The Ultimate Insult

It's easy to insult and demean Mubarak, simply draw a Star of David over his photograph. For the vast majority of people watching the news unfold in Egypt, that star is barely noticeable. Even Jimmy Carter barely notices, and he brokered the Camp David Peace in 1979. A regime change in Egypt is almost certain, tomorrow calls for a million person protest. That star will be drawn over thousands of pictures. As tourists flee the chaos in Cairo, Europeans are still arriving at Sharm el-Sheikh.

Developed by Israel in the mid 1970's at the tip of the Sinai peninsula, the resort was handed over to the Egyptians in 1982. The Egyptian military has increased it's presence there in the last few days, to enhance tourist safety. Needless to say, the drawn star strikes a reaction in Jews and Israelis. Not all Egyptians are out on the streets. The Coptic and other Christian minorities are keeping a low profile, they too notice the star.

I am Israel- Jerusalem Version

Lehigh Valley Railroad

The Lehigh Valley Railroad began as an carrier of anthracite coal in 1846. At it's peak, it stretched from the docks of New York harbor to Lake Erie. Although mostly a freight carrier serving the hearths of Bethlehem Steel, it operated a well known passenger line from New York City to Buffalo, The Black Diamond. As a child in the 1950's, I would sit in the car with my father waiting for the long freight trains to cross Union Street. A train watch tower stood over the busy crossing. By 1976, remnants of the railroad were absorbed by Conrail. Shown above, from the late 1930's, is the streamlined engine of the Black Diamond.

The Hubris of Northampton County

Bernie O'Hare is clearly now the Propaganda Minister for Northampton County. Long behind the scenes, he's now officially part of the lawsuit against the citizen's referendum regarding Gracedale. Considering that Angle was Council President when the decision to sell was made, and still is the dominator there, one need question his judgement with this suit. Should an elected representative be a joint signer with someone who portrays the taxpayers as goons and an unruly mob? The Election Commission, in rejecting the right of referendum in regard to Gracedale, was advised by the Solicitor, who in turn was tutored by the lawyer hired to facilitate the sale.* The citizens of Northampton deserve more respect.

above illustration used by Bernie O'Hare to represent the Save Gracedale Citizens

*At least one council person criticized Spadoni for having contact with Mark Stewart, of the Harrisburg law firm the county hired to help with the sale. Last week, Stewart sent Spadoni a memo explaining why the petition did not conform to the home rule charter.
Councilman Lamont McClure, a Democrat opposed to the sale, called the contact problematic.
"The Election Commission solicitor should provide the best possible advice to the Election Commission without the pollution of interpretation of law by the lawyer hired to sell Gracedale," McClure said Monday.
The Morning Call:January 26,2011 by Jenna Portnoy

Bernie Files Lawsuit

Channel 69 reports that Bernie and Ron Angle have filed a lawsuit to keep the Gracedale question off the ballot. Bernie says that the issue is budget related, and budget issues are prohibited from referendum by the Home Rule Charter. It wasn't a good day for the Save Gracedale Group. Additionally, the Election Board also ruled against allowing the ballot question. Presumedly the group will appeal the Election Board decision in court, and likewise defend against Bernie's suit. Bernie believes that the fate of Gracedale should rest with the current elected officials. What arrogance of Angle and Stoffa to presume that they are entitled to do away with a 100 year plus institution without a public vote. The photograph shows Bernie, pen in hand, scrutinizing the petition signatures.

UPDATE: MORNING CALL ARTICLE
                     BLOG POST BY BERNIE

Trouble with Mailman

For those of us with AOL Email, yesterday didn't exist. Besides not being able to log in to the mail site, two months of previous mail has vanished. Hope I didn't miss the prize announcement from the Publisher's Clearing House, or from you.

