Stalingrad In The Ward

The number of new apartments being built in the ward is pretty amazing. While most of the development is greatly benefitting from the NIZ, the building wedged between Immaculate Conception Cemetery and narrow Railroad St. is conventional financing. My snipey headline derives from the location and its current appearance, without the final facade finish. On a Facebook post last fall, some people were upset about its imposition on the cemetery, but that judgement is beyond my pay-grade. 

The Neuweiler apartment project is enormous. All totaled, there will be hundreds of new apartments in that area. While our politicians talk about affordable housing and the need for more units, I have some doubts about the effect on the city. The Hamilton NIZ failed to gentrify that district. Will the new tenants have more effect in the Ward?

Slow Steps To Beauty

It took a long time, but the main steps down to Rose Gardens look beautiful. I speculate that the holdup was the mason waiting for the black slate like tread material. While the steps both here at the garden and Union Terrace were stone, I find the new treads both attractive and more durable.

While I'm complimenting the park system, allow me to confess a previous bad call on my part. When the Parknership announced that their first project would be the basketball court at Stevens Park, I took exception to that plan. I thought that the court would be underused and/or attract a nuisance crowd. I be wrong...every time I go by it is being utilized as they envisioned.

My current wish list for the park system involves Lehigh Parkway. The steps and landings on the Double Stairwell need to be restored. The water seeping through the landings is undermining both sets of steps. The previous dam debris piled around the stone piers of the Robin Hood Bridge needs to be removed. The concrete pieces should be lifted away by hand, so as not to damage the piers. The stairwell and bridge are objects of beauty which would be unaffordable to build in today's dollars, but we can afford to maintain them.

When Tariffs Were Trump's Big Fumble

The tariffs were Trump's first fumble, but nothing compared to the war with Iran. When Colorado Congressman Jeff Hurd voted against the tariffs, Trump supported a primary opponent against him. Now that the midterms are looking more precarious for the White House, he has bribed the opponent off, and is supporting Hurd.

Who could have foreseen that beating up our allies with tariffs could have consequences:) Who could have foreseen that attacking Iran could end up affecting world energy prices:) When a president has surrounded himself with such experienced, seasoned advisors, and is open to push back, what could go wrong:)

Although I believe that the Republicans will lose bigly in the midterms, it doesn't matter that much. Not having had 10cents worth of institutional knowledge in the Trump White House, will cost this country for at least the next decade.

Local Allentown Blogger Goes Underground

Michael Molovinsky was last seen early Friday making his usual morning rounds of the Allentown park system, Speculation is that upon arriving back home, he saw the article about the Russian blogger who criticized Putin, and immediately went into hiding.

Molovinsky has been accused of TDS, and worse, by his readers now for several months. He knows that Trump admires Putin, and has used the FCC and other government agencies to silence critics. 

                                                                     Joanne Silver, copy editor, molovinsky media

ADDENDUM: Mr. Molovinsky will remain underground, but has made provisions to resume posting himself, starting Tuesday morning. js/mm

Trump Tries To Control The Damage He Caused

How Netanyahu sold Trump on attacking Iran isn't completely known, although I suspect flattery played the main part. Trump must now restrain Netanyahu from bombing Iranian oil and gas infrastructure, to stave off Iranian retaliation against infrastructure throughout the Gulf. Trump is also scared of $5 a gallon gasoline before the midterms.

Another sector severely impacted by Trump's decisions is international travel to United States. Las Vegas and Disney parks are hurting, along with all the associated businesses and their employees. Yesterday, when I mentioned Vegas in a comment, a Trump supporter replied, yes, open the borders. The tourist industry has nothing to do with border security or boys in girl's sports, but with the world's perception of America under Trump.

A local Republican wrote on Facebook that opposition to the war is really just opposition to anything Donald Trump. Considering that the National Counterterrorism Director resigned because he felt Iran was no threat to us, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that support for the war is just support for Donald Trump. I fear the reality is even more disturbing. That the support for Donald Trump is really pure partisan politics, wanting a party to stay in power, regardless of policy.

United Gas Station, Front & Hamilton Sts. 1950

New Blog In Dodge

I have started a new blog with an old name, The Morning Chronicle.Net. I have alternately used that name with my independent conservative blog, now titled Rainy Morning.

The first post on the new venue concerns the crumbling ponds at the Rose Gardens. While Molovinsky On Allentown hosts a new post every weekday, The Morning will have no routine posting schedule. It will occasionally make note of local cultural and/or political events.

The Lehigh Valley blog scene remains meager. Most of the weight has been carried by Bernie O'Hare and myself for going on twenty years, but Northwestern and Truth have recently joined the fray. Some former Morning Call employees have a page, but with their hands out for donations:) My new blog only allows comments with a Google handle, either a real name or a pseudonym. Don't comment here that you don't want big brother watching you, he's watching you already!

Crime Against Cuba

I consider the blockage of oil to Cuba a crime. Cuba has gone dark, which includes home medical devices and other powered items essential to people's welfare. I'm astonished how malleable Marco Rubio is. Apparently, even being a senator was beyond his actual pay-grade, while as Secretary of State he is embarrassing...Witkoff and Kushner have been assigned to the lifting.

Trump jests that he might install Marco as governor or emperor of Cuba, or some such title. Trump promised no more forever wars, but he never said anything about endless conflicts. He essentially destroyed our alliances going back to WW2.  

Yesterday, a commenter stated that we should pull out of the Middle East and let Europe deal with the problem in the Strait of Hormuz. He may not realize that it is a problem that we created, and that our departure is the solution. Needless to say that the same commenter had no problem with our embargo of Cuba.

Havana in the dark

When The Bully Needs Help

If the schoolyard bully ever needed help, it wasn't given out of appreciation or other good reasons. Trump now must threaten NATO for help with Iran's control of the Straits. I remember the photo in his first term, pushing people out of the way at a G7 conference.

He has done more to alienate our former allies in 15 months than most Trump critics could have feared. His lack of history and diplomacy is stunning, and we're paying the price. The MAGA flags on the pickups will come down as the cost of living rises. 

The sycophants in the administration are being marginalized by their spineless compliance to his lunacy. Marco will never step beyond those oversized shoes he wore out of the Oval Office. The mission now isn't to make American great again, but to make America respected again.