The Lesson Plan

The School Administration Building last night far exceeded the lawful occupancy in number of people permitted. One gifted student after another explained why they wanted to stay at either Allen or Dieruff High. They explained how important all the extracurricular activities are to their motivation to be a well rounded person. One parent after another explained how well pleased they were by their children's accomplishments in the current curriculum. Teacher after teacher explained how important Social Studies are to a diverse student population. Reason would assume that our school leaders would take such informed testimony to heart; I doubt it. I believe that this Superintendent and these Directors think they know best. I've seen this type of arrogance many times. Let's hope I'm wrong.

UPDATE: Although the Board will allow citizens the allusion of input through committee's, they approved Zahorchak's plan by 8 to 1. Morning Call reporter Steve Esack accepts the notion that the Board will reevaluate the whole plan, but must forward approval now for reasons of State compliance. I believe that they are only placating the ignorant masses, and will proceed as Zahorchak recommends. Although Bob Smith is quoted in the paper questioning the plan, the dissenting vote was cast by David Zimmerman.

UPDATE#2: Last evening the School Board declined to expand Roberto Clemente Charter School to include elementary grades. It was a close vote, 5 to 4. Clemente does a good job with their current 6th to 12th grade program. I currently do not have a position on the expansion proposal, but I do know that last evening only one speaker out of 45 concerned that important decision. Perhaps that issue should have been deferred to a less controversial meeting.

UPDATE#3: Morning Call article by Steve Esack on Clemente Vote

Click on Photo

Among some of the more interesting things I find on this photograph is that Cedar Beach is still a swimming hole, the pool has yet to be built. The 15th Street Bridge has yet to be built. The former quarry just south of Union Terrace is quite prominent, and the train spur going through the area is visible. The racetrack at the fairgrounds is very identifiable, as is the half circle driveway at Muhlenberg College. This aerial photograph is from 1939. Click on photo to enlarge.

Northampton County Pathos

In a rambling, incoherent statement yesterday, Northampton County Executive John Stoffa announced that he would appeal the recent decision by Judge Baratta, which allowed the Gracedale issue as a ballot question. Stoffa rambled on about the Constitution, Home Rule Charters, and not permitting 23 thousand executives. There may be nothing more important in our Constitution than the people's right to redress an issue through petition. Although Stoffa had previously indicated to the Save Gracedale Group that he would honor a successful petition, the turn around, although disappointing, is not surprising. The interplay between council president for life Ron Angle (doesn't know that he's no longer president), Stoffa and their consigliere, Bernie O'Hare, is becoming more transparent. O'Hare continues the second appeal against the signatures, while Stoffa now mumbles about defending representative democracy. The rush to shed a 100 year old county institution without public input is unconscionable.

John Stoffa is no longer acting like a community leader and responsible executive; he is making threats like a dockside bully. Mr. Stoffa has lost all credibility in the Gracedale discussion and has disgraced himself with his latest statements.
He calls the referendum and the signatures obtained on the petitions--an initiative which he himself encouraged upon the Coalition of Alzheimer's Families to pursue--an attempt by the voters to proclaim themselves "23,000 county executives." Mr. Stoffa insults both the voters and the democratic process. The petitioners are exercising their rights by asking that every citizen weigh in, yes or no, about one of the most important issues facing Northampton County. Mr. Stoffa claims that the power to decide is his alone, and that the voters shall have no say in the matter.
Mr. Stoffa has been unable with his allies to achieve this sale as he wants, swiftly, in isolation and without due diligence. Now he wants the voters to believe they have not the right to question or challenge him and his wishes. But Northampton county is not yet a dictatorship. Mr. Stoffa brings shame not on the rest of us, but on himself. Donald Dal Maso,comment at The Express Times

A Jewish Sport

Jewish fighters dominated boxing between the World Wars. In around 1930, a third of all fighters were Jewish, by far the largest ethnic group. Some fighters even purported to be Jewish when they were not, such as the Baer brothers. Jews ruled the light and welterweight divisions, with long time champions Benny Leonard and Barney Ross. Ten world championships were fought with both men in the ring being Jewish. Boxing has long been an economic ladder for immigrant and minority groups.
photo of Jewish heavyweights King Levinsky and Art Lasky, 1934

White Charter School

Is school superintendent Zahorchak's new magnet school for academically gifted at 4th and Allen Streets a defacto charter school for whites? The more I read about Zahorchak's plans, the less impressed I am. Although the school planners acknowledge that the hispanic population suffers from a high mobility rate, they then ignore that reality with sweeping changes based on a stable population. When you remove the bad apples to the new detention center in the old Jackson School, then the gifted to the 4th and Allen, what do you call the remainder at Allen and Dieruff, the mediocre? Who will be the academic role models for the mediocre? I'm beginning to believe that we have a mediocre school board who doesn't have the gumption to rein in an obvious poor hire.

