid the water vote. I must now ask Bill White if he edited my editorial so that he could use my question as his own?
UPDATE: My first reaction to the editing of my Morning Call article last week was that it was a gift by the paper to Schlossberg. My second reaction, upon reading White's article, is clearly stated above. I have just been told that Bill White was NOT the second editor. Although I'm compelled to post this update, the sentence in my editorial never should have been changed. If I over-reacted, it's based on the paper's history in failing to give proper attribution.
UPDATE: My first reaction to the editing of my Morning Call article last week was that it was a gift by the paper to Schlossberg. My second reaction, upon reading White's article, is clearly stated above. I have just been told that Bill White was NOT the second editor. Although I'm compelled to post this update, the sentence in my editorial never should have been changed. If I over-reacted, it's based on the paper's history in failing to give proper attribution.
Weekly Reader
When I was growing up my parents would receive both The Morning Call and The Evening Chronicle.* This was their main source of news. Television in the late 40's and early 50's had national and world news, but there was no local programing in Allentown. The antenna on our roof would receive the three network (ABC, NBC, and CBS) stations from Philadelphia, and that was it. The morning and evening papers provided the local news, in addition to national and world stories. Hess Brothers and Leh's would compete with multiple full page Ads. We children also had our own little paper, Weekly Reader, handed out in the classroom every Friday. I think of it when I get the thin Morning Call on Mondays.
* The Morning Call and Evening Chronicle were both published by same company, Call-Chronicle Newspapers.
reprinted from March, 2010
A Personal Memoir
I'm not sure memoir is a good title, rather than facts and records, I have hazy recollections. Assuming my memory will not improve at this stage of the game, let me put to print that which I can still recall. In about 1958 my father built Flaggs Drive-In. McDonalds had opened on Lehigh Street, and pretty much proved that people were willing to sit in their cars and eat fast food at bargain prices. For my father, who was in the meat business, this seemed a natural. As a rehearsal he rented space at the Allentown Fair for a food stand, and learned you cannot sell hotdogs near Yocco's. He purchased some land across from a corn field on Hamilton Blvd. and built the fast food stand. In addition to hamburgers, he decided to sell fried chicken. The chicken was cooked in a high pressure fryer called a broaster, which looked somewhat like the Russian satellite Sputnik. The stand did alright, but the business was not to my father's liking, seems he didn't have the personality to smile at the customers. He sold the business several years later to a family which enlarged and enclosed the walk up window. Subsequent owners further enlarged the location several times. The corn field later turned into a Water Park, and you know Flaggs as Ice Cream World.
I'm grateful to a kind reader who sent me this picture of Flaggs
reprinted from January, 2011
Sep 23, 2012
Romney's 47%
Yesterday I went to the Social Security Office, across from the prison, to discuss my retirement options. I was given number 199. In addition to retirement, Social Security also dispenses money for disability. I would say from the gray hair, there were about three of us contemplating retirement, all the others were for disability. A few middle age men were carrying their fake canes. The canes aren't fake, it's the disabilities. I saw one such gentleman walk in from the parking lot, clearly the cane bore no weight, and was merely a prop. Most of the people waiting were quite young, in their twenties. Disability has now been expanded to include mental conditions such as depression, anxiety, additive personality and anger management. I will say many of them did look angry to me. It was hard finding a parking space. Business also looked good at the prison. If Johnny Manana's had gotten these crowds....
The above is reprinted from a previous post entitled Growth Industry In Allentown. The Obama camp and their sycophants in the media, think that they're having a field day with the secret Romney tape. In reality, the tape raises a question about a serious problem in America, which Obama and his choir wouldn't want to address.