Downhill on Lehigh Street

During the early 1970's, Allentown demolished the entire neighborhood between Union and Lawrence Streets. It was, in a large part, home to the black community. How ironic that we destroyed the cohesion of a neighborhood, but renamed Lawrence Street after Martin Luther King. The only remnant of the neighborhood is the St. James A.M.E. Church. Going up the hill today we now have a vacant bank call center on the east, and the Housing Authority Project on the west. A whole neighborhood existed in from both sides of Lehigh Street, including black owned shops. The houses were old and humble, but people owned them, many for generations. Some blacks at the time wondered if the project was Urban Renewal or Negro Removal?

Former County Executive Favors Saving Gracedale

Jerry Seyfried, a former Northampton County Executive, favors the County retaining Gracedale, according to Bernie O'Hare.

I just got off the phone with Jerry Seyfried, who believes Gracedale should remain in County hands.

This revelation by Bernie, perhaps inadvertently, was made during the course of a back and forth comment exchange on his  blog(comment 49,1:36pm). Although Bernie states the numerous articles he has written on why to sell Gracedale are based on facts and research, he has never presented this informed, opposing opinion by Seyfried.

Saving Gracedale

I would like to congratulate the coalition of concerned citizens, who obtained the necessary signatures to put this most important issue on the ballot. My fellow blogger, Bernie O'Hare, has used his well crafted writing skills to defend the position of the Northampton County Administration. One can reasonably expect that the thousands of signatures you obtained beyond the requirement, will be more than enough to meet the numerical threshold. In regard to the Charter issue concerning the budget, all county function is connected to the budget. Everything that any county owns, does, or maintains, involves some cost. Gracedale is a long standing County institution. Its continuation is not a budget issue, but rather a question of county function. Should the County continue it's historic obligation to it's elderly citizens?

photo credit: molovinsky

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 March 12, 2009

Allentown Meat Packing Co.

My grandfather lived on the corner of Jordan and Chew, and butchered in a small barn behind the house. He would deliver by horse and wagon to his customers, corner markets. The house is still there, the barn, long gone. My father, and one of his brothers, acquired the H.H. Steinmetz packing house in 1943. Operating as Allentown Meat Packing, by 1950 they closed the slaughter house, and converted the front of the plant into a meat market open to the public. That continued to 1970, when it was leased to an operator who sold meat by freezer full packages. In 1975 the building was torn down, as part of a long term lease agreement with A&B, who wanted the space for parking. The photo was taken just prior to demolition.

The Butchers of Allentown

photograph by Bob Wilt
A&B (Abogast&Bastian), dominated the local meat packing industry for almost 100 years. At it's peak, they employed 700 people and could process 4,000 hogs a day. The huge plant was at the foot of Hamilton Street, at the Lehigh River. All that remains is their free standing office building, which has been incorporated into America on Wheels. Front and Hamilton was Allentown's meatpacking district. Within one block, two national Chicago meatpackers, Swift and Wilson, had distribution centers. Also in the area were several small independents, among them M. Feder and Allentown Meat Packing Company.

Knock Down At The Garden

You could knock Joe Louis down, the problem was when he got up. Shown above, Louis's former sparring partner, Jersey Joe Walcott, circles above Louis. Louis had returned from four years in the service, and resumed defending his title. Walcott himself would eventually become champion, but not this night, not against Joe Louis.

Madison Square Garden, December 5, 1947

A Morning Call Letter

Don't Make Political Dissent Yet Another Victim by Michael Molovinsky

A Jew Defends Palin

Sarah Palin used the term Blood Libel, in defending herself against accusations that she is responsible for the actions of the obviously mentally disturbed shooter in Tucson. Her frenzied distractors have seized upon the opportunity to now pronounce that she has offended Jews, by using a term long associated with anti-semitism. The Huffington Post quotes Jewish groups and rabbis so offended. They omit the fact that these groups and rabbis are so leftist, that they are also critical of Israel. Sarah Palin certainly was libeled by accusations that actions on her part, resulted in the recent horror. Reasonable Jews are not offended by her use of the term. Holocaust is now a widely used term in regard to mass violence. Reasonable people reject the concept of scapegoats, whether it's Jews or Sarah Palin.
UPDATE

