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 taught

Nearby, 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).

A Tale of Two Bridges

In the mid 50's, it was a big deal to us southsiders when they opened the new 15th Street Bridge. Prior to that, we had to either go over the 8th Street Bridge, or use the old stone arch bridge by the fertilizer plant. The fertilizer plant is long gone, but the old stone bridge is still there. Schreibers Bridge was built in 1828, and rehabilitated in 1920. The new 15th Street bridge was built in 1957, and is now restricted to south bound only, until which time it can be completely replaced. So the new bridge lasted 54 years, while the old stone bridge is still in use, 182 years later.

Recently, I urged Donny Cunningham not to replace the stone arch bridge on Reading Road. His project manager, Glenn Solt, insists that the historic bridge must be replaced. He stated that stone arch bridges look nice on the outside, but inside, they're filled with "crap." Thankfully, Don and Glenn didn't target Schreibers Bridge, because we're really going to need it with the new 15th Street Bridge out of commission. Hopefully, they will reconsider about stealing our history on Reading Road.

Ron Angle's Hearing

After first promoting the private detention center for illegal aliens, Ron Angle has done a 180; He now can hear the protesters against that private facility. While I'm glad Ron's hearing has improved, now I wish he could hear the sobs coming from Gracedale. While he has heard the 400 against the detention center, he has yet to hear the 10,000 for keeping Gracedale. There are those of us who believe that county nursing homes are a core mission of that level of government. Nobody is born, works and pays taxes aspiring to end up in the county nursing home. When life has taken that turn, for generations, families have taken consolation that their loved one is in a caring facility, despite any lack of funds. If Gracedale has become upside down financially, it is clearly because of management decisions made by our elected officials. Although I understand that a private operator would not be bound by the union costs and legacies borne by the county, and can charge more to medicare, many questions remain unanswered. How can a private operator buy the nursing home, pay all that debt service, and still make a profit, while the county only sees red ink in the same facility? The County sees and hears what it wants to.
Any sale contracts or deed restrictions to protect the rights of county residents can be broken in the future. The only way for Northampton County to guarantee the affordable, quality care of it's citizens is to operate the nursing home itself. It is a question of priorities.

letter in Morning Call: Northampton County has misplaced priorities

The Pioneers of Israel

When the Syrian tank entered the gates of Degania Alef, in the early morning hours of May 20, 1948, it was greeted with molotov cocktails: It hasn't moved since. Started by Russian immigrants who arrived in 1909, sitting on the southern end of the Sea of Galilee, it's the oldest Kibbutz in Israel. When Moshe Dyan was born there in 1915, they were still under Ottoman rule. He was named after the first defender killed, in 1913.

Olbermann's Meltdown

Like Ted Koppel, I miss "objective" journalism in television news. The fact that it was never truly objective is well understood. Competing stories and time restraints dictated what was presented. Koppel's lament that Fox and MSNBC today present opinions, dressed as news, is spot on. The media today lacks the goal of objectivity, and the integrity to admit it. Perhaps worse in this regard than television, is the digital mediums. The Huffingtonpost and MSNBC are joined at the hip. Last night, Keith Olbermann questioned what good was the "objective" media if they failed to take Bush to task for invading Iraq. He just doesn't get it.

Allentown's Sewage Vision

Allentown's Mayor Pawlowski has a new vision for Allentown; mixing our trash and sewage together to make energy. Yesterday's paper had a long article on the power brokering involved in this trash to energy proposal. A facility would be built next to the sewage plant on Kline's Island. Sewage sludge would be mixed with trash and burnt to produce electricity. This particular mixture and process has never been tried before, lucky Allentown. The principals in the project are counting on Governor Rendell's appointee's to approve a $32 million dollar bond for the project, on their way out the door, before year's end. What doesn't smell about this vision?

UPDATE: Allentown should be concentrating on upgrading the LCA sewage line along the Little Lehigh, which periodically spills raw sewage into our creek and water supply. Also periodically, the sewage plant must bypass raw sewage into the Lehigh River. It is inappropriate to be promoting a private for profit company, with unproven technology, instead of fixing long existing problems.

related post by Bernie O'Hare