Friday, May 31, 2013
GAP in conscience
Gap’s Reputation Collapse
By Jen Sorenson
What's a big-name brand going to do when its name is linked to the deaths of more than 1100 workers? Click here to find out.
Dem or Dino, Part 2
Policy-wise, Linc
Chafee might best belong as a Democrat, and he often finds common ground with
the progressive movement, but personally my favorite thing about our governor
was how he seemed to relish his independence. He seemed to have no friends or
natural allies on Smith Hill and he didn’t seem to care.
Chafee had thrown off
the shackles of party politics and was willing to go it alone for the Ocean
State. Or so I told myself. But now, he will soon have the dubious distinction
of running for office under more party labels than Buddy Cianci. Linc Chafee,
the principled independent is now a DINO.
Enviros Losing Ground on Slopes and Setback Bills
By TIM FAULKNER/ ecoRI.org
News staff
PROVIDENCE — Several
bills have been swept up in the pro-business “moving-the-needle” agenda pushed
by pro-business advocates.
On May 29, the House
Budget Committee passed a bill (H6063) that creates a new Executive Office
of Commerce. In its latest draft, the legislation was revised so that the state
Department of Environmental Management (DEM), Department of Administration and
Coastal Resources Management Council are free from direct oversight by the new
commerce office. The original draft was strongly opposed by environmental
groups such as the Environment Council of Rhode Island and Save The Bay, the
DEM and Gov. Lincoln Chafee.
The original draft
gave ultimate permitting authority and environmental oversight to the new
commerce director. The House is scheduled to vote on the bill June 4.
Wetlands and slopes. Efforts to oppose the so-called “slopes” and
“setback” bills largely failed. The setback bills (H5425 and S672) call for the creation of a task
force to oversee the drafting of uniform standards for building next to
wetlands, waterways and septic systems. Municipalities such as Charlestown,
which has no public septic and water systems, initially opposed the setback
bill for fear it wouldn't allow the town to regulate its environmentally
sensitive land and preserve its natural space.
DEM says winter moth caterpillars are defoliating trees throughout Rhode Island
Water is Critical to Counteract Stressed Trees
According to Bruce Payton, deputy chief of DEM's Division of Forest Environment, some Rhode Island communities including Warwick, Cranston, Exeter, Richmond and Lincoln reported the emergence of millions of winter moths, Operophtera brumata, from late November through December.
Fresh local food for school kids
PROVIDENCE — More
locally grown food could be incorporated into school lunches. The Senate
recently passed a bill (S513) that promotes serving local fruits,
vegetables and dairy products in school cafeterias.
The bill’s sponsor,
Sen. Frank Lombardo III, D-Johnston, said he wants students to eat healthy foods,
noting that just as important is the health of local farms.
“We have a lot of
farms in Rhode Island that could use the business,” Lombardo said after the
36-0 Senate vote on May 21.
DEM says air quality will be unhealthy again this afternoon
All
RIPTA routes, excluding special services, will be free on FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
(Too bad Charlestown doesn't have a bus stop)
Providence, Rhode Island, May 30, 2013 - The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management is predicting that air quality will reach unhealthy levels in all of Rhode Island in the afternoon on Friday. A very humid air mass with west to southwest winds will be present at that time, which will lead to unhealthy air conditions.
The poor air quality
will be due to elevated ground level ozone concentrations. Ozone is
a major component of smog and is formed by the photochemical reaction of
pollutants emitted by motor vehicles, industry and other sources in the
presence of elevated temperatures and sunlight.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Obama and Nixon
The truth about the Nixonian Presidency of Barack Obama
By Ruben Boling
Pull down the shades, draw the blinds and click here.
Pull down the shades, draw the blinds and click here.
Dem or DINO?
 |
| Chafee tours Charlestown with Reps Larry Valencia & Donna Walsh |
While Gov. Chafee’s party affiliation flip-flop has been
near-universally declared a political ploy, it’s also been near-universally
declared that he is now in the party that matches his political ideology. But
is he?