The term “blood libel” has taken on a broad metaphorical meaning in public discourse. Although its historical origins were in theologically based false accusations against the Jews and the Jewish People,its current usage is far broader. I myself have used it to describe false accusations against the State of Israel by the Goldstone Report. There is nothing improper and certainly nothing anti-Semitic in Sarah Palin using the term to characterize what she reasonably believes are false accusations that her words or images may have caused a mentally disturbed individual to kill and maim. The fact that two of the victims are Jewish is utterly irrelevant to the propriety of using this widely used term.                 
Alan Dershowitz, famed attorney and Harvard Law Professor

A Family Conversation

My aunt and I were talking the other day, and she doesn't understand what happened to Allentown.




I sat there patiently and tried to explain some of it to her.





She's from a time when school safety issues had to do with children and cars, not gangs.
dismissal time, Muhlenberg Elementary






She insists that there must have been Martians on that space ship Max Hess brought to town, or something.
click on space ship for ride

format rented from Allentown Is Nice

The Passion of Israel

If there is a passion in Israel, it may well be archeology. As a young man in 1968, I had the pleasure of taking an archeology course in Jerusalem. It has remained a lifelong interest. Al Jazeera has produced a documentary called Looting the Holy Land. It is very well done, but untrue. More galling, it accuses Israel of using archeology for political purpose, which is exactly what the Palestinian Authority does itself.

Israel Finkelstein (Tel Aviv University) '"Looting the Holy Land" or Pillaging the Truth?')and labels the film "a piece of political propaganda, aimed – as the bon ton goes today (sic) – at de-legitimizing Israel" and therefore sets out to demonstrate point by point "why this is a worthless film, ridden with manipulations, political propaganda, incorrect facts and even lies". Finkelstein points out that "most of the looting in the West Bank (as well as in Israel!) has been carried out by Palestinians" and not Israelis. He corrects statements made in the film about Hisham's palace near Jericho, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Moshe Dayan and disputed sites in Jerusalem, and claims that the film contains several false allegations.

Their recent proclamation that the Western Wall, built by Herod, is not a Jewish site is a glaring example. The documentary contains quotes out of context and half truths. The Jews and Israel have never needed archeology to justify their historical presence, the Old Testament suffices.

Ted Williams' Truman Show

I'm glad Mr. Williams is no longer homeless. I'm glad he found employment, but the do-gooders tripping over each other is an affront to the system. But for his voice, but more so, the unlikely juxtaposition of his voice and vagabond appearance, he would still be homeless. The broadcasting schools have produced more announcers than there are jobs. There are other golden voices flipping hamburgers and selling cars. The job with MSNBC is par for the course, as is the taped reunion with his mother. Suddenly, Kraft Macaroni gets cheesier.

The Last Trolley

The last trolley, shown above, ran in Allentown on June 8, 1953. We see the trolley passing a new Transit Authority bus at 8th and Hamilton Streets. In the early 1950's, General Motors wined and dined transit authorities all across the nation, promoting their buses as the modern mass transit. Today, buses are becoming electric, just like efficient trolleys of yesteryear. We even dress up a small bus to look like a trolley. Gotta love the vision of bureaucrats.

Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria

The Church and Theology School in Alexandria was established by the Apostle Mark in 60AD. Most of the early converts were common Egyptians who spoke Coptic. Although Christians became the majority before the Arab invasion in 636, by the 12th century they were the minority. The concept of monasteries in Christianity was started by the Coptics in the deserts of Egypt. Currently, the Coptics are victims of terror, let us pray for their safety.

photograph of St. Marks Coptic Church in Alexandria, Egypt.

