As a vegetarian, I know that I can’t control everything that goes on where food is prepared behind the scenes, my mom’s house included. It’s one of the great conundrums of vegetarianism—by nature and necessity we’re picky people, but once the order is in, it’s out of our hands, and we can only hope that the people making our food are aware of (and actually care about) preparing our food in a meat-free manner.

But when you can see how your food is being prepared (e.g., when there’s an exposed kitchen, or your friend’s backyard), it’s sometimes easier to make sure that the cuisine is prepared in accordance with your principles. So, whether the food prep is visible or not, this is an open call to action to anyone who makes the following items, all of which are vulnerable to veggie-unfriendliness:

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Providence afropunk innovators Science For The People take on some guests and play at AS220 tonight, bringing their Fela-meets-Minutemen jams along with Brooklyn’s Fiasco and The Brown Book (pictured, formerly Banana Hands) and Bat Attack. 9pm, $6

Fake Fire Marshals Descend on Rhode Island City:

The Woonsocket, Rhode Island Fire Department is warning city residents to be on the look out for phony fire marshals.Officials say one or more people have been falsely representing themselves as a fire marshal.

Endemic of the dynamic at the national level, we in the pro-immigrant movement in Rhode Island haven’t always known where best to concentrate our energy, what tactics to use, what policies to push, etc.  But in the aftermath of last month’s raids, it’s been incredibly heartening to see so many people come together to work in common cause, even if we’re not always as focus as would be ideal:

There’s news today that tens of thousands of dollars have been raised to help the affected families.

Andrade’s next fight is on Tuesday, against Russian Andrey Balanov.

BEIJING — After winning his preliminary-round bout, 2007 world champion and two-time national welterweight champ Demetrius Andrade admits he doesn’t know a great deal about the Olympic competition that lies ahead.

“All I know is four more fights and I’m home with the gold (to) Providence, Rhode Island,” Andrade said after surviving an 11-9 brawl against Kakhaber Jvania of Georgia on Sunday night at Beijing Worker’s Gymnasium.

“The conflict between Russia and the former Soviet republic of Georgia moved toward all-out war on Saturday as Russia prepared to land ground troops on Georgia’s coast and broadened its bombing campaign both within Georgia and in the disputed territory of Abkhazia.” (NYT)

“Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Moscow on Saturday that some 1,500 people have been killed in South Ossetia, with the death toll rising.” (HuffPo)

On August 10 of this year, the IWW has scheduled a celebration and rally one day before the one year anniversary of the Aug. 11 IWW labor picket and the injury of  Alex Svoboda.

On August 11 2007 the Providence branch of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) held a peaceful solidarity picket down Mineral Spring Avenue in North Providence to Jackie’s Galaxie restaraunt. The Providence IWW held the picket to bring attention to the fact that Galaxie owner Jackie Cho refused to drop Queens, NY based HWH/Dragonland as his supplier. Cho refused even after the sweatshop and union-busting conditions endured by IWW workers at HWH were revealed to him.

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Mostly, we just like the photo we’ve stolen from Forbes. We’ll post anything that makes it look like this is a real place.

But, also, it’s worth noting that it’s been re-affirmed that we’re as wasted as we think we are.

From IO9: ” The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will smash up its its first proton beams this weekend in a test, arousing the fears of conspiracy lovers everywhere. If you’ll recall, the LHC is that super-mega physics experiment in Switzerland’s CERN Lab that some believe might destroy the world by producing black holes. Above, you can see a visualization of how large the facility is, as it loops under the ground outside Geneva. So what’s in store tomorrow when the first beams start circling?”( More)

From Matt.  We’re pretty psyched to have Jamie back around for the weekend:

If you didn’t read my story in this week’s Phoenix, here’s the gist.  The Flobots - who have Rhody roots - have burst onto the music scene with their live band, hip hop and politically charged lyrics.  Here’s their schedule in Providence tonight:

FRIDAY: The Flobots (with Gogol Bordello) at Lupo’s.  Doors open at 8pm.  Tickes are $20 and can be purchased here.

SATURDAY: Flobots lead emcee, Jonny 5, will host a “Fight With Tools” event on at 3pm at the Open Table of Christ church at 1520 Broad St. in Providence. It will feature a solo performance by Jonny 5 and a discussion about Providence activism and the Fight With Tools street teams.

