Memorial Day is more than just a holiday that unofficially marks the beginning of summer. There is a deep meaning to this day, which became an official holiday in 1971, though its origins date back to the Civil War, and it is a holiday that is for mourning and reflecting, not celebrating. Memorial Day […]
Dear C; I almost didn’t notice the small black dot under the top rim of Caitlin’s ear until she rubbed at it and said, “My ear feels funny!” I bent down to look and nearly shrieked – it was one of those nasty ticks, and it must have been there for at least a day […]
Two ticks, one in Rhode Island, the other in Central India, injected and infected me with the most vicious of microbial beasts. “What’s the probability of that?” you might ask. How could two ticks, nearly 8,000 miles apart, find me so irresistible? Is it the spicy flavor of my Sicilian blood from too much puttanesca? […]
The use of antidepressants (ADs) in this country rose more than 400% between 1990 and 2008, then increased by another 65% between 1999 and 2014. Why? Many argue that today’s skyrocketing numbers are due to previous undertreatment of depression, while others blame profiteering by the pharmaceutical industry. Another camp sees it as a generalized symptom of […]
Dear C; When his wife divorced him, my brother, Tom, was devastated. She moved to another state and he moved into a rented room. Then he had a run of bad lack that seemed due to severe depression. and got evicted for non-payment. Tom and I have always been close and I needed help with […]
When a representative from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) asked the audience how we’d gotten ourselves to the clean transportation listening session, most people raised their hands to “driving here alone in a car.” Including me. The meeting was convened to help RIDOT, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the Office […]
In as big a sign of spring as the crocuses, baseball is back in Rhode Island and the Pawtucket Red Sox are underway for the 2018 season. The PawSox have served as a minor league baseball team for the Boston Red Sox since 1970, playing all 48 seasons at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket. McCoy has […]
Creative people from all walks of life use videos, images, music, newspapers, websites and social media — and these copyrighted materials are an important part of our cultural heritage. Teachers and students use these materials, too. Those involved in media education make extensive use of copyrighted content, using images, videos and music in both analyzing […]
This is an article I have mixed feelings about writing. I in no way want to promote drunk driving. To the contrary, I believe that in the era of Uber and Lyft, there’s no excuse to get behind the wheel of the car if you’ve had too many, asshole. Unfortunately, however, many of us think […]
This year, more than 730,000 businesses or individuals are expected to use bankruptcy to wipe out or reduce their debt, according to the US Trustees Program. But despite trends and numbers — and no matter how common bankruptcy may be — there’s no comfort in solidarity when a person is faced with mounting financial pressure. […]