UPDATE: Comments from The Morning Call indicate that people are not happy with the Zahorchak plan

I agree with you 100%!! My daughter is also one of the students that would be moved to the new Collegiate High and she doesn't want to leave Dieruff either. Her friends are there. See what people like Dr. Z forget is that school is also about social things too. Now I know people are going to be all over me for that because "school is about learning" however, it is also about social issues too. My daughter helps out other students at Dieruff with tutoring. She has friends in her honors/gifted classes and friends who struggle in many classes. You see, it doesn't matter to her where they are academically, they are friends. She tells me she will drop every honors/gifted class she has and stay at Dieruff. Well isn't that great for us, her parents. Moving the students around is not going to solve the problems in ASD. Again it is the parents. How to fix that I have no idea but pulling kids away from their friends is not going to work. My daughter will graduate as a Dieruff Husky...just as both her parents did.

Block Grants for Infrastructure

About this time of year the directors of the various social agencies crowd into Allentown Council Chamber for their annual CDBG handout. This ritual has been occurring for about 15 years. The blogosphere is full of Alan Jennings sobbing about the proposed cutback. The Federal Government allows the Block Grant to be used for infrastructure if enough of the population falls within their definition of poverty; unfortunately, we have qualified for many years. Putting aside my well know views on the poverty magnet, we have short changed the city's infrastructure. Although the condition of the gas lines has received much recent attention, the water lines are equally old and leaking. The leaking water washes away the ground supporting the aging gas lines, creating a double threat. In the last ten years we could have directed $100 million dollars of Block Grants toward our infrastructure, with tangible results. The results with the poverty situation are much less clear.

Depot at Overlook Park

Old timers have noticed that the contractor's building on Hanover Avenue transformed into a community center for Overlook Park. But only the oldest, or train buffs, realized that the building was the freight depot and office for the Lehigh & New England Railroad. Lehigh & New England was formed in 1895, primarily as a coal carrier. The line ran from Allentown to Maybrook, New York.

In 1904 it was acquired by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. The line ceased operation in 1961. Among it's infrastructure were impressive bridges across both the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers, both of which were dismantled. Ironic that a remnant of our industrial era is being utilized by the successor of a public housing project.

Can Brenda Save Ron?

Although Bernie promised us more on the Baratta decision, instead Brenda appears, and makes Bernie's points. Meanwhile, The Morning Call reports that Ron Angle accepted $3000 from the private prison company while trying to rush the deal through Northampton Council. Unable to reach his ghost speech writer, Angle tells the reporter that all they bought was disinfluence. Bernie branded Pawlowski as a pay to player for contributions much less than that. Can Brenda now help Ron? Bernie portrays Brenda as a young Asian woman. I have chosen Brenda Starr. Both the illustrations and original story lines were produced by a woman, Dale Messick, beginning in 1940.

Trying the Judge

Angle & O'Hare LLC* have been trying Judge Baratta since last Wednesday's decision affirming the validity of the petition. O'Hare's propaganda machine, Lehigh Valley Ramblings, has been burning the midnight oil with one shot after another. According to O'Hare, during the hearing Baratta wisecracked, snarked and barbed. He has called the judge intemperate and his reasoning intellectually dishonest. O'Hare's motives puzzle me. Is he trying to pressure the judge in the court of public opinion? The second decision, concerning the ballot question's legality in regard to the Home Rule Charter, is expected Tuesday. Meanwhile O'Hare discards truth for effectiveness. For instance, he claims he received a picture of Hermann Goering. He omits the fact that the sender is unrelated to the Gracedale controversy, and that O'Hare did a search and published liens filed against the man.

* Angle and O'Hare LLC is a phrase coined by Ron Angle

Quite a Week

It's been quite a week. First a tiff with O'Hare escalated into my being banned in Boston. He now deletes my comments and has removed this blog from his sidebar blog link list. Then my blog was highjacked by the obsessive one. I will refrain from using his name, because I don't want to suffer his "prove it" routine. I find his harassment of the local blogosphere and people in it, criminal. I'm forced at this time to suspend commenting, and will most likely have to again begin moderation. I thank you for the visit, and please stop by again.

UPDATE: I have resumed accepting comments, regretfully with moderation. Thanks for your understanding.

Tutoring the Superintendent

A couple days ago I received the latest letter from the new school superintendent, Gerald Zahorchak. He explains that we are in financial difficulty because the system spent $155 million on upgrades, and will be getting $27 million less in federal and state aid this year. So here are his suggestions, and my replies.