Sep 21, 2012
AEDC's Choo Choo
The Allentown Economic and Development Corporation has received a $1.8 million grant, toward a $4 million dollar project, to restore a portion of the Barber Quarry branch to service an industrial building on South 10th Street. The building once housed Traylor Engineering, which was a giant back in the day. Recently, it housed a smaller fabricator who President Obama visited on his Allentown photo opportunity mission. The business has since closed, but let's not have that reality stand in the way of grants. Last summer, I fought against Allentown's Trail Network Plan, which catered to the spandex cyclist crowd. The new trail was to be built on the Barber Quarry track line. Not only didn't the AEDC oppose the plan, it's director was an advocate. Now they will be funded to develop that which they wanted to destroy. Where do I begin in Allentown's World of Mirth? Only in the unaccountable world of agencies and grants, would $millions of dollars of our money be available for projects which are twenty years too late. The track is long gone. The only industry (Traylor Engineering) which would have need, is long gone. The business reality of South 10th Street is now a go-cart track and the Hive, which is a Junior Achievement type project.
Barber Quarry Branch Line Posts
The Train of Lehigh Parkway
Allentown Archeology
Junkyard Train
above reprinted from May of 2011
UPDATE: SEPT. 21,2012 AEDC And Pawlowski AT IT AGAIN Pawlowski Development Company is currently conducting a full court press on both the County Commissioners and the Allentown School Board to grant KOZ status to the closed Metal Works, the same building referred to above, from where both Obama and Romney spoke on their visits to Allentown. When Obama was here shortly after being elected, it was still operating. By the time Romney came during his primary, it was already shuttered. At no time did the owner ever cite lack of rail service, or payment of property taxes, as factors in the decline of his company. Pawlowski has Scott Unger, from AEDC, pitching the KOZ, saying that the building will have a choo choo train. The track has been removed and scrapped years ago, all the way from 3th and Union Streets. The cost to restore the rail bed to an empty building on speculation would be untold $millions to the taxpayers. Although in the world of federal grants there is little accounting, this would truly be the Track To No-Where. Ironically, one of the last existing areas with a track spur, along the river by Structural Steel, is being eyed for residential use.
Sep 20, 2012
The Politics of Allentown's Water Sellout
According to The Morning Call article by Emily Opilo, former Councilman Michael Donovan's effort to establish a citizen committee to study the water sale issue has been rebuffed by Julio Guridy and Company. Before we get too far into the political shenanigans, let me explain that apparently Opilo replaced Devon Lash, following a long standing Morning Call tradition of assigning a new reporter to the Allentown beat. Devon replaced Renshaw, but there were a few in between I can't recall. I'm sure Emily's a good reporter, but it would be nice to have someone covering the Big Sellout who knows the characters. Actually, I know the dope, but The Morning Call altered my recent editorial to protect Michael Schlossberg. I wrote that Mike's retiring early to avoid the political baggage of the water sale vote. They changed the sentence to Mike's retiring. Emily, their new reporter, wrote a story earlier this week on the sale. She allowed Schlossberg, who will be our new unopposed State Representative, to praise the sale concept without having to endure the political damage of actually voting for it. How nice for Mike, he gets to kiss the ring of Pawlowski and Company, with no consequence from the voters. Talking of no consequence, apparently Peter Schweyer skipped last night's meeting, which denied the Citizen Group input. Gotta love the Cabal.
UPDATE: Click Here For Coalition To Save Allentown Water
UPDATE: BY DENNIS PEARSON: Eichenwalds motion should have been seconded so Council could formally vote on the motion. So what if the vote perhaps would have been 4 to 1 against the proposal . At least Council would have formally answed the petition. But Council last night chose the cowhardly way to vote it down.
postcard shows the water works in 1905
UPDATE: Click Here For Coalition To Save Allentown Water
UPDATE: BY DENNIS PEARSON: Eichenwalds motion should have been seconded so Council could formally vote on the motion. So what if the vote perhaps would have been 4 to 1 against the proposal . At least Council would have formally answed the petition. But Council last night chose the cowhardly way to vote it down.
Such action to me demonstrated that all is not good with Allentown's appointed Council. Davis and Mota would not buck Guridy and Pawlowsky. And the elected O'Connell normally an ally of Eichenwald left her hanging.
Guridy chided the crowd for not showing respect, not hanging on his every word. Guridy for public purposes says to be an open mind. But in reality it would be very surprizing if he voted against the Mayor's plan. Guridy must remember that his leadership position in Allentown government does not require free citizens to bow down at his presence and pamper him with adolation.
