Author Archive

July 27, 1694: Groton attacked

Up through the end of the 17th century, towns such as Lancaster, Groton and Haverhill were the northwestern frontier of English settlement. Often they came under attack by the Native Americans who formerly lived in those places. Such was the case in the nearby town of Groton, Massachusetts on this…

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The President’s Speech

Last night’s effort wasn’t one of the greatest speeches ever given by President Obama. At the start, he tried to explain some economic history and fundamentals in a simple way, but it came across haltingly and sort of hung like a cloud over the rest of his remarks which did…

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First Battle of Bull Run

Last Thursday was the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Bull Run, also known as the Battle of Manassas. It was the first major engagement of the American Civil War with 28,000 soldiers on the Union side and 21,000 on the Confederate. The Union commander, General Irving McDowell, was hesitant…

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The Library, the Manager and the Sun

Be sure to read Jack Mitchell’s recent post on Left-in-Lowell about the Lowell Sun’s coverage of the City Manager and the Pollard Memorial Library. Jack prudently copied and retained some interesting Facebook postings that have since been (mysteriously) deleted. Thankfully, Jack includes them in his piece.

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Scott Brown v Elizabeth Warren

I’ve been fascinated by the on-going struggle to resolve the debt-ceiling crisis, both because the failure to resolve it will be economically calamitous and also because the outcome will in many ways shape next year’s federal election. Four years ago the voters threw out the Republicans; two years ago they…

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Borders bites the dust

Back in early 1977, a double full page ad appeared in the Boston Globe announcing New England’s first mega bookstore – a Barnes and Noble at Downtown Crossing in Boston (it may not even have been called Downtown Crossing way back then). Barnes and Noble grew rapidly and soon a…

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Japan wins World Cup

For the first 30 minutes of yesterday’s World Cup finale, the American team unleashed an offensive blitzkrieg that left the announcers speculating about it being a “statement game” by the US – except they didn’t score any goals. After the initial half hour flurry, the teams settled down into a…

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