Tasteless Trexler Trust

As I stood in Cedar Creek Park yesterday watching the carnage, it occurred to me that it really isn't Greg Weitzel's fault. He was hired as Park Director, with a background in recreation. He was handed an elaborate manual, designed by a Philadelphia firm, which outlined many possible renovations for a park system. It is not his fault that the Trexler Trust agreed to finance every item this young man picked from the catalog, and in one year no less.

I can't even blame Pawlowski. He is a professional advocate for low income housing, who was sweep into the mayorship by his predecessor's incompetence. May I add that he is very accomplished in the low income housing field. Between the brand new Hanover Acres, and many other projects, we may well lead the nation in newest low income housing available. I see a job at HUD in that man's future.

The hard packed cinder trail, which served a generation of runners, walkers, and lovers is being bulldozed away to make a full width, macadam road for two way high speed bike use. The charm and nature is gone. The roadbed is now completed from the Rose Garden to 30th Street, just awaiting the blacktop. Within three weeks(weather permitting) the entire road in the park should be completed. We should give this new street a name.

State Hospital Closing

Your View/ Feb. 1, 2010/Molovinsky

click here> STATE HOSPITAL CLOSING

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Games Of Shame

The United States Olympic Team threatened to boycott the 1936 games in Berlin if Jews were excluded. The spotlight focused on Gretel Bergmann, German high jump champion. She was a "Volljuden", a full (both parents) Jew. After the U.S. teams departed for Berlin, but before the games began, she was stripped of her championships and excluded from their track team. Ironically, the gold metal was won by a Jew anyway, Hungarian Ibolya Csak. Gretel emigrated to United States in 1937 and held the U.S. Championship several times. In 2009, when she was 95 years old, Germany restored her name (now Margaret Lambert) to the record books.

The Nazi's made several concessions to facilitate the games, which they saw as a platform to prove Aryan superiority. The "No Jews Allowed" signs were removed from the Olympic section of Berlin. Blogger and hockey historian Rolf Oeler introduced me to the strange story of Rudi Ball, considered Europe's leading ice hockey player at the time. Apparently the hockey coach realized that Germany could not win the medal without him, so his half Jewish blood was overlooked for the winter games in Bavaria. Another half Jew participated on the German fencing team. All together ten Jews, mostly Hungarian, would win medals. Hitler, realizing that some inpure people might win, had decided before the games that he would shake no hands.

HBO Documentary: Hitler's Pawn, The Margaret Lambert Story

Berlin '36 : New German Film

The Righteous

Last February, Miep Gies wrote: "I am 100 years old now. That is an admirable age, and I have even reached it in fairly good health. So then it's fair to say you've been fortunate, and being fortunate seems to be the red thread running through my life." She, here husband, and two other employees of Otto Frank had resettled in Holland in a vain attempt to avoid the Nazi's. When the Frank family was discovered, it was Miep who retrieved and saved the diaries, to return to Anne after the war.

Miep Gies, whenever praised for her heroism aiding the Franks, always reminded people about all the Dutch people who also hid Jews during that period. She spent her later years refuting Holocaust deniers, who claimed the diaries were forgeries. She passed away January 11, 2010. Vad Vashem and the State of Israel extended their condolences to the Queen of Holland.

Remembrance

Yesterday, elderly survivors of Auschwitz gathered there to commemorate their liberation 65 years earlier, on January 27, 1945. The memory of the Holocaust must remain a Jewish obsession, as those who can give testimony will soon be gone, while the deniers thrive. The gate sign shown above was stolen and chopped up several months ago.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Confusion In Blogosphere

Today's local blogosphere has some confusion and misinformation. Since I have recently been referred to as Mr. Misinformation and a naysayer, who better to bring some clarity to this clouded crystal ball?

Bernie O'Hare has used two recent posts from Scott Armstrong, and Jeff Pooley takes exception with one. In the first instance, Scott accuses Ernie Atiyeh, newly elected President of the neighborhood associations, of not being a fair broker for that position. Long time neighborhood leaders see the problem not in the politics, but in the election process itself. Apparently the rules were suspended, and they feel the election was highjacked by attendees with a scant history of attendance.

The second piece of red meat thrown out for the anonymous commentators to chew on, is that the annual rental inspection fee was raised from $16 to $75 dollars. So what, serves those absentee slumlords right, raise it to $1000! Well, it's not the inspection fee, it is the annual City Rental Unit Registration/License Fee, which was authorized by the Rental Inspection Program. The 2009 fee for apartments, which had been previously inspected, was $11. The previous fee for uninspected units was $16. At this point in time, all units in Allentown have been inspected at least once; so in practicality, the fee rose from $11 to $75. In 2009 City Council agreed to raise the fee to $30, then agreed again to increase the increase to $75 before the first increase went into effect. The fee is paid annually, independent of actual inspections, which are projected on a five year schedule. It is my understanding that some of the larger projects with fixed income seniors, such as Episcopal House, are impaired by this increase.

In response to The Morning Call's request for information from the City of Allentown, under the Freedom of Information Act, the City has sued The Morning Call. Here in the blogosphere we give you information and misinformation, if you want it or not, absolutely free.

Disclaimer: I do not believe that any person mentioned intentionally disseminates misinformation.