December 11th, 2011
by DickH
While in Washington this past summer, I finally made it to the National Postal Museum (pictured above and below) which is part of the Smithsonian Institution and is located right next to Union Station in what was once the city’s main postal building. Although small, the museum was inspirational, showing how the growth of the post office paralleled the growth of the country. My visit reminded me that despite my embrace of computers and technology, nothing matches the feeling of finding a piece of first class mail waiting for you at home (so long as it’s not a bill).
For these reasons, it was with some sadness that I read of the extreme measures that the US Postal Service plans to implement to stabilize its finances. The plan is to raise the cost of postage (from 44 cents to 45 cents in mid-January) and to reduce the quality of service (delivery in two days instead of one for most first class mail). While the USPS may have no other options, their revitalization plan strikes me as completely irrational; a type of half-measure that will do little to reverse the negative trends of the past decade.
The post office is not the only once-solid institution in society whose business model has been shattered by the disruptive innovation of the Internet and related technologies, nor is it the only institution to wait far too long to even seek an effective response to these technological challenges. It seems to me that the post office still needs an “effective response” because the current plan – charging more for less service – certainly isn’t the answer. I hope there will always be a US Post Office, but if that is to be the case, bolder measures will have to be undertaken than those now under consideration.
Current Events, History | 
5 Comments »
December 11th, 2011
by PaulM
This one is for all the people going back to work tomorrow via the highway.
“Commute” by Richard Marion (c) 2011
See more artwork at www.richardmarion.net
History, Lowell | 2 Comments »
December 11th, 2011
by Marie
It seems that every year there is a struggle to avoid draconian cuts in the federal home heating fuel assistance appropriation so vital to low-income residents of the Northeast and elsewhere. Again this year – thousands of poor people across the Northeast are facing a difficult winter with substantially less home heating aid coming from the federal government. Each year the threshhold for funding is lower and individual allotments barely provide for a tank of oil. LIHEAP – the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program that served nearly nine million households last year faces a cut of $1billion from an already reduced pool of money.
Locally Community Teamwork, Inc (CTI) the regional community action agency processed over 14,000 applications for LIHEAP – determining over 12,400 applicants eligible for this critical heating subsidy.
Read this Associated Press (AP) story “Northeast cuts heating aid to the poor” for more information.
Greater Lowell, Lowell, Politics | No Comments »
December 11th, 2011
by PaulM
These young women have drawn attention for their creative campaigning for their dad, including their spoof of the Herman (Who?) Cain man-smoking-a-cigarette political ad. After Mitt Romney’s $10,000 bet with Tex Perry at last night’s debate and Newt’s splurging surge, maybe Jon Huntsman will finally get his 15 minutes in the GOP expo.—PM
From the UMass Lowell Public Affairs Office:
“Meet the daughters of former Utah Gov. and GOP Presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman and learn what it’s like to campaign for a parent and to participate in this important political process. There will be an audience Q & A. This special Student Forum is hosted by UMass Lowell’s Center for Public Opinion and the Boston Herald and is open to the public.”
The event is set for Monday, Dec. 19, 12 noon to 1.30 pm, in O’Leary Library Auditorium, Room 222, 61 Wilder St., UMass Lowell South Campus. Parking is available in the Visitor Lot on Wilder.
Election 2012, History, Lowell, Politics | No Comments »
December 11th, 2011
by Marie
Mass Moments reminds us that on the evening of December 11, 1995 – a fire reduced Malden Mills to rubble. It was one of the worst in the state’s history. Seven hundred people were at work in the factory when, at a little past 8:00 p.m., a boiler exploded in one of the mill buildings. The explosion was so powerful that it ruptured gas mains; fire quickly engulfed the buildings. Employees fled into the streets; 33 were injured, four of them critically.
The fire was a catastrophe for the communities of Methuen and Lawrence where many of the mill’s immigrant workers lived. Malden Mills was one of the largest employers in the area. The mill was well-known for its production of Polartec, a synthetic fleece. Clothing made from lightweight and fast-wicking Polartec fleece, worn next to the skin, keeps wearers warm and dry. Owned and operated by Aaron Feuerstein and the Feuerstein family, the Malden Mills company had a longstanding reputation for being good to its employees and for being committed to the local community. People around the country and the world would come to know and admire Aaron Feuerstein when it came to light that he would continue paying his workers during reconstruction of the mill property.
Read more here about the Malden Mills fire and the long range fall out for the mill, the employees and for Aaron Feuerstein.
Greater Lowell, History | No Comments »
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