UMBT Conducts "Special" Meeting To Discuss Those Evil Data Centers

About a year ago, warehouses were the bogeymen. Politicians loved to rail against them, and we all lapped it up as we continued ordering toilet paper through Amazon. But there's now an evil more evil monster lurking around every corner - the Data Center. Never mind that they've been with us for decades. Never mind that they are a critical national infrastructure to support both our economy and yes, our national security. They're bad, I tell you. 1,000,000 Facebook groups can't be wrong. 

On Friday night, I could have stayed home to watch President Donald Trump and our betters in the Washingtom press corps insult each other. I opted instead to travel to Angle country, where Upper Mount Bethel Tp was hosting a hastily called "special" meeting in an effort to put the brakes on yet another potential and very evil data center located on Pektor property by both the river and a power plant. 

I arrived a little late, so I missed the remarks made by His Eminence, the Right Reverend Ron Angle. But that's ok. Though Supervisors have limited Angle to three minutes, he manages to inject himself after nearly every speaker anyway, So I got the drift. He thinks a lot of the kneejerk opposition to data centers is misguided. But he's wrong. They're evil, I tell you, the stuff of nightmares and science fiction movies where the noise they emit are really some sort of radio frequenct that turns us into pods. 

I pulled into the parking lot of what is actually the public works garage because the second largest municipality in the goddamn state of Pennsylvania is unable to afford a frickin' municipal building. And that's pretty much because the people who live there - at least the ones with money - don't want anything that could actually help people who are working two or three jobs to make ends meet. The ruling class has decided that data centers are bad, and they know best. A year ago, they thought they were great, much preferable to an evil warehouse, but that was then. 

Before I walked into the garage, I looked over the packed parking lot. It was full of big-ass SUVs and those massive trucks with V-8 engines. Not an ebike in sight. These folks are very environmentally conscious, except when it comes to themselves. 

The reason for the rushed meeting was because the evil data center was just far too willing to work with the township. Supervisor David Friedman, who has previously botched up several negotiating sessions with Tam Pektor, was again spearheading the back-room meetings with Talen Energy. Talen Energy had offered a community benefits agreement of $25 million. Friedman reportedly said, "Make it $50 million and we have a deal," thinking this would be enough to send Talen away with its tail between its legs. Instead, after telephone calls with several Tallen execs, their ambassador came back and agreed.

What little is left of Friedman's head must have exploded. He was sure he had scared them off, but instead, they agreed. now, Friedman would have to break his word again, which obviously doesn't mean much to him as he also once promised to resign and then refused to keep his word. Friedman huddled with John "Voice of (some of) the People" Bermingham and came up with a plan that would scare away that evil data center for good. They decided to propose an amendment to the zoning ordinance that would impose all kinds of conditions on when and where they could be placed.

Good idea, but bad timing. Very bad timing. The evil data center, which I've told you is very bad, filed what is known as a "validity objection." In layman's terms, that is a giant FU to the township. It means that Talen can build a data center wherever the hell it wants and there's not a damn thing the township can do about it. It means that instead of a $50 million community benefits agreement, the township gets zero.

Great job, guys. 

But there was nevertheless a procession of NIMBY speakers who basically are unreservedly opposed to data centers no matter what the benefits might be.  They're bad, I tell you.

One heavy fellow wearing a "Jesus is King" T-shirt and who may have been thinking that Jesus is Burger King, claimed they are "out of control" and "poisoning the water supply." I've got news for Burger King. The people who live in Upper Mount Bethel are already poisoning our water supply with their own shit. Water tests done along the creeks on 611 show unusually high amounts of chemicals that come from residents' refusal to actually build a proper sewer. 

These are the same people who incidentally complain about sludge. 

Now I don't want to leave you with the impression that everyone in Upper Mount Bethel hates data centers. There were a few who said we should at least have an open mind and take a tour or two. 

But when I hear these phonies raise environmental concerns, I have to laugh. Though they are the new bogeyman, consider these facts: You could give up a lifetime of reliance on data centers and AI, and the amount of energy saved would be negligible compared to canceling just one trans-Atlantic flight or switching to a hybrid car; A request to ChatGPT consumes as much energy as one second of a clothes dryer; our 14,000 golf courses consume 550 billion gallons of water a year; we use 3 trillion gallons of water a year just to water our lawns.