*Attract regional, national or foreign industrial investment in energy and environment, the health care sciences and heavy industry to retrofit such empty spaces as the old Western Electric Building, GE plant, The Mack plants, old sewing mills and the Neuweiler Brewery to name a few.

These buildings have been vacant for decades, monuments to our industrial past. There are not enough green businesses to fill one of these giants, much less hundreds, in city after city, in the Northeast.Since Billy Joe's song, we have spent millions on Industrial Development Agencies to no avail. Even the business Obama visited last year has closed. 

*Sell the Queen City Airport to a Fortune 1000 company, such as an innovative technical concern looking for a northeast location...

Usually companies like this are lured with huge tax abatements for many years, and would have little need for such a large parcel. You could stop approving the Enterprise Zones which have yet to provide one dollar to the school system

*Gentrify Hamilton Street... like Manayunk.....

Manayunk borders a city of 3 million and is surrounded by affluent residential areas. Hamilton Street is surrounded by poverty.

*Attract Bill Strickland types and retrain the poor and outcast.

I wish I could retrain the School Board when it comes to hiring superintendents. Here's an idea; sit back and learn something about this community before making suggestions. Allentown's newly approved zoning ordinance makes it easier to convert vacant commercial buildings into apartments. You should have opposed that measure. Send a representative to zoning meetings to oppose every such conversion. Stop taking State of the Union speeches by Obama and Pawlowski as a plan. Cancel phase 2 of the school improvement plan. Prepare for more housing, more students, and less revenue.

O'Hare Motion Fails

Today's post is being hosted at Lehigh Valley Poliblog

Allentown State of Union

Mayor Pawlowski recently stated that Allentown is stronger than ever. I lived there when mom-and-pop shops were on just about every block and Hess's department store thrived. And I would completely disagree with his assessment. Perhaps if Mr. Pawlowski was a native of this area, he would retract his bold statement. I remember when Allentown was very prosperous. The property owners took pride in their homes and the city was clean. It was safe to walk the streets at night; I remember walking to Hess's at night to walk my mother home from work. I was a young child then and never feared the town.

Now most of the good jobs are gone except municipal, fire, police, teachers and prison guards — all paid by our taxes. I was one of the working taxpayers who made the mass exodus out of town to have peace of mind. The parking authority made me think twice about ever venturing back to patronize the remaining businesses. It is very sad to see what Allentown has become, and I don't see any hope for its recovery. I suppose you can keep raising taxes and charging fees for services. I am glad I left.

Ronald A. Nechetsky

Northampton

letter in The Morning Call, February 9, 2011

Lehigh Valley Railroad Piers

In this era of class warfare, while we worry that the rich are only paying 35% income tax, instead of 39%, let us be grateful that once upon a time we had the Robber Barons. In this era when we have to give a grant for some woman to open a small cookie shop on Hamilton Street, let us be grateful that men built railroads with private money. Let us be grateful that incredible feats of private enterprise built piers, bridges and trestles. Trains allowed us to move vast amounts of raw and finished materials across America. This network allowed us to protect ourselves during two World Wars, and provided the prosperity upon which we now rest.

The Lehigh Valley Railroad tracks extended from their piers in New Jersey to the shores of Lake Erie. The Mile Long Pier in Jersey City was the scene of German sabotage in 1916. A train full of munitions, awaiting shipment to Europe, was blown up on July 30th of that year. In 1914, the railroad built the longest ore pier in the world, in Bayonne. The ore would come from Chile, through the new Panama Canal, for shipment to Bethlehem.

Attorney O'Hare

In his propaganda piece today, O'Hare writes;One of the points I wanted to make clear is that, although both Ron and I were suing together, I was not representing him. We each represented ourselves. Angle got some chuckles when he told Judge Baratta, "Nobody can represent me." Typical Bernie, a small distracting attempt at humor. But why does Bernie want to make it clear that he was not representing Angle? It would be illegal for Bernie to represent anybody other than himself. That is a niche that licensed attorneys have reserved for themselves.
I believe sometime in the recent past Angle referred to O'Hare as his lawyer. Bernie did the research preparing the case. The remainder of Bernie's post, or should I call it a legal brief, contains his usual smears against the Gracedale Group; Mob, liars, fraudulent, .......

Tel Aviv, the Bauhaus Period

Urban planner Patrick Geddes had a unique opportunity in 1925, design a city which would actually be built. After the Balfour Declaration in 1917, which supported the concept of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, the pace of Zionist immigration picked up. In the early 1930's, threats from the Nazi Party accelerated immigration to the British controlled Palestine. The British Mandate extended from the defeat of the Ottomans in 1917, to the Israeli Independence in 1948.
Among those fleeing Germany were students of Bauhaus movement in architecture, the unity of form and function, expressed in ways that were modern, simple and sparse. The reinforced low-rise concrete buildings curved around traffic circles and corners.