It’s not often you attend a political fundraiser where the entertainment is a raggedy be-hatted trio of lovable hobos who blast though clanging, joyous numbers with choruses like “The skyline’s on fire!” and filter a haunting cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Bird On a Wire” through a warm bath of electric hum. The Low Anthem can be both gentle and calamitous at once, and on their new Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, they expand on what what NPR referred to as their “hand-made songs” and deliver a devastatingly beautiful record of love, death, and the death of love painstakingly infused with the sound of icy coastal waters and vast, sun soaked horizons. (more…)

Friday

AS220: The In Out, Sweatlodge, Bovachevo 9pm, $6

The Bullpen (New Bedford): 75 or Less Presents Summer Live Part 1 with The Propellers, Blood Moons, the Diggers, Nate Laban, Coma Coma. Free t-shirts, CDs, and more 8pm, $5

Thunderdome: Noise Weekend with Sharpwaist, Waterdogs, Nurture Abuse, Bronhard/Going/Public, Noise Nomads, more…7pm, don’t hate, please donate.

The Studio Blue (Riverside): The Viennagram, Czech Iz Your Master, Triangle Forest 8pm, $8

Saturday

The Bullpen (New Bedford): 75 Or Less Summer Live continues with Chris Evil and the Taints, Six Star General, Killing Pablo, Von Doom, Suicide Bill free t-shirts, cds, stickers with cover 8pm, $5 (fucking cheap!)

Thunderdome: Noise Weekend continues with Cathode Terror Secretion, Crank Sturgeon, Shawn Greenlee, Karlhienz, Shallow Waters, more…7pm, donations welcome

AS220: Oichu Kabu, Bouyant Sea, The Yummy Cakes,  The Walrus and the Carpenter. 9pm, $6

I’m going on record right now and saying that this is going to be one hell of a book. A Harper Collins subsidiary imprint has just won at auction the rights to Steven Tyler’s as-yet-unwritten memoir, paying more than 2 million for the rights. Last Summer, Keith Richards signed a 7 million deal for his forthcoming autobio and Eric Clapton’s Clapton was one of his publisher’s bestsellers last year. So I guess its a great time to be an aging rockstar with an amazing backstory. If the liner notes to Pandora’s Box, the early 90’s Aerosmith box set largely written by the band members themselves are any indication of what to expect from Mr. Tylers book, it’s going to be incredible. On a slightly different note, David Lee Roth’s Crazy From The Heat is the Ulysses of rock autobiography, and if you’ve never read it – wether you’re a Van Halen fan or not is irrelevant – literally stop what you’re doing right now and find a used copy on Amazon. It’s the greatest work of literature western culture has yet produced.

Congressman Kennedy and Mayor Cicilline will gather with volunteers to speak about the Obama energy plan and help kick off an information and registration drive throughout Providence.

Volunteers will gather at 12:15 at in the public fishing area and park next to the Hot Club (575 South Water Street) and hear remarks from the congressman and the mayor detailing how the Obama Energy plan offers help to Rhode Island families.

Immediately following the remarks, volunteers will fan out across the city to speak with people at gas stations who are feeling the pain at the pump. We’ll be handing out copies of the Obama energy plan and registering new voters.

Can you spare a few hours to help? If you can spare an hour or two, or even just come by on your lunch break, please join us, and help strengthen this movement for change. This is a unique opportunity to speak to Rhode Islanders who are concerned about taking our country’s energy policy in a new and better direction.

Those willing to volunteer should email Ray Sullivan at Sullivan.ray@gmail.com.

Another RNC, another “ March for Our Lives.” (Hard to believe that four years ago, this was kind of how I spent my summer vacation.)

The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) has completed two extremely successful and nonviolent protests during the Republican National Convention, one in 2004 in NYC, and in 2000 in Philadelphia. Another is planned this year in Minneapolis, after a month-long bus tour of poor families traveling around sharing their stories. I know I’m going to be watching how things progress on their blog.

The message of PPEHRC is more relevant than ever these days. And I gotta say, much as Cheri Honkala is a pill, I wish we had someone like her here in Rhode Island to make life hell for Carcieri and the DINOs.

Keep on keeping on, old friends. Now, if only I could find my copy of “ Battle for Broad“…

By Annie Messier

What does a big fancy mansion have to do with one of Rhode Island’s most celebrated Celtic music acts? Find out this Saturday, 8/9, when fine folks in period costume conduct Open House tours of Lincoln’s historic Hearthside House. Tours are about 45 minutes and run from 1-4 p.m.

Make it a day by first checking out hand-forging demonstrations next door at the Hannaway Blacksmith Shop from 9:00-noon, and complete your bliss from 6-7:30 p.m. with a fantastic show sponsored by the kind Town of Lincoln of Celtic wonders Pendragon. Go ahead, try to resist the combination of fiddle, banjo, flute, whistles, guitar, base, bouzouki (that funny-lookin’ strummy thing in the photo), and percussion.

And yes, there is a connection between the tours and the music: the band, a local tradition for 25 years now, performs songs celebrating New Englanders who immigrated from distant shores and played a huge role in our region’s mill and textile traditions . Ties right in with those funky vintage dresses and antiques on the tour—and even those fabulous horseshoes.

677 Great Road, Lincoln/726-0597/all events free, but donations to Hearthside House gratefully accepted