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…in 1863, Edward Everett spoke at the dedication of Gettysburg’s National Cemetery, giving what is remembered today as the other Gettysburg Address. The Boston orator was the obvious choice for the occasion. During his 40-year career as professor, diplomat, and statesman, he had consistently dazzled audiences with his brilliant…
Read More »Just a quick note on more redistricting fall-out. Lost in the angst locally and elsewhere over the congressional districts redistricting plan is the shuffle in the Governor’s Council districts. In the it’s “all among friends” geograpical dance – Governor’s Councilor Marilyn Pettito Devaney has lost the First Middlesex Senatorial District to friend…
Read More »The City of Lawrence continues to struggle with leadership issues. In today’s Eagle-Tribune, Mark Vogler writes of Mayor William Lantigua’s letter to Mitchell Chester, the state’s elementary and secondary education commissioner, requesting the “appointment of a Receiver, pursuant to all applicable laws within the Commissioner’s authority to assist Lawrence Public…
Read More »Here’s a poem from another November, from a weekend spent with friends in central Massachusetts. The poem first appeared in Jim Dyment’s VYU arts magazine that documented Lowell’s cultural scene at the turn of the new century and kept going. You can see back issues online at www.vyumagazine.com. Jim works at…
Read More »On this day – November 15, 1969, a quarter of a million protesters staged a peaceful demonstration in Washington, D.C. – against the Vietnam War. The Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam was a large demonstration against the United States involvement in the Vietnam War – it took place across the United…
Read More »boston.com this morning has a report on the new president of Phillips Academy in Andover. John G. Palfrey Jr. was named 15th head of school, the board of trustees said in a statement. Palfrey is currently a professor and vice dean for library and information resources at Harvard Law. ……
Read More »Paul Krugman’s recent column on the successful approach to health care practiced by the Veterans Health Administration (V.H.A.) and candidate Mitt Romney’s “vouchers for veterans” proposal is worth a read. Calling the GOP “thing about vouchers” strictly about ideology… so “successful programs like veterans’ health, Social Security and Medicare are…
Read More »There are many images of nuns out there – from the movies, from the media and from our own experiences in school or CCD. While the flowing robes of habit and confines of a wimple have given way to simple skirts or suits and a no-nonsense hair cut, few realize…
Read More »On this day – November 13, 1830 – a poem by Oliver Wendall Holmes, Sr. entitled “Old Ironsides” was published. The USS Constitution – “Old Ironsides” – on her 213th birthday – October 21, 2010. She is berthed at Pier 1 of the former Charlestown Navy Yard in Massachusetts. Holmes had…
Read More »The Textile Memorial Bridge Preservation Coalition will hold an event on Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 2 pm to commemorate the 16 students/graduates of Lowell Textile Institute who died while serving in the military during World War Two. The event will start in front of Cumnock Hall and then proceed…
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