Lightning Rod Candida Affa

Long time Council member Candida Affa has been taking heat on the dais for years. She was accused of racism in a suit by a former city employee, which was just dismissed by a federal judge. She is being accused of ignoring a homophobic slur by a policeman against a local activist.

I don't know the particulars in the above allegations, but I do know that Candida has been an out front member of the gay community long before such activism was fashionable. I do know that in her lifetime she has been no stranger to being discriminated against.

Candida is sounding the alarm on the tax reality of Allentown's plans for new police and fire stations. I know that new buildings will not make those departments better. I don't know who will be running for council again, but I'm pretty sure the list will not include Candida. Council can be a thankless job, and I believe that she has had enough of that type of gratitude.

CLICK HERE FOR MY BABY BOOMER MEMORIES OF ALLENTOWN AT AMAZON BOOKSTORE.....     36 SELECTED POSTS FROM THIS BLOG

Artful Fibbing

Artful fibbing is a nicer way to put things, rather than lying sacks.... The museum blue bloods are accommodating Reilly's desire to move the arts district closer to his new real estate projects. They are being rewarded by the project being included and partially funded by the NIZ.

We few who have been questioning the NIZ since day one, can't begin to understand how an art museum falls within the purview of that development tool?

When I read that the museum needs a modern home to better house its masterpieces, I think of the Mona Lisa in that old Louvre. Those European museum directors in Paris, Rome and Vienna need to come to Allentown, Pennsylvania.... They could learn a few things here.

CLICK HERE FOR MY BABY BOOMER MEMORIES OF ALLENTOWN AT AMAZON BOOKSTORE....      36 SELECTED POSTS FROM THIS BLOG

AS ALLENTOWN AND EVERY TOWN TURNS

We who stumble over the Gulf of America vs. the Gulf of Mexico, can now add a Great Lake to the learning curve. Little did MAGA know that in addition to being a great diplomat, their president is also an expert on geography and naval ship design. He and his appointed medical consultants have even apparently figured a way to remove the spine from every elected Republican, but leave them standing and talking.

The Allentown Park Department, which now specializes in tree planting and endless events at Cedar Beach, wants park users to carry out what they bring in. To encourage the new program they have removed most of the trash cans, and only empty the remaining ones once a month.

As some of you may know, I have produced a small paperback on Allentown titled Allentown Chronicles, available at Amazon Bookstore. If you're new to town and want the history going back to William Allen, this is not the book for you. It is a collection of 36 posts from this blog, selected memories of an Allentown baby boomer.

photo taken Thursday August 27, 2026 at Allentown Department of Parks

Emperor Trump And The Colosseum

Roman emperors distracted the masses with entertainment in the Colosseum. Trump tries to distract MAGA with cage fights and the IndyCar race through Washington. 

I saw on Facebook Dr. Oz with Trump praising how great the race was. I couldn't understand how people voted for Fetterman instead of Oz in 2024. Considering Oz's silence about Dr. Trump's childhood vaccine recommendations, Fetterman was the way better choice.

Trump is campaigning more in the primaries than I expected. I suppose it is the equivalent of the thumb up or down in the Colosseum. After the midterms, we'll see how the senators treat Caesar.

CLICK HERE FOR MY BABY BOOMER MEMORIES OF ALLENTOWN AT AMAZON BOOKSTORE...     36 SELECTED POSTS FROM THIS BLOG

The Morning Call In Today's Allentown

A motivator for this post is frequent comments I receive that the paper has a left leaning agenda. Years ago they certainly did have agendas. Back in Allentown's golden era, the Park & Shop Livingston Club days, the publisher was a local king maker. Even up to 2005, they made local election endorsements on the editorial page.

Because of how news and information is now conveyed, the traditional newspaper industry has downsized to survive. I've subscribed to the Morning Call for over fifty years. Most of the articles I currently read are written by only two reporters, Lindsay Weber and Nick Evans.Years ago, their assignments went to four different reporters.

We're lucky we still have a paper, that's more than many other cities can say. The Morning Call is part of Tribune Publishing, now owned by Alden Global Capital. While they may influence which national articles appear, they certainly don't edit the local news.

CLICK HERE FOR MY BABY BOOMER MEMORIES OF ALLENTOWN AT AMAZON BOOKSTORE....36 SELECTED POSTS FROM THIS BLOG

Let Them Eat Steak Before The Election

When the reporter asked Trump on Air Force One about allowing the large beef import from Argentina, Trump gave his patented answer that she didn't know what she was talking about. Funny thing is that Charles Herbster, meat baron from Nebraska and a Trump supporter, also thinks that Trump is selling our meat producers down the river, to lower the cost of beef for the midterms.

Trump's lies are coming home to bite the Republican incumbents. Everyone except the dumbest can see through them. I notice that his rally crowds are getting younger and younger. and less informed.

Shown above was my family's meat business. The shop was closed several years before I took the photo, just prior to it being demolished. At the time when Allentown had the huge A&B, there were also half a dozen small packers.

CLICK HERE FOR MY BABY BOOMER MEMORIES OF ALLENTOWN AT AMAZON BOOKSTORE....     36 SELECTED POSTS FROM THIS BLOG

Counting On Dollars

Subscribers to this blog know that I expect a blue wave in November. My Republican sources believe that  MAGA  is alive and well, and will turn out for the midterms. Trump has tapped some big players, Elon Musk among them.

I'm of the opinion that money pays much less dividends in elections than it used to. Those postcards, which get bigger and more in each election, don't get past the first waste can. Those repetitive TV ads get the mute button. Those phone calls get a quick hangup. 

I suppose that the objective now is to increase turnout, as opposed to changing minds. Getting back to my first sentence, I think that the turnout will be blue. But my red friends need not fret, they can still contribute to the various monuments to Trump, from the ballroom to the arch.

CLICK HERE FOR MY BABY BOOMER MEMORIES OF ALLENTOWN AT AMAZON BOOKSTORE.      36 SELECTED POSTS FROM THIS BLOG