The Weigh-In

                                            Madison Square Garden, March 27, 1942
When they met for the first time the previous March, Abe Simon battled Joe Louis for 13 rounds. The Detroit crowd went wild that the Jewish giant from New York could absorb Louis's punches. Louis had the power of Mike Tyson and the finesse of Muhammad Ali. When it was revealed that Simon had fought with a broken hand, the Madison Garden rematch became a big ticket. Louis knocked Simon out in the sixth round. It would be Simon's last fight.
click on photo to enlarge

Bernie Balks, Angle Falters

On Sunday night Bernie posted about the Gracedale Referendum being short on signatures, but the post never saw light of day. For one reason or another he deleted the post, or at least is postponing using it. The post is Bernie's usual fare about the effort being conducted by goons. Although the effort may be short by 4,000, I believe Bernie misreads the tea leafs. If I were the face of selling Gracedale, that being Stoffa and Angle, I would take no consolation that 15,000 people signed that petition. Yesterday, Angle was deposed of as President of Northampton Commissioners. Next November may prove difficult for him.
link to Bernie's deleted post

UPDATE: Bernie has republished the missing piece after reading this post. His explanation is here as comment 4.

Bluffing Bethlehem School Board

Bethlehem's Mayor John Callahan is trying to persuade the School Board to reconsider a tax incentive for Martin Tower that they had recently rejected. Without the tax break, Callahan suggests the developer will build affordable housing, instead of an upscale Shangri-La previously presented. More children will burden the school system, instead of the well heeled patronizing Main Street. The new plan is exactly what the developers would have built in the first place, with or without the tax increment financing. The property is too large, and the demand too small, for high end. The original total TIF request was less than 5% of the project cost. The developer is being more honest than the Mayor; He said that the new plans reflect the market conditions. The School Board only rejected the original plan two months ago, the market conditions has not changed since then. Although it was appropriate for Callahan to encourage the development of the Tower in the first place, he's now just shilling for a developer.

source article by Esack, Assad and Radzievich

Logjam at Doorway

In 2005, an official of the Allentown Police Union told me that he expected about 12 officers to retire under the new contract, then negotiated with the Afflerbach Administration. The Union had made some wages concessions, in exchange for the rule changes concerning retirement. We all know what happen, 80 policemen ran for the door, including that 40 year old Union official. Last week, Pawlowski announced another wage concession with the Police, in exchange for another rule change. The new change allows an officer to claim disability from day one of employment, including mental stress. The lesson, which should have been learned, is that it's better to give a raise with a known cost, rather than submit the City to enormous variables. When Pawlowski campaigned in 2005, he called the recent retirees a second police department, which the City needed to fund. Pawlowski signed this new deal unilaterally, bypassing City Council. Although Council President D'Amore huffed and puffed about being excluded in the procedure, as a staunch union advocate, he would not have objected to the content.
source article by Jarrett Renshaw
related post by Jeff Pooley
related column by Paul Carpenter

Kicking Off New Year

molovinsky on allentown starts another year of commentary and advocacy on local issues. This core mission will continue to be interspersed by local history, reports from The Holy Land, and ringside exploits from the 1940's. So, whether you consider here to be   A Must Read,  or just Old and Cranky, welcome aboard!

Free Houses for Christmas

No Virginia, there really are no free houses. When the previous owner was paid at settlement, somebody came up with real smackers. Now, I know you heard that because the mortgage was packaged and sold so many times, and the mortgage was being serviced by a collection agency, that there is no longer a real mortgagee; But there is my dear, real smackers were exchanged for that paper all along the trail. I know you heard the adult cry babies say that the mortgage servicers make more money forcing foreclosure than just doing their job. You know Virginia, they wouldn't have their business very long if that happen often. You can only cheat and sell your employer short so many times before he fires you. I know you heard that some man forgot to cross a T on the foreclosure form, but that still doesn't make the house free. No Virginia, too many people bought a house on a Yes We Can, and that house of cards collapsed. When you grow up we want you to be able to buy a house. It's important now that mommy and daddy give back the keys, and you all go live with grandma. That way dear, when you meet your Prince Charming, investors will once again be willing to come up with the smackers.

Avi Cohen

Israel's legendary soccer player, Avi Cohen, has passed away from injuries sustained in a traffic accident. I refer you to Rolf Oeler's great soccer site, Between the Sticks, for five tribute posts.

