President Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act into law – August 14, 1936. (Among those at the signing – Frances Perkins, appointed Secretary of Labor in 1933, making her the first woman to hold a cabinet-level position; Senator Robert LaFollette, a progressive Senator from Wisconsin; and Senator Robert Wagner, former Mayor of New…
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The mill cities along the Merrimack River should promote themselves in clusters like the Civil War sites in the South. Why can’t our region become a multi-day destination for visitors the way heritage sites or natural attractions in other parts of the country present themselves? Manchester, New Hampshire, looks good…
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Here is another one to place in the category, “there is a Lowell Connection”. I’m almost through reading a book about Buffalo Bill Cody titled The Colonel and Little Missie written by Larry McCurtry, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel Lonesome Dove. In one of the later chapters McCurtry…
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“Another Lowell architectural motif” by Tony Sampas
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The Arts editor of the Boston Globe decided that the Revolving Museum of Lowell deserved a close look as it closed its doors this summer. Read the article here. I was on the advisory committee of the Revolving Museum, not the board of directors but an advisory committee, for several years after…
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When I wrote my post about last week’s cable TV gathering of City Manager Bernie Lynch and members of the local media (new and old), I omitted this exchange: Chris Scott (Lowell Sun) to Lynch: “Would you ask for the resignation [of the members of the License Commission]?” City Manager…
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Here is a great video of a tour through the Lowell Canals originally posted on YouTube by thisdogblogs.
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Is it me getting less patient with uncomfortable weather or have we had an unusually long run of hot and/or swampy days in the valley? A news feature on TV this week reported on bats being hyper-active because of the extended stretch of hot days. I had a deja vu…
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From the achives: Mass Moments reminds us today that on August 12, 1834 the Catholic convent housing the Ursuline order of nuns in Charlestown, Massachusetts was sacked by a Protestant mob – then burned to the ground. Catholics were not welcome in the early days of Massachusetts – in fact…
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The ability to speak well in public is critically important in many lines of work. An established organization devoted to improving such skills, Toastmasters International, now has a club in Lowell. The Mill City president, Dan Barrett, sent me some information about the local chapter and extends the following invitation…
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