Chafee certainly has
bona fide progressive credentials when it comes to non-economic policy. As our
senator his principled and at-the-time unpopular stand against war against Iraq
is one of the most commendable political positions of the so-called “war on
terror.” And as our governor, he’s been a great champion for civil liberties,
both on marriage equality and the death penalty.
Oklahoma’s Biblical Irony
Sen. Coburn's underlying logic goes to the heart of the
snake oil that Republicans are selling the American people these days.
There’s an almost
biblical irony to Oklahoma’s latest tornado disaster. Not a funny irony, but
the grim, tragic kind so common to acts of God.
Four months before
this twister, five of Oklahoma’s seven members of Congress — including both of
its senators — all Republicans, had voted against a bill providing funds to
states hit by Superstorm Sandy. They thought that the money, $50 billion of it,
should come from cuts in other federal programs, not fresh borrowing.
Clock is ticking on state income tax justice
With state revenue
projections lower than expected, progressive Providence Rep. Maria Cimini
thinks income tax increases are more likely – and warranted – than corporate
tax cuts.
“I’m concerned that
for too long we’ve been penny wise and pound foolish,” Cimini said in an
interview this morning.
In previous years,
social services have been cut to balance the budget and preserve tax cuts to
the wealthy.
Unhealthy ozone levels, high pollen count in South County on Thursday
RIDEM warns that our local air quality is rated as UNHEALTHY due to high ozone on Thursday.
Air pollution levels are predicted to drop to "Moderate" on Friday.
The pollen count will be high through Saturday.
Air pollution levels are predicted to drop to "Moderate" on Friday.
The pollen count will be high through Saturday.
From Pollen.com
Lawrence and Memorial takes title at Westerly Hospital on June 1
Cut-backs in staff, services and facilities already started
I
doubt that many people were surprised to see that 45 Westerly Hospital
workers were pink-slipped right after Lawrence and Memorial Hospital of
Stonington jumped the final hurdle in their $69 million deal to buy the
troubled hospital. You could see it coming a mile away.
Most
of the 45 laid-off workers were in Westerly Hospital’s business office whose
functions are being merged with L&M. There will still be a cashier’s office
at Westerly to collect on patient bills, but not much more.
Thirty
of the 45 laid-off workers are non-union; 15 are members of Service and Maintenance Workers Unit Local 5104.
L&M sent 600 letters to Westerly Hospital workers “inviting” them to apply
to keep their jobs after L&M’s June 1 take-over. Workers who did not
receive letters assume, as they should, that they are on the lay-off list.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Hopeful news on diabetes
Immune Protein Could
Stop Diabetes in Its Tracks, Discovery Suggests
The
discovery has wider repercussions, as the protein is responsible for protecting
the body against excessive immune responses, and could be used to treat, or
even prevent, other immune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid
arthritis.
Professor
Len Harrison, Dr Esther Bandala-Sanchez and Dr Yuxia Zhang led the research team
from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute's Molecular Medicine division that
identified the immune protein CD52 as responsible for suppressing the immune
response, and its potential for protecting against autoimmune diseases. The
research was published today in the journal Nature Immunology.
Importing green energy defeats goal of green energy independence
Chafee has been
pushing hydro power from Canada as an abundant and inexpensive renewable energy
since he toured power plants in Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador in 2011.
According to the Canadian Hydropower Association, 60 percent of Canada’s electricity comes
from hydropower. Industry groups say capacity could more than double. Many
regions north of the border are aggressively building dams and courting states
in the Northeast to buy this power to help meet long-term renewable energy
benchmarks.
Town mum on Camp Davis land transfer to Narragansett Tribe
No comment on Friday meeting with RI Transportation
Department
 |
| Camp Davis (orange wedge) currently bisects Narragansett tribal lands (purple). Town owned lands are in yellow |
Last week, I
reported that the state Department of Transportation was acquiring the old
Camp Davis property off South County Trail from the Providence Boys and Girls
Club.
