It’s been a tame summer for the Downtown Design Review Committee. With so little to report on, your correspondent has resorted to spending weekends out of state on a work-vacation R&R/R&D hybrid, smoking medicinal herbs and studying other zoning schemes for much-needed perspective. Ironically, the hard thinking I’ve done on the road has left me […]
Those who have considered investing time and resources into the installation of solar panels may think of the environmental and economic benefits of such a decision; certainly they can prove to be a cost-saving maneuver. However, property owners in Rhode Island may also be able to get paid for the work their solar panels do. […]
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician in Flint, Michigan, first raised the alarm about lead in the water. Flint had switched its water supply from Lake Huron to the polluted local river in April 2014, immediately triggering widespread complaints of illness. City and state officials ignored reports and assured citizens that the water was safe. Dr. […]
Nineteen years ago, Marianne Kelly, a licensed cosmetologist, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The 18 months of rehabilitation were tough. She had to relearn such simple tasks as walking and feeding herself. But none of this was as troubling to her as the changes in her looks. She’d always been particular about her appearance, […]
NecronomiCon attracts more than just Lovecraft geeks. It also attracts Lovecraft gamers. Every convention, a massive group of gamers ascends from the deep to partake in one of dozens of table-top gaming events taking place all weekend in several Lovecraft-themed rooms and tables. “My favorite thing about the gaming community is the diversity. You never know […]
Illness never just affects our bodies; our minds are sucked down into the spiraling vortex too. Moods seem to darken when a health crisis is brewing. In fact, one of the symptoms of a heart attack is “a sense of impending doom.” On the other hand, our minds can have a powerful impact on recovery. […]
Dear C, My 19 year old daughter isn’t really into school. She sees no reason for it and is attending only because I made it a condition of staying home rent free. Recently, through her online social media account, she met a 35-year-old man from across the country and after two months she thinks she […]
The heat is officially ON. We’ve moved past the fireworks of the 4th and are now nearing the Dog Days of summer. Weeks stretch into afternoons at the beach and pool parties in the backyard, and leapfrog through open hydrants on city streets. In Rhode Island we’ve already had our first official heat wave and […]
Dear C; I am an adjunct teacher at a university and a freelance artist. I know the other teachers at the school pretty well; we often take turns using the same classrooms and, out of need, share supply closets. One of the teachers, Todd, is also a freelance artist. Unbeknownst to me, he’d done work […]
It’s summer. It’s hot. Weak chins come out in droves as men shed their beards, and more skin can be seen thanks to crop tops, short shorts and bikinis. We can sit around the unbearable house being miserable, trying to get the rooms cool with an old, inefficient air conditioner, or we can retreat to […]