Posted on

Brainwashed to Buy

By now I’m sure everyone has torn open their gifts and are watching television before preparing today’s Christmas meal. And that includes many of my non-Christian friends who now celebrate the holiday. That’s quite a change from when I was a kid and it was a religious holiday, celebrated by Christians in a solemn and respectful way. However, that isn’t the case any more and it bears some investigating.

In the 60’s and 70’s, as a kid gBlack Friday Shoppingrowing up in Providence in a family of modest means, we used to make handmade gifts in woodworking and ceramics classes and exchange them with family members and those close to us. No one ever went into debt for buying everyone something for a holiday that was supposed to be about the birth of Christ.

A couple of generations have passed since then, generations who through no fault of their own grew up bombarded with advertising at almost every turn of their heads. Maybe because not everyone had televisions when I was young, or maybe because we spent more time playing outside, we weren’t exposed to it as much. Now, though, the last generations have grown up in the public relations age and not enough of them were warned about the nature of that business, to influence them to buy, buy, buy.

Radio and print advertising were easy to gloss over, we could change the channel or flip the page, even early TV ads were easy to ignore. But, as the years rolled on, advertisers got more clever and the opportunities arose to hone their skills with television ads, online ads and now ads on smartphones, the succeeding generations got overwhelmed and now by into what advertisers are doing without giving it much thought.

The FCC ruled subliminal advertising illegal in 1974, but think about the aggregate damage the use of non-subliminal advertising has had on our culture. Today, advertisers have the carte blanche right to run just about any ad they want. Corporate America pumps more into advertising their products than it does to produce the goods, thereby pumping up the cost of the product and no one seems to realize the fact.

A marketing student told me just the other day that courses teach students now, just to market to the high-end buyers since the middle class and lower income ranges are already brainwashed into their buying patterns. If this cynical view is being taught in classrooms, imagine the conversations taking place in the marketing departments and board rooms all over America and beyond.

The key is education. When I was a senior at Classical High School, my English teacher, Mr. John Sharkey, took almost two weeks to explain to us the nature of advertising and the need for us to be cynical and critical of every ad we saw since the primary objective was for that ad to separate us from every dollar in our pocket. I have no idea if anyone is still including that lesson in any curriculum, my guess is that since most teachers spend way too much time teaching to a test, that this is one lesson that falls by the wayside.

Our kids need this knowledge. They need to know the difference between the Wamart commercial with paid actors playing associates telling the world what a great place Walmart is to work; and the actual working conditions and bare subsistence level most associates live while Walmart is one of the greatest recipients of corporate welfare. Young men need to know that using Axe spray isn’t going to get them attacked by a group of young women. Young women especially need to know they don’t need to look like fashion models. And everyone should know, they don’t have to go spend money for spending money’s sake just because of the birth of Christ more than 2000 years ago. Christ isn’t getting any of the money spent, it’s all going into corporate coffers.

Merry Xmas, all; and to all a good life!

 

Posted on

Teenage Testosterone And The Blizzard of ’78


Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

We all have those, “Where were you?” moments in our lives. Now, on the 35th anniversary of the Blizzard of 1978 those of us who lived through it get to reminisce and have a laugh, a cry or just relive a moment from a simpler time when we all pulled together at a very difficult moment.

Ten years ago, the Providence Journal solicited stories of that day from readers and printed some of the best. I submitted mine anonymously since I was a newsroom employee, and a member of the executive board of the Providence Newspaper Guild. I held out little hope of my story getting recounted, but it was deemed one of the best submissions and it ran in that anniversary issue. Below is how I spent my Feb. 6, 1978.

It all began in mid-December, while playing basketball for Classical High School, I fell and broke both my wrists. The left one in 13 places and just a hairline fracture of the right wrist. Think about that, a high school sophomore walking the school halls sporting two casts, it wasn’t easy, even for a member of the basketball team. The diagnosis was for four weeks for the right wrist and six weeks for the more damaged left wrist.

The week the right cast was supposed to be removed it ended up snowing and my mom wouldn’t chance driving in the storm to my scheduled visit, opting to wait the six weeks for both. I was not amused but took it. Two weeks later, it snowed again and I was denied but was assured they would come off in just one more week. That day, one week later, was February 6, 1978.

We went to school like any other day, even though we were warned a snowstorm was on the way. My only concern was that the casts were coming off and I didn’t care about any stupid snowstorm. However, by midday when they announced they’d be sending us home early, I had a distinct feeling my mom wouldn’t be taking me to get the casts off.

The bus ride from Classical down into Kennedy Plaza wasn’t so bad, it was snowing and accumulating at 1 pm but it wasn’t that bad. Getting a bus in the old bus tunnel that is now the Bank of America Skating Center wasn’t so bad either, we were covered while waiting for the 57 Smith bus. Traffic was backing up though, people were leaving work, school buses were on the streets and the ride from Kennedy Plaza, just to the top of Smith Hill at the State House was an adventure that took nearly an hour.

From there, a ride that normally took 10 minutes tops, took another hour. And we never even reached our bus stop, we bailed out two bus stops before ours and walked the quarter-mile home. That took about 15 minutes and we were soaked when we walked in the door. My first words were, “Let’s go!” To which my mom replied, “We’re not going anywhere,”explaining quite logically that the doctor’s office called an cancelled the rest of the day and no one was traveling anywhere right now, it was just snowing too hard.

Blinded by a combination of testosterone, a little bit of an Irish temper and the fact I’d already been denied twice, I screamed that I’d had enough and I was going to take matters into my own hands. My mother obviously thought I was bluffing until she saw me reach into the draw where she kept her cooking utensils. When I turned, Ginsu in hand, my mom got angry, my sisters were a combination of amused and a little scared and I probably looked like a wild-eyed heroin addict in need of a fix.

It wasn’t easy, but true to its advertising, the Ginsu worked like a charm and sliced off that right cast with only about half as much force as I could muster with a cast hindering me. As I looked at the skinny, pale wrist before me, I could vaguely hear my mom screaming at me that I was in big trouble and looked up to see my sisters staring at me in a combination of horror and awe and it was then I realized I probably acted a little crazily. That’s when I backed down and decided not to cut off the second cast on the more badly injured left wrist.

My mom, always the practical one, overcame her anger and offered up a simple solution, stating, “Good, now you can go out and start shoveling.”

Posted on

End of Year Awards


Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

As 2012 comes to a close, it’s natural for this to be a time of reflection. This was a busy year in the Biggest Little State in the Union, much was done and undone and that calls for awards being handed out to those who made a difference, whether they be heroes or villains. So, lets get started and remember these are in no particular order and the opinions expressed are my own.

Comeback Player of the Year

Yes, it’s a sports analogy but there’s no other way to describe Congressman David Cicilline‘s improbable climb out of the ratings doldrums he was mired in early in 2012 to score a decisive win over Republican challenger, Brendan Doherty. The pitch his campaign made that sending any Republican to Congress would mean a continuation of Speaker Boehner’s policies resonated not just locally but was an effective message nationwide. Truth be told, that pitch earns the Cicilline team a Cy Young Award too.

The Never-ending Story

While support for marriage equality is growing across the country and more states than ever before now recognize marriages of same sex couples, Rhode Island remains stuck in the Middle Ages and the only New England state without provisions for same sex couples to enjoy all the benefits of marriage. Maybe now that Speaker Gordon Fox has made the commitment to addressing the issue fully in this year’s legislative session the folks at Marriage Equality Rhode Island will get their wish if they can convince members in the Senate to vote their way when any bill passed in the House heads to the upper chamber.

