Civil War Re-enactment in Cambridge

Tomorrow, on Saturday, November 5, 2011, the Cambridge Public Library will host a Civil War encampmenton the library lawn.  Civil War re-enactors will turn the lawn into Camp Cameron – a recreation of the Civil War barracks at the Cambridge – Somerville line.

The living history event begins at 10 am on Saturday. Events include:

• 10:30: A presentation on Cambridge in the Civil War
• Noon: A Civil War-era ladies’ fashion show
• 12:30: Guided tour of the camp – learn about the life of  a soldier
• 1:30: A vintage baseball game played by pre-1861 rules

There is much to do and see all day.  There will be Civil War poetry readings, music played on period instruments, a chance to watch the soldiers muster and drill and even a chance to march with the soldiers.  There will be programming for children of all ages.

A Living History of the Civil War will be held at the Main Library Lawn, 449 Broadway, Cambridge from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday, November, 5, 2011.  Free and open to the public.

Jim Lehrer in Cambridge

Last night we went to hear Jim Lehrer speak in Cambridge about his new book, Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain.  The lecture was sponsored by the Harvard Book Store and held at the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square.  Lehrer had all sorts of insights and anecdotes to share about presidents and presidential candidates.  The book is a treat for anyone with an interest in politics or presidents and those who came close.

The Harvard Book Store lectures are one of the best things about living in or near Cambridge.   The series bring some of the most interesting scholars, authors and political figures to Cambridge.  Many events are free and ticketed events are just $5.

Other speakers this month include:

• Tom Brokaw on Nov 4, 2011
• Joan Didion on Nov 7, 2011
• Umberto Eco on Nov 12, 2011 

That’s just a small sample of what’s on the calendar.  Check out the schedule and ticket  info by clicking on the events tab on the Harvard Book Store website.

You’ll get a chance to buy the speaker’s book at the event and to get it signed. Plus you get a $5 off coupon for the next time you shop at the bookstore.  It’s a great way to support your local independent bookstore. 

Here’s my brother Ted at the book signing table when Ariana Huffington visited Cambridge last year.

Ariana Huffington - and my brother - in Cambridge

I come from a family that only infrequently took photos, never mind movies, and have always been envious of people who have film footage from decades ago when everyone was young[er].  What a treat to have moving images of people no longer with us, or of siblings – and ourselves – when we were small.  Or just to get a chance to see us all in action wearing clothes and hair styles decades out of date.  I’ve subscribed to a Youtube channel where somebody’s loaded a bunch of clips of their family in the 1960s – I can watch and watch.

Home Movie Day is a celebration of amateur filmmaking and events are held at many theaters around the world. 

Celebrate Home Movie Day at the Harvard Film Archive at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, 24 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 in Harvard Square from noon to 3 pm on Saturday, October 15, 2011.

Cambridge Discovery Days

Looks like we’ll have good weather (not *too* hot)  for the first installment of Cambridge Discovery Days tomorrow.

Every August on two Saturdays, a variety of tours and talks are held around Cambridge.  This year marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War and many of the events will focus on the impact of the Civil War in Cambridge.

Cambridge Discovery Days is sponsored by the Cambridge History Collaborative – a partnership of local historical and educational groups that include  the Cambridge Historical Commission, the Cambridge Historical Society, Mount Auburn Cemetery, and the Longfellow National Historic Site.

In addition to tours of Mount Auburn Cemetery, the Longfellow House, and the Cooper-Frost-Austin House, there are talks and tours around town.  Here’s a sampling of the talks for Cambridge Discovery Days 2011: 

• Telling Our Story: Fresh Pond and the Civil War
• Candy Land
• Discover East Cambridge Through Public Art
• The Poet and the Civil War: James Russell Lowell
• “His thoughts sounds no depth”:  Cambridge’s Greatest Literary Battles
• Strolling Down Magazine Street

For details, times and more there’s a two-page flyer or a multi-page listing with full descriptions of each tour or talk.

Events are free, open to the public and held rain or shine.  Please note – some events require registration.  Check the flyer for more details and contact information.

Cambridge Discovery Days 2011 will take place on Saturday, August 6. 2011 and Saturday, August 13, 2011.  Self-guided tours of Mount Auburn begin at 8 am, the first talk begins at 9:30 am.

