The Legend Begins

On July 4th, 1934 Joe louis made his debut as a professional fighter. Thirteen 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. - 6.25.1939

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

Starr in Allentown

Brenda Starr is an adventurous newspaper reporter who started her career at the Chicago Tribune, current parent of The Morning Call. The strip was always written by a woman, from it's start in 1940. Rumor has it that Jarrett Renshaw has requested that Brenda be assigned to Allentown, to assist him in his investigation of City Hall.

Brenda was created, illustrated and written by Dale Messick for 43 years.

The Mayor's Basement

Until now, I have refrained from commenting on the Mayor renovating his basement without a permit. My initial reaction was that Bernie O'Hare crossed the line discussing the Mayor's house, and especially involving his wife. I still feel that way, but now the story has appeared in The Morning Call. Jeff Pooley writes that the mayor should follow the "Good Rules" imposed on everybody else. Richard comments on Pooley's blog that the whole chain of city command should be investigated. It is these reactions, by both Jeff and Richard, to which I now respond.

Richard, are you really surprised that rules are not applied to everyone equally? This inequity is a widespread fact of life; It is the same everywhere, and is certainly not unique to just today's Allentown. Jeff, accepting this fact of life, are you sure that having so many rules is good policy?

I have often written that Allentown has never heard of an ordinance that it doesn't want. It wants to inspect your property when you buy it, if you rent it, if you want to sell it, and next, if it's vacant. I personally don't feel that an investigation of the Mayor's renovation is necessary. I would however, appreciate City Council realizing that we have more than enough ordinances governing private property, and it's time to show our taxpayers some respect.

Before Musikfest

In 1909, Bethlehem city fathers decided it was time to improve on the Broad Street Trestle Bridge built in 1871. The new concrete arch bridge was a major project, still serving Bethlehem well, 101 years later.

Internationale de Futbol

A Site for the Soccer Aficionado

Have Blog, Will Travel

In the television series from the late 50's, you could hire a sophisticated gunslinger named Paladin, provided you were on the righteous side of an issue. Here in the valley blogosphere, Bernie O'Hare is the bodyguard of choice. In the last week he has taken John Callahan to task six times to promote Charles Dent, and defended the Stoffa/Angle Gracedale Nursing Home sellout five times. Ramblings sort of sounds like a western.

The Landed Gentry

One of the popular misconceptions in our granola society is that our open space is threatened. Consequently, in addition to welfare and corporate welfare, we now have landed gentry welfare. We purchase land, at almost market value, and even allow the owner to keep it. Although there is a deed restriction prohibiting development, who can guarantee it will be enforced in future generations? In every case I'm personally familiar with, the owner never had any intention of development; In one instance, the owners were compensated over $1million.

In some cases the owners are working farmers, in many, just gentlemen farmers with country homes. An article in Sunday's Morning Call laments the reduction in the farmland preservation funds. Nothing in the land preservation compensation really guarantees continued farming, that would be somewhere between indentured servitude and slavery. In 2006, Pennsylvania spent $102 million in Growing Greener handouts. Although the program has been cut back in recent years, there is a long list of applicants hoping to get some of this handout. The granola eaters should drive across Pennsylvania. There is a lot of open space even in this heavily populated state, over 8 million farm acres. While we close mental hospitals and sell nursing homes, we pay yuppies playing weekend farmer, development rights on land they never intended on subdividing anyway.