Indeed I had thoughts of sitting on Council myself. On Council I would not be concerned about longevity on Council but doing the right and honorable thing. The issues that are coming before Council are issues I have deep understanding of. But because I would never automatically vote the Mayor's way or Guridy's way I would never be appointed to Council by this Council. That is why I will not apply for this third appointment on Council within a year.
Democracy is dead in Allentown. But Tammany Hall is alive. BY DENNIS PEARSON
postcard shows the water works in 1905
Sep 18, 2012
Still Hoping For Change
The same liberals weaned on Camelot, now resent Mitt Romney's success. Romney's assets are peanuts compared to the Kennedy Fortune, which has supported the families of a hundred different offspring since Papa Joe made the fortune running booze from Canada. Here in the local blogosphere, Mitt lost Bernie O'Hare's vote yesterday, when it was revealed that Romney knew that there was only 53% of the vote up for grabs this election. Actually, Mitt said that he wasn't going to worry about the 47% of the population benefiting from entitlements. It fits the Obama media machine to twist, pull and shape that statement into Mitt not caring about those people, as opposed to realistically writing off their vote. They discount the fact that he was a governor to many low income people in Massachusetts. They ignore the fact that he has a reputation of lending a hand in his faith based community. O'Hare is more offended by a candid statement made at a private dinner party, than the divisive statements made by Obama on the campaign trail. Obama has been dividing citizens by income since he was elected. Why is John Kennedy a hero on his sailing yacht, while Mitt Romney is portrayed as the captain from Gillian's Island? The Bernie O'Hare's feel guilty that they are so disappointed in Obama's reality. The eloquent words were not matched by expected deeds. What a relief to find a few words by his opponent, which can be pounced upon.
Dear Resident
What most Allentonians know about the water leasing plan is limited to Mayor Ed Pawlowski's letter included with their current water bill. Although the plan has been covered by the newspapers and local television, apparently the public listens, but doesn't understand. I make this conclusion because although the City Council hearing was well attended, there were not thousands of homeowners there with torches and pitchforks. Pawlowski's Dear Resident letter lets the homeowner know that there is a plan to rebuild Allentown, and it is working. The only thing between them and nirvana is the unfunded pensions, and The Long-Term Leasing of the City's water and sewer services is the solution that brings both immediate and long-lasting financial relief....and keeps us on the road to prosperity.
Sep 17, 2012
Capernaum By The Sea
Matthew 4:13: And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum,...
Capernaum, the city of Jesus, is on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The foundation of the Synagogue of Jesus, is beneath the ornate 4th century synagogue, partially restored by the Franciscans in the early 1900's.
Mark 1:21: he entered into the synagogue and taughtNearby, the modern Church of St. Peter's House was built by the Franciscans in 1990. It's glass floor reveals the lower walls of the 5th century octagon church, which was built around the walls of St. Peter's House. Also there, shown in the photograph, is the Greek Orthodox Church of the Twelve Apostles. It was built in 1931, during the British Mandate period (1917-1948).
reprinted from December, 2011
Sep 14, 2012
Obama's Failed Policy
Thoughts By Shoshana Bryen
In The National Review: The violence in Egypt and Libya — now spreading to Morocco and Kuwait — is an indication that the U.S. is unable to buy leverage. We bombed Qaddafi and undermined Mubarak on behalf of the revolution, but it has not engendered warm feelings toward us — or our president — in their successors. (In Morocco, they're carrying signs that say "Death to Obama.") Revolutionary movements either have, or are co-opted by people who have, well-developed ideologies and agendas. The Muslim Brotherhood was forged over the course of decades spent in Egyptian jails. Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Haqqani network, Hamas, and Hezbollah know what they want to achieve, and it has nothing to do with representative democracy. They can't be bought by a few months, or even years, of American largesse or by America's dumping of Israel.... President Obama wanted our troubles in the region to be the fault of President Bush, but it wasn't true...America's problem is that it fails to understand that the enemy of my enemy is not my friend. He is only closer to me than my enemy, and only for now.
