Rhode Island
updated
9:04 a.m.
Democratic Attorney General candidate Peter Kilmartin has a new TV ad that goes on the offensive against his two primary opponents. Let’s see if there is a response: ...
Closing Argument - 6:06 a.m.
The psychologist Abraham Maslow once wrote, “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.” This metaphor aptly describes the mindset that has plagued the field of psychiatry over the past couple of decades, particularly when it comes to treating children [...] ...
Kmareka - Wed 8:40 p.m.
Portsmouth school finance director Mark Dunham explains restricted funds. There were just 6 people in attendance at the Portsmouth School Finance subcommittee meeting tonight, and despite the somewhat theatrical buildup given in the Newport Daily News (who didn't bother to send a reporter) there were no secret pots of money discovered, no moment where a school committee m...
Hard Deadlines - Wed 8:40 p.m. - 3 clicks 
President Barack Obama marked the end of combat operations in Iraq with an Oval Office address. I heard it on the radio, just absorbing the words and the tone. The words were sober, the tone almost somber. I recently read President Nixon’s ‘Peace With Honor’ speech, marking our exit from Vietnam with nothing really accomplished [...] ...
Kmareka - Wed 5:09 a.m.
John McDaid (D), candidate for Portsmouth school committee with former Hathaway principal Dr. Christina Martin. Photo by Andrew Katzman. Dr. Christina Martin, recently retired principal of Hathaway Elementary school, announced her support for John McDaid in the Portsmouth School Committee race. The ten-year veteran of Portsmouth's schools issued the following statement: ...
Hard Deadlines - Wed 3:00 a.m. - 4 clicks
What is Steve Stycos about? Independent analysis, common sense energy and conservation efforts, and increased clarity on what we are spending money on in Cranston and whether we are getting our money’s worth. We desperately need Steve’s skills on the Cranston city council: When news broke that Councilman Terence Livingston wouldn’t be seeking re-election in [...] ...
Kmareka - Tue 2:28 p.m. - 7 clicks
Teacher of the Year Kim Cunningham with PPEF president Helen Furriel (l) and treasurer Donna Manning. Photo by Paul Gallagher. At the Portsmouth teacher orientation this morning, the Portsmouth Public Education Foundation (PPEF) announced their 2010-2011 PPEF Educational Excellence Grant Recipients and their 3rd Teacher of the Year Award recipient, Kim Cunningham of Portsmo...
Hard Deadlines - Tue 12:42 p.m. - 5 clicks
RI Lawyers Weekly is doing a series of interviews with the candidates for attorney general. If the winds are blowing against political insiders this year, Stephen R. Archambault, one of three Democrats vying for the attorney general’s post in the … Continue reading → ...
Closing Argument - Tue 11:09 a.m.
I probably should leave this alone, but being a former End-Times Pentecostal it just fascinates me. Glenn Beck now has problems with President Obama’s theology. It makes me wish we could just judge our politicians on their politicking, but we’re in the era of blurred boundaries and public piety for fun and profit. Anyway, Glenn [...] ...
Kmareka - Tue 5:40 a.m.
Lawyers, Guns, and Money Anyone seeking to find alternative methods to fight drug addiction, and the crimes committed to fuel a habit, can pause in the offices of many politicians who have laundered millions of dollars in drug money. Every time a drug dealer goes to court, a lawyer somewhere just laundered drug money. Nationally, 40% of all sentences are for drugs. 265,800 people are estimat...
Lockdown Lowdown - Mon 9:25 p.m.
It was probably easier back in the day to simply bar all the folks with criminal histories form everything. Work, housing, loans, even volunteering at your kids' school. But when roughly 25% of your adult population has a thing or two on their BCI, it starts to become a problem. Apparently we are at a turning point with this sort of discrimination. The RI ACLU has filed a lawsuit to override ...
Lockdown Lowdown - Mon 9:25 p.m.