Between 1930 and 1939 both the migration and construction continued at a steady pace. The population had reached 200,000.
There was a unity in the planning and architecture seen no where else. Like any modern growing city, the the buildings have changed. Smaller, older buildings have been replaced with modern skyscrapers. Tel Aviv still remains the largest collection of Bauhaus buildings in the world.
Bauhaus architecture was concerned with the social aspects of design and with the creation of a new form of social housing for workers. This may be just another one of the reasons it was embraced in the newly evolving city of Tel Aviv, at a time when socialist ideas were so prevalent. This style of architecture came about (in part) because of new engineering developments that allowed the walls to be built around steel or iron frames. This meant that walls no longer had to support the structure, but only enveloped it – from the outside. Called The White City, because of the white painted buildings, it is now a World Heritage Site.

Background and Coverage of the Tel Aviv Soccer Derby

Debbie Friedman Tribute

Since her debut album, “Sing Unto God,” almost 40 years ago, Debbie Friedman’s songs have helped define American Jewish music. Originally known mostly in the Reform movement, Friedman’s prolific song-writing career transcended denominational boundaries. Her untimely passing, just a month short of her 60th birthday, stunned fans and friends alike.

Line In The Sand

It appears that Mubarak will step aside within days, and his newly installed Vice President, Omar Suleiman, will be "transition" President. Hopefully this will satisfy the Egyptian street. Suleiman was formally in charge of Egyptian Intelligence, and is a well known commodity in Washington. The Muslim Brotherhood have declined to say that they would honor the treaty with Israel, or even recognize Israel's right to exist.

A Real Bloodbath

I found The Morning Call headline interesting, Bloodbath in Cairo. Although the 5 deaths between the opposing groups of demonstrators is indeed tragic, nobody was truly innocent. Any protester in such circumstances realizes that there is always an element of danger. The protesters were there by free choice. Elsewhere in Egypt, two families of Coptic Christians were massacred in their own house; 11 people, including children. That was a bloodbath.

Defending Tel Aviv, 1948

A couple years ago ElBaradei stated that Egypt must stop demonizing the Brotherhood. A couple days ago the Brotherhood said that they would support ElBardadei as President. A ElBaradei/Brotherhood government could be in the cards for Egypt. Egypt processes the largest F16 squadron in the Arab world. Such a change in Egypt would certainly pose a danger to Israel.

The first time Israel faced the Egyptian Airforce was in May of 1948, after being declared an independent country for only one day. Children helped fill sandbags to defend

Israel's modern city of Tel Aviv


Israel's army consisted of former fighters from the Irgun and Haganah, two para-military groups formed during the British Mandate period.


Egyptian Spitfire shot down on Tel Aviv beach, 1948

Subverting Democracy in Northampton County

This post can be read at The Lehigh Valley Political Blog

The Face of Hypocrisy

When I used this photograph last week, Bernie accused me of causing people to insult him. He now informs readers that he has lost all respect for me. Actually, he said the same thing last week when he banned me from commenting on his blog. Often when he gets annoyed at a comment of mine, it's not the first one critical of him, but the only one signed by name. Bernie has now removed me from his blogroll. He claims I'm jealous because of all the meetings he attends. He's not just upset about being accused of commenting anonymously, but more so that I point out his hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty.

Ron Angle as Bully

Bernie O'Hare likes to romanticize Ron Angle as a bulldog, in reality, he's a bully. Yesterday, the Northampton Election Committee accepted the Save Gracedale initiative as a ballot question. They verified that enough signatures were obtained, and that the question does conform with the Charter. The issue now goes to the County Council, which was preparing to accept a bid to sell the nursing home. At yesterday's meeting, Angle said that the matter will be determined in court. Bernie O'Hare has a post which echos the court threat, and claims that the Commission is in the bag for the union. Bill White has a blog on his new theme, how cute O'Hare and Angle are together as justice fighters. I congratulate the Save Gracedale Group, and wish them continued success against the bullies.

UPDATE: After the meeting Ron Angle said: "Bernie and I will fight them in the air, we'll fight them in the sea and we'll fight them on land." Apparently, Bernie has now convinced Angle that he is a Northampton County Winston Churchill. I think that would take more than a bulldog and a cigar.

UPDATE: Bernie has a new post called Molovinsky's False Accusations, where he's offended because I assigned comment #1 to him. He has used those expressions numerous times with me; that I wasn't present at a meeting, or my criticism of something is retaliation for some egg on my face. It's most ironic that Bernie considers his integrity sacred, while he routinely uses terms like goon, faker, corrupt, and pay to play to describe others.

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.