Shoshana Bryen in the New English Review: Is The War Against Islamic Terrorism Over? Shoshana Bryen: "War" against any pathology is doomed. The Wars on Drugs, Poverty and Terrorism have no matrix for success, so you wouldn't know when you'd won; you could never stop fighting. President Bush's formulation, "The war against terrorists and the states that harbor and support them," got to the heart of the symbiotic relationship between terrorists and their sponsors - terrorists need money, territory, arms, passports, etc. that can only be supplied by states; states need the ability to commit mayhem with plausible deniability (i.e., Saudi support for al Qaeda). The war would be won when the territory across the region is governed by sovereigns who decline support for transnational terrorist organizations. Without such support, you would still have isolated incidents - a man in a marketplace with a grenade - but the large-scale, country-changing, spectacular terrorism of 9-11 or Bali or London would be almost impossible. This does not mean those governments would be our friends, be democratic, like Israel, be secular, and/or not have wars. It simply means that support for al Qaeda and other such would dry up. To the question of whether we're winning - no. Particularly in the past two years, the Obama administration has withdrawn from Iraq (which was fragile), overthrew the Libyan government (which was anti-al Qaeda and now supports al Qaeda across North Africa and in Mali), and welcomed the Muslim Brotherhood while doing nothing to constrain Iran or Saudi Arabia (who support opposite sides, but both of whose sides hate us). The incentive for governments to withhold support for anti-Western or anti-Israel terrorism has been reduced, not increased by the Obama Administration.
Shoshana Bryen is Director of The Jewish Policy Center
In The National Review: The violence in Egypt and Libya — now spreading to Morocco and Kuwait — is an indication that the U.S. is unable to buy leverage. We bombed Qaddafi and undermined Mubarak on behalf of the revolution, but it has not engendered warm feelings toward us — or our president — in their successors. (In Morocco, they're carrying signs that say "Death to Obama.") Revolutionary movements either have, or are co-opted by people who have, well-developed ideologies and agendas. The Muslim Brotherhood was forged over the course of decades spent in Egyptian jails. Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Haqqani network, Hamas, and Hezbollah know what they want to achieve, and it has nothing to do with representative democracy. They can't be bought by a few months, or even years, of American largesse or by America's dumping of Israel.... President Obama wanted our troubles in the region to be the fault of President Bush, but it wasn't true...America's problem is that it fails to understand that the enemy of my enemy is not my friend. He is only closer to me than my enemy, and only for now.
Shoshana Bryen in the New English Review: Is The War Against Islamic Terrorism Over? Shoshana Bryen: "War" against any pathology is doomed. The Wars on Drugs, Poverty and Terrorism have no matrix for success, so you wouldn't know when you'd won; you could never stop fighting. President Bush's formulation, "The war against terrorists and the states that harbor and support them," got to the heart of the symbiotic relationship between terrorists and their sponsors - terrorists need money, territory, arms, passports, etc. that can only be supplied by states; states need the ability to commit mayhem with plausible deniability (i.e., Saudi support for al Qaeda). The war would be won when the territory across the region is governed by sovereigns who decline support for transnational terrorist organizations. Without such support, you would still have isolated incidents - a man in a marketplace with a grenade - but the large-scale, country-changing, spectacular terrorism of 9-11 or Bali or London would be almost impossible. This does not mean those governments would be our friends, be democratic, like Israel, be secular, and/or not have wars. It simply means that support for al Qaeda and other such would dry up. To the question of whether we're winning - no. Particularly in the past two years, the Obama administration has withdrawn from Iraq (which was fragile), overthrew the Libyan government (which was anti-al Qaeda and now supports al Qaeda across North Africa and in Mali), and welcomed the Muslim Brotherhood while doing nothing to constrain Iran or Saudi Arabia (who support opposite sides, but both of whose sides hate us). The incentive for governments to withhold support for anti-Western or anti-Israel terrorism has been reduced, not increased by the Obama Administration.