The Biggest Loser

In any given year this award could go to a host of worthy individuals but this year’s recipient, Curt Schilling, negatively impacted so many Rhode Islanders that the award is his alone. Not only did he make former Governor Donald Carcieri, former Economic Development Corporation Director Keith Stokes and the business leaders that stack the board of the EDC look foolish, he left the taxpayers of this state on the hook for northward of $100 million. While Schilling supposedly lost $50 million of his own money in the deal and the state is suing to try and recover what it can, he still blames everyone else for his lack of business acumen. Maybe someone should put the “bloody sock” on eBay to see if it can fetch a few million dollars.

Social Climber

This award goes to the hardest working man in media, Dan McGowan, who endured years of low pay and uncertain working conditions. All the while, Dan used his love of journalism and the new social media landscape to stay relevant and scoop the better-funded and long-established stars of local media. He obviously did it right since WPRI Channel 12 just hired him for their staff. Great job, Dan. While I didn’t always agree with his picks in his “Who’s hot and Who’s not,” column, it scares me even more to think who might take over that job now that he’s leaving. Keep up the good work, Dan, just don’t break a leg on any trampolines!

Divider-in-Chief

With 2012 being a presidential election year, it began in a polarized state and only got worse from there. Locally, John DePetro felt he could whip up the fringe elements on the right (lets face it, they’re the only ones who listen to him.) Mr. DePetro felt the need to set his minions upon a high school student who felt, correctly, that a prayer had no place in a public school building. He also felt the need to stir up the non-controversy of the Holiday/Christmas tree at the State House. Seriously, is this the only way he can keep his name in the spotlight? And if that’s not enough, he divided his own newsroom by allegedly sexually harassing a female co-worker on several different occasions, one time asking if she’d like to participate in group sex. One has to wonder how Mr. DePetro can claim the moral high ground on any issue while cheating on his wife, embroiling his employer in a human resources nightmare and forcing co-workers to look for work elsewhere.

 The Survivor

Butting heads with the Speaker of the House is never a great strategy when it comes to advancement at the State House, but Spencer Dickinson did just that and survived to tell the tale. Writing a scathing letter to his constituents to let them know exactly what was taking place and then aiding the Speaker’s independent opponent in the general election worked and he won difficult primary and general election challenges. However cathartic it might have been for Mr. Dickinson to do what he did, it still remains to be seen if he’ll be able to get anything done now that he’s crossed that Rubicon.

The Monty Hall Award

It’s nice to know that not everyone in this state believes everything on the editorial pages of the Providence Journal and is willing to explore options rather than dig in and prepare for trench warfare. That’s exactly what Gov. Lincoln Chafee proved recently by meeting with local public sector union leaders to discuss the state of the pension lawsuit now working its way through the state court system. The governor is being pragmatic, the court case isn’t as solid as many believe. Recent rulings in other jurisdictions have proved that and the way Mayor Taveras handled the situation in Providence showed that negotiating was the proper method for settling the issue rather than having legislation rammed down people’s throats.

Best Take Out

Rep. Lisa Baldelli Hunt and Jon Brien on the last night of the legislative session.

No, this isn’t about food and RIFuture isn’t looking to horn in on the Phoenix or RI Monthly, this is about electoral politics. Jon Brien was already listed as a candidate for DINO of the Year in a post earlier this week and there’s no doubt that’s true. Mr. Brien’s membership in ALEC, his rabid support of the VoterID bill and his overall disdain for the constituents he represented is what lost him the Democratic primary in September, that and a healthy dose of progressive boots on the ground to educate those constituents as to what Mr. Brien was really doing. To make matters worse, Mr. Brien announced a write-in campaign and proved his DINO status by going on Mr. DePetro’s radio show to complain he’d been targeted by unions and progressive groups. What really happened was that Mr. Brien thought he owned the seat and he’d never lose it.

Sinking Stock

With her singular achievement, the pension reform legislation, now ordered to mediation by the courts, Gina Raimondo, is in risk of losing momentum for a run at governor in 2014. Digging in and saying the state has a strong case when others want to negotiate a settlement – like Mayor Taveras did in Providence – isn’t demonstrating an air of cooperation from the general treasurer. Now that she’s cut where she can, it’s time for Ms. Raimondo to look at the other side of the ledger and raise some revenues, something that’s been lacking when it comes to the performance of the state’s portfolio. Maybe she should spend more time here trying to raise money for the state’s coffers, rather than fundraising and promoting herself out of state.

Man With a Plan

There’s no argument, the man with the most difficult job in the state has to be Mayor Angel Taveras, the mayor inherited a city in financial turmoil and in two short years has worked with major stakeholders to chart a course that puts the city’s fiscal house in order. Yes, there were bumps along the way – the firing of all the city’s teachers in Feb. 2010 – but the mayor has worked diligently to include all interested parties and keeps the city’s residents informed with neighborhood meetings and has met with union members and retirees to keep them informed along the way. there’s no doubt the mayor is the state’s most popular politician right now, and with good reason. Mayor Taveras is a natural problem solver and has assembled a team around him that knows how to get things done quietly and efficiently. other politicians could learn a lot from him.

Posted on

Reflection and Thanksgiving

At this time of year it’s only natural to stop, look back and assess the recent past and give thanks for all the positive things in our lives. Since I get to post here regularly as a contributor, I’d like to say thank you to Bob Plain for giving me a forum. A lot of stories that get posted on RIFuture aren’t news stories of import to much of the corporate media, until someone like Sam Howard points out something like Anthony Gemma’s shady uses of social media, Bob’s reporting on ALEC, or the outrage on this site that got Jon DePetro kicked off the air for a couple of days. So, thanks Bob.

After this year’s elections there are a great many things for Liberals, that’s right, I said, “Liberals”, to be thankful for and I’m going to list some here. First and foremost, I’m grateful that Americans as a people saw through the corporate-backed and top 1% agenda put forth by the Republican Party in the form of Mitt Romney as a candidate for president. I’m grateful that across this country, voters turned out even though there were spirited attempts to disenfranchise wholesale communities. Everyone should be grateful that voters elected more progressive candidates to the US House and Senate and that there are fewer Blue Dogs than the last Congress. And most importantly, I’m grateful that in the next four years, any Supreme Court vacancies will be filled by a Democratic president.

Here in Rhode Island, we should be grateful that voters saw through the spate of negative television advertising by Barry Hinckley, Michael Riley and Brendan Doherty, and their surrogates, and re-elected the most Liberal federal delegation in the country. I’m thankful for the coalition built to send a more progressive group to the State House this session. The ground game of progressive groups made the difference this election cycle, showed the opposition how it’s done and left a blueprint for how to discard less progressive elements within a party that might just let the tent get a little too big, allowing Republicans to masquerade as Democrats.

I’m thankful that Speaker Gordon Fox has made a commitment to come back to the left, already stating he’s looking to push for marriage equality, that he’ll reexamine Voter ID, and listen to average Rhode Islanders when they cry out for a more equitable tax burden for all citizens of the Ocean State.