Find Out about Local Co-ops at the Fair on Saturday

If you’ve stayed in the city this holiday weekend (and judging from my easy drive home tonight many of you haven’t) there’s a Co-op Fair being held tomorrow, Saturday, July 2, 2011 on Essex Street in Cambridge.

Part of a celebration of co-ops around the world, the 2011 Mass Bay Co-op Faire is the first time the International Day for Cooperatives has been celebrated in the Boston area.

Participants include:

• Boston-Area Solidarity Economy Network
• Cooperative Fund of New England
• BRANCHES housing co-ops
• Equal Exchange
• Beacon Hill Friends House
• Boston Building Resources

Stop by the fair to learn about local co-ops of all types – workers, agricultural, housing, etc.  There will also be a screening of the movie At Home in Utopia about New York housing co-ops in the 1930s – 1950s.

The Co-op Fair will be held in the parking lot on Essex Street adjacent to the Harvest Co-op from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, July 2, 1011.

Opposition House - Now On Hancock Place Cambridge

This Sunday, the Cambridge Historical Society will screen the documentary Opposition House by filmmaker Susan Chasen.

The film tells the story of a mid-Cambridge house that was built in 1807 to block the construction of Harvard Street.

The house was moved and still stands on Hancock Place.  Nicknamed Opposition House, the property was added to the National Historic Register in 1982.

The screening at the Cambridge Historical Society is free and open to the public.  The Cambridge Historical Society is located 159 Brattle Street in the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House.  The movie screening is scheduled for 1:00 to 3:00 pm on Sunday, June 12, 2011.

If you can’t make the film screening this Sunday, CCTV will broadcast the movie in June on cable TV in Cambridge.  Opposition House can be seen on:

• June 15. 2011 at 10:00 am on Channel 10
• June 16, 2011 at 9:00 am on Channel 10
• June 18. 2011 at 9:30 am on Channel 10
• June 22, 2011 at 4:00 pm on Channel 9 and at 9:20 pm on Channel 10
• June 24. 2011 at 6:00 pm on Channel 9
• June 27, 2011 at 3:40 pm on Channel 10

The copy of The Filter Bubble I bought for my dad's birthday. Happy Birthday Dad! If I could convince the family to have his birthday party at the Harvard Book Store tonight I would.

Tonight at the Harvard Book Store, Eli Pariser will speak about his new book The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding From You.  It’s a not to be missed event – this is a book everyone should read.

In The Filter Bubble Pariser writes about the impact of personalized search online on sites such as Google, Facebook. etc.  Personalized search has bothered me since it was first introduced and I’m delighted that someone has written about the problems it creates.  In a time when we’re losing newspapers, people are reading selected news items online (and only those pieces), TV news is degenerating into fluff, and information is being collected about us at every turn, Pariser is sounding the alarm about what this means for us, our future, and our system of government.  Do we want news providers to only show us what’s popular or what they believe we “like”?  If information is power what does it mean when large corporations (some almost unknown to us) know more and more about us? 

The Filter Bubbleis one of the best books I’ve read in ages.  Pariser is one of the few (only?) writers I’ve encountered who, while immersed in technology much of his life, can write about the internet without resorting to jargon and without being blinded by the benefits of technological progress. He’s one of the smartest thinkers I’ve come across.   

If you’re using Google or Facebook or spending any time online you really want to get this book.  Tonight, you’ll get the chance to hear from the author, Eli Pariser, when he reads from The Filter Bubble at the Harvard Book Store at 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge in Harvard Square.  The reading begins at 7 pm and is free and open to the public.

Green House Tour in Cambridge

I love Cambridge.  We just wrapped up the week-long Cambridge Science Festival just in time for the start of Cambridge Climate Change Week this Friday.

There’s a variety of events planned for the week but as a house tour aficionado the one that caught my eye is the Green Homes Bike Tour planned for Sunday, May 15, 2011.

Participants will meet at Danahy Park on Sherman Street at 10 am and then bike to four houses in North Cambridge and Somerville that have utilized energy efficiency and eco-friendly practices.

There’s more info about the Green Homes Bike Tour and other events planned for Cambridge Climate Change Week on the Cambridge Climate Emergency Action Group website.

Check out the Massachusetts House Tour page for lots more house tours – no bike tours,  just plenty of house tours.