But don't let facts get in the way. Data centers are very bad, 

NorCo Leases New DUI Center After Eviction by Bethlehem Tp

At their July 2 meeting, Northampton County Council approved a 10-year lease for a new DUI Center in Bethlehem Tp, next to the Skateaway at 4552 Easton Avenue. The monthly payment is $2,500 to Ridge Ventures, one of many companies owned by Abe Atiyeh. 

This seems like no big deal, except that NorCo was leasing the Coolidge House in Bethlehem Tp as a DUI Center. That is also home to a Bethlehem Area Public Library branch.

It could be that the DUI Center was getting to be a bit much for Bethlehem Tp, which actually filed an eviction proceeding against the county on July 1 for the recovery of the property. A hearing had been scheduled for July 27, but that has been postponed until August 18. 

Washington's Journalists Think They Are Hollywood Stars

On Friday night, I sallied forth from the foothills of Nazareth to the Slate Belt highlands to hear all kinds of people driving big-ass SUVs and trucks complain that a possible data center proposed in Upper Bethel Tp will ruin the environment. I'll have more about that later but wanted to write about something else first. Before leaving, I watched the beginning moments of the White House Correspondents' Dinner and saw numerous people who I had supposed were journalists posing for photos in tuxedos and fancy gowns on some makeshift red carpet as though they were Hollywood stars. Women's Wear Daily actually had photos of people who certainly seem to be a more than a bit out of touch with the real world. 

Since that time, I've seen numerous stories poking President Trump because he insulted the press, which presidents are expected to do when they attend these fancy galas. I've seen others claiming that his jokes fell flat during his rambling and lengthy exhortation. I don't know how they could stay awake. 

The whole thing disgusts me. It's a given that I find Trump is a boor, and that's putting it gently. But what really offends me is that the reporters who supposedly exist to speak truth to power instead cozy up to and are in an incestuous relationship with it. 

You want to have a dinner to pat yourselves on the back? Knock yourselves out. But drop the tuxes and gowns. Stop acting like celebrities with agents who negotiate your contracts and start acting like reporters. Instead of braying about Epstein every five seconds, start covering the very obvious corruption going on inside the Beltway cesspool. 

I think Trump's disastrous presidency is a big story. But the incompetence of the Washington press establishment appears to be a bigger story. Instead of covering the actual stories, they are too busy playing tit for tat with Trump. 

Freedom of the press? What press? 

Staff Intervenes to Prevent Possible Suicide at Gracedale

 According to CrimeRadar, EMS was dispatched to Gracedale yesterday afternoon for a potential suicide. 

The audio transcript is as follow: "Be advised, we have EMS going to Gracedale. It's going to be room Bravo [redacted]. A 70-year-old female attempted to hang herself. She put a stocking around her neck. She's currently awake and breathing."

NorCo Exec Tara Zrinski was informed by Gracedale administrators that there was actually no attempted suicide because staff intervened after the resident tied stockings around her neck. The resident was taken to the hospital. 

It's very disturbing to hear of a potential suicide at a nursing home or the jail. But this is actually a positive report about Gracedale. Staff intervened before this woman could hurt herself.  It is actually a credit to the people who work there.

At the jail, there have been two suicides where corrections officers were less successful. But I know from speaking to them that they have stopped far more suicides. We only hear about it when there is a rare failure. 

Obviosly, this Gracedale incident will have to be investigated by the state Department of Health, and I'm unable to rule out potential violations. But to me, the important thing is that they prevented a death.

A Gracedale Resident Wanders - Is it an Elopement or a "Near Miss"?

When I hear the word "elope", I usually think that star-crossed lovers have run off against their parents' wishes. Butin nursing home jargon, elopement is a situation in which a resident leaves a care facility without staff knowledge or supervision, potentially placing himself in danger. It's been a problem at Gracedale. Since Michelle Morton became administrator in March 2025, the home has been cited by the state Department of Health four times for elopement. (9/19/25, 9/23/25, 10/2/25 and 5/14/26). Despite NorCo Executive Tara Zrinski's assurances to county council that all kinds of preventive measures have been put in place to prevent cognitively impaired residents from wondering off, it may have happened again over the weekend. 

I was first alerted to this based on an anonymous comment posted to this blog.* claiming there had been an elopement over the weekend. I nosed around, and this I am told that a confused resident attended a life enrichment activity with an activity aide. She apparently left and the activity aide assumed she got on an elevator with another activity aide. She instead went outside but returned with the family of another resident after telling them she was lost. She wasn't gone long, but she was gone. She apparently was still on the Gracedale campus. 