Thankfully, Rhode Island voters realized that with interest rates at historic lows, it was time to invest in infrastructure improvements at Rhode Island College, The Rhode island Veterans’ Home, Rhode island Housing and the Narragansett Bay Commission and that voters approved expansion at Twin River, protecting our greatest source of revenue at a time when Massachusetts is set to open casinos across our borders. And by doing so, create many jobs in the construction and entertainment industries.

And most importantly, I’m grateful to have two healthy and extremely intelligent sons who study hard and make a difference; and to have a job I love and colleagues who see the importance of sticking up for the working class and making this state and country a better place to live for average citizens.

Posted on

Jon Brien Lays Blame

Joining an ever growing list of sore losers, most recently his friend Doug Glabinske, Jon Brien announced a write-in candidacy for House District 50 today; the same seat he lost in the recent primary to Stephen Casey. Citing administrative issues for people not being able to vote or being sent to the wrong polling place, Brien wouldn’t lay blame on anyone or group specifically, but alluded to the fact that he lost because constituents couldn’t vote. The problem with that line of reasoning, though, is that even if voters were at the wrong polling place and couldn’t go elsewhere or weren’t helped, they could have cast provisional ballots that would have been counted later, if necessary.

Brien then went on to blame the public employee unions for targeting him. However when naming his opponent, he went out of his way to say about being a union member, “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Brien blames the city’s fiscal woes on public unions but doesn’t attend Budget Commission hearings, even though he’s been asked multiple times by chairman Bill Sequino. If he did educate himself about the city’s finances, he might learn that every one of the municipal unions in the city has made concessions over the past two contract cycles, with the firefighters giving up the most. Speaking about what he believes to be the cause of the city’s problems, Jon Brien should take the time to learn exactly why the city’s finances are the way they are.

However, as stated above, he’s never attended a  hearing of the state-appointed body that may ultimately decide the city’s future. Instead he cites professional obligations. Isn’t part of his professional obligation to his constituents to be current on matters concerning the city he represents? How much different is attending a 3 pm meeting of the budget commission than getting to the State House for the Rise of the House? Disengaging from problems demonstrates irresponsibility, not leadership.

Much of the fiscal woes facing the city today are a direct result of a lack of leadership. For years, city administrations refused to raise taxes. While that worked to get re-elected, it put the city in a deep hole. Most of the blame is now laid on the school department, but looking deeper, the school committee will respond that they were in debt years ago when the school funding formula vote was taken in the RI House, supported by Rep. Brien, and that caused the struggling system even further into debt.

When it comes to the supplemental tax, Mr. Brien states he wouldn’t vote for anything until he saw a concrete plan. However, he never met with city officials to offer any advice, leaving Rep. Lisa Baldelli-Hunt to take the leadership role on the issue. On the subject of his co-sponsorship of the 38 Studios deal, he says they were given incomplete information and the only reason his name was added was because he had been involved in EDC legislation in the past. The question remains though, if unable to vote for a incomplete supplemental tax bill, then why vote for a bill releasing hundreds of millions of dollars when not in complete knowledge of the details?

If anything was learned from this press conference, it was that one man’s ego was bruised and he can’t accept that he was voted out of office and will do anything to hold onto power.

Posted on

Baldelli-Hunt, Brien Plead Dumb on 38 Studios Vote

The Cicilline-Gemma debate at Rhode Island College wasn’t the only question and answer session for candidates on Tuesday. In Woonsocket, constituents were invited to attend a candidate forum hosted by MyWoonsocket.com and WNRI radio to meet the candidates for General Assembly seats in the city.

Radio host Roger Bouchard moderated while local reporters Sandy Phaneuf of the Valley Breeze, Russ Olivo of the Woonsocket Call and Rob Borkowski of the Woonsocket Patch asked the questions.

While the candidates for Senate seats addressed the crowd first, the real fun began when the candidates for Representative came to the stage. Coming later in the questioning, Chris Roberts had the quote of the night when asked what he could get accomplished in the General Assembly as the only Republican running. “There are plenty of people in the the State House who are Republicans in hiding,” he replied while giving a slight glance back to the incumbents on the stage.

Rep. Baldelli-Hunt opened by stating she didn’t owe anyone anything, she was there as a watchdog and that you can’t spend what you don’t have. However, when she was called on her record later, she got very defensive about voting for the bill that authorized $75 million dollars for 38 Studios and the fact that she voted for tax breaks for the rich in 2010. More than once she complained that her opponent was misleading voters but her voting record is documented.

Michael Morin, her opponent in Rep. 49 admitted he would have voted for the supplemental tax bill if he had been in office because by not doing so, the members of the General Assembly, and especially those representing Woonsocket just kicked the can down the road and that he didn’t want Woonsocket to become another Central Falls, where the tax rate spiked to a 35 percent increase after they went into receivership. Despite Baldelli-Hunt’s protestations otherwise, Morin rightly pointed out that even if she never actually came out and advocated for bankruptcy for the city, her failure to act, along with the rest of the city’s delegation, led to a de facto course that would indeed lead to the city now being governed by a budget commission.

In the race for Rep. 50, Rep. Jon Brien pointed out the fact he championed the new Voter ID law and that he led the charge for pension reform but had to play defense on his role in co-sponsoring the 38 Studios legislation. His opponent, Steve Casey, pointed out that he would have worked to negotiate change rather than have pension change foisted upon employees and Morin jumped on the issue as well, stating that the mortality tables they used for firefighters were skewed, with legislators being led to believe the average life expectancy of a firefighter is 87 years old when in fact it is actually 72 years old.

Brien’s default position was that they needed “shared sacrifice” and that the taxpayers should be the last resort. Morin and Casey both jumped on that, saying that they should have worked over the course of the last two years to find $7.5 million in savings for the city. Roberts also jumped into the fray by stating that as a member of the school committee he’s been heavily involved in the budget commission hearings and that he’s not seen an elected Senator or Representative at any of the meetings. He even pointed out that the chairman of the commission has extended invitations to the General Assembly delegation from the city but none has taken him up on his offer to participate in discussions on the city’s future.

In a question about how they could bring more business into the city, Rep. Brien made a stunning statement that the city should do all it can to keep the right people while getting rid of the wrong people and that the first place to start would be to get rid of all the low income housing in the city.

Brien also stated later that Woonsocket, “was the Mill City,” and that they “should get back to their roots,” as he would work to enact legislation to get a waiver so the city could burn sludge in a waste to energy plant. There was no follow up on the question to ask Rep. Brien how that would lead to bettering the quality of life in the city.

Prior to the the House candidates, the candidates for the two Senate seats addressed the crowd. Roger Picard is unopposed and got two minutes to introduce himself and tell his constituents he’d be there if they needed him. After he left the stage to applause, the candidates for Senate seat 24 took the stage as incumbent Marc Cote and challenger Lew Pryeor answered questions.

Even as the newcomer, when asked, Pryeor was the one with quick answers, calling for more neighborhood participation, just like he organized in Warwick when he served on the City Council there. He stressed the need for involvement from the whole community and pushed for the formation of neighborhood associations that would build understanding. He offered that Fifth Avenue School could have been saved if the school department hadn’t hired two administrators for $200,000 but stated that since it was already done, he accepted it and would move forward.

Senator Cote, on the other hand, described his greatest achievements, among them being Woonsocket no longer being a toll call because of legislation he sponsored. He also touted his bill to alleviate taxes on businesses in the city. There was no follow up question about how that had worked out since there are many fewer businesses in Woonsocket since he sponsored that legislation.