Shoshana Bryen is Director of The Jewish Policy Center
Hillary's Mistake
Thoughts By Shoshana Bryen
In an effort to protect the delicate sensibilities of Egyptian rioters who invaded the American Embassy and tore down the American flag, Secretary of State Clinton accepted at face value the claim that the rioters were just so outraged and horrified by an anti-Muslim movie that they couldn't control themselves. While rejecting violence in a pro forma way ("There is never any justification..."), she went on to apologize for her nasty countrymen and to deplore them.... As a practical matter, Secretary Clinton's acceptance of the movie as instigator of the riots reeks of naiveté. Did it not occur to her that a purported offense against Islam might be a smoke screen for well-planned violence?.... Did it not occur to her that the anniversary of 9-11 would be a great time for Islamic enemies of the United States to launch another attack on a symbolic American target? They can't reach New York perhaps (thank you, NYPD and the Patriot Act), but an American Embassy is sovereign American soil... Ambassador Stevens' murder should infuriate Americans, who must at a minimum be wondering why U.S. Embassies in post-revolutionary Muslim countries were not better protected. The last time we were in that situation, 52 Americans spent more than a year imprisoned in the Embassy in Iran. What rules of engagement did the Marines guards have? Secretary Clinton has an unfortunate habit of trying to ingratiate herself with Muslims who can't seem to control themselves. In one of her earliest trips in 2009, she told an audience in Indonesia, "I am a Christian... Through the centuries we have had many people who have done terrible things in the name of Christianity. They have perverted the religion." It was a rookie mistake -- her religion and her opinion of its behavior are irrelevant. The government she represents is as deeply grounded in the separation of Church and State as it is in freedom of speech. Just as her religion is officially irrelevant, so is the religion of those with whom she interacts on behalf of the government. When mobs invade the sovereign territory of the U.S. abroad, when they tear down our flag and replace it with the slogan of the Muslim Brotherhood, when they murder an American Ambassador and members of the Embassy staff, they are our enemies. If they are Muslim, so be it Mrs. Clinton.
The above are excerpts from Bryen's article at The American Thinker. Shoshana is director of The Jewish Policy Center.
In an effort to protect the delicate sensibilities of Egyptian rioters who invaded the American Embassy and tore down the American flag, Secretary of State Clinton accepted at face value the claim that the rioters were just so outraged and horrified by an anti-Muslim movie that they couldn't control themselves. While rejecting violence in a pro forma way ("There is never any justification..."), she went on to apologize for her nasty countrymen and to deplore them.... As a practical matter, Secretary Clinton's acceptance of the movie as instigator of the riots reeks of naiveté. Did it not occur to her that a purported offense against Islam might be a smoke screen for well-planned violence?.... Did it not occur to her that the anniversary of 9-11 would be a great time for Islamic enemies of the United States to launch another attack on a symbolic American target? They can't reach New York perhaps (thank you, NYPD and the Patriot Act), but an American Embassy is sovereign American soil... Ambassador Stevens' murder should infuriate Americans, who must at a minimum be wondering why U.S. Embassies in post-revolutionary Muslim countries were not better protected. The last time we were in that situation, 52 Americans spent more than a year imprisoned in the Embassy in Iran. What rules of engagement did the Marines guards have? Secretary Clinton has an unfortunate habit of trying to ingratiate herself with Muslims who can't seem to control themselves. In one of her earliest trips in 2009, she told an audience in Indonesia, "I am a Christian... Through the centuries we have had many people who have done terrible things in the name of Christianity. They have perverted the religion." It was a rookie mistake -- her religion and her opinion of its behavior are irrelevant. The government she represents is as deeply grounded in the separation of Church and State as it is in freedom of speech. Just as her religion is officially irrelevant, so is the religion of those with whom she interacts on behalf of the government. When mobs invade the sovereign territory of the U.S. abroad, when they tear down our flag and replace it with the slogan of the Muslim Brotherhood, when they murder an American Ambassador and members of the Embassy staff, they are our enemies. If they are Muslim, so be it Mrs. Clinton.
The above are excerpts from Bryen's article at The American Thinker. Shoshana is director of The Jewish Policy Center.