Zrinski denied that any elopements occurred over the weekend, adding no one was off campus. "There was a resident who left an activity with life enrichment and went outside to the smoking area and then around to the front of the building for a few minutes. It counts as a near miss and is not reportable."  She denied that the resident was brought back by the family of another resident, calling it a rumor. "She went out the side door and walked back to the front door, back inside.

According to state regulations, a nursing home must report the unexplained absence of any resident from a secured dementia care unit. Given that Gracedale is trying to upgrade its license, I could see why there'd be some reluctance to report this matter. But better safe than sorry. If it is a "near miss," as Zrinski said, let the state DOH make that determination. On the other hand, if there's a complaint and the DOH determines that it should have been notified, Gracedale is going to have a bigger problem.

____

* Many of you complain about the anonymous comments, which can be pretty mean. But I've actually seen much more hateful comments on other social media platforms in which the poster is identified. I allow anonymous comments because it sometimes clues me in to a story about which I would otherwise know nothing. 

Gracedale Improves Daily Nursing Care

Though Gracedale still has a Provisional II license, it is improving. According to the state's nursing home facility locator, the number of nursing hours per resident per day (PPD) has climbed to 3.76. That is higher than Lehigh County's Cedarbrook (3.61) or Berks County's Berkheim (3.68). It now ranks 5th among 14 county-owned nursing homes throughout the state. 

County-wide, this level is second only to Moravian Square (4.51). 

The Walk-Run

So after getting up and drinking at least one cup of coffee, I head out for my walk-run every other day as a complement to cycling. I have a great 3-mile course laid out across the street doing loops around a Moravian cemetery, where the tombstones lay flat instead of upright for some reason. Some are decorated with American flags while others have the occasional flower. Squirrels dance between the graves, and if I'm early enough, I'll see a fox or two. If I'm lucky, sometimes I see a pretty lady that I can pretend I'm not looking at, even though I am.

I usually don't even begin to run until I have the first mile under my belt.  Yesterday, as I completed my first lap, I could see one of my neighbors, an old drunk who sells his SNAP benefits to a barkeep every month. He glared at me as he waited for a ride and was shouting, "Come across the street, mother fucker, and I'll break your nose!" 

Where the Hell did that come from? I decided to ignore the guy and began my second lap, going uphill and trying to steady myself on uneven surfaces, littered with branches from the previous night's rain. There are usually two dogs at the crest who bark wildly every time they see me. "Come across the yard, mother fucker, and I'll break your nose!", they are saying. I usually say Hi to them, but they were sleeping in so there was no greeting. Just dancing squirrels.

As I finished my second lap, the old drunk was still waiting for his ride, still glaring, but smoking a cigarette. But I pretended not to notice him again and started my third lap and hill. This is when the sweat starts, and this is when I start running in small spurts. 

I have pretty bad hip arthritis, which is why I mostly cycle. But I still love running and miss the days when I felt I could go on forever. This was not one of those days. Almost immediately, my left hip was in pain, but I pushed ahead because sometimes tit goes away after the joint is lubed up. This was not one of those days. I was still making good time and continued, as the sweat began to pour out of me. 

As I finished the third lap, the old drunk's ride had just arrived. It was an old beat-up truck taking him somewhere to a job where he worked off the books. As he got in, I could see him waving his arms and pointing at someone, but it wasn't me. 

Lap 4 begins again. After I reach the top of this mini-mountain, I begin to run again, thinking about different stories I could write, wondering why the tombstones at this cemetery are all flat and listening to crows yell at me for invading their turf. I'm running a bit faster now. 

On my fifth lap, I am running a bit faster and am now drenched in sweat and am starting to feel pretty good except for the arthritis. 

After the sixth lap, I keep running and head to a nearby Catholic church, where I can hear the kids scream and well as they play. My left leg nearly gives out twice. I am slowing down, but feel good. 

Eventually, after 3 miles, I stop. Finished. Drenched with sweat. Endorphins have kicked in, but so has the arthritis.

I see a neighbor and ask, "Was the old drunk yelling at me?"

"No, he was yelling at me for calling him a SNAP scammer, and I have it on video."

"Good for you. Good for you." I say and walk inside. 

I apply ice and check my VO2Max. 

I feel good, but the graveyard still awaits. In the meantime, today is a good day to ride.