Current Events

  The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog. Walter Palmer’s pleasure in life is apparently  hunting and killing large animals, legally or illegally. In the last few days, millions of people around the world have come to know that the American “sportsman” has slain Zimbabwe national treasure Cecil,…

Here’s one more outside reading option, the recent “Letter from Iran” by Robin Wright in The New Yorker magazine. I found this helpful in trying to understand what it is like day to day undernearth the bombastic headlines and political artillery shelling here in the U.S. I know very little…

I’m not a huge fan of Thomas Friedman, opinion writer of the New York Times, but his column today offers a useful overview of the state of affairs in the Middle East. Read it here, and get the NYT if you want more of this kind of writing. While this…

State Senator Eileen Donoghue was an early and vigorous supporter of the Boston Olympic bid.  Near the start of the process I had a conversation with her in which she made a compelling case for the long term benefits to the entire region – especially Lowell – that hosting the…

John Edward, who teaches economics at Bentley and UMass Lowell, frequently contributes columns on economic issues. The chief business of the American people is business. – President Calvin Coolidge Wrong! The chief business of the American people is the American people. A healthy business environment is necessary to promote economic…

  The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog. Former Massachusetts House Speaker Sal DiMasi used his office to enrich himself to the tune of $65,000, securing a state contract for Cognos, which paid him on a monthly basis for his efforts. The third House Speaker…

The Lowell Walks guided downtown walking tour series resumes this Saturday with The Irish in the Acre to be led by Dave McKean.  A history teacher and the archivist of St. Patrick’s parish, Dave regularly leads this tour as part of Irish Cultural Week (although he had to cancel it…

John Edward, who teaches economics at Bentley and UMass Lowell, frequently contributes columns on economic issues. Here is his latest: A single courageous State may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country. – Supreme…