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The Wilkinson and Slater Mills along the banks of the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, RI The AP is reporting that the Slater Mill and environs now known as the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor has received a favorable report from the National Park Service to move up to the…
Read More »The period from the end of the Civil War up to 1900 is one of my favorite periods of US history. It was during those 35 years that America leaped into the modern age thanks to innumerable technological advancements. It was also during this period that the “Indian Wars”, so…
Read More »In the Summer 2011 issue of Commonwealth Magazine State Senator Barry Finegold (D-Andover) charges in a “letter to the editor” that an article in the Spring 2011 issue presented a “misleading view of the city of Lawrence.” Finegold represents the Second Essex Middlesex District that includes the city of Lawrence…
Read More »There’s another interesting article today in the New York Times’ ongoing remembrance of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War. In “Opinionator” – Benjamin Soskis and John Stauffer – both historians and authors – discuss the spirit, essence and reach of the Civil War anthem “John Brown’s Song” [sometimes known as…
Read More »For the first 30 minutes of yesterday’s World Cup finale, the American team unleashed an offensive blitzkrieg that left the announcers speculating about it being a “statement game” by the US – except they didn’t score any goals. After the initial half hour flurry, the teams settled down into a…
Read More »Today’s New York Times article on the ever-expanding scandal that has engulfed Rupert Murdoch’s UK newspapers , Scotland Yard and perhaps even Prime Minister David Cameron reads like a script from the old BBC police drama, Prime Suspect. Televised periodically in the US from its 1991 debut until its 2006…
Read More »Tony Sampas ventures down an alley
Read More »Lawrence, Massachusetts 1908 Vintage Post Card The pot is being stirred in the city of Lawrence as the days are counted down for the return of sufficient signatures to recall Mayor William Lantigua. The recall group led by the Rev. Edwin Rodriguez and Wayne Hayes has a reported 1,100 petition…
Read More »1. It’s not light reading, but the Vietnam War novel “Matterhorn” by Karl Marlentes has been good reading for long sunny weekend sessions in the backyard for the past couple of weeks. I had a difficult time climbing the front half of the Matterhorn narrative, so to speak, so I skimmed and…
Read More »For you word-smithers out there, don’t miss Jan Freeman’s “The Word” in today’s Boston Globe. While touching on other US vs UK word wars such as “cookies” versus “biscuits” and the quite opposite texture of a Brit chip and a a handful of Lays – Freeman zeros in on the…
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