Blogger's Bitch Slap Bennett

This posting might go down in local blogosphere history as a lesson on how to offend almost everyone at once. For those concerned with sexism or any ism, let me confess to sensationalizing the title. Now another confession, I have a soft spot for the underdog, not that Sam Bennett is one, outside of the blogosphere. But here, where blogspot.com lets us present ego and opinion as knowledge, Sam took a beating. Bernie O'Hare, acknowledged Pope of the local bloggers, dissected Bennett for not knowing the UnderSecretary of State in Pakistan. Pam Varkony, important in multiple spheres of influence, can barely hide her distain for Sam. Chris Casey, recently reasserting himself in the blogosphere, vacillated between praising and ridiculing her; and of course the vast army of anonymous belittlers had a picnic at Bennet's expense. Recently, at breakfast, a longtime Bennett supporter made some compelling observations. Bennett was hired for her new job in Washington,President of the Women's Campaign Forum, because of her accomplishments. She managed to beat Charlie Dent in Allentown almost two to one. ( yes, I know about the registration advantage, but Dent is a household name). This supporter also made another very interesting claim; that Bennett was instrumental in getting the vote out in 2005 for Pawlowski. He wondered aloud how much Pawlowski would be hurt with her away, in Washington on the new job, come November. Why Sam gets slapped around here so much in blogtown, I'm not sure. I hear there are some people who just happen to rub everyone the wrong way, but I wouldn't know much about that.

A Personal Memoir

I'm not sure memoir is a good title, rather than facts and records, I have hazy recollections. Assuming my memory will not improve at this stage of the game, let me put to print that which I can still recall. In about 1958 my father built Flaggs Drive-In. McDonalds had opened on Lehigh Street, and pretty much proved that people were willing to sit in their cars and eat fast food at bargain prices. For my father, who was in the meat business, this seemed a natural. As a rehearsal he rented space at the Allentown Fair for a food stand, and learned you cannot sell hotdogs near Yocco's. He purchased some land across from a corn field on Hamilton Blvd. and built the fast food stand. In addition to hamburgers, he decided to sell fried chicken. The chicken was cooked in a high pressure fryer called a broaster, which looked somewhat like the Russian satellite Sputnik. The stand did alright, but the business was not to my father's liking, seems he didn't have the personality to smile at the customers. He sold the business several years later to a family which enlarged and enclosed the walk up window. Subsequent owners further enlarged the location several times. The corn field later turned into a Water Park, and you know Flaggs as Ice Cream World.

I'm grateful to a kind reader who sent me this picture of Flaggs

Contentious Times

As I photographed the demonstration this morning at St. Lukes, Allentown, I noticed a protesting union member photographing me. On Feb. 24, The Morning Call printed my blog about the Card Check Proposal, including my photograph of the union thugs from "On The Waterfront." That publication resulted in a robust back and forth between pro and con union people on the Topix forum. Since then, the paper has published two letters, both from Union Organizers, taking issue with my position on the blog. The most recent letter stated my inclusion of the photograph, implying intimidation, was an insult to the Unions.
Back to this morning, I crossed the street to confront my photographer. I asked how they could stage something so demonstrative and be concerned that someone was photographing it? The protester, from the Carpenters Union, was very polite and not at all menacing. He declined to discuss my question or their protest, but did give me a printout. His Union is upset that St. Lukes has engaged a construction manager, whose subcontractors use non-union workers, for a new outpatient center in Montgomery County.
Yesterday, The Morning Call published a surprising editorial opposed to the Card Check System. The editors have issues with both the lack of secret ballot and the timing in our current economy. I should also note that on Saturday, in an article about changing their Editor- in- Chief, they hinted at producing a more controversial publication.
Personally, although opposed to the Card Check Law, I am not anti-union. I used the photograph from the movie because one of the people shown was a relative. I believe that hundreds of comments on Mcall, indicate that the Card Check is very contentious,and should receive much more public discourse prior to any vote.

Odds and Ends

Another week, more annoyances!

Lincoln Leadership Academy is the fifth Charter School approved by the Allentown School District, after first reluctantly accepting the concept with the Roberto Clemente School in 2001. This new school appears to be simply an extension of the education program at Life Church. Years ago students interested in leadership simply ran for a class office. Considering 80% of financing for the Charter Schools come from the School District, perhaps more public input is in order.

City Council passed a "Tin Knocker Law" concerning licensing duct work installers. More troubling than even expanding the bureaucracy at City Hall, was Council members deliberating with Union representatives from Philadelphia during a recess. I would remind Council members, especially Michael D'Amore, that he was elected to represent the taxpayers, not the unions. Those troubled by this current Council's inclinations, can take no consolation that as of this date, the Republican Party has no candidates running for City Council.

