Even Discussion

Allentown Councilman Michael Donovan is right on point with his comments pertaining to the fireworks and the mentality of stadium-goers. Living a few blocks from the ball park, I complained repeatedly in 2009. The fireworks have been set off as late as 12:15 a.m. on a weeknight. Also, the so-called show is not eight minutes as stated, but closer to 15 minutes. Many nights I am kept from sleeping and I time the show. A few times it sounded like gunshots.

The recent negativity about Coca-Cola Park fireworks may persuade other potential businesses to relocate elsewhere rather than Allentown, ultimately harming the city and its revitalization efforts.

How sad it is that a few people can spoil the fun for more than 9,000 who just want to have a good time.

Maybe the reason there were only five complaints to Allentown police regarding Lehigh Valley IronPigs fireworks is because East-siders felt that their complaints would just fall on deaf ears — pardon the pun. I sent several e-mails last year to IronPigs executives about the late hour and artillery caliber of noise and received no response or reply. The gentleman who claims to be an East side spokesperson and says we just love our IronPigs neighbors doesn’t speak for me.

I don’t know what I found more incredible. That you bothered to use the front page for the troublesome fireworks article or that you and Allentown bothered to respond at all. I wonder if a list of complaints by at least 10 people exists in Allentown because if it does, I’m sure it must be a long one. Those five people complaining should get so much attention is admirable, but doesn’t Allentown have a few problems that are more important than the IronPigs fireworks? I’ve been in the historic Allentown district on Friday nights and couldn’t hear the fireworks over the noise of super loud, bass-thumping cars. Let the Pigs alone and let the fireworks go on.

As an IronPigs season ticket holder since day one, I find it very frustrating that they have decided to reduce the amount of fireworks shows during the season based on the opinions of five. It is a good thing that those five people don’t like the fact that the team on the field consistently loses games.

Among its unstable and conflict-ridden neighbours, Rwanda stands out. It has
been pegged as a model of development and one of Africa’s success stories:
Since the 1990’s, when a civil war ravaged the country, average incomes have
doubled, its people have become healthier and less hungry and it has the highest
proportion of women parliamentarians worldwide. Yet, maintaining this stability
is a government accused of muzzling its opponents and committing human
rights abuses.

The heat in the upper six miles of the earth’s crust contains 50,000 times as
much energy as found in all the world’s oil and gas reserves combined. Despite
this abundance, only 10,700 megawatts of geothermal electricity generating
capacity have been harnessed worldwide.

Military auditors failed to complete an audit of the business systems of an Ohio-
based company – Mission Essential Personnel – even though it had billed for one
billion dollars worth of work largely in Afghanistan over the last four years.

When an Asian ambassador hosted a sumptuous lunch for more than a dozen
U.N. correspondents in his swanky New York apartment many moons ago, he
confessed he had a hidden agenda.