If you don’t know who this is then you must be new to these parts. In fact, it’s almost impossible to stay out of their way, but why would you want to? My favorite accidental meeting was election night 2008, heading for my car and bumping into the manic parade. Then there was that time downstairs at Trinity Brewhouse — goodbye ear cells. At any rate, they have had a personnel turnover and are actively recruiting brass.

If you or someone you know plays trumpet, trombone or baritone, write to us at whatcheerbrigade@gmail.com.

You don’t need to show up the most perfect trumpet player, just be willing to practice and bring yourself up to speed, learn our songs, come to practice (2 nights a week during the regular season) and shows (a few a month, including tour! yes you’ll tour with us), and be excited to be part of our band.

Tons of fun and travel, great times, new skills, new experiences, amazing band mates, being part of a unique and wild group who delivers some unique and wild tunes. We are so lucky to get to do this!

They’ve been to Europe and everything. No electricity needed or wanted, but it helps to have a personality of some sort. I once told Paul I wanted them to play at my funeral, to which he replied “Oh yeah, we do funerals” without taking one moment to contemplate a world without me in it. The man has a cash register for a heart. Learn more about the band at What Cheer? Brigade.

And we were finally able to put faces to some of the names. . . with mixed results. Of course there were some stragglers from the earlier party (lawyers!) so who knows. Big thanks to Chris at ‘The 201′ for helping with the pizza and letting us decorate his walls with all the ecumenical interfaith cheesiness we could afford. Thanks to Eric for lining up the venue, thanks to Matthew for the great music, and thanks to me for picking up the pizza. Oh, and thanks to Dave for ordering the pizza. It was a great crowd of fellow bloggers, commenters, advertisers, riffraff and hangers-on, and we thank you for making it not suck at all.

Of course this note was delayed by the fact that our site was disabled for a considerable time today (as if the blog itself had a hangover — it lives). Turned out our host had us down for routine maintenance, something about an oil change. (And thanks to Tim for fielding my panicky phone call this morning, plus he did some fine balloon work last night.)

Approximately 99% of all the species that have ever existed are now extinct, and man had nothing to do with most of that. But the passenger pigeon? This one’s on us.  And we didn’t do it by slowly destroying their habitat — we actually blasted every last one of them out of the sky. Although in truth, the very last one one died in captivity. According to the Encyclopedia Smithsonian,

The last known individual of the passenger pigeon species was “Martha” (named after Martha Washington). She died at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden, and was donated to the Smithsonian Institution, where her body was once mounted in a display case with this notation:

MARTHA — Last of her species, died at 1pm, 1 September 1914, age 29, in the Cincinnati Zoological Garden — EXTINCT

This feat of annihilation is all the more remarkable when you consider its scope — firsthand accounts of their migrations describe enormous flocks darkening the skies for days. (What would it be like if this was still happening in modern America?) The extinction of species, avian migration, and memory have inspired a new exhibition at the Bell Gallery by artist Rachel Berwick — Zugunruhe*. The ‘birds’ are in the second room, but stop and read at least some of the text (eyewitness reports) on the walls in the first room. It prepares your mind.

David Winton Bell Gallery, Brown University, 64 College Street, 863.2932, through February 14

more »

UPDATE: The Projo has an update on the eviction, and plans to care for the animals.

ORIGINAL,12/8: Fortunately Dr. Ernest Finocchio, head of the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, appears to be on top of the dire situation developing at Bonniedale Farms in Glocester. Yesterday morning Dan MacKenzie, the owner of Bonniedale, was served with eviction papers by a constable representing a Massachusetts bank. A moving van has cleared the personal effects out, but 136 animals have been left behind. According to the ProJo,

Finocchio said he was advised that the bank had hired an agency to take care of the animals. Whatever they do, he said, they had better do quickly because state law requires that animals must be provided with potable water and food within 24 hours, and he has the authority to bring charges.

“If that’s not done, we’ll have no choice but to follow the law and charge someone with neglect of these animals,” said the Rhode Island SPCA leader, who vowed to be back at the farm Tuesday at 9 a.m. Finocchio did succeed in having some animals removed from the site Monday, including a 7-foot corn snake, which was taken to the SPCA shelter in East Providence.

Good luck to Dr. Finnochio who is working on this with the Glocester Animal Control Officer as well as the state veterinarian. If this requires court action, let’s hope it moves to the top of the calendar.

Events continue today and through Sunday at the Rhode Island Convention Center as the Bay Colony Cluster Dog Show takes over downtown Providence. ‘Best of Breed’ judging culminates in the final ‘Best of Show’ event. We all know the drill by now — groups include sporting, working, terrier, toy (seen here; Pomeranian, aerial view). Go cheer on your fave and see what a groomed specimen looks like.

Rhode Island Convention Center, 1 Sabin Street, 8am to 5pm, $12 adults, $7 for children 12 and under

We’re finally waging war at the 54th parallel — against the Asian Carp.  They’ve breached our first line of defense, an underwater electric fence.   Next maneuver: chemical warfare.

