Motif

Author: Emily Olson

  • Letter to the Editor: Nips gotta go

    To the Editor,


    Phillipe and Jorge, who are right about almost everything else, completely blew it by beating up on Representative David Bennett’s bill banning nips in the March 2nd “Phillipe & Jorge: Tips for nips and soup Nazis.” https://motifri.com/phillipe-jorge-tips-for-nips-and-soup-nazis/
    Banning nips is a good idea, and Rep Bennett is a hero for proposing his bill.
    Rhode Island has serious big time issues with substance use disorder and alcohol use disorder.  We typically rank in the top 5 in the nation for drug and alcohol consumption of any and every drug that exists, including alcohol, which may help explain what usually goes on the the General Assembly and in the rest of government. But it also explains our way-too-many drug overdose and alcohol intoxication deaths. Nips exist for one reason only: so liquor store owners and wholesalers can profit off someone else’s misfortune. I don’t buy that business about discrimination against poor people for one second.  Nips exist to get poor people drunk. They contribute mightily to EMS transports for alcohol related issues, and are often associated with lots of littering.
    When Chelsea MA banned nips in 2018, they saw EMS transports for alcohol-related issues drop by more than fifty percent, and their downtown littering issues improved significantly.
    If all other things were equal, Rep Bennett’s bill would have passed unanimously ten years ago.  But they ain’t equal.  Alcohol retailers, middlemen and manufacturers know whose palm to grease.  Let them pay for all those EMS runs and cleaning up our cities instead of tax payers, if this bill should fail to pass.

    Michael Fine               

    www.michaelfinemd.com

  • Rhode Island Woman Awarded $1.3 Million After Botched Surgery

    Rhode Island Woman Awarded $1.3 Million After Botched Surgery

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    A Rhode Island woman was recently awarded $1.3 million after she had gallstone surgery, resulting in months of prolonged complications due to medical negligence at Kent Hospital. Although in most cases, Rhode Island healthcare professionals meet acceptable standards of care, malpractice can and does happen. Fortunately, legal help is on hand to help injured patients receive compensation and pursue the road to recovery after being affected by malpractice.

    Negligent care at Kent Hospital

    A jury found both Dr. Brian Reed and Kent Hospital negligent in the care of Ashley Vickers, aged 33. Vickers first went to Kent Hospital for gallstone surgery in 2014, but had a follow-up appointment the next day due to pain and bleeding. For a period of two months, Vickers then checked in and out of Kent Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital multiple times. Her bile duct had been mistakenly cut during the initial surgery and was leaking into her abdomen. Ultimately, Vickers had to have reconstructive surgery to repair the damage to her organs, which involved cutting and rerouting her small intestine.  

    Raina Smith, a spokesperson for Care New England (which owns and operates Kent Hospital) declined to comment on the case. However, Reed is no longer licensed to practice in Rhode Island, according to the Department of Health. “Today, [Vickers] abdomen is now a completely altered system of scar tissue and changed anatomy, and she carries risk into the future,” said Vickers’ lawyer, Michael P. Quinn Jr.

    Proving medical malpractice 

    When it comes to malpractice, the burden of proof falls on the injured patient to prove negligence on the part of a healthcare professional, JJS Justice explains. For a case to legally be considered malpractice, direct harm caused by a healthcare professional that otherwise wouldn’t have been caused by a competent doctor must be proven. Simply being dissatisfied with the results of surgery or treatment isn’t enough to have a medical malpractice claim. In Rhode Island, patients have a three-year statute of limitations to file a medical malpractice lawsuit (the same timeframe as other personal injury claims). If harm or injury wasn’t immediately apparent, the patient has three years from when it should have been reasonably discovered to file a suit.  

    Ultimately, medical malpractice can be potentially emotionally, physically, and financially devastating to patients and families. Fortunately, medical malpractice law plays a key role in holding those responsible to account while winning justice for injured patients.

