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I find myself in the unusual position of defending Sarah Palin – sort of. Ever since she visited Boston, comedians and commentators have poked fun at her apparent mangling of Paul Revere’s activities of April 18-19, 1775. (By the way, the finest account of that event is Paul Revere’s Ride…
Read More »Thaddeus S. Lowe observing the battle from his balloon Intrepid. ( Library of Congress) The Washington Post reminds that on Saturday June 11, 2011 the Smithsonian will commemorate America’s first attempt at an air force. In June 150 years ago, Thaddeus Lowe flew 500 feet into the air in front…
Read More »The tropical air and jungle rain this morning reminded me of mornings on the island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean, when the sky would open and drench the warm air and lush countryside. These prose poems were first published in “The Offering,” a literary magazine at UMass Lowell.—PM . Hibiscus…
Read More »One of the most picturesque sites in a picturesque city is the Reflecting Pool that lies in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The pool was apparently in need of some repairs and work commenced in October 2010. The new pool will use water from the Tidal Basin rather than the…
Read More »St. William’s Church, Tewksbury, Massachusetts (1935) staffed by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate William Cardinal O’Connell, Archbishop of Boston Today is the Feast Day of St. William of York – William Fitzherbert – who was a 12th century nobleman, monk, and Archbishop of York in England. He died suddenly in…
Read More »As Marie reminds us in the preceding post, today is the anniversary of the burial of Robert F. Kennedy in Arlington National Cemetery. Robert’s grave is just to the south of the “eternal flame” that burns at the burial site of his older brother, John F. Kennedy. Ted Kennedy, who…
Read More »This photograh is from a Time magazine collection offered in memory of the 40th anniversary of his assassination – “Robert F. Kennedy Rediscovered”… here Kennedy is listening to author Teddy White just before taking the stage in California and speaking his last words in public. (Bill Eppridge / Time Life…
Read More »It’s been a long time since I dragged NYTimes opinion columnist Tom Friedman over to rh.com, but today’s essay in the paper bears reading because of the big-picture commentary. Without panicky hyperventilating, Friedman makes a case that we have met the Earth’s enemy, and it is us. The solution is…
Read More »When I came across the story of the swearing-in today of the new President of Quincy College, I sensed a familiarity with the name and the person. Sure enough the Quincy College Voice notes that Peter Tsaffaras was born in Lowell – and moved to Quincy in 1986. Also, he…
Read More »This coming Thursday night, from 6 to 8 pm, all bloggers, blog readers, and everyone else is invited to Gary’s Ice Cream at 131 Gorham Street in East Chelmsford to enjoy ice cream and each other’s company. There’s no agenda, no sign-in table; just show up and chat. A bonus…
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