Velcome To The Vendig (Entertainment Before Musikfest)

In 1933, with the end of Prohibition, my grandparents(maternal) started operating the Vendig Hotel. They were the working partners, another immigrant family, here longer, were the silent backers. The hotel was directly across from the current Main Street Depot Restaurant in Bethlehem, which was the old New Jersey Line Terminal. With my grandmother cooking, they became well known for crab cakes and other shelled seafood. What wasn't known, was that she was strictly kosher, and never even tasted anything she prepared. As some may recall, my grandparents came from Hungarian Transylvania (now Romania) in the early 20's. Family lore* says Bela Lugosi visited the hotel. Lugosi was born in the same area of then Hungary, and started his acting career playing Jesus in Passion Plays. In 1931, after immigrating to America years earlier, he got his big break playing Dracula. Typecast as a villain, Lugosi was reduced in later years to drug addiction and playing in low budget monster films. He died in the mid 50's and was buried in his Dracula cape.

*My uncle, who as a boy lived above the hotel, had no recollection of Lugosi. The partner families would later merge through marriage, and 40 years later come to own the old vaudeville theater in South Bethlehem known as The Globe. It too is gone.                                                      

reprinted from 2008

The Republican Capitulation To Trump

As I have been saying, the MAGA movement is morons and partisans, who are more concerned with power than American democracy. I don't care about the morons. They, like the banner on their pickups, are self explanatory. I am concerned with the partisans.

Trump is selling subscriptions to early policy decisions on his Truth Social. At the same time, he threatens ABC's license because they criticize his policies. The saving grace is that his policies change every ten minutes, and that the court judges are beginning to be concerned about their legacies. 

It goes without saying that he and his entourage will profit unlike any other administration in history. I believe however that the Republican Party will pay a steep price for their cowardice. They will excuse the midterm loss as cyclical. What their excuse will be for 2028 remains to be heard, but they will need one.

Win Win For Lehigh County

This blog is seldom associated with good news. Gloom and Doom are the usual regulars. Today however we're wearing happy shoes. All ten candidates to replace Jon Irons on the board of commissioners are more qualified than he was. Actually, with the exception of Ron Beitler, all ten are mostly more qualified than the remaining board members, who will choose the replacement.

Going deeper into this analysis, all ten are also more qualified than the County Executive. I suppose at this point I'm no longer wearing the happy shoes. Time to bring up the budget deficit. Our progressive leadership wouldn't mind a wealth tax.

Talking of the leadership, perpetual candidate Mark Pinsley is once again casting his reel for Harrisburg. His opponent is my favorite official, but being an R is no advantage come this November.

1942 postcard of Trexler Game Preserve, now operated by Lehigh County.

The Crucifixion Of Anthony Fauci

When I watched Rand Paul attempt to interrogate Fauci, I could appreciate why Fauci was taking the 5th. That was not one doctor trying to learn from another, it was an inquisition. Fauci had made it clear that if Trump won the 2020 election, that he would resign as head of infectious diseases. On the other hand, Paul had bought into the 2020 stolen election conspiracy theory.

Back when Fauci was appointed, health officials were still being chosen for their expertise, not their politics, as is the case now. Over the decades, Fauci was recognized as an expert on HIV and other diseases that challenged our nation and the world.

This current witch-hunt doesn't bode well for our country's health. If we're going to punish the qualified doctors who step forward, eventually we will be left with only snake oil pitchmen. The health structure in the current administration will not be studied in the future for its contributions.

painting by Salvador Dali

The Cosmic Punch

In California these days, everybody walks around with a yoga mat strapped to their back. That certainly wasn't the case in the 1930's, when heavyweight contender Lou Nova studied with the infamous self proclaimed mystic, Dr. Bernard. Nova was the World Amateur Heavyweight Champion and a proponent of clean living. He won his first twenty two fights as a professional. His promoters said he perfected the Cosmic Punch. He handed Abe Simon his first defeat after thirteen victories. He knocked out Max Baer twice. 

Clean living didn't serve him so well with the notorious dirty fighter Two Ton Tony Galento. Galento almost gouged his eye out, putting Nova in the hospital for weeks. Nova got his shot with Louis on September 29, 1941, but fell in six. Nova would go on to act in movies and even was a write-in candidate for President of the United States. He dropped out of the campaign because his mother was afraid he would catch a cold wearing a bullet proof vest, and shaking so many hands. She wasn't afraid of him being in the ring with some of the toughest men in the world.

shown above 1939 Lou Nova vs. Max Baer (on right), Nova won in the 11th

This post is reproduced from September of 2011. I refer those interested in Joe Louis era boxing to my posts of December 2012. The sidebar of this blog's webversion has both archives and a search engine.

Daily News Wednesday July 29

UNITED STATES

          Very likely the Iranian missile attack on the US base in Jordan yesterday was meant as a wedge between Netanyahu and Trump. At any rate, it indicates that Iran has not been tamed, as Bibi and Donald both face voter feedback in the coming months. For Israel, the lost of American public opinion has been a real wound.

PENNSYLVANIA

            The Mackenzie/Brooks race will be another bonanza for the union printers. As a registered independent I get less cards than party members receive, but still more than I care to read. 

LEHIGH COUNTY

             I was pleasantly surprised by the number and qualifications of the applicants for the open seat on the commissioner bench. 

ALLENTOWN

              Hopefully the joint traffic enforcement was the beginning of a crackdown, and not a single event. 

Your Paying For Allentown's NIZ

The Allentown NIZ* was created about 15 years ago to supposedly revitalize Allentown. It was designed by former state senator Pat Browne and is in two sections. The larger section runs from 5th to 10th, Linden to Walnut. The smaller section is along the Lehigh River, essentially between the Hamilton and Tilghman Street Bridges. 

While the NIZ is privately owned buildings, they are financed with diverted state taxes. Allentown is the only zone in Pennsylvania. As unusual as this legal magic act is, scrutiny and criticism is almost exclusively been limited to this blog.  J.B. Reilly owns almost all the land in the Hamilton Street portion???Mark Jaindl owns almost all the land in the Lehigh River portion???

What the two zones have in common is that they are adjoined by poor litter filled loud neighborhoods. While Reilly and Jaindl have profited enormously from the NIZ, what benefit  John Q Citizen has derived is questionable. John Q has had to make up for those diverted taxes, with no benefit for him.

shown above Jaindl's future portfolio along with river

*Neighborhood Improvement Zone