So far Allentownians have learned that a portion of "our" stimulus money will be used for low-income housing initiatives; This is the last thing Allentown needs. We have an enormous low income housing area, it's called center city. My expanded thoughts on this issue can be found at the bottom of this page, at a click spot called Molovinsky For Mayor. ( a figure of speech and platform for change, not a campaign )

The Corner Market

Although I doubt that there will ever be a show at the Historical Society, or brochures at the Visitors Bureau, perhaps nothing encapsulates the history of Allentown more than the corner grocery stores. Allentown proper, is mostly comprised of rowhouses built between 1870 and 1920, long before the era of automobiles and suburban supermarkets. Most of the corner markets were built as stores, and over the years many were converted into apartments. Up until the late 1940's, there may have been well over a hundred operating in Allentown. Some specialized in ethnic food. The bodega at 9th and Liberty was formally an Italian market. Live and fresh killed chickens were sold at 8th and Linden, currently H & R Block Tax Service. A kosher meat market is now a hair salon on 19th Street. The original era for these markets died with the advent of the supermarket. In the early 50's some corner stores attempted to "brand" themselves as a "chain", as shown in the Economy Store sign above. That market is at 4th and Turner, and has been continually operating since the turn of the last century. Ironically, as the social-economic level of center city has decreased, the corner stores have seen a revival. Most of these new merchants, many Hispanic and some Asian, know little of the former history of their stores, but like their predecessors, work long, hard hours.

ADDENDUM: The first supermarket's in Allentown were the A&P. In addition to occupying a former corner store near 2nd and Hamilton, they operated the super store on 19th St, home later to the Shanty Restaurant. The Shanty now is becoming TC Salon, subject of recent post on this blog, and a feature story in today's Morning Call by Jarrett Renshaw.

ADDENDUM 2: Although there was an attempt to brand the corner stores to appear as a chain, the Economy Stores sign shown, apparently came from an early A&P format in 1912 when they leased small stores. If this particular store was such an A&P, or just dressed later with a reused sign, I have yet to determine.

Open Mike

This posting is intended to provide an opportunity to comment on any topic, or on an earlier posting.

King Levinsky

In 1964, a young Cassius Clay trained in south Miami Beach for his first fight against Sonny Liston. At that time, this section of the city was home to mostly retired Jews on fixed income. The hotels, decades after their prime, became pension rooming houses. Decades later, these same buildings would be restored to their art deco splendor, creating today's South Beach. As Clay trained, a middle aged punch drunk necktie peddler told him, "After Liston punches your head, you'll be selling ties with me." The street peddler was a fixture in Miami Beach. He didn't ask, he told people they were going to buy a tie. The future champ probably didn't realize that the heckler was none other than King Levinsky, legend of the 1930's, and veteran of over 118 heavyweight fights. Levinsky was born Harris Krakow in Chicago, and worked at his parent's fish market on Maxwell Street, the Jewish section during the roaring twenties. Although he never got a title shot, and weighed only 185, he fought all the leading heavyweights of his time, including the 265lb. giant, Primo Carnera. Managed by his sister Lena, he was known never to turn down a fight, including those against Max Baer.

Sign the Card

Two years ago the sewing workers at Tama Manufacturing picketed, wanting more than the $18 per hour average salary. Tama has now closed the doors; it was one of the last of the needle trade businesses to still operate in the Lehigh Valley. Those same workers now will be lucky to find a job at K-Mart, paying $9 an hour. Perhaps nothing more symbolizes the disconnect between people and reality than The Employee Free Choice Act. At a time when every American manufacturer is struggling to justify continuing production, unions will be able to organize without respecting the workers right to a private vote. The "card check" procedure will allow unions to form by collecting a simple majority of signed cards. A union had a full time presence in Allentown for over ten years trying to organize CedarBrook, the county nursing home, which the workers rejected by vote time and time again. Donny "Union" Cunningham allowed a card check immediately upon assuming office, opening the back door for the unwanted intruder. Allentown is full of former sewing factories being turned into apartments, but where will the jobs be to pay the rent? The above picture is of three union representatives from the movie "On The Waterfront". Playing the characters are retired heavyweight boxers Tony Galento, Tami Mauriello and my cousin, Abe Simon. If they asked you to sign, you would say "Where's the pen? "

CORRECTION: The average hourly rate at Tama was $10.50