    Sponsored Post

  • Planning a Rhode Island Wedding to Remember

    Planning a Rhode Island Wedding to Remember

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    Photo by Scott Webb

    Vogue, The Knot, and Wedding Wire—all three of which are leading trend predictors and experts in wedding events and fashion—have shared their research on top wedding trends for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2022 season. Outdoor tent-style and garden weddings, long weekends away, and boho-chic themes will all be holding sway, as well as destination weddings to natural paradises like Rhode Island. It isn’t called ‘the Ocean State’ for nothing. Rhode Island is home to seven state beaches, many of which make the perfect backdrop for the ultimate nature-inspired wedding. To make the most of their beauty, keep the following tips in mind.

    On the Water

    For the ultimate Instagrammable wedding, make sure to make the most of the water, holding your ceremony and/or reception at one of Rhode Island’s many waterfront venues. Some of the most popular choices for couples wishing to say ‘I do’ to the sound of waves crashing on the shore include Newport Beach House: A Longwood Venue, and Belle Mer. Just a few features offered by these and other top venues include seafront dining, outdoor wedding ceremony spaces complete with artificial turf and beautifully decorated wedding arches, and catch-of-the-day fish and seafood for your reception. If you are into yachting or sailing, then an ideal venue is The Bohlin at the Newport  Yachting Center, where you can exchange vows with a romantic sailboat floating in the backdrop over sparkling waters.

    Ocean-Inspired Wedding Jewelry

    To remember your Rhode Island wedding, let the ocean inspire your jewelry choices as well. Trending this year are colorful, meaningful traditional wedding ring styles like solitaire diamond rings, or modern, fashion-forward styles like stacked eternity rings and twisted engagement and wedding rings. Sea-loving brides and grooms are choosing gemstones like Tanzanites, Sapphires, and Blue Diamonds to play a starring role in their wedding rings instead of sticking to traditional white diamonds. Mixed metals are also in. Think a blue gemstone ring designed in rose gold, worn alongside a white gold, pave diamond wedding band. 

    Embracing the Boho-Chic Trend

    If you will be celebrating an outdoor wedding, then aim to incorporate boho-chic features, as they are trending strongly across the globe but are especially prevalent in seaside events. Think boho flowers on your wedding arch and in your bouquet and table décor. Typically, these arrangements include pampas grass, mustard roses, natural broom, white achillea, white canary grass, wildflowers, and dried flowers. For lighting, opt for golden fairy and tealights and make sure a few macrame chandeliers are hanging from the trees or within your tent or outdoor table structure. Make sure your look suits the theme. Boho brides are wearing their hair down in beachy waves and choosing natural/nude makeup looks. They are also opting for hippy chic materials like golden lace, organic materials, and guipure lace for their dress. For grooms, white and light beige linen and cotton are all the rage.

    Rhode Island is known as ‘the Ocean State’ so if this state is your chosen destination for your wedding, it pays to make water a major part of your event. Choose a venue that will highlight the beauty of the sea. Take it a step further by embracing the boho-chic trend and opting for a laidback, warm, beachy vibe for your ceremony as well.

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  • Opened and Closed: March 2022

    Opened

    Apple Cinemas Warwick: 400 Bald Hill Rd, Warwick. The new cinema opening at the Warwick Mall will hold its grand opening on March 3, includes a full-service bar, and has announced plans to screen foreign films and movies from the Indian film market. It is part of a regional chain of New England cinemas. 

    Closed

    Blush Vegan Bakery: 408 Atwells Ave, PVD. Owner Samantha Chamberlain shared a regretful social media post at the end of January that Blush would be closing its doors. Chamberlain cited the pandemic as the main reason for closure, expressed thanks for her staff and customers, and hoped that this was less of a “goodbye” and more of a “see you later.” 

    Bobby G’s: 703 Kingstown Rd, South Kingstown. Dammit, Bobby! Bobby G’s owners thanked all of their customers for 39 years of business, and are looking forward to retirement. 

    Federal Hill Pizza: 1039 Chalkstone Ave, PVD. Owner and chef Billy Manzo indicated last fall that he would close the location to focus on his original East Bay location as well as a new line of frozen pizzas, thus perpetuating the Castle Cinema building’s curse.

