Providence Children’s Film Festival 2012: Feb 16-21
The Providence Children’s Film Festival was founded in 2009 to bring high quality, independent and international children’s films, animation, and documentaries to New England, and to present them as shared theatrical experiences for the community. Programming includes live action, animation and documentaries, shorts and features, and films made by RI youth, including the films made in our [...]
See Garrahy Legacy in Photos & Letters
Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis is honoring Joe Garrahy with an on-line tribute that includes photos of the late Governor with celebrities such as Jesse Jackson, Pope John Paul II and President Reagan as well as everyday Rhode Islanders like Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops. “We could think of no better way to honor [...]
Providence Public Schools Forum TOMORROW at Asa Messer
Original text: You’re invited to a Community Meeting about the Providence Public Schools Councilman Bryan Principe and Councilwoman Sabina Matos join Providence Schools Superintendent Dr. Susan F. Lusi in welcoming you to learn more about what’s new in the Providence Schools. Families and community members from Wards 13 & 15, as well as other city [...]
How To Confront a Candidate, or How to Drink Liberally.
It is often bemoaned that candidates only talk about certain issues, only debate the same topics, and hardly ever disagree on anything of true substance. “My economic package is better than yours.” “I’m tougher on our enemies than the other guy.” Blah, blah, blah. When we consider that Obama, Bush, and McCain all agreed on [...]
Three Providence Leaders to be Inducted into the 9th Annual MLK Hall of Fame
Mayor Angel Taveras will induct three leaders whose actions have had a significant impact on the lives of Providence residents into the 2012 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Hall of Fame on Wednesday, February 1 at 7 pm in the City Council Chambers at Providence City Hall. Leo DiMaio, founder of the College Readiness [...]
Fighting for Rhode Island
The last few years have been tough for our great Ocean State. Across Rhode Island, I’ve organized community dinners, main street tours, and coffee hours where I’ve heard firsthand from so many people struggling to find work, seniors worried about their Social Security and Medicare, families being crushed by unfair credit card rates, and students [...]
April 29: WHEF Bowl-a-Thon
The Women’s Health & Education Fund has announced that registration is now open for the 2012 Bowl-a-thon! You can register by clicking here and selecting the register button on the top of the page! It is quick and easy to sign up and invite your family and friends to do the same! I had a great time last year [...]
Been there, done that
I suppose the aspect of conservative thought that most…puzzles? annoys? makes me laugh?…let’s say ‘puzzles’ me is the sense they seem to have that their ideas are somehow bold, and daring, and novel. In fact, conservative ideas–low taxes, no regulation, no government–have all been tried. In fact, these ideas describe how government operated throughout most [...]
Roger Williams Park Zoo Cuteness Index Up 20%
Good news for local bunnies: The Roger Williams Park Zoo has teamed up with biologists from around the state to help save the New England Cottontail Rabbit. Back in September [WPRI] reported that the bunny was bordering on extinction . Researchers could only find one in the entire state. Here’s the problem. Why would a [...]
Imagination, Collective Struggle, and the Inclusion of Artists and Ordinary People: Angela Davis Speaks at RISD in Providence
PROVIDENCE, RI – Click on the image above to hear a short podcast with Dr. Angela Davis. It is from a brief interview I conducted with her after a keynote address she gave on Monday, June 23, 2012 at Rhode Island School of Design. More information about her talk is below; in the podcast/interview, I [...]
Drinking Liberally Tonight at 8pm
Some number of us will be gathering at 8pm on Wednesday at the Wild Colonial in Providence. (And we’re looking for new folks to help organize Drinking Liberally — if you’re interested, please come by and let us know.)
Additional Thoughts on the Cranston Prayer Banner
After reading the comments regarding the prayer banner in Cranston, I would like to add a few comments. To begin: any sentence that contains “the founding fathers believed/thought/said/wanted/intended/were, etc is necessarily wrong. Yes. wrong. The founding fathers were not a monolithic bunch. Exactly the opposite. They were a group of men, many of whom had [...]
Apple: The Company No American Should Be Proud Of
When most Americans think of Apple, they think of the hip commercials, the latest must have gadgets, and the industry leading innovation. What most do not realize is the untold story of how Apple has perfected stealing the seeds of American ingenuity and harvesting them under a complex system of third world slave labor. Throughout [...]
What Can’t Brown Do for You?
Was with Occupy Providence to the City Council meeting on Thursday night and the City Council distributed the following flier about how the wealthy Brown University refuses to pay their fair share in Providence — even after teachers, firefighters, police officers and city workers did their fair share, the taxpayers did theirs and even after [...]
Will Rep. Bob Watson’s 2nd Drug Arrest in 9 Months End His Political Career?
The Providence Journal (and everyone else) is reporting that Rep. Bob Watson was arrested again for possession of marijuana early Sunday morning. When the police arrived, they saw a white Volvo sedan in the lot, with its rubber tire missing from the rim on the front driver’s side. The driver’s side door was open and [...]
Hard Talk About an Ugly Economy
After several months of more-or-less positive jobs numbers in RI, the last two months have been anything but. And the December numbers were, frankly, horrific. While it is certainly true that a wonk could parse [spin] the recent down-turn toward neutral, the same could be done with the previous up-cycle. As the wonk that could [...]
“Since Roe”: the decision that made all the difference still needs support
On January 22, 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling in the landmark Roe v. Wade case. The decision ensured that the right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution permits a woman to choose whether to continue a pregnancy or to have a safe and legal abortion. This historic ruling recognizes that women [...]
Eleven Shocking Facts About Campaign Finance (or Why We Need Publicly Funded Elections)
Over at The Nation, they have a list of Eleven Shocking Facts About Campaign Finance (and they’re not pretty): The amount of independent expenditure and electioneering communication spending by outside groups has quadrupled since 2006. [Center for Responsive Politics] The percentage of spending coming from groups that do not disclose their donors has risen from 1 percent to 47 percent since [...]
Racial Profiling Prevention Act
Have you or anyone you know ever been racially profiled? Sick and tired of police abusing their power? Well the Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM) has been working very hard on the Racial Profiling Prevention Act since last fall. To gather support, the Racial Profiling Coalition is holding a press conference on this Wednesday, Jan. 25th at 3:00pm inside [...]
Help put President Obama on the ballot in Rhode Island!
UPDATE: Due to inclement weather, the signature gathering canvass has been RESCHEDULED for Sunday, January 22nd from 12:00 to 3:00 pm. Volunteers will meet at OFA-RI HQ — 151 Broadway, Providence, RI 02903 (Suite 310). You can RSVP here for the event. This morning Obama for America – Rhode Island volunteer Jeff P. filed President [...]
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