The NIZ Bonds
During the 1950's, the big television show was the $64,000 Question. Back then, that was a lot of money. Turns out, even though the contestants went into an elaborate soundproof booth, some players knew the question and answer beforehand. Although the second string developers, Joe Clark and Albert Abdouche succeeded in getting their properties included in the NIZ zone, will the NIZ Authority float more bonds for their projects? I'd bet not.
Sep 13, 2012
Obama's Israel Policy
Israel survives in a dangerous part of the world. Israel is too small of a country, and it's enemies too numerous, for any miscalculations regarding it's security. Before the tragedy unfolded in Libya on Tuesday, Netanyahu spoke out about Iran. "Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel," Obama has declined to meet with Netanyahu later this month, citing scheduling conflicts. Apparently for Obama, another campaigning opportunity comes first, and Israel's security is somewhere further down the list.
Sep 12, 2012
Allentown's Destination Dog Casino and Park
Recently, this blog hosted a guest post from a dog owner upset about the riparian buffers and grow zones blocking both access and view of the creeks. Also recently, I announced my new identity as park ranger, actually walking the parks on a regular basis. I can tell you that the dog owners love their four legged companions, the companions have healthy digestive systems, but not all owners are good at picking up their companion's deposits. All regular park walkers know that they must watch where they're stepping. Before Greg Weitzel left with his $million dollar resume, in addition to the Destination Water Park, he commissioned plans for a Destination Dog Park. Local environmental coalitions are not happy about the location, the park borders Trout Creek. Intentionally programming doggie deposits into our waterways is not considered Best Practice. As an advocate for preserving the historic features in our park system, I was disappointed to see both the park department, and Friends Of The Parks, hold a fundraiser for the doggie casino this past Saturday. This park department has not budgeted one dollar, or expressed one concern, about the condition of the deteriorating WPA stone structures throughout the park system.
Sep 11, 2012
Morning Call's Catch-Up
The Morning Call's feature story on the potential over supply of hotel rooms is nothing new to my regular readers. This blog has often said that the new arena hotel will reduce the Holiday Inn to a flop house, and be another nail in the coffin of the Americus, shown here in better days. According to the article, the Holiday is operating at about 38% occupancy. To think that the arena will sprout enough activity to support two hotels, much less three, is a pipe dream only possible with taxpayer dollars. I believe that if the Americus is to have a future, it will be as apartments. I also believe that ownership will be wrestled away from the current owner, before NIZ financing would be bestowed upon a favored developer for that conversion. Last, but not least, a revelation about my recent editorial in the paper. It was modified by the Morning Call staff to spare a City Council member my frank evaluation. I have inserted the unedited version with the previous post announcing the editorial.
Sep 10, 2012
Good News For Joe Paterno Fans
If the memory of Allentown, Pennsylvania is any indication, in about 30 years, the name of Joe Paterno should return to Beaver Stadium with full respect. Back in the 1940's, Allentown was the powerhouse of high school sports. It's football team compiled a record of 60-3-3. In basketball, between 1945-1947 they won 60 straight games, and both sports were coached by one man, J. Birney Crum. Over 20,000 fans would pack the Friday night football blowouts. Allentown set out to build the biggest, most elaborate high school football stadium in Pennsylvania. However, when the stadium was completed in 1948, Allentown High School was under suspension by the PIAA, for using 21 and 22 year old ringers on it's basketball and football teams. Information about this unfortunate misunderstanding is now hard to come by. Birney Crum's image has been completely restored. In 1982, they renamed the stadium after him. From the current school district website: Crum was much more than a demanding, hard-driving coach. He was also a soft, kind-hearted man who took care of the people in his AHS program. Crum recruited boys to go back to high school to finish their education. It doesn't mention that he recruited them back to play football and basketball again, until he got caught. Time is kind to former coaches. Birney even married one of the former cheerleaders, after she graduated. Expect to see Joe Paterno's statue back in 2042.
