The Allentown Arena and Crime

The recent spate of violence in Allentown begs the question, how will crime effect the success of the Arena project? The damaging factor is the perception of crime, which has it's own lingering consequences. The hockey games will succeed, but the spinoff business will never materialize. The fans will scurry back to their inconvenient parking places, and clog N. 8th street as they flee the city for the safety of Catasauqua. Although the BrewPub may pick up a few customers, Sangria and other high end places will wither. Anybody foolish enough to open an upscale shop will be hard pressed to honor their lease.  Although this post is meant as an opportunity for readers to address the crime question, I will host no comments on any specific crime. They are tragedies, which leave grieving families.

UPDATE: This post is revised from December 2011. Although Sangria has come and gone,  all the new office workers will have a very positive effect on the daytime Hamilton Street  lunch business.

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).

reprinted from May 2013

The Train Of Lehigh Parkway

With the 15th Street Bridge closed, as people detour over the  Schreibers stone arch bridge,  few will be aware of the industrial past surrounding them. The Barber Quarry railroad branch line crossed the road, just south of the bridge. On the left was the Union Carbine's Linde plant, the concrete loading dock is still visible. Although the last train ran in the early 1980's, the wooden railroad trestle is still there, to the west and south of the bridge. The area is now used as part of the disc golf course. The photograph was taken by Dave Latshaw in 1976, and is part of the Mark Rabenold Collection.

reprinted from April 2013

Bill Villa

I'm one of the seventy or so people on the Villa victim list. Bill and Angie Villa write Lehigh Valley Somebody, which they use to attack a continuously growing list of people in the valley. When you're on Villa's list, he contacts your employer, and complains that you're sadistically provoking him, even though in truth he's harassing you. If the boss doesn't comply with Villa's demands, then the boss goes on the list, and Villa contacts the boss's superiors, making the same demand. It is in this way that all the local college deans made the list. Also included are ministers, priests and bishops. On one of the posts near the top of his blog he writes his comments. He adds, subtracts and deletes them at will, but they're all written by him, and all contain links to even more insults. I've become one of his most frequent targets, because I'm one of the few to speak out. In retribution, he takes comments from my readers out of context, and attributes them to me.  I receive harassing and insulting comments to my blog every day, sent anonymously,  containing  language identical to that found on his blog.   On Friday, I received an email from him containing several attachments, including an insulting face in the hole picture of myself, Alfonso Todd and a third person.  It turns out that someone sent the Allentown School District a complaint about Angie Villa, and Villa mistakenly speculated that I may have been involved. I decided to forward Villa's email to the school district.

Ms XXXXX, I will be forwarding you two emails I received this morning from Bill Villa. I request that you forward this email, and also the two forthcoming ones, to all board members, and Superintendent Mayo. Apparently, Bill Villa is upset about some letter identifying Angie Villa as a "bully". I have no knowledge of XXXXXXXX, but find these emails harassing and threatening, including an insulting face in the hole photo. Please get a grip on your teachers, and request that they no longer contact me in any way. Thank you, Michael Molovinsky

Although I wasn't involved, Villa didn't hesitate to threatened me with additional email and insinuations. I decided to write the school district a second note.

Ms. XXXXX, Again I request that you forward this email to Dr. Mayo and all members of the school board. As I stated in my previous email, I do not know the person who apparently sent a letter concerning Angie Villa, nor did I have knowledge of, or participate in any letter, in any way. However, the Villa blog, http://www.bloggingdottie.blogspot.com/ is unquestionably a vehicle for bullying. I do not have an opinion if Angie's participation in that blog should effect her employment, but, as a victim of that blog, I resent any excuse on their part that their blog is defensive or investigative; It is pure aggression. Michael Molovinsky

It's a funny thing about Bill Villa,  he attacks dozens and dozens of people in a continuous vicious manner with distortions and lies, but describes himself as a victim if anybody dares to speak back.

UPDATE: How do bullies respond to an allegation of bullying, by more bullying. Bill Villa copied me an email he send to the district. In it he attempts to discredit the woman who he claims sent the original complaint. He also attempts to describe her as on a mission for Alfonso Todd, who he also attempts to discredit. Lastly, he states that I may or may not be involved, motivated to defend Alfonso. While he paints a picture of the Villa accusers as motivated by revenge for his good deeds, he continues to bully and harass them in real time. I have received threats of subpoenas and having my credibility diminished with the school board.  In the letter he attempts to disassociate Angie Villa with their blog, Lehigh Valley Somebody, by signing his name with that blog, and hers with her education blog. Angie is a full partner with the Somebody blog, and all it's aggression. He ends the letter suggesting that if the school district receive another non-credible, and foaming at the mouth lunatic "complaint letter" about The Villas, they should consider ignoring it.

I'm one of the seventy or so people on the Villa victim list. Bill and Angie Villa write Lehigh Valley Somebody, which they use to attack a continuously growing list of people in the valley. When you're on Villa's list, he contacts your employer, and complains that you're sadistically provoking him, even though in truth he's harassing you. If the boss doesn't comply with Villa's demands, then the boss goes on the list, and Villa contacts the boss's superiors, making the same demand. It is in this way that all the local college deans made the list. Also included are ministers, priests and bishops. On one the posts near the top of his blog he writes his comments. He adds, substracts and deletes them at will, but they're all written by him, and all contain links to even more insults. I've become one of his most frequent targets, because I'm one of the few to speak out. In retribution, he takes comments from my readers out of context, and attributes them to me. He sends harassing and insulting comments to my blog every day, thousands of them in the last couple years. On Friday, I received an email from him containing several attachments, including an insulting face in the hole picture of myself and Alfonso Todd and a third person. It turns out that someone sent the Allentown School District a complaint about Angie Villa, and Villa speculated that I may have been involved. Although I wasn't involved, Villa didn't hestitate to threatened me with additional emails and insinuations. I decided to write the school district myself.

Pawlowski's Parade

Today, Mayor Pawlowski will be leading a parade over the new 15th Street Bridge. While in his mind it's a great accomplishment, people of Allentown can only say it's about time. While the arena complex has been progressing with hundreds of workers, even at night and weekends, the bridge was a project in slow motion. Worse yet, Pawlowski owns some of the blame for the prior bridge's demise. As Community Development Director, starting in 2002, he allowed the metal bridge to continue rusting away. The rust continued under his tenure as mayor for two terms. Today's parade will be but one more video opportunity for his governor race, but will not impress the locals, who have been inconvenienced for years.