  • Open and Closed: February 2022

    Opened

    The Village Authentic Nigerian Restaurant, 100 Fountain St, PVD. The Village is a family business, with Toyin Wilcox opening a second location beyond their Pawtucket original.  

    Closed

    Brewed Awakenings: 100 Westminster St, PVD. It’s brewed sleeping time in PVD. David Levesque’s RI-based coffee chain is leaving the Creative Capital, but still operates four other locations across Cranston, Warwick, and Johnston. 

    JP Spoonem’s: 1678 Broad St, Cranston. After a successful 40-year run, Joe and Pat Mangione have decided to retire, after “much consideration and heartbreak.” This venerable cafe will be quite missed in their neighborhood.

    Siena: 238 Atwells Ave, PVD. This one is a real blow for the high-end dining set, but owner Anthony Tarro assures us that the East Greenwich and Smithfield locations will continue to thrive. 

    The Grange: 166 Broadway, PVD. While the restaurant offering plant-based cuisine has been closed since last summer, the closure was officially made permanent last month. The Garden Grill and Wild Flour, also owned by Bob Yaffe, will remain open on the East Side for those west siders jonesing for veggies and brave enough to make an excursion beyond their hood.

  • Open and Closed: December 2021

    Open

    Aguardente: 12 Governor St, PVD. aguardente.com. This Portuguese-inspired little spot is a welcome addition to Fox Point’s bustling food scene. See story at motifri.com/xxx

    Bellini: 90 Westminster St, PVD. bellinirestaurant.com. Fine Italian dining and a members-only rooftop bar inside the Beatrice Hotel. 

    Bonanno: 256 Atwells Ave, PVD. A new Fed Hill dig featuring small plates, a market for imported goods, and an emphasis on wine not found elsewhere in RI. 

    Crazy Hearts Vintage Clothing: 203 Weybosset St, PVD. A new vintage clothing shop fashioning things up where Evolution Piercings used to be. 

    Closed

    Malachi’s Coffee: 134 Ives St, PVD. This family-owned and operated coffee shop in Fox Point was a favorite of many locals. 

    Muse Music Store: 1204 Fish Rd, Tiverton. Music equipment shop and music school .  

    Westcott House: 49 Providence St, West Warwick. After 33 years in business, the owner points to inflationary and staffing pressures that made the establishment fold, much to the chagrin of the community.

  • On the Cover: December 2021

    On the Cover: December 2021

    Before you flipped to this page, you probably noticed our illustrated cover. It’s evocative of a simpler holiday season of yore, before the consumerism and capitalism drove us to the egg nog, before we ever knew that our party-hardy brother-in-law existed, and back when the idea of “holiday dinner” provoked thoughts of eating said dinner instead of the logistics of its preparation. Once upon a time, there were just some happy holiday owls.

    Warwick illustrator Zoë Anderson gave us this inspiring moment to enjoy. Upon receiving the art, Motif wondered, what did the owls mean? Could it be an allusion to Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom and strategy, granting wisdom to lost souls who struggle to fi nd their place in the holiday season? Or perhaps a more contemporary reference to Hedwig and Pigwidgeon, owls of Harry Potter fame? Or the Twin Peaks owls, whooo are not what they seem?

    “I really just like drawing owls,” Anderson shared.

    “I wanted to represent the many different types of gifts that can be given, whether it’s something you bought, something you found, a piece of art you made or an experience,” she elaborated. “I wanted to make something non-stressful – I feel like a lot of people are stressed out looking for gifts.”

    Anderson also said she enjoyed the holidays herself, and looked forward to seeing her family in East Greenwich, Providence, and Narragansett and going on their annual holiday stroll.

  • Open Door Decor

    Open Door Decor

    Open Door Health, an inclusive healthcare facility in PVD, in collaboration with The Avenue Concept, recently unveiled a new mural. The mural, created by renowned queer artist Brian Kenny, features his signature line drawing style. The interconnected line drawings incorporate LGBTQ+ iconography and plants native to Rhode Island, depicted in the colors that appear on the trans flag. See more of Kenny’s work @briankenny and read our profile of Open Door Health at motifri.com/opendoorhealth.