The Tracks of Allentown

Up to the early 1950's, you pretty much drove over tracks wherever you went in Allentown. While the trolleys moved the people, the Lehigh Valley Railroad freight cars moved the materials in and out of our factories. Shown above, the Lehigh Valley Transit trolley moves across the former steel Hamilton Street Bridge. The huge UGI gas tank can be seen on Union Street. While the trolleys gave way to buses by 1953, the freight rail spurs would tarry on for two more decades.

BlogoMania

Yesterday in BlogoMania 1, we lost a blogger. LVCI was tossed out of the ring by Bernie O'Hare, and vows not to return. LVCI explains his reason to stop blogging on a post called Fi-ni-to. The match started with Jon Geetings labeling both LVCI and myself as old nay-sayers, with no positive suggestions for the valley. This is when O'Hare jumped in the ring and helped Geetings throw LVCI over the ropes. Geetings later justified his ageism by claiming that back in October, on a third blog, I called him a young Democrat, dismissing his opinion. I have requested assistance in this dispute from the AARP. The third blogger was presenting an article that Geetings found about real estate. I thought perhaps after 35 years in the business locally, I might know more than Geetings found on the internet. In the past I have praised a local landlord who is younger than Geetings. My use of "young" and "democrat" were adjectives. What I dismiss is the importation of all these "solutions" to Allentown. Geetings and associates think that if they find and present some ordinance passed by another city, that they are doing something positive. They refer to this process as harvesting idea's. LVCI and myself, over the years, have seen dozens of idea's harvested and enacted, to no improvement. A good idea in Charleston, may not be so good here. There never was a shortage of idea's, there has been a deficiency in the implementation of existing policy. Anyway, time for my prunes.

Christmas in Crank-osphere

While normal people were roasting chestnuts and reveling in the warmth of their family, the bloggers were having a cage match. Seems as if LVCI was miffed for thirty seconds, at some girl who lived here for thirty minutes, and thought she knew more about the valley than he does. Being a Christian at Christmas, he deleted his harsh words almost immediately. In conversation we say that we're sorry, and apologize for what we said. In the blogosphere, the equivalent may well be the delete key. Anyway, quick deletion aside, never the less his words were captured, reprinted, and taken to task by Jon Geetings, on the Lehigh Valley Independent. Please go there now, read the post and comments, then return. If you took that little trip, you saw that Jon decided to drag me into the ring also.

Allentown sure has prospered under the wise stewardship of the old timers. What exactly is the LVCI game plan for Allentown anyway? What's the Mike Molovinsky plan? Protect the WPA heritage, but oh wait, can't raise any of the revenue you need to pay for it! Y'all can't even manage to come up with coherent complaints, let alone any ideas for how to move the region forward....I realize it would be asking too much of the crank-osphere...  

Now, considering that LVCI, Chris Casey and Bernie O'Hare all came to my defense, a wiser man would leave it alone, but what kind of third rate crank would that make me? I'm a first rate crank. I don't disagree with LVCI's frustration about the LV Renew type agenda. Gettings himself brags that they harvest outside idea's from the internet to move the valley forward. He forgets to mention that the studies and hired staff all cost the taxpayer money, even if it's from outside grants. I believe the goal of the train to NYC would cost about a million dollars a mile to build. Gettings also forget to mention that although he lives in NYC, he likes to dine here on weekends, and the train would be convenient. Anyway, back in the ring, O'Hare criticizes LVCI for anonymous slams. First of all, although LVCI does wear a mask, it's always the same man behind the mask; his name is unknown, but he has an identity. Now the question is, what would four old fat men look like in the ring, and what kind of costumes would we wear?

Christmas City

In 1937, Bethlehem was still struggling from the Great Depression. In December of that year, the Star was built on top of the mountain, elaborate street decorations were installed, and the city began calling itself                                                Christmas City.

