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On this day – March 12, 1933 – just a week after his inauguration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his first national radio address or “fireside chat” broadcast directly from the White House thus launching a series talks with nation. FDR relied on simple language and folksy anecdotes or analogies to explain the often…
Read More »13 TOWNIE, by Andre Dubus. (Norton, $25.95.) In this memoir, Dubus explores his attachment to violence and his relationship with his famous father. 1
Read More »Last evening at UMass Lowell’s O’Leary Library, Dr. Colm Donnelly of Queen’s College, Belfast, Ireland, gave a presentation on the results of the archeological excavation that was conducted last August on the lawn in front of St Patrick’s Church. The historical dig, a joint effort of Queen’s College and UMass…
Read More »David Brooks in today’s NYTimes wonders out loud if the contemporary American behavioral trend of heightened self-approval may be weakening the national civic culture. He often asks such “community” questions as he tries to puzzle out the workings of our democratic-republic system. He makes a comment on the connection to toxic partisanship in…
Read More »Some of us have vivid memories of the “Blizzard of 1978” and the harsh toll it took on our lives, our property, our schedules and our peace of mind. Imagine back nearly a century before when another blizzard hit Massachusetts. Mass Moments remind us that on this day – March…
Read More »On today’s “Political Intelligence” page of the Boston Globe, senior political writer Glen Johnson tell us of his meetings and inaction of the recently deceased writer and columnist David Broder. The site posts the actual note from Broder to Johnson – a longtime admirer – who was seeking a position with him at…
Read More »On this day March 9, 1862 – one of the most famous naval battles in history took place. This batlle between the iron-clads – the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Virginia (formerly the U.S.S. Merrimack*) “ushered in a new era in naval warfare.” History.com offers this account of the battle…
Read More »This painting fascinated President Barack Obama yesterday during his visit to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Thomas Sully of Philadelphia painted this scene of George Washington preparing his men to cross the Delaware River on a frigid December 25, 1776 night. The original painting measures 17X12 and weighs…
Read More »Tony Sampas provides a night-time view of the Boston and Maine locomotive that’s permanently parked on Dutton Street near Merrimack.
Read More »Prof. Margaret Knight, UMass Lowell The hugely successful Lunchtime Lectures series at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center resumes on Monday, March 28, at 12 noon, with Prof. Margaret Knight of the UMass Lowell Dept. of Nursing taking a close look at “Diversity in Health Care Professions,” an important topic…
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