In closing, Cote stated his opponent hadn’t made the case for change and that the voters should vote to keep things the same while Pryeor followed him by stating that after 18 years with the same man in office, nothing had really changed and that re-electing the same man would lead to no change.

While the candidates for Senate seats addressed the crowd first, the real fun began when the candidates for Representative came to the stage. Coming later in the questioning, Chris Roberts had the quote of the night when asked what he could get accomplished in the General Assembly as the only Republican running. “There are plenty of people in the the State House who are Republicans in hiding,” he replied while giving a slight glance back to the incumbents on the stage.

Rep. Baldelli-Hunt opened by stating she didn’t owe anyone anything, she was there as a watchdog and that you can’t spend what you don’t have. However, when she was called on her record later on, she got very defensive about voting for the bill that authorized $75 million dollars for 38 Studios and the fact that she voted for tax breaks for the rich in 2010. More than once she complained that her opponent was misleading voters but her voting record is documented.

Michael Morin, her opponent in Rep. 49 admitted he would have voted for the supplemental tax bill if he had been in office because by not doing so, the members of the General Assembly, and especially those representing Woonsocket just kicked the can down the road and that he didn’t want Woonsocket to become another Central Falls, where the tax rate spiked to a 35 percent increase after they went into receivership. Despite Baldelli-Hunt’s protestations otherwise, Morin rightly pointed out that even if she never actually came out and advocated for bankruptcy for the city, her failure to act, along with the rest of the city’s delegation, led to a de facto course that would indeed lead to the city now being governed by a budget commission.

In the race for Rep. 50, Rep. Jon Brien pointed out the fact he championed the new Voter ID law and that he led the charge for pension reform; reform that is now in question. His opponent, Steve Casey, pointed out that he would have worked to negotiate change rather than have it foisted upon them and Morin jumped into the fray as well, stating that the mortality tables they used for firefighters were skewed, with legislators being led to believe the average life expectancy of a firefighter is 87 years old when in fact it is actually 72 years old.

Brien’s default position was that they needed “shared sacrifice” and that the taxpayers should be the last resort. Morin and Casey both jumped on that, saying that they should have worked over the course of the last two years to find $7.5 million in savings for the city. Roberts also jumped into the fray by stating that as a member of the school committee he’s been heavily involved in the budget commission hearings and that he’s not seen an elected Senator or Representative at any of the meetings. He even pointed out that the chairman of the commission has extended invitations to the General Assembly delegation from the city but none has taken him up on his offer to participate in discussions on the city’s future.

In a question about how they could bring more business into the city, Rep. Brien made a stunning statement that the city should do all it can to keep the right people while getting rid of the wrong people and that the first place to start would be to get rid of all the low income housing in the city.

As for the production of the forum itself, it was very difficult to hear the questioners and Russ Olivo was barely audible. Several of the questions were duplicated and one from Rob Borkowski about accessibility was roundly criticized by several in the crowd as a softball. The questioners also did a disservice to the voters who attended by not asking Rep. Baldelli-Hunt if she would pledge to serve out the entire two year term and not run for mayor next year.

The one thing taken away from this forum is that incumbents Brien and Baldelli-Hunt cried foul over and over again and did so in very loud and accusatory tones while their opponents remained humble and stated fact. In the end it will all come down to if the assembled voters recognized the loud, bullying tactics of the experienced incumbents for what they were.

Posted on

Why Unions Matter

 

I just had to share this gem I found. This was a high school project by Jennifer Huang, a student in Canada. She nails it on the head and does so interestingly and with a sense of humor. If I was her teacher, she’d get an “A”!

Posted on

RI Baseballers Win International Competition

 

Rhode Island teens win international baseball event in Cooperstown, NY.

In a dramatic comeback victory, the Rhode Island Baseball Club Under 14 AAU team took the title at an international competition, the Cooperstown Baseball World Tournament, this week with an 8-7 win in the bottom of the seventh inning against a team from Indiana.

After a scoreless first inning and giving up seven runs in the top of the second inning, the Rhode Island team got shutdown pitching from reliever Andrew Frey (two innings), and eventual game-winner Ryan Quirk; while chipping away at the 7-0 lead and tying it in the bottom of the fourth. Then in the bottom of the seventh, the RI team loaded the bases with three straight singles by Kyle Barbato, Nick Pietrantozzi and Andrew Frey before MJ Notorianni stepped up to the plate and hit a walkoff single, scoring Barbato and giving his team the championship.

In the first round of pool play, the Rhode Island team went 4-1, beating Israel 3-2 on a walkoff single by Jimmy Gianquitti in extra innings; losing to Colorado 4-1 in extra innings, and then beating New York 14-4, and Ohio 10-0 on a no-hitter by Liam Vetter, before ending pool play against Indiana with a 3-2 win.

By virtue of their 4-1 record, the Rhody team was the top seed and earned a bye in the first round before having to face the team they lost to in pool play, Colorado. However, they were up to the task, defeating the Coloradans 7-4 with Ryan Quirk earning the win in a game that Matt Sweeney started and starred offensively by knocking in three runs.

The team is made up of middle and high school players from throughout Rhode Island, Matt Sweeney, Matt O’Rourke and PJ Hazian from Western Hills Middle School, MJ Notorianni and Andrew Frey from Immaculate Conception, Tyler DiPetrillo and Jimmy Gianquitti from Bishop Hendricken, Kyle Barbato from Toll Gate, Ryan Quirk from La Salle, Liam Vetter from Portsmouth and Nick Pietrantozzi from Scituate. The team is managed by Mark Cahill with coaching assistance from Tom O’Rourke and Brendan Barbato.

 

Posted on

Chris Herren Talks About Substance Abuse Saturday


Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Chris Herren in his Celtics playing days. (Photo from the Boston Herald)

Former NBA player, Chris Herron, will be the guest speaker this Saturday (7/21) as Rhode Island Sports Heroes holds their annual Summer Outing Event at Camp Westwood in Coventry from 9 am-3:30 pm.

More than 160 kids from various nonprofit groups throughout the state, including Big Sisters/Big Brothers, Seven Hills, Ocean Tides, Youth Rap, Adoption RI, Child and Family Services, Gateway Healthcare, Perspectives, and Davey Lopes, Sackett Street, have been invited to enjoy an old-fashioned fun day, participating in camp activities, canoeing, swimming and volleyball.

Herron, the subject of the ESPN documentary, “Unguarded,” will speak about his ordeals with substance abuse and educate the attendees on the consequences of drug use.

An all volunteer organization, RISH caters to groups statewide, striving to enrich the lives of “at risk” youth through their” involvement in all types of sports.The group uses the philosophy of “Spectate, Educate and Participate,” to engage youth in life enhancing positive experiences.

The event is free to all pre-registered RISH kids and lunch will be provided. To register, call Tom Bauman at Rhode Island Sports Heroes, 401—523-0786 or email: tbauman@risportsheroes.org

RISH is a 501C3 organization established in 2004 that services hundreds of local youths every year.

Please check out our promotional video here .

And our website at www.risportsheroes.org


Posted on

Projo Misses News at Doherty, Brown Event


Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Photo courtesy of Pat Crowley. @PatCrowleyNEARI

So, if you still have doubts that the ProJo editorial board is the tail wagging the newsroom’s dog; those fears should be laid to rest after the Newspaper Spin Cycle of record’s coverage of the Brendan Doherty event at Metacomet Country Club in East Providence.