Christmas Lights

Best Wishes For The Holiday Season

Photocredit: molovinsky
reprinted from December 25, 2009

Allentown On My Mind

I'm a baby boomer. I was born in December of 1946. As soon as my mother climbed out of the hospital bed, another woman climbed in. I grew up in the neighborhood now called Little Lehigh Manor, wedged between Lehigh Street and the top of the ravine above Lehigh Parkway. That's me on our lawn at the intersection of Catalina and Liberator Avenues, named after airplanes made by Vultee Corporation for the War. We had our own elementary school, are own grocery store, and the park to play in. On Saturdays my older brother would take me on the trolley, and later the bus, over the 8TH Street Bridge to Hamilton Street. There were far too many stores to see everything. After a matinee of cartoons or Flash Gordon, and a banana split at one of the five and dimes, we
would take the bus back over the bridge to Lehigh Street.





Not that many people know where Lehigh Parkway Elementary School is. It's tucked up at the back of the development of twin homes on a dead end street, but I won't say exactly where. I do want to talk about the photograph. It's May Day, around 1952-53. May Day was big then, so were the unions; Most of the fathers worked at the Steel, Mack, Black and Decker, and a hundred other factories going full tilt after the war. The houses were about 8 years old, and there were no fences yet. Hundreds of kids would migrate from one yard to another, and every mother would assume some responsibility for the herd when it was in her yard. Laundry was hung out to dry. If you notice, most of the "audience" are mothers, dads mostly were at work. I'm at the front, right of center, with a light shirt and long belt tail. Don't remember the girl, but see the boy in front of me with the big head? His father had the whole basement setup year round with a huge model train layout. There were so many kid's, the school only went up to second grade. We would then be bused to Jefferson School for third through sixth grade. The neighborhood had its own Halloween Parade and Easter egg hunt. We all walked to school, no one being more than four blocks away. Years ago when I met my significant other, she told me she taught at an elementary school on the south side, but that I would have no idea where it was.

compilation of two posts from June 2008

reprinted from December 21, 2009

Abusing the SouthSide

Allentown's SouthSide has been under one pressure after another since Pawlowski's first election. A couple years ago this blog went to bat for Bicentennial Park. I conducted a Speak Out Meeting at Faith Baptist Church, which attracted, among others, the Hunsicker family and a couple City Council members. The Hunsicker's were responsible for the fund drive which built the current stadium. Pawlowski backed away from a sale to Lanta at the time, but according to a recent Morning Call article, pressure on the park still continues. Over the years, thousands of Allentown kids got to play Under the LIghts. History and tradition are both unknown and uncared for, by the outsiders running this town. I have also been involved in defending Lehigh Parkway, which is used for an entertainment venue at the expense of the traditional features. While irreplaceable WPA icons are overgrown and neglected, paths are paved, sewage spills, and electric lights shine.

Allentown's neglect and failure to properly paint and maintain the 15th Street Bridge has threatened the historic Schreibers Bridge near Regency Tower. The bridge was built in 1828. Because the north bound side of the 15th st. bridge has been closed, lines of cars and trucks now go over the old stone arch bridge.

Pawlowski now wants to sell the Queen City Airport for a quick, one time infusion to the city budget. We would lose a important open space asset to fund a few new restaurants on Hamilton Street. It was at this airport Vultee built planes to defend this country during the world war. The airport creates a safe barrier between small planes and the commercial aircraft at LVIA. Pawlowski would prefer more homes to burden the school system and a couple of strip malls to sell more litter.

                                                               Please Click Here

Allentown School District

One of the most amazing things about Allentown is that the population, despite the problems, has remained about the same since 1928. That was the year Allentown celebrated reaching 100,000. Today, we are about 106.000. Although the numbers stayed the same, the demographics have changed drastically. We are now officially a minority city. When I grew up, there was a saying, If you ain't Dutch, you ain't much. How's that for political correctness? Today, if you want to see a Pennsylvania Dutchman, you have to look at the picture on a bag of pretzels.