  • Plein Air Pawtucket

    Plein Air Pawtucket

    Plein Air Pawtucket is the centerpiece of the Pawtucket Arts Festival. During the weekend of September 10, 12 artists will set up their canvases along a 1.25-mile walking tour that takes visitors to the Pawtucket Falls, Slater Mill, the library, the armory and along the Blackstone River.

    According to Plein Air Pawtucket founder Nick Paciorek, the beauty of the event is that it allows visitors a different view of a piece of art and of a landscape. “Pawtucket offers such a rich source of inspiration for painters, and this event offers a chance for people to enjoy the outdoors, watch the artists work and see the city through the lens of the artist.”

    Work done in plein air is particularly interesting because it allows an artist to incorporate color, movement and ever-changing natural light into their work. Passersby who fall in love with a particular piece may purchase it at the Pawtucket-based Pitcher-Goff House Gallery and Studio, a gorgeous venue worthy of a visit. The works created during the Plein Air Pawtucket event will become the inaugural paintings of the Pawtucket Collection, an ongoing collection of art that captures the spirit of Pawtucket.

    The Pitcher-Goff House Gallery and Studio is located at 99 Broadway, Pawtucket. fb.com/NickPaciorekStudio

  • Black Fish in a Red Sea: Somethin’ fishy in these here waters



    Poet’s Prologue: I am the Invisible veteran. I recently read an article about the finding of a deep sea fish that was always there but was never seen. before. Think of that a second…something always there…but never seen. Like the GI Bill creating housing patterns that led to modern racial reckoning. Like a placid ocean that hides and buries tons of pressure. Let’s see…what’s under the sea.

    I had a pale inlaw who bought a house for $5 thousand dollars. Lived happily ever after. Sold it for $5 million dollars. My dusky father was an outlaw and bought a similar house for $5 thousand. Lived happily ever after. Couldn’t sell it for $5 thousand. In the words of philosopher Marvin Gaye, “what’s goin’ on? Someone tell me what’s goin’ on?” Yep, GI, this a metaphor about Bill and Redlining:

    Fish be floatin’, moatin’, downright slow boatin’. A phantom miles under deep.

    Dense immense darkness in a pitch black sea.

    It is Something grazing swimmingly … in whatever water is.

    Gulping … sculpting … bubbles … with an undulating phrenic peep.

    Fish ain’t hardly crazy about the pressure way Above. Not that it knows where-ever …if ever …of anything called Above. Nor able to think of nuthin’ really. Not life, not liberty nor love.

    Fish just be floatin’. bloatin’ . motor boatin’ and downright showboatin’.
    Darting past the deep sea tripod fish. Ugling with the bony-eared assfish.
    Evading the larval lionfish.

    Holy mackerel, pretty damn Dark creature. An Ultra-Black blink of a fish in
    a bottomless Black sea. So invisible light soaks into its very scales. Why is
    a creature this creepy anyways, So far under deep.

    No clue … this filet … that sentients called scientists have tracked down their prey. Pixels in black n’ white in something called Time Magazine. Yep, Chronically Unaware it is… ‘Cause for Fish there …is …no …Time.

    Fish just be floatin, bloatin, motor boatin’ and just plain showboatin’

    It is … as it and its kin have always been. Indigo, no where to go. Invisible, Mired in murky mud waters not of their making.

    Suddenly, a whoosh of steamy red… vents its unawares and froths him up…up…up… to another level. Where comfortable cold is beveled by jets of searing heat. Whatever heat or red is.

    Turbulent Times. Down is now Up. Black is volcanic Red. Denizen density now Light. God what a fright! (whatever god is)

    Fish paddles fitfully about until it encounters something mystically enroute.
    Brightness ! Stirring feelings on its face and it can suddenly…
    See !?! Whatever face and seeing is.

    See here now … in the suddenly red lining. Critters are all about. Keep your head on a swivel. ‘Cause Now it stands out. Whatever stands means. Fish is certainly Outed…

    Just in time to barely avoid a school of loan sharks that chase it back down to the depths of the sound. Never ever to venture up again.