Journal scribe Phil Marcelo, covered all the political details about how Sen. Scott Brown made the trip down from Massachusetts, gave a closed-door speech to the big donors and then left quickly. He also covered the fact of the approximate amount of money the event raised and even mentioned how both men met as youngsters at a basketball camp. Marcelo also goes on to note how Doherty was impressed with Brown’s call for bipartisanship.

Now here’s where I take exception to the ProJo’s coverage. When a story mentions bipartisanship, shouldn’t it at least include some of what the other side might have to offer, or object to? Maybe an example of Sen. Brown working in a cooperative manner?

Not only was there no mention of the other side’s views in this story, there wasn’t even any mention of the protesters outside the entrance to the country club. Members of Planned Parenthood and several labor groups were outside the event to make attendees and passers-by aware of extreme right-wing positions Mr. Doherty has staked out for his campaign. My question is: How is this not news?

Maybe if the ProJo goes back to fairly and accurately reporting the news and keeping its opinions on the editorial page, the paper can gain back some of its credibility. If not, I fear for my former co-workers on Fountain Street, as readership declines and the state will lose a once Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper, to be replaced by a print version of Fox News.

Posted on

Summer Is Here and So Are the Sailboats

Right on cue, Summer Solstice arrived on June 20 and ushered in temps well into the 90’s, providing the first blast of real heat for Southern New England this year. It was about time too, the choruses of “When is it going to warm up?” were getting a little stale.

Well, warm up it did. With schools out and summer vacation just getting into full swing, the shoreline beaches were packed today and the roadways leading to them were clogged starting early in the morning. Routes 4, 1 and 102 were at near standstills around noon today and the traffic was sustained well into the afternoon as those who couldn’t get to the beach early,  made their way down later in the day.

Across the bay in Newport, the situation was much the same, except in the case of the City by the Sea, there is a cruise ship anchored offshore and plenty of tourists were on hand in the city’s shopping and tourist areas, spending money and providing a much-needed boost to the state’s economy.

The tourists in Newport also got to see a real show today, as the eight teams vying in the America’s Cup Race Series were all in the water today, testing the carbon fiber hulls and various sails in advance of next week’s races, scheduled to kick off on Thursday.For those unfamiliar with America’s Cup racing, the ships have evolved over the years but the premise is the same; just think of it as NASCAR, for the very rich.

The RIEDC has done a fantastic job putting this event together, partnering with America’s Cup Race Management and NBC Sports, among others. Unlike America’s Cup races here in years past, these races will be visible from shore and the base at Fort Adams will provide spectacular views of the action from very close in-shore. There will be plenty of other activities on site with action taking place from 11 am – 7 pm from June 28-July 1. Prior to the 28th, entrance to Fort Adams and the racing facilities will be free, anyone wishing to attend on race days will have to purchase tickets and pay to park.

Posted on

Is There Something to Hide in Providence City Hall?

Shred-it at City Hall? Is Buddy back?

I just thought how funny this looked while walking downtown yesterday for lunch. A “Shred-It” truck parked next to Providence City Hall. However, it doesn’t frighten me as much now that Mayor Taveras is in office as it would have if Buddy Cianci still occupied the mayor’s office.

 

 

Posted on

Budget Approved, West Warwick Woes Remain


Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

While most of the state has had their eyes glued to what’s happening in Woonsocket the last week or so; the focus on West Warwick has faded, yet the problems remain. After an extremely contentious town council meeting a week earlier, attended by more than a thousand residents (including students, the attendance at the meeting was likely closer to 1500), this week’s joint meeting of the council and the school committee was tame and anticlimactic.

The June 5 meeting was marred by shouting, accusations of politics being played with the students being the pawns and the display of a rude gesture by Councilwoman Filomena Gustafson; all over the issue of the school committee having to cut a million dollars out of their budget that would then result in the loss of school sports and extracurricular activities.

At the outset of that meeting, Council President, Angelo Padula, launched into a tirade about how the school problems were completely the fault of the unions and the school committee and had nothing to do with the council. His disdain didn’t end there though, Mr. Padula continually referred to the attendees as, “You people,” even though many in the crowd shouted that they weren’t just a mob, they were residents and taxpayers.

Letting the council know how they felt, the crowd that night made it clear that the council was at fault and by blaming others, it was a very poor example to set for the children.  By the end of the meeting, the council assured the gathered masses that they would meet with the school committee and come to a resolution, even though the two bodies barely speak and have blamed each other of mismanagement for years.

So, the much smaller crowd at this week’s joint meeting of the two bodies was completely surprised when all were seated on the stage and acting professionally. The council explained the budget, followed by the school committee making their presentation and on entering the auditorium everyone received the joint press release from the council and committee. It stated that the committee had met in the interim on June 8 to discuss the issues and resolve the budget conflicts. It went on to say:

“Both parties are happy to say that all matters between them have been resolved…litigation between the parties shall be dismissed; the five percent reduction that has been in place since 2011 has been rescinded and the school committee’s decision to eliminate interscholastic sports, extracurricular activities and advanced placement classes has been rescinded.”

Basically, the council had their hat handed to them by the school committee as all demands brought at the prior meeting had been resolved in their favor as their total funding had been restored, probably as the result of the adverse ruling by Superior Court Judge Rubine. However, Council President Padula once again couldn’t resist pointing the finger of blame instead of accepting responsibility for making poor choices. This time, instead of launching a rant against the unions and the school committee, Padula pointed out that all the town’s financial woes are the result of poor stock market performance and the drain the Station Nightclub Fire litigation put on the town.

School Committee Chair, Jim Williamson was more gracious in his remarks, focusing on the cooperation needed to get the deal done and how it brought new optimism, how it appropriately addressed the needs for the coming fiscal year; but he warned that future budgets were still uncertain and the town faced future financial instability.

Former councilman, Peter Calci, took to the microphone and pointed out just how fragile the town’s finances are, highlighting the fact the town has made and continues to make minimal pension contributions and by doing so, risks the town’s solvency.

While the budget was approved by a vote of 403-96, allowing the council and committee to save face in an election year, there are obviously those in the town who still aren’t happy and don’t buy into the Kumbaya-singing at Monday’s meeting or the pronouncement that the two bodies will continue to work together. That’s obvious by the sign displayed in the back of a truck at the town budget vote on Thursday, reminding people it’s time for a change on the council. Someone has also gotten very creative and posted a YouTube video, mocking Councilwoman Gustafson and her “Ward Four Salute.”

While West Warwick isn’t quite in the same league as Woonsocket right now, the voters are just as unhappy and in both municipalities the rumblings for change are growing stronger.

Posted on

Leadership Lacking in West Warwick

Arriving at West Warwick High School 40 minutes early on June 5, I was able to see the lions and tigers and bears growling and gnashing their teeth; and  the clowns practicing their buffoonery at the three ring circus that was the West Warwick Town Council meeting. Part of the buffoonery being several supporters of the town council passing out lists containing the salaries of all the employees of the school department.

Many would say that all council meetings in West Warwick fall under the category of circus-like entertainment but this one in particular had the extra feeling from the outset as members of the high school band program jammed in the corridors while cheerleaders and athletes performed feats in the parking lot.

What prompted this performance was the school committee slashing $1 million dollars from its budget and in effect ending school sports and afterschool programs. This action was necessitated when the town council cut five percent from the school budget. Previously in 2010, the council tried to do the same thing but was voted down by the residents.