During my school years, a delinquent was a kid smoking a cigarette in the alley. Today, we have machete attacks, and parents beating someone else's kid in a classroom. In this environment, should we be concerned about math scores in Singapore? There is a disconnect between the discipline problems and the preoccupation for better scores on the standardized tests; Increasing civility is much more important. If we could get that math score up, will the public overlook the machete attack? We'll build a new school next to Jackson Elementary, move the students, and put the machete attackers in the old Jackson. Then, we'll take the real achievers and put them in an academy of excellence. Let's hope not too many parents insist that their child belongs in the academy. Let's hope that the prison school works out. We all agree that all the students are a precious commodity. What we really need is safe classrooms, conducive to learning. We need supervised streets, conducive for getting to and from school safely. Isn't it interesting that a child can leave Central Catholic at 4th and Chew, and be safer than a child leaving William Allen at 17th and Chew?

The photograph, from the late 1940's, shows a kindergarden class before Lehigh Parkway Elementary School was completed. One of the twin houses served both as the neighborhood school and church.

The Sabaean Mandeans of Iraq

I'm glad that the plight of Christians in Iraq is starting to attract main stream media attention, but there is another persecuted group you may not hear about. The Mandeans predate Christianity, do not believe in Christ, and are believed to have been followers of John the Baptist. Accepting no converts, their numbers have always been small. Apparently, they migrated to the swamps south of current Baghdad after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Their writings are in Aramaic, the language of the Bible in the time of Jesus. Their rules and ethics are similar to Jewish tradition. Baptism is their central ritual; they call the water Jordan.

Say Now

Say now, do you remember when Neuweilers was a brewery on Front Street, not a redevelopment project? Say now, do you remember when Park and Shop validated your ticket for free parking, not a Parking Authority that fined you for coming downtown? Say now, do you remember when Hamilton Street was filled with neon signs and shoppers, not ordinances and vision plans? Say now, do you remember when City Hall didn't have all the managers, planners and directors we have now? Say now, we must have been stupider then or something.

Bill White's Christmas Lights

I was never on Bill White's Christmas Lights tour, but all I could think of was Chevy Chase, putting together the plug in his Christmas Lampoon Movie. I imagined that in Bill's mind, the more the better, aesthetics beside. Yesterday the newspaper showed photographs of some of the houses; Yep, I was right. Now, I understand the appeal of wattage, especially for children. As a child, my father would drive us by a house on Union Street, just beyond Union Terrace. It was a ranch house with easy access to the roof. This man did the whole shebang; roof outline in lights, Santa sled and reindeer on roof, and lots of lawn ornaments. As the gentleman and his display aged, less would appear each year. Fortunately for children, Santa, although no spring chicken and fat, never gets too old to deliver.

Blogger's Note: Christmas lights are enjoyed by people of all ages and faiths. Bill White and his crew have spent many hours locating those houses which best give what he calls the gift of WOW. Pictures and directions for the light tour can be found on The Morning Call Website.

Better Work By FAR

When Rohrbach told City Council that the Bill will hurt competitive construction for Allentown, Allentown should have listened. You couldn’t walk in Allentown, especially near City Hall, without stepping on Rohrbach work, including the new Arts Walk. Quality cement work, and F A Rohrbach, has been synonymous in Allentown for 35 years. The disconnect shown between City Council voting for the ordinance requiring union labor, and the history of Allentown, is staggering. It was here in the valley that both the national cement and steel industries began. Our local tradesman and fabricators became world renowned for quality work. In all the years of the All American City's pride, former leaders knew better than to chop off the legs of our esteemed craftsmen. Now the glory days are behind us, and we are in the days of petty self serving. Our local politicians grovel at the union hall, pandering for a block of votes. Rohrbach came to City Hall out of principle and loyalty to his employees. Where was Lee Butz? Many quality contractors who work for his construction managed projects are not unionized. Butz speaks out about how nice and safe Hamilton Street is; He should have spoken out about the quality work of local tradesman, union affiliated or not.

The Bill, sponsored by Pawlowski, D'Amore and Schweyer, passed 5 to 2. Pawlowski is from out of town, and unfamiliar with the traditions of our local tradesmen. D'Amore is a certified union sycophant. Schweyer is employed by Jenn Mann, who is union co-dependent. Guridy doesn't assert himself. As an advocate for minority businesses, he should have thought about the small contractors starting up. Schlossberg is a machine politician in training. Ray O'Connell's vote was a disappointment. I applaud Donovan and Eichenwald, neither originally from the area, for their dissenting votes.

