http://richardhowe.com Lowell Politics and Lowell History Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:58:31 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Please accept my confession...I have an Obama bumper sticker (on my brand new Jeep), an Obama tee shirt (that I am afraid to get dirty) and an Obama pin attached to my car's sun visor (it rests perfectly in my sight). I guess you'd say I am an Obama zealot, ... http://richardhowe.com/2008/08/19/obama-ringtones/ Last week I mentioned the on-going rehab on Andover Street in Lowell. It had all the aspects of a "This Old House" project. Well, the inside scoop comes today in a front-page story in the Lowell SUN courtesy of life-style guru extraordinaire Nancye Tuttle. "All they wanted was a new ... http://richardhowe.com/2008/08/18/lowell-manse-million-dollar-redo-is-a-reconstruction/ This "third party" thing is for real...It looks like candidates Bob Barr and Ralph Nader will be a factor in the 2008 presidential election. This is especially true of Libertarian hopeful Barr. Campaign officials for the former Republican Congressman maintain his name will appear on the ballot in 34 states, ... http://richardhowe.com/2008/08/18/third-parties-on-the-rise/ Now I do admit that I have a facebook "page" that a technology-savy niece created for me unasked - but I rarely if ever post or visit. I know very little about Facebook. Who might use this site? Is it all for and about individuals? Is it strickly personal? What type of ... http://richardhowe.com/2008/08/16/massdems-do-facebook/ As noted in a Governor's office  press release and by our friends over at BlueMassGroup, Commonwealth Corps grants were announced today. Locally the Revolving Museum and UMass Lowell were recipients of this largess. The Revolving Museum Program Name: Commonwealth Corps 2008-2009 Amount: $10,260 The Revolving Museum is an evolving laboratory of creative expression for people ... http://richardhowe.com/2008/08/15/local-distribution-of-commonwealth-corps-funds/ I just sent a text message to Barack Obama’s campaign (“VP” to 62262) so now I’ll be one of the first to know who he selects to be his running mate.  That’s the prize you get for connecting with the campaign.  The reply message I received seconds after pressing “send” ... http://richardhowe.com/2008/08/13/text-vp-to-62262/ Lowell and her neighborhoods are replete with historic homes . Many have been restored, reclaimed and revitalized in an on-going love-affair with preservation and a certain life-style. Of course, there have been losses - those hit by the wrecking ball - as seen by the destruction (after a fire) of ... http://richardhowe.com/2008/08/13/this-old-house-%e2%80%93-lowell-style/ Many readers of this blog have ties to the Old Sacred Heart Parish and the Grove, South Lowell, Wigginsville, Ayer City, the Bleachery and Swede Village areas of Lowell. A group of folks who attended the Sacred Heart School, played in the band, went to the Sacred Heart camp, joined the ... http://richardhowe.com/2008/08/13/back-to-the-grove/ UMass Lowell’s professor Bob Forrant, a frequent op-ed contributor to the Lowell Sun, was recently interviewed at length by The Valley Advocate, a weekly newspaper focused on the Springfield/Amherst/Northampton region. The topic of the interview: the economic decline of Springfield and what local government could have done to change the ... http://richardhowe.com/2008/08/12/a-virtuous-circle-of-collaboration/ Last week I met John J "Jack" Doyle of Waltham who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor's Councillor in the Third District which includes Lowell and many of the neighboring communities.  Doyle spent forty years in "claims risk management" in the health care industry, so he spent his working ... http://richardhowe.com/2008/08/11/governors-council/