For a variety of reasons, “Rhode Island” has proven to be irresistible to comic writers since forever. It stems in part from our constant use as a unit of area . . . but only for icebergs. Partly it results from our status as the smallest state (back off, Delaware). Saturday Night Live has often […]
We don’t have a fancy drone so I decided to give this the Sears “cherished memories” portrait studio treatment. The good news is that the Independent Man has been safely returned to his perch on top of the State House dome. December 18th was a very cold day so the crew sent him up with
(10.3) “Water Brother: the Sid Abbruzzi Story” follows the life of East Coast legend and cultural icon Sid Abbruzzi and his equally iconic Newport surf-and-skate shop. The misfits and enthusiasts who hung out at this club house eventually grew into a devoted community who are simply wild about this guy. Last year’s screening at Fort
You will not be hearing the name Tim DeKay tonight when the Oscars are being shoveled out to “Oppenheimer,” the Academy having ignored his compelling performance as Rhode Island Senator John O. Pastore, the first Italian American to be elected to the Senate and co-chair of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. In a recent
The state has rolled out a new tourism marketing campaign: “All That.” It features six short videos designed to make the state look inviting and exciting and it largely succeeds. The videos are fairly typical of the genre but well executed. (View at the Boston Globe.) The short video montages have been edited at a
Yum. It must be all the holiday travel because I have suddenly heard from three different people — all traveling through LAX — about this installation. The Rhode Island Commerce Corporation launched a promotional campaign a few months ago in key flight markets such as Detroit, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Los Angeles. I missed this initiative
I write this knowing how unimportant license plates are in the grand scheme of things. On the other hand, we always want to keep an eye on our Governor when he has something of value to dole out, particularly since he refuses to release the list of recipients. As such the Providence Journal has been
(7.30) The 34th annual Governor’s Bay Day takes place this Sunday, July 30th. What this means is free beach parking at all state beaches and free Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) beach bus service. But wait there’s more: The public is also invited to fish in Rhode Island saltwaters without a saltwater fishing license
It’s where the Benny’s used to be. The final episode of the new season of “Stranger Things” was released today, and roughly 15 minutes into ‘The Piggyback’ you will see this young man taking target practice at dummies in the dark. (Don’t worry, no spoilers. I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t even
One of these will be on your car eventually. I’m finding it hard to pick a favorite. At any rate, the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has launched its “RI State Plate Design Contest” and now you get to choose. One thought: License plates are primarily for the use of the police (and
(9.18) The grounds crew puts the finishing touches around the newly-installed artificial turf at Brown Stadium in anticipation of this weekend’s Governor’s Cup, the annual Brown vs. URI football game. The Brown Daily Herald announced last June: Brown athletics announced Tuesday that the playing surface at Brown stadium will be upgraded to artificial turf prior
A recent court ruling has determined that the statute allowing the Rhode Island DMV to unilaterally veto vanity plates it deems offensive runs afoul of the First Amendment. Obviously the one pictured here passes muster, but one Tesla driver with an anti-fossil-fuel message was asked to turn in his plate once it was brought to
The calamari roll call . . . Colbert joked about it, and Rachel Maddow and Brian Williams went on and on, even name-checking Del’s and coffee milk. (Calamari and coffee milk? That’s a hard no.) And we wake up this morning to find that the Rhode Island installment in last night’s roll call blew up
I was not expecting a New York Times column about the clash between Governors Cuomo and Raimondo to include comments from Frog & Toad owner, Asher Schofield! Frank Bruni had noted that locals were giving her high grades for her handling of the Covid-19 crisis. (NYT 4.3.20) She’s also being validated by novelty clothing. A
And let’s hear it for Land Grant Colleges! Given what we are learning about the pernicious effects of money in the world of Ivy League sports, how about cheering for a school you don’t have to bribe your way into! The Rams will be playing St. Bonnies (17-15) at 1pm today on CBSS. Player of
Rhode Islanders are no strangers to comparisons of objects to the size of our state. Our diminutive 1,212 square miles of quirk has been fodder for jokes for years. Thus, it’s refreshing to have scientist Randall Munroe, who pens the webcomic XKCD, use the power of “the size of Rhode Island” for good (kind of).
“Size of Rhode Island” Comparison Gets Scientific Read More »