July 8th, 2010
by Marie
There are five openings left in this Revolving Museum Mural Project!
“Seeking youth ages 12-22 to design and paint a 120-foot mural to be installed on Merrimack Street in downtown Lowell this summer. Class meets Tue., Wed. and Thur. Noon-4pm through July 22. Free.”
Call ASAP for more information about the project: 978-937-2787
Revolving Museum Mission Statement:
The Revolving Museum is an evolving laboratory of creative expression for people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities who seek to experience the transformative power of art. Through public art, exhibitions, and educational programs we promote artistic exploration and appreciation, encourage community participation and growth, and provide opportunities for individual empowerment and collective change.
Check out the Revolving Museum website here: http://www.revolvingmuseum.org/about.html
Culture, Current Events, Lowell | 
No Comments »
July 8th, 2010
by Andrew
Last night, a reader’s comment caused to me provide an explanation of the greenhouse effect and how this shows us that human activity is primarily driving climate change. I was asked to repost that comment here.
The scientific process is simple: state a hypothesis, test it, and analyze the results. There are many hypotheses involved in climate change, but let’s start with the one most fundamental to human causation. We know that so-called greenhouse gases trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere; if they didn’t, the Earth would resemble Mars and life would probably never have evolved (or at least, never gotten beyond single-celled extremophiles living in volcanic vents). The greenhouse effect is the only reason I’m sitting here typing this response; it’s supposed to occur.
But let’s prove that this is true. The Vostok ice core (perhaps the most famous of the ice cores drilled so far) gives us measures of temperature and carbon dioxide concentration for the past 420,000 years, a period twice as long as the age of our species and involving multiple major fluctuations in both metrics (natural climate change). In that period, the highest concentration of carbon dioxide occurred about 320,000 years ago, when it reached 300 parts per million (ppm). This was also one of the hottest period in the record. Every fluctuation in carbon dioxide levels is matched by a fluctuation in temperature; both go up at the same time, and both go down at the same time. read more »
Science | 5 Comments »
July 8th, 2010
by PaulM
Mourning Dove
This bird or a close cousin and others like it contribute to the morning music in and around the South Common. With its many trees and bushes, the Common is an aviary of sorts, especially at this time of year. I don’t know the bird types well enough to list them here, but I’ve seen at least 20 different kinds of birds on the Common. In the early morning they pick at the ground and swoop down by the pool to get crumbs from the kids’ snacks. The mourning doves make the same “hoo-hoo” sound I heard from them on the island of St. Lucia, where my family vacationed in winters past. The doves were a familiar sight in that tropical landscape. Here, I often see a solitary dove perched atop a telephone pole. The call is unmistakable. Beyond the sparrows, robins, crows, and blue jays that I know by sight, I’d be interested to know about the other urban birds if some of our readers can name the local flying creatures. I haven’t seen them lately, but I’ve seen seagulls grazing on the sports field on the floor of the Common. (Photo: Courtesy of Gainesville State College in Georgia website)
Culture, Education, History, Lowell | 7 Comments »
July 8th, 2010
by Tony
The weather is unquestionably the top story this week…and UMass Lowell’s Weather Center provides the best Lowell weather forecast around. The University’s Department of Environmental Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences maintains the website.
It is one thing to listen or watch Boston forecasters but it is a completely different experience to get weather specific to Lowell…and the Weather Center posts some really cool bits of information: Like the current temperature, Humidity, and Wind speed in Lowell updated every five minutes. You’ve got to love that…Lowell’s weather conditions updated every fine minutes!
The University gathers this information from a Center located on the roof of Ball Hall on North Campus. And of course, there is a long range forecast for the Merrimack Valley.
Check it out…Its fun to follow the hyper-local weather
Uncategorized | No Comments »
July 8th, 2010
by PaulM
Timothy Egan
Timothy Egan is based in the western U.S. and writes for the NYTimes. His recent column offers a prespective on the current national situation (military and economic). He says President Obama is facing “a Lincoln moment” and has to come up with a response that can pull the nation together again. Read Egan’s column here, and consider subscribing to the NYT if you appreciate the writing.
Current Events, Election 2010, History, Lowell, Politics | No Comments »
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