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Last fall I took a class with Niall Ferguson, the historian who is easily the most prominent proponent of the use of counterfactual history. Counterfactuals are “what if”s: what if the British had spent the same amount of money fighting the American Revolution as the French (never mind Napoleon), what…
Read More »National columnist E. J. Dionne in his latest essay charts a route out of the political thicket for the Obama-led Democrats, but he senses a nagging lack of passion among the “D’s” and sees “I’s” trending toward the GOP for the fall. Read Dionne’s essay here, which I picked up from…
Read More »Bob Dylan said you don’t need a weatherman to tell which way the wind’s blowing. Bob Forrant says we shouldn’t wait for the economists to tell us which way the economy went, but should seed the clouds ourselves to make some money rain. Read his latest take on the regional economy in…
Read More »Earlier in this decade I slid into the “give gay couples all the legal rights of marriage, just don’t call it marriage” trap, but when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that a ban on same sex marriage violated the state Constitution (Goodrich v Dept of Public Health – 2003),…
Read More »NYTimes columnist Bob Herbert weighs in today with thoughts about the role of organized labor in the national conversation, when the rich-poor gap keeps widening. Read him here, and consider subscribing to the NYT if you appreciate the writing.
Read More »Locavore Alert! The Annual Lowell Farmers’ Market sponsored by Community Teamwork opens today July 9th at JFK Plaza next to the City Hall with operating hours from 2:00 to 6:00pm. The market will be open on Fridays from today though October 22nd. Check my Farmer’s Market post from last month…
Read More »There are five openings left in this Revolving Museum Mural Project! “Seeking youth ages 12-22 to design and paint a 120-foot mural to be installed on Merrimack Street in downtown Lowell this summer. Class meets Tue., Wed. and Thur. Noon-4pm through July 22. Free.” Call ASAP for more information about…
Read More »Timothy Egan is based in the western U.S. and writes for the NYTimes. His recent column offers a prespective on the current national situation (military and economic). He says President Obama is facing “a Lincoln moment” and has to come up with a response that can pull the nation together…
Read More »The United States of America today filed suit against the state of Arizona and its governor, Janice Brewer, in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. The Complaint can be read here and it makes a persuasive case that the Arizona law is unconstitutional on a number…
Read More »Today I stumbled across this video about climate change and national security. From what I can tell, it’s part of a series of videos meant to debunk the claims of climate change deniers. This is a compilation of interviews with retired and active generals, admirals, and other national security figures.…
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