The evil terror of big government regulators are back in the news. With the smoke not yet clear from British Petroleum’s little Texas tea time in the Gulf, we are now treated to a food security issue large enough to make Osama bin Laden chuckle. Across the nation, Republicans and many a DINO are running “Anti-Government” campaigns in their quests to join the government. But what do they mean,...
Lockdown Lowdown - Mon 9:25 p.m. - 7 clicks
If Federal Judge William Moore were a Klansman, it would be perfectly understandable to write a 174 page Order denying Troy Davis' petition for a new trial. The evidence in Davis' favor is so overwhelming, there must be some logical explanation for why Moore ruled as he did. "Racism" in this situation would serve that purpose. It would provide all the logic one needs. The powerful le...
Lockdown Lowdown - Mon 9:25 p.m.
After having won Providence's "Best Original Song" award at the 48 Hour Film Festival, hip hop sensation DJ K-Love told her dedicated fans, "we will unite. And WE WILL take the power back." Bold words, yet understandable when one views the video. Having worked with K-Love on this project, I can tell you that it was more empowering than writing the occasional blog post, and m...
Lockdown Lowdown - Mon 9:25 p.m. - 7 clicks
The awesome science fiction web site io9 posted a list of "strange" sf , and I'm chuffed that my 1995 story "Jigoku no mokushiroku (The Symbolic Revelation of the Apocalypse) made the cut. You can, of course, read it here . Why is this story strange? Well, possibly because the point-of-view character is a sentient elevator? Maybe this would be a good time to mention that I'm working on a sequ...
Hard Deadlines - Mon 12:27 p.m.
It has been many years since I read George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel, 1984. My curiosity about perusing the book anew is offset by my uneasiness about its prescience. I fear that the world occupied by Winston Smith, the novel’s protagonist, will eerily resemble America in 2010. Not entirely, but increasingly so. Big Brother is [...] ...
Kmareka - Mon 8:00 a.m. - 5 clicks
Presenters Jo Eva Gaines, Michael Browner, and Joyce Williams at the annual commemoration service. Over a hundred were gathered in tents in yesterday's heat at the Patriots Park memorial just off Rt. 114, as Portsmouth paused to remember the contributions of the Black Regiment . The African-American slaves who earned their freedom by serving in this Continental Army regime...
Hard Deadlines - Mon 7:41 a.m. - 9 clicks
Kai Wright, of The Nation examines the claims of Glenn Beck and other revisionists who wrap themselves in the mantle of the civil rights movement… There are many things about King’s dream speech that Beck won’t likely point out at this weekend’s gathering. Perhaps top among them: the 1963 March on Washington was the work [...] ...
Kmareka - Sun 11:23 a.m. - 2 clicks
Guests enjoying last year's event. The annual Portsmouth Democratic Clamboil is scheduled for Sunday, September 12, and everyone is welcome at what promises to be an awesome afternoon of traditional food, amazing auction bargains, and election-year opportunities to chat with local, state, and national political leaders and candidates. The Clamboil is hosted at the Portugue...
Hard Deadlines - Sun 11:23 a.m. - 8 clicks
Yesterday I spent a fine afternoon going door to door in the Smith Hill neighborhood urging people to vote in the upcoming elections. The canvass was sponsored by Organizing for America, just one of the organizations that works to increase voter participation. I only do this kind of thing every few years, but I’m always [...] ...
Kmareka - Sun 7:29 a.m. - 2 clicks
Today, on the 47th anniversary of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King’s famous speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, there are many who want to wrap themselves in the aura of a struggle for justice that has been blessed by history. Since we have short memories and the truth is not always [...] ...
Kmareka - Sat 10:46 a.m.
My mind reels with the crazy 15-second news cycle, the flying slogans, the waving flags. So much nonsense and so tempting to jump in and argue. But the best remedy, in the long run, is a national lesson in history and civics. Above is a photo of one of America’s great moments, Reverend Dr. Martin [...] ...
