Bidwell House Museum to Host Online Lecture on the History of Money

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SHEFFIELD, Mass. — The Bidwell House Museum will present an online lecture titled "From Bubbles to Revolutions: Changing Conceptions of Money in England, France, and America, 1690-1781". 
 
The lecture will be given by Simon Middleton on March 26 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. 
 
Middleton teaches at the College of William & Mary and writes on topics including work and politics, law and debt, and the history of money. He has also written lectures for The Great Courses, an online content producer. 
 
The lecture will discuss changing attitudes toward money and the social and political consequences of those attitudes from the time of the South Sea and Mississippi Bubbles to the American Revolution.
 
Registration for the lecture is required through the Museum event page. Access details will be sent via email a few days in advance. The lecture is free for museum members and $15 for non-members. 
 
The Bidwell House Museum grounds, which include 194 acres of woods, fields, historic stonewalls, self-guided trails, and picnic sites, are open daily from dawn until dusk, free of charge. The museum's event schedule can be found on its website.  
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Elevated Mercury Level Found in Center Pond Fish

BECKET, Mass. — The state Department of Public Health has issued an advisory after a mercury-contaminated fish was found in Center Pond. 
 
According to a letter sent to the local Board of Health from the Division of Environmental Toxicology, Hazard Assessment and Prevention, elevated levels of mercury were measured in the sample taken from the pond. 
 
The concentration in the fish exceeded DPH's action level of 0.5 milligrams per kilogram, or parts per million. 
 
"This indicates that daily consumption of fish from the waterbody may pose a health concern. Therefore, DPH has issued a FCA for Center Pond recommending that sensitive populations should not eat chain pickerel and all other people should limit consumption of chain pickerel to 2 meals/month," the letter states.
 
The letter specifically points to chain pickerel, but the 60-acre pond also has largemouth and smallmouth bass and yellow perch.
 
The "sensitive populations" include children younger than 12, those who are nursing, pregnant, or who may become pregnant.
 
The Toxicology Division recommends reducing intake of "large, predatory fish" or fish that feed on the bottoms of waterbodies, such as largemouth bass and carp. More information on safely eating fish can be found here
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