July 22nd, 2010
by Andrew
One of the biggest questions in studying modern (post 1600) global history is why it was Europe and not China or India that became the dominant world power. From a purely statistical standpoint, the best money was on China up until even as late as 1800; it simply had greater per capita income and a higher standard of living. Of course, by 1800 Europe, led by Britain, had begun its Industrial Revolution and the rest is, well, history.
The reasons for China’s failure to have an industrial revolution stem back to government decisions in the 16th century, but that’s too involved a topic for right now; it’s enough to know that historians understand this very well. It is interesting to think about what historians two hundred years from now will write about when it comes to the green energy revolution, the industrial revolution that is beginning in our time. History often appears to be cyclical; one region falls into decline while a previously declining region begins its ascent. The difference between decline and vitality has all too often been based on the vibrancy of a nation’s economy. The sinews of war and global influence have always been money. read more »
Current Events, Politics, Science | 
7 Comments »
July 22nd, 2010
by Marie
Scot’s Heather wins prize in 1861
Both Tewksbury weeklies – The Advocate and the Town Crier – are reporting plans for a summer search for any signs that the “Scot’s Heather” - that won a “New Native Plant” medal from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society back in 1861 – still grows in the Tewksbury town environs.
Tewksbury was once known as the “Carnation Capital of the World” where for example in 1976 the Patten Family Greenhouses grew over 2,000,000 blossoms annually. The firm was founded back in 1870 and shipped these flowers world-wide. These days the greenhouses are mostly broken relics of the past.
Today the flower-focus is on finding any sign of the heather that caused such stir back in 1861 that it brought a horticultural “Flower Committee” to town to investigate the flower-find that witnessess said had been growing locally since before the Revolutionary War. The Tewksbury Historical Society is sponsoring the heather-search of a Livington Street meadow on Saturday July 24th and invites the public to join environmentalist Steve Ivas leading the search. Later this year the Historical Society will present a play to tell this story.
Read the full story here on-line at wickedlocal.com. If you plan to join the search, make sure that you dress appropriately – long pants with sunscreen are advised!
Culture, Greater Lowell, History | 1 Comment »
July 22nd, 2010
by PaulM
Lowell is in the Universe. This stuff just blows my mind. The latest cosmic discovery will make anyone pause and consider his or her own place in space. A little more humility would go a long way among the inhabitants of Earth. Makes you wonder why it took so long to see a star that is 265 times the size of the Sun in our relatively puny solar system. It’s in a “neighboring galaxy.”
Here’s the Science story from aol.com. And here’s the link for a second story in the Guardian online in the U.K.
Current Events, Education, History, Lowell, Science | No Comments »
July 22nd, 2010
by Tony
Several years ago I heard Chief Justice Margaret Marshall speak at the then DoubleTree Hotel in Lowell. It was right around the time of the historic “interpretation” of the state’s constitution that legalized Gay marriage in Massachusetts. She was truly brilliant. She spoke of her days as a student leader in South Africa opposing the racist apartheid system and talked of nights at home worried for her own safety because of her political position. As she spoke I thought of the courage it must have taken to stand up against a political machine fueled by bigotry because it was the right thing. Several years later I was lucky enough to meet her again at the Superior Courthouse in Lowell. She was courteous and down to earth. Yesterday, Margaret Marshall announced her decision to retire from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Her loss will be significant. It took courage to oppose South Africa’s apartheid and it took courage to support equality in marriage. In the now famous Gay marriage decision, Chief Justice Margaret Marshall wrote that the state’s constitution “affirms the dignity and equality of all individuals”.
Thank you Chief Justice Marshall.
Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
July 22nd, 2010
by DickH
If you’re interested in historic election results, please visit our “Elections” page which contains a vast amount of data but is still a work in progress. Thus far, it contains the results of every Lowell City Council election from 1965 to 2009 and today I’ve added our first state election page – the randomly chosen 1998 which is reproduced in its entirety below – but that’s just the first of many. Because the offices on the ballot vary from year to year, the state election page is in narrative format but it contains all the names and numbers. Finally, the Election page also contains links to our in-progress “Lowell Political Biography” which lists alphabetically those who held or ran for office in Lowell through the years. Here’s my report on the 1998 state election:
In 1998, Paul Cellucci ran for re-election as Governor after ascending to the office when Bill Weld resigned in the midst of his second term. In the Republican primary, Cellucci was challenged by State Treasurer Joe Malone. Statewide, Cellucci received 136,258 votes to Malone’s 95,963. In Lowell, Cellucci defeated Malone 1015 to 674. The Democratic primary featured Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, former Senate President Pat McGovern, and Congressman Brian Donnelly. Statewide, Harshbarger prevailed receiving 306,883 votes to McGovern’s 189,686 and Donnelly’s 101,984. In Lowell, the Democratic primary results were Harshbarger 4133; McGovern 3592 and Donnelly 1536. In the general election, Cellucci and his running mate Jane Swift defeated Harshbarger and his running mate Warren Tolman, 967,160 to 901,843. In Lowell, Cellucci also prevailed, 9589 to 8846. read more »
History | No Comments »
July 22nd, 2010
by PaulM
Timothy Egan checks in with his latest NYTimes column, this one about heat waves, extreme weather, the reality of global warming, and the desperate need for smarter federal policies on energy. Read his views here, and consider subscribing to the NYT if you appreciate the writing. My household gets the hard copy every day. There’s always something in it worth reading.
Current Events, History, Lowell, Politics, Science | No Comments »
July 22nd, 2010
by PaulM
While nobody was looking, writer-actor-director-baseball wiseman-cultural commentator-allied blogger Jack Neary packed his stuff and moved from Lowell to southern New Hampshire, just over the border in Derry. After Robert Frost trying to run a farm in that town many years ago, this is probably the biggest literary news in Derry. Jack’s officially still in the bio-region of the Merrimack River, so there’s only a minor disturbance in the Lowell force that’s been caused by his relocation. He says he’s started swimming again and that the wildlife is more exotic in the Granite State. I hope they can get more than Channel 9 up there. Jack, if you see Uncle Gus at Shaw’s, say “Hey” for the rest of us. And remember the definition of Willie Mays’ glove: “Where triples go to die.” I can’t remember who said that. The Frenchman Leo Durocher?
Culture, Greater Lowell, History, Lowell | 1 Comment »
Recent Comments