For a sense of why we hate them so:

But if you wanna see a fish that really flies:

Peter Singer is controversial not because his philosophy is especially profound — it’s a heavily utilitarian moral philosophy based on derivations from a few simple first principles, which are themselves attempts to capture those characteristics that make humans empathetic and sympathetic to one another.

Rather, he’s controversial because he dares to say stuff that people will gleeful pounce upon and strive to misconstrue, and calls them out on their own contradictory behavior.  When he asserts something that sounds like, to paraphrase, “A three-year old dog is more empathetic and intelligent than a 3-month old human baby, and therefore no more deserving of harm,” he’s not suggesting the we hurt the baby.  He’s suggesting that we be gentle to the dog.  You can tell him just what a vile so-and-so he is, at Brown, tomorrow:

Peter Singer, the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University, will discuss “Ethics and Animals: Where We’ve Come From, and Where We Need To Go.” A Q&A session will follow his talk. Presented by the Brown Animal Rights Club, this event begins at 7 p.m. in MacMillan Hall, Room 117.

The Providence Rescue League is having its annual Howl-o-Ween Party this afternoon.

Get in costume and come to PARL with your 4-legged friend for pet (and people) costume contests, critter-related crafts, candy, snacks, and a bake sale to benefit the animals in our shelter!

Shop for a good cause — check out the pet-safe pies from Cutie Pies and eco-friendly dog toys from Furry Friends — and a portion of the proceeds will benefit PARL.

1pm to 3pm, Saturday, 34 Elbow Street, 421.1399 x210

Technically, St. Francis of Assisi was a Catholic, but before his conversion, he was a highborn aristo so Episcopalians have embraced him. And everyone is invited to the ‘Blessing of the Animals’ being conducted by St. Martin’s Church tomorrow at Parkside Park on the fashionable East Side — cats, dogs, goats (don’t know where the snakes fit into all this, theologically speaking). In preparation for the event, Episcopalians will get their pets groomed, the Catholics will take theirs to confession, and then by gosh, it’s cocktail time! (For more about Episcopalians and animals, go here.)

4pm, Sunday, Parkside Street

Or, what not to name your band. Enough with the bears already! So far we’ve got Grizzly Bear, Panda Bear, White Bear Balloon, Bloody Pandas, and I don’t know quite how to feel about Minus the Bear.  There . . . I just had to get that off my chest . . . and no more ‘flaming’ things.

For a fairly urban state, Rhode Island has a healthy dose of raptors — from the peregrine falcons that keep our pigeon population tolerably low to the vultures that permanently circle 295 to the red-tailed hawks, like the one I snapped above my Providence office entrance, that — well, I guess they keep our metro-bunny population in check, as this one was heartily eating a rabbit at the time.

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island is hosting Raptor Weekend, where you can view eagles, owls, hawks and vultures in live-flight demonstrations and learn other cool stuff, too. Check here for a full schedule of today and tomorrow’s events. You might want to leave Fluffy and Nibbles at home.

$10 adults/$5 kids/$25 for family 4-pack, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 12 and 13, 10am to 4pm both days, 1401 Hope Street (Rte 114), Bristol

The DEM is warning Rhode Islanders to avoid contact with a wayward manatee that’s been spotted in local waters.

The animal was last seen Tuesday morning at Sakonnet Point in Little Compton, and appeared to be headed north.

Before that, it was seen in Point Judith Pond in South Kingstown.

The DEM says anyone who sees the manatee should refrain from feeding, watering or touching it, because it could be harmful to the animal’s health.

Until a few moments ago, I hadn’t realized what a distinct privilege it is that KFC has started selling its new sandwich — the one with chicken cutlets instead of bread — in Rhode Island. We’re one of just two states where the monstrosity is being test-marketed.

What’s the big deal? It’s only half of one of those quadruple-breasted birds.

And delicious. Come play Scrabble tonight at Blue State Coffee (emotional support lions welcome with doctor’s certification). Just wander in any time after 6pm. Bring a board if you’ve got one, and pencil and paper. The floor hostess will adjudicate all disputes — no arguing balls and strikes. Purchase tea, coffee, espresso etc. and yummy baked goods (from Seven Stars) at the cash register, right next to the tip jar.

6pm to closing at 10pm, Wednesdays, Blue State Coffee, 300 Thayer Street

Glorious clips of the peregrine falcons, and greater downtown Providence. All the more special for being unmolested by the crap-brown concrete lattice of the Textron Building, as that’s whereupon the birdies are perched.

Rare to find predatory creatures sharing turf so amicably.

Calvin Borel assures everyone that he’s going to win today’s Belmont Stakes. As Ty Cobb once said “It ain’t bragging if you can do it.” Of course Ty Cobb was the most hated man in baseball history.  But Borel seems kind of cute and he’s bragging more on his ride, Mine That Bird, than himself. He would appear to be an excellent judge of horse flesh. See Borel go for his own personal Triple Crown on ABC/Channel 6.

Post time @ 6:27 Saturday, coverage starts 5:30pm