May 16th, 2011
by PaulM
I met John Kerry in Lowell when I was 18 years old, almost 40 years ago. He was running for Congress, and we know how that turned out. Nevertheless, I was impressed then, and I still like what I see most of the time. If someone is going to represent me, and that’s what happens in our system, in Pakistan this week, I feel good about it being him. He’s representing all of us as a senior US Senator. Here’s the latest report on his trip and statements from Reuters news service.
Sen. John Kerry (l.) shakes hands with Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani prior to their official talks at Prime Minister house in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Monday. B.K. Bangash/AP
Culture, Current Events, History, Lowell | 
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May 16th, 2011
by Marie
Drew Gilpin Faust is the 28th President of Harvard University and the Lincoln Professor of History in Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. An eminent historian of the Civil War and the American South, Faust delivered the 2011 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities earlier this month. The annual lecture, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), is the most prestigious honor the federal government bestows for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities.
Here is a link to her lecture “Telling War Stories: Reflections of a Civil War Historian” as prepared for presentation. Take a look – it is well worth your time. Thanks to a Harvard friend for the link. http://president.harvard.edu/speeches/faust/110502_jefferson.php
Culture, Education, History, Politics | No Comments »
May 16th, 2011
by Marie
This invitation is also posted over at Left in Lowell. It’s important enough to post here as well. As someone who was a facilitator in the “Save the 5th” effort back in 2001 when the then Speaker of the House had the 5th obliterated from the redistricting map, I want to encourage people of the 5th to attend and support this rally. BTW – the host and emcee back then was former Congressman Jim Shannon and we met at Doubletree! (The gathering was bi-partisan as was an outdoor rally at Lowell City Hall.)
Dear Friend,
Please join Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, special guest and former Congressman Marty Meehan, members of the State delegation, and business and community leaders from across the area for a rally to keep the Fifth District intact!
Saturday May 21
1:00-2:30PM
UMass-Lowell Inn and Conference Center
50 Warren Street
Lowell, MA 01852*
Show your support for preservation of the Fifth District and learn how you can help keep it intact.
Hosted by the Committee to Keep the Fifth Intact, Co-Chaired by Former State Senator Steve Panagiotakos and Trinity EMS President John Chemaly.
Please RSVP by replying to this email or by calling 978-710-9048. See you on Saturday May 21st!
Current Events, Greater Lowell, History, Lowell, Politics | No Comments »
May 16th, 2011
by DickH
Along Thorndike Street by Tony Sampas
Lowell | No Comments »
May 16th, 2011
by DickH
The Lowell Historical Society held its annual meeting yesterday at Middlesex Community College’s Federal Building. Despite the heavy rain and impressive crowd of more than 60 folks showed up to hear a three member panel discuss various aspects of Lowell’s involvement in the American Civil War.
Jack Herlihy of the Lowell National Park began the program by talking about and showing images of letters from George Fox from Lowell/Dracut who wrote of his experiences of the war in the days before he was mortally wounded in battle outside Suffolk, Virginia. (The Fox Family letter collection has been transcribed and is available online at the UMass Lowell Center for Lowell History). I followed with a discussion of Ben Butler’s decision made on May 23, 1861 to treat escaped slaves as “contraband of war”, a nuanced interpretation of the law of war that changed the course of history. Finally, Martha Mayo shared stories about Lucy Larcom and her Civil War related activities; of Nathan and Rebecca Crosby and their work on behalf of Soldier’s Aid Association and the Sanitary Commission; of Abba Goddard, who was raised in Lowell and who became a nurse attached to the 10th Maine; of Richard Elliott, who was born in Lowell and who became a Captain in the Second Louisiana Guard; and of Patrick Gilmore, who lived briefly in Lowell and who is credited with writing, among other things, the even-now familiar tune, “When Johnnie Comes Marching Home.”
History, Lowell | 1 Comment »
May 16th, 2011
by PaulM
This is a baseball card that I never owned. Somehow, this one never showed up in a five-cent package of cards when I was 11 years old. The 1965 Topps baseball card series is my favorite for several reasons : the Red Sox line-up of heroes of that time, the design, the Time-Machine switch that it flips in my life. After I lost or sold most of the cards from my youth, I decided in my 30′s to try to reassemble at least my favorite cards. In a moment of idiocy when I was about 20 years old, I had glued some of my best remaining cards to a sheet of poster board to display in my room.
I’ve been a casual collector of cards over time, so the most fun was locating in card shops many of the cards I had enjoyed having in the 1960′s. I never spent much money on the effort. Finding players whom I liked but who were not superstars was a kick. In the card industry there’s a name for such guys: Commons. Some cards I liked just for the picture, especially the “action” shots. I never cared for what we called “face cards”—a ballplayer’s big face filling the whole front of the card, and often not even wearing a team cap. These reminded me of mug shots on wanted posters at the post office.
In my not-so-scientific search for replacement cards, the one vintage card I haven’t picked up is the 1965 Yaz. He’s the one that got away, the one I never had in hand when it was worth a penny, and I’m too far down the road to fork over $191.85 just to close some nostalgic gap. I’d rather send a check to Yaz’s favorite charity, the Jimmy Fund, which helps kids with cancer. I’ve been thinking about the card, though, this weekend as the Red Sox swept the Yankees. I’m starting to feel better about the 2011 Red Sox.
Here’s a link to a guy who has a blog about baseball cards, specifically the 1965 Topps series. You never know what you are going to find on the web. It’s all out there.
Culture, History, Lowell | 2 Comments »
May 16th, 2011
by DickH
The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.
Thanks to a reader who brought the above CNN video to our attention. It features Lowell-native, Army Colonel Ed Fleming, speaking to the residents of Butte La Rose, Louisiana about the need to evacuate in the face of coming floods that will leave 15 feet of water in their town. Fleming is the commander of the Army Corps of Engineers District for New Orleans. He is the son of former mayor and city councilor Brendan Fleming.
Current Events | 2 Comments »
May 16th, 2011
by DickH
After the great success of “The Fighter”, Hollywood returns to the city of Lowell this week to film “Here Comes the Boom”, an action-comedy starring Kevin James, Salma Hayek and Henry Winkler. The film is about a high school science teacher who becomes involved in mixed martial arts in an effort to raise money to save the school’s music program. Hundreds of extras are needed each day this week at the Tsongas Center (formerly known as the Tsongas Arena) for the filming of the fight scenes. For more information about the film and about becoming an extra, check this out.
Current Events, Lowell | No Comments »
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