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Happy New Year: ‘Take-Out’ by Richard Marion
This one is for everyone who will be ordering Chinese food for New Year’s Eve. “Take-Out” by Richard Marion (c) 2011 See more artwork at www.richardmarion.net
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The Power of Place: Niagara Falls, N.Y.,Checks In
Niagara Falls and Pawtucket Falls. You wouldn’t think they have a lot in common because of the vast difference in scale, but each of these water features is a defining element of the community that grew where the water rushed by. Read what’s being talked about in Niagara Falls on…
Read More »MassMoments Remembers Movie Mogel Meyer in the Merrimack Valley
As talk heats up about the nominees for the Golden Globe and Oscar awards, it seems timely that Mass Moments remind us of the early days of a famous Hollywood movie mogel Louis B. Meyer. The roots of his success can be found here in the Merrimack Valley – in…
Read More »South Common Haiku Set (II)
In November and early December, I posted a new haiku almost every day on my Facebook page. I gathered up the first batch and posted them here on rh.com about a month ago. For those who do not use Facebook and may be interested in the poems, following is another…
Read More »Woody Guthrie Due for Major Tribute in Tulsa; New Guthrie Center Seen as Arts Spark for Downtown Redevelopment
Reporter Patricia Cohen in today’s NYTimes described how folksinger Woody Guthrie will finally get his due in the place of his roots, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Local activists kept the tribute flame alive for the past many years, and now the Kaiser Foundation, based in Tulsa, has put up $3 million to…
Read More »Lies About Equality in America and Elsewhere?
Controversial Canadian author Steve Marche shares his view “That we are not all created equal” in his monthly column – “A Thousand Words about Our Culture” – in the January 2012 of Esquire magazine. Here is a taste of his view – then read on for the reasons behind the view. He assails both the…
Read More »New Poetry by Joe Donahue
Under the title “Dissolves,” the new sections of Joe Donahue’s long poem “Terra Lucida,” are due in January from the publisher Talisman House in New Jersey. Joe is on long-term leave from Lowell, based at Duke University, where he researches eternal questions. The reading public rarely catches up to a visionary poet in…
Read More »Massachusetts Once Banned Having a “Merry Christmas”
MassMoments reminds us today that the Puritans of Massachusetts led by minister Increase Mather thought the celebration of Christmas a vulgar, pagan-like and “profane and superstitious custom.” Over those early years the custom was never totally stamped-out. In the early 19th century when the revelry – especially drinking and merry-making …
Read More »Creative Economy: Buffalo NY-Style
Buffalo, N.Y., faces the same kind of challenges that most older cities do, but a bright spot is the lucrative local theatre industry built around touring versions of Broadway shows like “The Addams Family,” which earned $995,000 a week in the 3,000-seat Shea’s theatre, according to the NYTimes. Read the article…
Read More »Lowell Flashmob: Postcards from Strangers
A group called Mill City Flashmob recently appeared on Facebook. It’s mission: Lowell, the mill city. Socializing with the community. Membership in the group quickly grew (to become a member, go to facebook.com/MillCityFlashMOB). But the true test of any such organization is not how many visitors it can attract on…
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