Forrest Gump card courtesy of Bob Lemke
Forrest Gump card courtesy of Bob Lemke
Sep 8, 2012
City Council's Waterloo
Sep 7, 2012
2nd and Hamilton
Up to the mid 1960's, before Allentown started tinkering with urban redevelopment, lower Hamilton Street still teemed with businesses. The City had grown from the river west, and lower Hamilton Street was a vibrant area. Two train stations and several rail lines crossed the busy thoroughfare. Front, Ridge and Second were major streets in the first half of the twentieth century. My grandparents settled on the 600 block of 2nd Street in 1895, along with other Jewish immigrants from Russia and Lithuania. As a boy, I worked at my father's meat market on Union Street. I would have lunch at a diner, just out of view in the photo above. The diner was across from the A&P, set back from the people shown on the corner. A&P featured bags of ground to order 8 O'Clock coffee, the Starbucks of it's day.
please click on photo
reprinted from November 2011
Sep 6, 2012
Sep 5, 2012
No Firewater For Allentown Injuns
Center City residents in Allentown must frequent the State Store at 1918 Allen Street for their nearest firewater. Although Hamilton Street and center city has umpteen vacancies for many years, and our Allentown and Harrisburg officials cooperate to bring the Injuns hockey, no state firewater stores are provided in city center. Local West End Theater District residents have grown accustomed to double parking, and cars blocking Allen Street, as they wait to enter the small parking lot next to the busy state store. Deeper West End residents have a choice of state stores at Crest Plaza, K-Mart Plaza and the Shops at Cedar Point, but then again, they don't have a problem with firewater.
Sep 4, 2012
Beating World's Smallest Horse
Last night I attended the fair. This morning's Morning Call has a feature called Midway Callaway. It's about making cotton candy while wearing rubber gloves, putting it into a plastic bag and selling it behind a glass window. Brian (Callaway), that's not cotton candy, that's not a food joint, it's not even a midway. What I saw last night, despite perfect weather, was a sparse crowd on a sterile strip with glass and formica food trucks.
The night I took the attached photo, in the early 70's, music blasted from the hoochy-koochy shows. Andre the Giant easily defeated his opponent and Willie Restum held court outside the Beer Garden. Generations of Allentonians would gather once a year for a community reunion. I hope somehow there's still more to the fair than my aging eyes can see, and that today's children can still make a tradition out of it's current incarnation.
photocredit: stage on midway outside Hoochy-Koochy Show, Allentown Fair, early 70's, by molovinsky
reprinted from September 3, 2009
Sep 3, 2012
A Lucky Coward Goes To Harrisburg
Michael Schlossberg certainly is lucky to have no opponent in his race for the State House. I believe that his upcoming vote on City Council in support of the water and sewer lease plan would have had long term political consequences. I take the liberty on predetermining his vote, because he has never voted against Pawlowski or the party, he's strictly a company man. His resignation from City Council before, and because, of this vote is an act of cowardice. His replacement will be the third appointment on a seven person council. I keep resolving to be less critical of our elected officials, but unfortunately, their actions preclude such self improvement on my part.
Sep 2, 2012
The Hunkies of Bethlehem
According to my mother, a Gypsy king was buried in Allentown in around 1960, she knew about such things. She was born in Galgo, Hungary, an area of Transylvania, now part of Romania, near present day Gilgau. In Galgo, the Jews and Gypsies lived on the edge of town. In the early 20's, my grandparents, along with their Gypsy neighbors, came to Bethlehem to work at the Steel. On weekends, to make extra money, my grandparents would open their house and show Hungarian movies. None of their relatives, Jew or Gypsy, save one cousin, survived the nazi's; even the cemeteries were desecrated. As you can see from the document above, my grandfather earned his citizenship the hard way.
The post above is a reprint from September of 2009, then titled, King of the Gypsies. This weekend a plaque was unveiled in Bethlehem, commemorating a strike and the death of a Hungarian steel worker in 1910. Apparently, Bethlehem Steel had a long tradition of encouraging Hungarians to immigrate to Bethlehem to work at the plant. Both The Morning Call and Bernie O'Hare covered the story.
Sep 1, 2012
The Self-Serving Of Alan Jennings
making way for White Guy Arena |
Better Photos By Molovinsky
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