Morning Call article by Jarrett Renshaw

Doing It His Way

He was Frank Sinatra's favorite fighter. Tami Mauriello started fighting professionally when he was 17 years old, as a light heavyweight. After two loses to Gus Lesnevich for that title, he moved up to the heavyweight division. In 1943, Sinatra paid $10,000 to buy an interest in his fellow Italian American. Sinatra sang the National Anthem before one of his fights. Eleven straight wins set up his title shot with Louis on September 18, 1946, in Yankee Stadium. This incredible photo shows the first round knockout. Mauriello ended his career with an 82 - 13 record. He later appeared in the movie classic, On The Waterfront, with fellow heavyweights Tony Galento and Abe Simon.
click on photo

St. Matthew's Monastery

St. Matthew's Monastery in Kurdish Iraq, one of the oldest Christian Institutions in the world, was built by Christians fleeing persecution in 363 AD. Today, 16 centuries later, Christians are once again seeking shelter there. In the last decade it has been estimated that half the Christians have left Iraq. Since the Baghdad Church bombing in October, some Christians are afraid to be seen wearing a cross; Others have fled with little more than the clothes on their back. Pray for them.

St. Matthew's is part of the Syriac Orthodox Church

A New Look

Two posts ago, commenter Monkey Momma found it ironic, that as a blogger, I was not a fan of silicon chips. When I made the statement, I actually had social media more in mind, not the internet per se. I'm aghast at all the drivers on cell phones. Who are they talking to, and what is so important? I'm aghast at people reading the newspaper on a small iphone, scrolling up from the bottom. Admittedly, I am a dinosaur with technology; So today, I give myself a new look. You will now find a cropped version of my high school picture with my comments.

graduation picture, Allen High, mid 1960's.

Mount of Temptation

The Palestinian Authority unsuccessfully tried to increase tourism to Jericho this year, no rush, the town might be the oldest inhabited city on earth, 10,000 years. In 1895 the Greek Orthodox Church built the Mount of Temptation Monastery, where the devil tried three times to tempt Jesus during his forty days of prayer and fast. Steeped in both the Old and New Testaments, next to Jerusalem, it is the most excavated city in the Holy Land.

related post on Jericho

A Road Runs Through It

Once there was a time when gasoline was twenty five cents a gallon, there was no internet, and a family would go for a drive on Sunday. There was no traffic congestion or road rage. The cars were large, and they all came from Detroit. You could drive through a park, even an amusement park. There was no rush to get back to the television; It was very small, with only a few channels. Life now seems to revolve around small silicon chips, I preferred when it was large engines.

photograph shows the road through Dorney Park

The Faker Forces D Game

According to The Morning Call,  Lehigh County Commissioners are being forced to play defense against Cedarbrook's new union. Prior to Don Cunningham taking office in 2006, Cedarbrook was not unionized. Cunningham's predecessors, to insure the continuation of a historic vital service, passively resisted attempts to unionize Cedarbrook for twenty years, by thoughtful management-labor communications. Cunningham's first act as County Executive was to encourage and accept a CardCheck, dooming Cedarbrook to Gracedale's fate. Now, only five years after Cunningham's first election, County Commissioners must deal with the consequences of The Faker. With a wink to the union, Cunningham has said that neither side will get everything they want.

related post by Bernie O'Hare

Prescription for Doctor

Abraham Twerski was a Chief Rabbi of a Hasidic branch of Judaism, and an world renowned Torah Scholar. He is also a medical doctor specializing in Psychiatry. He was a professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School, and founder of the famed Gateway Rehabilitation Center. He is author of over 60 books. In one book he writes about his own low self esteem. If the good doctor had only taken the time to run for Allentown City Council, not only would it have improved his self-esteem, he might instead have delusions of grandeur.