For the past two years, the council has been “willfully underfunding,” the school department, depriving students and educators of the tools they need to succeed, in a court ruling by Superior Court Judge Rubine. In that time period, the town council created an escrow account that now holds $2.8 million dollars with no specific purpose; the money is sitting there while school sports are on the line and music and art programs are about to be cut.

In the meantime, it appears as if the teachers will not even be paid as the well has run dry and the council will not direct the town finance director to release the money to the school account. Sean Doyle, President of the West Warwick Teachers’ Alliance, has indicated the teachers will file a suit with the state Department of Labor and Training to force payment.

“Padula would rather pay fines than teachers,” stated Doyle.

That brings us back to Tuesday night’s meeting. Once the meeting was called to order at 7:13, Council President Padula launched into a prayer asking for help to solve the crisis facing them. The council then sat down before realizing they had to perform the “Pledge of Allegiance.” After finishing the pledge, George Landrie, a Warwick teacher and skilled musician launched into a stirring rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner,” highlighting just what the children of West Warwick would be losing if the town council persisted in preventing the money from reverting back to the school committee.

 Tact not being one of Mr. Padula’s greatest assets, his first comment to the assembled crowd alerted them to the fact that they weren’t on the agenda. hearing the wave of dissent well up quickly, he then let them know that after some perfunctory items on the agenda, he’d give everyone a chance to be heard. Before allowing anyone to be heard, however, Mr. Padula read a prepared statement in which he stumbled several times, had a very difficult time pronouncing the word “scholastic,” and ended up claiming that he was nervous.

Anyone who knows Angelo Padula though, knows he’s not the jittery type and his claim of being nervous rang seriously disingenuous. If anything, the town council president’s inability to read his own statement just highlights the need for more money being spent on education. During his tirade, he was never nervous about bashing the school committee or teachers’ union and his disdain for the assembled constituency rose to the surface several occasions as he referred to the audience multiple times as “You people.” Several people in the crowd took exception to the characterization and shouted back, “You people?” and “Who are you calling you people?” Padula’s response was to threaten shutting down the meeting altogether.

Once he did allow residents to take to the microphones, the first person to speak, Jessica Ann Anderson, accused the council of “Using my kids as pawns.” She also scolded the members sitting on the stage, telling them they set a poor example for the students, not accepting blame for anything themselves and instead pointing the finger at the teachers and the school committee. Someone near me made the comment, “What do you expect from a convicted felon?” Obviously referring to Mr. Padula’s prison record. Shortly thereafter a shouting match began between a member of the audience and the council members and Mrs. Anderson once again scolded the elected officials by asking them to remain civil because there were children watching.

No one could keep complete track of all the side conversations and comments being exchanged but shortly thereafter, Councilwoman Filomena Gustafson made an arguably obscene gesture to the audience that was caught on tape by several local television stations, including WJAR.

http://www2.turnto10.com/news/west-warwick/2012/jun/06/i-team-potential-settlement-school-budget-fight-ar-1062587/

Padula tried to justify the gesture by saying she was threatened by someone in the audience. However, the council was onstage, away from the crowd and there were several police officers on scene to prevent anything like that happening. The next day, Gustafson reportedly told Brian Crandall at Channel 10 news that the gesture only meant, “to hell with you.”

That, coupled with Town Solicitor Timothy Williamson’s question later that evening, “If the school committee hadn’t cut sports, how many of you would be here tonight?” seem to show a particular propensity for the council wanting to operate in the shadows without the harsh spotlights shining on what they may be doing.

In that vein, the council wanted to hold a joint meeting with the school committee prior to Tuesday night’s meeting but was rebuffed by the School Committee Chairman, Jim Williamson, stating that the earliest they could all meet would be on Wednesday. However, Mr. Padula corralled his council members and his allies on the school committee into meeting Monday, June 4 at the west Warwick Senior Center with no prior announcement and only posted an agenda seconds before the meeting. this meeting will more than likely result in complaints of violations of the open meetings law against both the council and the school committee.

So, with an obvious contempt for their constituents, an inability to compromise and the all too ready position to point fingers first before proactively approaching problems, the town of West Warwick faces not only a deficit in its finances but in character of the town’s leadership.

 

Posted on

Netroots Guide for Providence, RI

“Get your head outta your ass!”

I’m not telling you to do that, but I can guarantee at least a few Netizens in town for  Netroots Nation 2012 will hear that shouted at them during the time they’re in Providence. This is especially true when driving. Providence has some of the most aggressive drivers on the planet and if you’re not moving fast enough, unsure of where you are or lolly-gagging on the phone while driving, I can promise you’ll earn a disdainful honk of a horn.

The best thing about Providence though, is you don’t need a car to get around, the city is very walkable and should be enjoyed on foot. However, referencing the paragraph above, please look both ways before crossing the street; even if you’re certain that the street you’re on is one way. Also, once you’re in a crosswalk, don’t assume you’re safe there.

Providence is a historical city, you should definitely do some exploring. Walking up the hill from the Convention Center will get you to the State House. It has the fourth largest self-supporting marble dome in the world, that some would say is needed to contain the egos therein.

Heading in the other direction from the Convention Center, you’ll find Federal Hill. Once heavily populated by the city’s Italian residents, Federal Hill is now extremely diverse but the main drag on Atwells Avenue is still heavily influenced by that Italian Heritage and some of the best dining establishments in the Northeast are contained in a very small strip. A night in DePasquale Plaza listening to karaoke at Gepetto’s is something to consider.

The  East Side, mainly centered around College Hill and Thayer Street are also “must do’s” while visiting the city. Getting breakfast at Café Choklad at the corner of South Main and Thomas Street, catching an indie movie at the Avon Cinema or eating dinner at Andrea’s are all recommended. And of course, no trip to Providence would be complete without a sandwich for lunch from Geoff’s on Benefit Street. Jusr be careful with your conversation while in line, the staff at Geoff’s are famous for their collective wit and a careless comment can be seized upon by that staff for the entertainment purposes of the rest of the clientele.

Some of the local delicacies you may want to try are New York System hot weiners, a culinary delight you can find on Smith Street, about a half mile up the street from the capital; or you can make a trip to Olneyville to the restaurant there. Besides Choklad, Providence has some great bakeries too. La Salle Bakery, about a mile further down Smith Street from the New York System is one; as is Scialo Bros. Bakery on Atwells Avenue on Federal Hill.

So, be careful but enjoy your stay in Providence, the people here have great senses of humor and I can guarantee you’ll take home at least a few funny stories from your stay in my hometown. Also, plan to gain a little weight while visiting here, the food is just too good and with Johnson & Wales University’s culinary arts program located here, there are so many talented chefs and chefs-in-training that its hard to keep from sampling a little bit of everything.

And if you have any questions, you can always feel free to tweet me at @thom_prov or if its work-related, tweeting @Working_RI will work as well. Thanks for participating, enjoy your stays and when you get home, tell your friends how much fun you had here.

 

 

Posted on

General Cable Lauds Employees, Then Cuts Benefits


Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Greed, pure and simple. How else can one describe what’s taking place at General Cable in Lincoln, RI right now? A company that is making money hand-over-fist for its investors, because of the hard work of its employees; decides those employees are owed nothing in return when it comes to raises, and even feels they should pay more for their health care.

