Fall. Autumn. The season elicits a specific kind of ambivalent response. The death of summer. Harbinger of winter. That special time when kids go back to school, adults rejoice and college coeds fill red cups and get to learning. Not to mention the ubiquitous pumpkinism, spiced eu pumpkin, pumpkinish, pumpkings, a la pumpkins, etc. Some of […]
Beautiful – The Carole King Musical will begin its national tour on September 15 at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Based on the life of singer-songwriter Carole King, the show features many of her hits, including “It’s Too Late,” “So Far Away,” “The Locomotion,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” King and her songwriter husband, Gerry […]
Providence native, noted historian and librarian, and the author of Young America: the Flowering of Democracy in New York City (1998), Ark of the Liberties: America and the World (2008) and Martin Van Buren (2005), Ted Widmer, has produced a thoroughly entertaining history of Brown University that is well-written, impeccably researched and benefits from copious footnotes. (Disclosure: Ted Widmer and Rudy […]
Aries: You’re on a journey of discovery, figuring out what makes you happy, healthy and human. What works for you? Conversations with significant others in your life clarify your thoughts. Things are not all serious. During this time there’s fun and a possible romance in the air. Romance lurks in the most unlikely places. Taurus: Your […]
Every campus develops a unique, symbiotic relationship with its surrounding community (depending on who you’re talking to, some might call it a parasitic one). Some establishments thrive, but only because of the steady business from students. The school year just marks the busy season at the end of a slower summer. So where do the collegiates at […]
Going back to school is a bittersweet time for me. There’s the excitement of being reunited with old friends, the wide open possibilities of a brand new semester of classes and meeting new roommates. But transitioning from a summer of home-cooked meals or independent living with a Trader Joe’s in walking distance to being back […]
Watching the American health system operate is like watching a game of Whack-A-Mole: a symptom pops up, a doctor smacks it down. Another one pops up and whack! It goes down. Up again, down again, over and over. Unfortunately, it is a game in which the patient seldom wins. The US spends more on healthcare than any […]
In preparing for Motif‘s student guide, our mighty editor, Emily, asked if I would be willing to write an article about places one can get to on our state bus system (RIPTA or “Rhode Island Public Transit Authority”). I get this assignment because, having never driven an automobile (nor even had a driver’s license), I […]
There is no sign for those driving by, no indication there is a business just behind the tree line off Weaver Hill Road in West Greenwich. But anybody who has lived in town for any length of time knows if they need a hard-to-get part for their car or truck, there’s a pretty good chance they […]
A ‘Utes Guide to P&J Phillipe and Jorge have learned that some of our discerning and loyal younger readers are somewhat vague about the origins of the column and references within same to such places as Casa Diablo. (Which is understandable, given the fact that many weren’t even born when the column came out of […]