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The press coverage of President Obama’s family vacation on Martha’s Vineyard has been a mixed bag of facts, speculation, jibs and criticism. It’s no surprise that our old friend Glen Johnson offers one of the better takes in this piece for the Associated Press. Another former Lowell Sun writer Mark…
Read More »With one of the six Caritas Christi Health Care facilities – Holy Family Hospital in Methuen – such an important Merrimack Valley institution, I’ve posted frequently about the role of Attorney General Coakley in the proposed purchase by Cerberus Capital Management – a New York private equity firm Cerberus. The editorial…
Read More »Mass Moments reminds us this morning that on this day – August 21 in 1909 – the iconic Pilgrim Monument on the highest hill in Provincetown was completed clearly declaring that the Mayflower’s first landing was in fact here at the tip of Cape Cape . On this day – …in 1909, two young…
Read More »An absolutely gorgeous day on the Cape for the Obama family arrival this afternoon. At 10am temp in the mid-70’s – the sun is shining reflecting like diamonds off the water – there is a wonderfully cool breeze and the light blue sky is clear with a few random clouds.…
Read More »St. Helena In light of the theft and recent recovery of the relic of the True Cross from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston – today’s “Saint of the Day” is noteworthy. Today – August 18 – is the feast of St. Helena – Empress mother of Constantine the…
Read More »We sometimes forget that the Merrimack Valley is a bi-state region with deep historical roots. The flow of the mighty Merrimack River has been a unifying force for the culture, heritage and livelihood of its residents since time of the Pentacook tribes through the Industrial Revolution to this modern era of highway,…
Read More »Five of the twelve top colleges in the most recent rankings by Forbes Magazine – including the highest ranking – are located in Massachusetts. These institutions are: Williams College (1), Amherst College (3), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (5), Harvard University (8) and Wellesley College (12). Here are the top twelve: Rank…
Read More »Mass Moments reminds us that on this today – August 12th – in 1834 the Ursuline Convent in Charlestown lay in ruins. The night before a Protestant mob sacked it and burned it to the ground. The rioters were mostly poor Yankee laborers who feared and hated Irish Catholic immigrants. While…
Read More »Lowell native Dr. Brian C. Mitchell wrote of the Irish in Lowell 1821-1861 and the Lowell Acre’s “Paddy Camps”. The wire story the other day was just a teaser. A story in today’s Globe tells the fuller story of the teaming-up of students from UMass Lowell with researchers from Queen’s University in Belfast for…
Read More »On this day in history August 9th – a literary note – In 1854, Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden’’ which described Thoreau’s experiences while living near Walden Pond, was first published. Walden Pond State Reservation Concord/Lincoln, Massachusetts From the Massachusetts Depatment of Conservation and Recreation website (more information here): Henry David Thoreau lived…
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