In its annual report, General Cable touts how operating income grew by 12 percent to $248 million last year, on the strength of almost $6 billion in sales; with all of this taking place during a down economy.  Also in that report, the company boasts how the plant in Lincoln received a “Best Plant Award” from Industry Week magazine.

When it’s convenient for them to do so, like in the Industry Week article, management at the plant lauds the employees and all they’ve done to make the Lincoln plant a stand out.

Manufacturing manager John Tremblay emphasizes that the buy-in of the workers and the local United Steelworkers union has been key to the success of the switch to cellularization.

“You can make the physical moves with the equipment, but the real benefits come when you get the associates engaged,” Tremblay says.

However, now that the contract for the members of USW Local 4543 is up for renegotiation, plant management conveniently forgets everything the employees and union have done to make the plant successful. Instead, they offer minimal wage increases, which barely keep up with the cost of living, while at the same time insist on employees paying more for health and dental coverage that in effect wipe out any wage increase and actually lead to a decrease in take-home pay.

Is this the way a responsible company, which says it values its employees, shows its gratitude?  With a little digging though, finding that what management at the Lincoln plant says publicly isn’t anything like how they actually treat their employees on site.

From what was said at a recent (May 19) solidarity rally outside the plant, attended by most of the members of Local 4543 as well as other local community and labor activists; conditions at the plant are nothing like the picture painted in the annual report and the Industry Week article.

The Industry Week article detailed human resources manager, Mary Igoe, bemoaning the fact that under the old system of doing things there was no camaraderie among the workers.

“They didn’t even talk to each other,” Igoe says. “They were just making wire and pushing it along to the next operation.”

At the recent rally however, it was clear that protecting the company’s human capital always takes a back seat to protecting the company’s bottom line. Along with the HR manager, the maintenance manager, process engineer and other managers all have charges pending for continued harassment of employees. The employees they all claim to revere.

An investigation conducted at the beginning of April looking into some of these charges can hardly be viewed as impartial, as Ms. Igoe brought in a human resources manager from a neighboring plant in Willimantic, Conn.; one of five facilities also under the direction of vice president and team leader, Mike Monti.

It seems that for a global company like General Cable, to avoid the appearance of impropriety, it might have been better to go outside the immediate sphere of local management to get an objective opinion. However, Ms. Igoe decided to forgo the appearance of any conflict of interest and brought in the HR manager from a neighboring facility. It just so happens one of the principals under investigation used to work at that neighboring facility.

Mr. Steele has also been less than diligent in his investigations, interviewing fewer than half the witnesses to a particular incident involving Local President, Ed Matias. From their point of view, the members of Local 4543 feel that no one less than Stephen Roush, General Cable’s Vice President, North American Human Resources should be the one to investigate recent developments at the Lincoln plant.

However, when reached, Mr. Roush offered the quote, “We appreciate your inquiry, but the Lincoln plant is currently engaged in labor negotiations and we have no comment at this time.” Again demonstrating that the corporate policy is to use the employees as a showcase when they can; but take advantage of them at the bargaining table and retaliate against them for demanding their fair share of the profits they help the company derive.

People are powerful drivers of General Cable performance. Our organizational strategy is built on the belief that people are the differentiating element in gaining a competitive advantage. We recruit and develop talented people who bring special knowledge in such areas as manufacturing excellence, technology, quality, safety, management, purchasing, sales and accounting.

Across the global enterprise ― on the job and on the team, on task and on time ― we would not be in our current position of strength without the individual and collective efforts of the more than 11,000 General Cable associates who come to work every day to make a difference.

It actually seems a little strange he didn’t reference the company’s corporate citizenship policy towards its people, stated in the above text box and at: http://www.generalcablecsr.com/citizenship/people/

In another troubling example of how the company says one thing publicly but acts completely differently in its management policies, the company leads off its summary of financial and operating highlights in the annual report by pointing out how they, “Further improved one of the best safety records in the industry.” However, that statistic may be misleading, especially at the Lincoln plant when health and safety manager, Rick Flaxington, routinely encourages employees not report injuries, or directs them to the company doctor rather than have them seek treatment from their own physicians or at an emergency room. In certain instances, employees were threatened if they sought medical treatment and one was even fired for getting hurt on the job. After an 18-month battle he was reinstated.  The company doctor, Dr. Steven G. McCloy, received poor ratings on vitals.com, a clearinghouse for doctor reviews: http://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_Steven_Mccloy#reviews . The doctor also has no website and no one answered the phone at his office.

So, now that the members of Local 4543 are standing up for their rights and voting down a regressive contract proposal by a margin of 115-8, Ms. Igoe isn’t exactly looking for members to be so comradely. All along the company has been trying to divide and conquer; pitting older versus younger employees by trying to change contract language regarding seniority.

The membership stands firm though; showing that a group of workers from disparate backgrounds, from the old French Canadian and polish populations to longtime transplants from Portugal and the Azores and newer immigrants from Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa all have the same thing in mind – being rewarded for the hard work that helped the company they work for become one of the best in its industry.

For more info on working conditions at the plant, watch this YouTube video:

Posted on

Woonsocket: How Tax Equity Can Reduce Burden

There’s no debate about it, Woonsocket, and many other distressed communities, are in trouble. However, while the residents wait for the General Assembly to vote on whether they can issue a supplemental tax bill, there are other measures on the calendar on Smith Hill that could also help the city’s already maxed-out  taxpayers.

Tonight (Monday, May 14) at 5:30 pm in Cercle Laurier, 165 E. School St., residents can come learn how the tax equity bills, making their way through the House an Senate in the form of  H-7729 and S-2622, can raise $131 milllion in revenue; and how that revenue should be targeted to providing relief to distressed cities and towns, like Woonsocket.

While our elected officials continue to give massive tax breaks to Rhode Island’s wealthiest citizens and corporations, and Woonsocket Rep. Jon Brien and Sen. Marc Cote defend these breaks,  lower and middle income Rhode Islanders are struggling to feed their families.

It’s time for people making over $250K/year to pay their fair share and help the middle class–because a strong middle class means more spending and more jobs in local communities. Come to the meeting and help convince Rep. Brien and Sen. Cote top sign onto the tax equity bills, Woonsocket would greatly benefit by your actions.

Posted on

South Kingstown: Where Politics Trumps Priorities


Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387

“I couldn’t ask for a better budget,” said South Kingstown Town Council President Ella Whaley. “We are blessed to live here in South Kingstown.”

My question to Ms. Whaley, a former educator, would be: Do you think the three special ed teachers just terminated by the school committee feel blessed? How about the students, and their families, who will be losing those teachers; are they blessed?

To say South Kingstown has become the poster child for municipal office-holders gone wild would be an understatement. Both the town council and school committee have shown very little regard for taxpayers or town employees.

At a January 23rd council meeting, resident and taxpayer Deb Bergner, questioned the conflicts of interest present for council and chamber of commerce members, O’Neill and Hagan-McEntee when it came to voting on a tax abatement for the chamber’s headquarters. To that, Councilman James O’Neill launched into a tirade telling Ms. Bergner that was the most stupid, foolish question he’d ever heard.

Why is that Mr. O’Neill? Beacuse she challenged you? It’s safe to say, most reasonable people would see how voting a tax abatement to an organization you’re a member of might be seen as a conflict. Because of Mr. O’Neill’s behavior during this exchange the council felt the need to change its rules of decorum. Ms. Bergner is still waiting for an apology for being called stupid and foolish. Mr. O’Neill clearly thinks he’s entitled to the seat he holds by the contempt he shows to the constituents that come before him.