Kmareka - Fri 12:22 p.m.
The Providence Journal reports that Senior U.S. District Court Judge Ronald R. Lagueux has approved the destruction of more than 700 pieces of evidence recovered from the site of the Station nightclub fire and the closure of the Cranston warehouse … Continue reading → ...
Closing Argument - Fri 11:07 a.m. - 7 clicks
The sound of pile drivers at the Sakonnet River Bridge construction site — painfully familiar to anyone in the Hummocks and audible even from Island Park — is now a thing of the past, says the RI Dept. of Transportation (RIDOT). In a press release, RIDOT announced that the last round of pile driving finished on Tuesday and positive test results Thursday meant the end of this phase...
Hard Deadlines - Fri 10:42 a.m. - 2 clicks
I guess propping up is better than no help at all. The Fed says it will prop up the economy, and things should be better in 2011: JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — The Federal Reserve chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, said Friday that the central bank was determined to prevent the economy from slipping into a cycle [...] ...
Kmareka - Fri 9:07 a.m. - 2 clicks
RI Lawyers Weekly reports that a U.S. District Court jury has awarded $1.5 million to a married couple for injuries they suffered as a result of a hernia repair patch. Christopher and Laure Thorpe were awarded $1.3 million for personal … Continue reading → ...
Closing Argument - Aug 25 - 11 clicks
The fifth annual Staff Sergeant Christopher Potts fishing tournament begins next Saturday, and the week-long fundraising event is capped off with a cookout at the Portsmouth Portuguese American Citizens Club on Saturday, September 11. The event, hosted by the Aquidneck Island Striper team is a benefit for the SSG Christopher Potts Memorial Fund, set up to help the family of the fallen servicema...
Hard Deadlines - Aug 24 - 6 clicks
The Portsmouth school budget referendum has been scheduled for Tuesday, October 5, according to a posting this afternoon on the Save Our Schools web site. Absentee ballots will be available from September 15. SOS organizer Dave Croston reminded students who are still registered here in Portsmouth to stop by Town Hall. "Students should visit the Canvassers Office before they head-out for schoo...
Hard Deadlines - Aug 23 - 9 clicks
Click image to view letter (pdf) The Rhode Island congressional delegation has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to visit the state to see the proposed LNG site firsthand and discuss concerns with state and local officials, according to a letter obtained by harddeadlines. The letter to FERC chairman Jon Wellinghoff, provided by Rep. Ray Gallison (D-69...
Hard Deadlines - Aug 18 - 2 clicks
The Boston Globe reports that the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that statewide public school guidelines on teaching human rights history can exclude materials disputing that the mass slaying of Armenians in the First World War era constituted … Continue reading → ...
Closing Argument - Aug 12
The Wall Street Journal “Health Blog” reported on a study released Monday by the Society of Actuaries which states that medical errors cost the US $19.5 billion in 2008. The costs include both medical costs and those linked to lost … Continue reading → ...
Closing Argument - Aug 10
The JNC is considering and will be interviewing 6 candidates for the position of Chief of the Rhode Island Family Court. Here is the Providence Journal review of the 6 candidates: The Judicial Nominating Commission announced July 12 that it … Continue reading → ...
Closing Argument - Aug 2
notes willie geist's anniversary as the host of his own msnbc program....
RIslander - Jul 27
The Democrats are moving closer to making the government and society more responsive to the common man. The Republicans who are still pushing for more for those at the top of the financial ladder are fighting the Dems, but they......
RIslander - Jul 22 - 6 clicks
You haven't been hearing from me for awhile- and there's a reason for that! I have relocated and am now using my born name of Rice- major life changes, indeed . I am now living, at least for awhile, in a beautiful condo on the Susquehanna on the upper Eastern Shore in Maryland. As I write on my deck on an absolutely gorgeous day with a warm temp & low humid...
Rhode Island's Twelfth - Jul 2
