You Talkin To Me?

About 25 years ago I got into target shooting. As my interest and skill progressed, I purchased several guns. All the guns were designed to punch precise holes in paper targets. They had sophisticated adjustable metal sights, and were long and heavy to control recoil. Recently, I decided to sell them, and visited the local gun stores, for the first time in decades. As is often the case in my life, I once again aged into a dinosaur. The guns stores are now full of very light weight, highly concealable, high caliber pistols, supposedly sold for defense. The light weight creates high recoil, and lack of accuracy. In my era, Carry Permits were sought by merchants who had to make after hour store deposits, into mailbox type chutes, located on the outside of banks. Easy carry laws now permit anybody a gun, for any or no reason. It's little surprise that gun battles, with multiple shooters, are erupting. Welcome to the new wild west. By the way, is anybody interested in a Kodak Instamatic, which uses 126 film cartridges?

Boxing 1930's, Primo Carnera

When Abe Simon fought Joe Louis in 1942, Abe was the biggest heavyweight* fighting. That wasn't the case when Abe began his career in 1935. Primo Carnera was an Italian strongman on the European circus circuit. He fought his first fight in Paris in 1928. It is pretty well known that he was brought to N.Y.C. by mobsters who arranged and managed his fights. The 6'6" giant upset Jack Sharkey in 1933, and held the title for a year until Max Baer had a go at him.

In 1935 Carnera fought the up and coming Joe Louis, who pulverized him into a bloody mess. Primo would return to Europe. Shown in the ring with him in 1933 is Jean Harlow, promoting her movie classic Bombshell.

* 6'7" Buddy Baer, brother of Max, had retired after a beating from Louis earlier in 1942.

reprinted from February 2010

Tragedy At Union Terrace Amphitheater

Last year this blog reported that creek water was becoming dangerously close to the northern pier tower of the Union Terrace stage. An inspection yesterday revealed that the situation has deteriorated, and the pillar is now surrounded by water. It is imperative that the city fill in three sides immediately, and start to plan for a small coffer dam, to enable some fill to be placed on the fourth creek side of the pillar. Union Terrace was the last WPA project in Allentown, and perhaps the one of greatest long term benefit to the citizens. Over the years many generations have enjoyed an occasional performance there, recently being used for outdoor film. The visual symmetry of the two pillars is an esthetic we cannot afford to lose, especially in this the year celebrating our history.

The Legend Begins

On July 4th, 1934 Joe louis made his debut as a professional fighter. Eleven months and nineteen straight victories later, most by knockout, 62,000 fight fans would jam Yankee Stadium to watch the new sensation fight the giant, Primo Carnera.

New York, New York - Primo Carnera, giant Italian boxer and former heavyweight champion of the world, and Joe Louis, hard-hitting negro heavyweight from Detroit, Michigan, weighed-in this afternoon at the offices of the New York State Boxing Commission for their fifteen round bout tonight at the Yankee Stadium. - 6.25.1935

Although badly battered from the first round, Carnera would gamely stay in the fight till it was stopped in round six. The legend of the Brown Bomber was clearly established.
photo of Primo Carnera

This blog has produced 24 posts chronicling the Joe Louis boxing era, many featuring Abe Simon, a Jewish heavyweight of the era; Simon and my mother were cousins. Lately, Allentown political shenanigans have allowed me little time and space to visit Madison Square Garden in the early 1940's. During the next few weeks I will reprint these posts, while still assigning staff to City Hall. One of my attractions to the boxing world is the black and white photography produced during that era. The public would listen to the fights on the radio, and then see the photographs in the newspapers the following day. While reproducing these posts, I may in some instances substitute alternative photographs, all classic images from the age of film and flash bulbs.

Scott Armstrong:Morning Call Editorial

Republican Party Needs An Urban Strategy, Not A New Message
Since the presidential election, much of the political discourse has shifted to an analysis of why Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney lost and what the Republican Party needs to do to win in 2016.
Much of the talk mistakenly focuses on the idea that the GOP needs to reformulate its message to gain a larger share of minority votes. In other words, the Republican stand on important issues such as abortion, amnesty, tax cuts, small government and limited entitlements must be reformulated to match what pundits pronounce is the more left-wing outlook of America's urban poor.
Adopting this strategy would, in my humble view, be a huge mistake for the Republican Party. The Republican message is not the reason we take such a drubbing in the cities; the real fault is the complete failure of the Republican Party to communicate its message in these areas.
How are people expected to vote for a party they have never seen in their neighborhood? Why would it be logical to expect people to endorse a message they have never heard?
Republicans need to face the fact that America's urban residents vote Democratic largely because Democrats have been selling the party's message on the residents' radio stations, on their local television stations, at their doors, on their streets, and at their polling stations. Until the Republican establishment commits resources to a long-term strategy to compete on this level directly to the nation's poor and minority urban residents, we have no hope of winning their votes no matter what our message is.
One more warning to Republican Party leaders: Any plan to attract the votes of America's minority voters that puts reformulating the party's tenets ahead of an effort to communicate its philosophy directly to America's urban neighborhoods will fail completely and create a wider divide between the Republican establishment and its conservative base. That will guarantee failure in 2016 and beyond.
Scott Armstrong, a member of the Allentown School Board, is former chairman of the Allentown Republican City Committee, former member Lehigh County Republican Latino Committee and former member of the county Republican Executive Committee.

The above Your View Editorial appeared in The Morning Call on Saturday Dec. 1, 2012

A Shovel At The Trough

The citizen's event on Wednesday didn't receive the fanfare of yesterday's hockey arena groundbreaking. Over at the big hole yesterday were the big people, who are going to benefit on the public's dime. Although I wasn't there, I'm sure I'll be able to see pictures and video galore. They have a ticket to ride for the next decade. Jennifer Mann thanked everyone who stuck their necks out, I think they stuck their hands out. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the citizen's petition against privatizing their water was submitted to the Administration. Although Mayor Pawlowski had repeatedly told the public, and City Council, that a 35% tax increase would be necessary without the water lease, on Wednesday, he told the press that the increase would be 100% or more. The numbers didn't really change, it's that his respect for the little people got lower; He doesn't believe that they deserve a serious dialogue on the issue, and except for Jeanette Eichenwald, neither does City Council.

photocredit: Denise Sanchez / The Morning Call / Nov. 29, 2012