Web photo courtesy of catseye-marble.zip I was out early with Ringo the dog this morning, before 6 a.m., and the thick grass on the South Common and flawless sky over Lowell were of such pure color that I began thinking about the bright cat’s-eye glassies that I collected and played…
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Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, second from right, has been a leader in challenging top officers in the military to take action to reduce the number of sexual assaults on women in the army, navy, marines, and air force. Today’s NYTimes includes an article about how women in Congress are demanding that…
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Composer and singer Carole King visited Lowell last weekend to express her support for Congressman Ed Markey in his campaign to win election to the US Senate from Massachusetts. She says she is especially grateful for his support of public policy that addresses the impact of global warming. I was…
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Following is an excerpt from my manuscript for the book “Mill Power: Reclaiming Lowell’s Place and Story,” which I wrote for the National Park Service in 2011-12. The book covers the years 1966 to 2012, documenting the origin and impact of the national park in Lowell in the context of…
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This past Saturday, my wife and I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of Alice Louise Hubbell and Samir Mahesh Shah at the West Parish Church in Andover, Mass. We’ve known Alice for many years because she is the daughter of my friend and colleague Mary Lou Hubbell of…
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“Dawn Birds” by Richard Marion (c) 2013 See more artwork at www.richardmarion.net I saw a large “vee” of geese in the sky last Sunday when I was doing yard work. I heard them honking before I saw them overhead.—PM
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When I was growing up a lame riddle often repeated was: “Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.” Looking back on it, I can see the question and answer are just kind of daffy, but also hear a little bit of a Merrimack…
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Ray Manzarek, one of the giants of 1960s rock and roll, died yesterday at the age of 74. The co-founder of The Doors performed in Lowell once with The Doors, at the Commodore Ballroom in 1967, and twice with poet Michael McClure at the Smith Baker Center for the annual…
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Acclaimed author Paul Theroux visited Lowell a few months ago on assignment from Barron’s online journal. The Medford native rode the train to Lowell, retracing his mother’s route to college in the late 1920s. She earned a teaching degree from Lowell Normal School. Theroux spent a day in Lowell, hosted…
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