In the 60’s and 70’s, as a kid growing 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!

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.”

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”!

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.

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

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.