Now, onto the school committee. In late February, they were readying layoff notices for teachers just like many school systems do to meet the March 1 deadline for notification. However, on advice of counsel and with no apparent input from the town’s human resources professionals, the school committee acted to terminate three very highly-regarded special ed teachers.

At what was supposed to be a preliminary hearing to determine their status, called with little notice on a Sunday morning, the school committee informed the three teachers they had five minutes to decide if they’d rather resign or be terminated. Five minutes to decide if they’d rather face the stain on their record of being terminated. Five minutes to decide how it would impact their lives and the lives of their families. Five minutes to think how it would impact the quality of their students’ lives. Oh yes, and the caveat being if they resigned they’d get a glowing recommendation.

The truly egregious part of the whole fiasco is that none of the teachers had ever been evaluated. Maybe if they had and been counseled, something could have been done to make sure termination was unnecessary. However, the sad truth is these terminations were a foregone conclusion since each of these teachers was approaching tenure and that was certainly part of the thinking process leading to this decision.

An online petition has been started to support the teachers at http://www.change.org/petitions/south-kingstown-school-committee-stop-the-bullying

Which has led the school committee to offer up a very lawyerly response at http://www.skschools.net/School_Committee/Documents?plugin=RWD&Templates=RWD&object=School_Committee_Documents&infobar=no&fixed=1&ConfPosition=0

In their response the school committee makes note they use their counsel advises on legal matters. That begs the question of just how much they spend on their legal counsel?  What really rang hollow at the budget hearings this week though, is the fact that while they discarded three perfectly good teachers, the superintendent is now asking for two more administrators. So when the response to the online petition states the committee has nothing but the best interests of the students in mind, they feel its imperative to hire people to evaluate the people doing the teaching rather than providing continuity and familiarity for special ed students that need it most.

Posted on

Nine years; it seems like yesterday – The Station Fire

Before I even start writing, I want to apologize in advance for anyone I may offend or hurt. This is a deeply personal issue for many of us and of the thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of people who have a direct connection, no two of us may see it the same way. Therefore, the qualification before I go any further.

The night of February 20th, 2003 ended at 11:05 pm for me, just before the fire took place, after a trying day of enduring a surgical procedure that included preparation the day before that was humiliating and exhausting. Although, if not for having scheduled that colonoscopy weeks in advance, I too would have been in The Station that night as well. When asked to attend three weeks prior, my initial reaction was an immediate and enthusiastic, “Yes.” However, when I realized a few minutes later that I probably wouldn’t be feeling up to it that night, I begged off.

“No problem buddy, next time,” was the reply from my best friend, Mike Gonsalves. Most knew him as “Doc,” “The Doctor,” “Doctor Metal,” “Gonz.” or “Gonzo.” I’d known Mike pretty much my whole life though, played Little League with him, attended rival high schools but met up again at Rhode Island College, joined the same fraternity, lived together senior year and he was the best man at my wedding and the godfather of my oldest son. Therefore, I was one of the few who got to call him Mike. From the time when we lived together, he started calling me, “Dad,” and some our mutual friends continue to call me that in homage to Mike to this day.

The horror of The Station fire started for me at 5:15 am the next morning when I got a call telling me to, “Turn on the TV.” From there it only got worse, much worse. I won’t go into what transpired immediately thereafter, its too painful for too many people who knew Mike, especially his family members; not to mention all the others who were injured or lost loved ones.

Whereas Mike got to share in some of the most momentous times of my life, I got to write his obituary, deliver his eulogy and help administer a scholarship fund in his name. Not exactly what I thought I’d be doing for my 40-year old best friend at that point in my life. Neither did I think I would be helping to establish a foundation to erect a memorial at a site where 100 people died unnecessarily.

That’s exactly where I found myself though. Depressed, angry, wanting revenge is the best way to describe my emotions at the time; as well as ill-equipped to start a 501 (c)(3) non-profit. However, I was surrounded by good people; all in their own stage of grief but we tried to hold it together.

Trying to establish a lasting and meaningful memorial, there were several glaring truths that soon became apparent. The entire state was hurting, even months after the fire. There was no way a memorial was being built any time soon, the politicians and lawyers would see to that. There were two separate classes of those affected, survivors and those connected to the victims who died. And there was plenty of blame to go around, the facts that developed after the fire proved that.

From my position as president of the Station Fire Memorial Foundation, we were focused on the needs of the families and friends of those who died. We held public meetings to try and gauge the intentions of the constituency but the level of anger that came through colored everything we did. Even some of our board members couldn’t keep personalities out of the equation, myself included.

There was an us versus them mentality developing between the two camps and much of it had to do with the blame game. Many of the family members of the deceased laid the blame squarely at the feet of the band and the owners of the nightclub. However, it seemed like the bulk of the survivors were willing to overlook any culpability on the part of the band and were focused on the fire inspectors.

While I’m not going to get into that debate here, I know how it played with the families of the deceased. When the Station Family Fund continually defended the band and ended up agreeing to accept funds from a charity concert performed by Great White, it created a whole new wave of anger. My constituency saw SFF members flying out to meet the band for a show, as survivors wanting to live the “rock star” life, while their loved ones would never return.

Finally, it became too much for me. I helped host the first year memorial, something I now wish I hadn’t done. We continued to meet with families and we even had a few meetings with statewide political leaders. But again, it was obvious there was too much division on the part of all parties and just shy of a year after our first meeting to start the Station Fire Memorial Foundation, I took my leave of the group in favor of giving myself time to heal. Time that I wasn’t going to get if I continued on in that position.

Since then, there have been criminal prosecutions (not to my satisfaction), civil restitution (I can’t imagine anyone is satisfied with mere money and would rather have their lives back as they were); yet there is still no memorial to the victims. Here it is, nine years later and the site of the fire looks much the same as it did only months after the fire. How can that be?

I offer no solution, I only ask the question.

Again, I apologize if I offended or hurt anyone; that was not my intention. I was only trying to relive a time in my life that was extremely difficult, and give a somewhat objective view of what happened during that difficult time. I consciously took myself out of The Station fire community those many years ago to concentrate on raising funds and awarding them to students in the name of my best friend. I’m not looking to re-insert myself into any debates, I was just hoping to try and give a view through the prism of what happened at the time and how it affected so many of us.

Posted on

Providence Newspaper Guild Follies

This is it, nitty-gritty time. If you want to see Rhode Island’s funniest comedy show of the year, you need to call for tickets or go online this week. For the uninitiated, The Providence Newspaper Guild has been skewering local politicians and newsmakers for 39 years now; and the best part is they’re in the audience. Anyone that’s made the news in the previous year is fair game, and they know it.

Imagine, just the General Assembly members indicted this year could result in a stand-alone show. There’s also North Providence. Do I need to finish that sentence? There were instances of blowhard radio hosts and the Bishop teaming up on issues; and who can forget the pension issue?

Many people never thought we could top last year’s show. I mean, really, how often do you have a gubernatorial candidate tell a sitting president to “Shove it?”  And of course, what would the Follies be without a visit from Joey Wattsamatta? Check out the link if you don’t know what I mean.

So, to get tickets, call before Wednesday this week,  421-9467, or go to www.riguild.org.  We hope to see you at the Venus DeMilo for a great meal and a hilarious show.


Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387