Frank Rich, illustration by Gary Bedard (web image courtesy of garybedard.blogspot.com) Read this New York magazine analysis of the election and national political culture by Frank Rich, former columnist at the NYTimes. His acute observations are refreshing compared to the misleading neutrality of so many mainstream media types. To give my Facebook friends…
While looking for something else on my computer, I came across this article I wrote back in January 2010 in the aftermath of Scott Brown’s election to the United States Senate. In the aftermath of Brown’s defeat this past Tuesday, I thought it might be worth a trip down memory…
It was on this day, November 8, 1960, that John Fitzgerald Kennedy of Massachusetts was elected as the 35th President of the United States. He won against Republican candidate and then- Vice President Richard Nixon. Elected at the age of 43, Kennedy was the youngest man elected President; he was…
John Francis “Honey-Fitz” Fitzgerald ( 1863 – 1950) Born in the North End in the shadow of the historic Old North Church, John Francis Fitzgerald – known as “Honey-Fitz” – was the founder of what became the historic Kennedy dynasty. He was bright, hardworking, determined and Irish-Catholic. He was the first of…
On this Day November 5, 1818 – Benjamin F. Butler – a lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and later served as the 33rd Governor of Massachusetts and served as a major general in the Union Army during the Civil War – was…
UMASS LOWELL STUDENT POSTERS ARE GREAT!!! On Thursday, October 25 at 6:00PM – Room 222 O’Leary Library, UMass Lowell celebrates the Centennial of the Bread & Roses Strike. Check out the incredible poster work of UMass Lowell students, hear music, eat some soup, and listen to a talk by historian Ardis Cameron…
Thanks to the Lowell National Historical Park’s Facebook post for reminding us a bit about the history of the Lowell Connector. This citation comes from bostonroads.com: The Lowell Connector was opened officially on October 24, 1962. However, the ramps to I-495 did not open until one year later, when the…
Recent days have seen a lot of U. S. Senate campaign activity in the Merrimack Valley with multiple visits by both Democratic nominee Elizabeth Warren and GOP incumbent Scott Brown. The race is tight but it appears to be trending Warren. Last week Warren spoke with a group of women small…
Today’s “Lunchtime Lecture” at UMass Lowell’s Inn & Conference Center featured a lively discussion about this year’s presidential race. The speakers were Mike Dukakis, the former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic nominee for president; Dan Winslow, a Republican state representative from Norfolk who was also chief legal counsel for Governor…