Archive for February 19th, 2012

February 19th, 2012

SuitABILITY In Downtown Lowell

by Marie

This is a cross-post from our local blog neighbor at http://lovinlowell.com/blog/

SuitAbility “Suits-Up” For 2012

February 15, 2012 at 5:27 pm · Business Feature Stories, Uncategorized · Comments

This past year saw SuitAbility settle into a new location at 101 Paige Street and become involved in the downtown scene. This central location has been easier for clients to access, plus we love having a storefront window to decorate and have gotten rave reviews about our displays! 

 
Stop by and have a look when you are in the area.

This year will bring a variety of exciting fundraising events, such as our “Sunday Style Brunch” which will include the art installation “If These Shoes Could Talk”  where we will be displaying shoes and their stories. We will be soliciting donations from celebrities and then will auction off the shoes.  Watch for shoes from Uma Thurman and your favorite Desperate Housewife!  We will also have a mini shopping mall which we hope will include clothing from local retailers and pieces from local artists from whom you can make purchases. This will be a great way to see what is available locally and help keep our downtown viable.

Our Mission:
CTI’s (Community Teamwork, INC.) SuitAbility program is committed to helping economically challenged women become independent and self-sufficient! The success of the SuitAbility program depends on the support of generous donors like you! Please consider a tax-deductible gift in support of our efforts.

For full disclosure – I am a proud 20-year member of CTI’s Board of Directors. Watch here for updates about the SuitAbility fundraising events. Marie

February 19th, 2012

Comcast changes the channel on government programming

by DickH

Thursday afternoon at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Lowell Telecommunications Corporation (LTC) executive board – I’m a member of the LTC board of directors – I learned that Comcast had unilaterally decreed that on March 20, 2012, it would move the content of Lowell Cable channel 10, our government access station, to channel 99. In its place Comcast is inserting WWPD, a station based in Norwell, Massachusetts, that airs home-shopping programs from ShopNBC.

The letter from Comcast contains this line: “As a result of WWDP electing must-carry status under FCC Rule 76.56, we will be making the following channel lineup changes on March 20, 2012 to accommodate their request: WWDP will move from Ch 72 to Ch 10; Government Access will move from Ch 10 to Ch 99.

I’m not sure what FCC Rule 76.56 says, but I do know that Comcast owns NBC and that having the NBC shopping network lower on the channel spectrum (channel 10) will make it a much more likely destination for viewers, all to the financial benefit of Comcast, while the citizens of Lowell will have a little bit harder time finding the telecasts of local government meetings and events.

The city council will address this at its meeting this Tuesday night. Councilor Bill Martin, who is a member of the LTC Board of Directors and the chair of the council’s cable TV subcommittee, made a motion for a report on this change. I suspect that the contract between Comcast and the city of Lowell might give the cable company the power to make this change in such an abrupt manner, but just because they have the power to do it doesn’t mean they should, nor does in lessen the impact on the citizens of Lowell.

February 19th, 2012

Upcoming Cultural Events at UMass Lowell

by PaulM

New World Jazz Composers Octet (Music on the Merrimack series), featuring UMass Lowell faculty member Walter Platt on trumpet and flugelhorn. Feb. 23, 7.30 pm, Durgin Concert Hall, 35 Wilder St, UMass Lowell South Campus. Free and accessible.

Columbinus, a performance by the Off-Broadway Players student theater group at UMass Lowell. Written by Stephen Karam and P.J. Paparelli. March 1, 2 & 3, 7.30 p.m.; March 3 & 4, 2 p.m, Comley-Lane Theater, 370 Broadway St. UMass Lowell South Campus. Tickets: $5 for students and seniors; $10 adults (special $1 student tickets on opening night). Advance tickets: Student Information Center, McGauvran  Student Center, South Campus. Call 978-934-5001. Regular tickets: Comley-Lane box office one hour prior to performances. This is an accessible venue.

Eric Church, the Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour. March 2, 7.30 p.m., Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Way. See this exciting Grammy nominee whose latest studio release, “Chief,” topped the Billboard chart with more than 145,000 albums sold in the first week. Tickets are $42.50 and $34.75. Visit TsongasCenter.com to order.

“Lowell Blues,” a film screening and discussion of a lyrical film version of Jack Kerouac’s novel “Doctor Sax,” with director Henry Ferrini, the Spring 2012 Artist-in-Residence at the UMass Lowell Center for Arts and Ideas.  March 5, 3.30 p.m., Coburn Hall, Room 210, Broadway St., UMass Lowell South Campus. Free, but note that this venue does not have an elevator. This event is part of the weeklong celebration Kerouac’s 90th birthday. For the full schedule, visit www.lowellcelebrateskerouac.org

Wind Ensemble in Concert, featuring winners of the Concerto Composition and music by Hindemith, Holsinger, and Margolis. March 5, 7.30 p.m., Durgin Concert Hall (see details above). Free and accessible.

The AD Show, featuring advertising campaign projects from the Design Studio students of UMass Lowell. March 5 – 30, Dugan Gallery, Dugan Hall, 883 Broadway, UMass Lowell South Campus (hours are Mon-Thurs, 11 a.m – 4 p.m.). Free and accessible.

Mothers of Rock Benefit Concert, a tribute to women in the music industry with performers from UMass Lowell and the community playing songs originally written and performed by women musicians. The event benefits the Music & Entertainment Industry Student Assoc. chapter at UMass Lowell and Girls Inc. of Lowell. March 6, 7.30 p.m., Durgin Concert Hall (see details above). Free and accessible.

“Fufu & Oreos,” a one-woman performance by Obehi Janice (who grew up in Lowell), “who contemplates her multiple identities (Nigerian-American, Black female, Christian) while reflecting on depression, identity, and faith with inventive prose and incredible wit.” March 8, 7 p.m., Alumni Hall, One University Ave., UMass Lowell North Campus. Free and accessible. This event is presented by the Multicultural Affairs Office on campus.

The Lindsays (Music on the Merrimack series), ”a husband-wife Celtic duo that for more than ten years has created an eclectic fusion of Irish ballads, traditional jigs and reels, and contemporary rock and folk for an honest acoustic delivery, with an edge. Their unapologetic songs explore humanity’s darker corners, while upbeat Irish traditional tunes celebrate the joy and intensity of life.” March 8, 7.30 p.m, Durgin Hall (see details above). Free and accessible.

For the full schedule of cultural activities at UMass Lowell this semester, visit www.uml.edu/artsandideas.