RIDOT intends to transfer ownership of that 105 acre parcel to the Narragansett Indian Tribe in a land swap/compensation deal that offsets RIDOT’s disturbance of an ancient, buried Narragansett village by the I-195 relocation project in Providence.
RIDOT intends to transfer ownership of that 105 acre parcel to the Narragansett Indian Tribe in a land swap/compensation deal that offsets RIDOT’s disturbance of an ancient, buried Narragansett village by the I-195 relocation project in Providence.
According to
Rep. Donna Walsh, RIDOT would attach use restrictions to the land, but those
restrictions had not been negotiated.
The Town of
Charlestown had its first opportunity to officially hear about the plan at a
meeting on Friday, May 24. The town delegation included Charlestown’s Special
Counsel “Injun Joe” Larisa who is on a monthly
retainer of $2,050 just to sit and wait for the opportunity to oppose
anything that might be of benefit to the Narragansett Indian Tribe. Charlestown
has paid Larisa more than $300,000 since 2007 to fight the Tribe.
Narragansett
tribal leaders have called Larisa, and the Charlestown Citizens Alliance Party
who are Larisa’s chief sponsor, racist for their actions against the tribe.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
You say “yuck,” I say “yum!”
By MELISSA
PALMISCANO/special to ecoRI.org News
Most Rhode Island beach-goers and waterfront property owners have had at least one unpleasant experience with heavy seaweed deposits along shore, which attract bugs and emit a rotten egg scent. However, the problem of excessive seaweed growth is not unique to Narragansett Bay.
During the past 50 years, many coastal ecosystems have suffered from chronic blooms of seaweeds, also known as macroalgae. Macroalgae are divided into three phylogenetic groups of similarly colored species — chlorophytes (green seaweeds), rhodophytes (red seaweeds) and phaeophytes (brown seaweeds).
Scandal Season at the Obama White House
If Karl Rove is running a social welfare outfit, I'm the
Queen of Romania.
 |
| Queen Mary of Romania (1873-1938) |
The “scandals”
keep popping up like dandelions — all of them explainable, after a
fashion. Taken together, the explanations begin to sound like “the dog ate my
homework.” For example:
No one would deny that
the attack on our diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that took the lives of
four Americans, including our ambassador, was a serious matter.
And no one would claim
that the administration’s actions either before or after the attack were above
reproach. The affair was handled clumsily at best and incompetently at worst.
But an impeachable
offense? A Watergate level cover-up? Only in the fevered dreams of the House’s
right-wing loons like Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Rep. Steve King of
Iowa.
If you pay for your own Blue Cross, READ this article
Health Department holds hearings Wednesday and
Thursday on Blue Cross request to drastically change Direct Pay premiums
The Rhode Island
Health Department’s Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner will hold public hearings on the request
by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Rhode Island to increase premium rates for the
Direct Pay class. This proposal is going to affect 15,821 people.
The average rate hike
being requested by Blue Cross for existing Direct Pay customers will be
approximately 18%. However, this average reflects an incredibly broad range of
proposed new premium schedules that range from increases of 59% for some subscribers to decreases of up to 62% for others. Since the overall change is an
average of +18%, there are likely to be a lot more losers than winners under
the proposed new rates.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Wolf Blitzer is an idiot
Wolf, Theologian
By Tom Tomorrow
Click here for CNN's chance encounter with Oklahoma's only atheist. Think of the odds!
Click here for CNN's chance encounter with Oklahoma's only atheist. Think of the odds!
Tree Amnesty Clarification
You need a town residency form
By Will Collette
In my report on the May 13th Town Council meeting, I mentioned a report by Town Administrator Mark Stankiewicz that there was a "tree amnesty" in effect that allows residents to bring storm-damaged trees to the town transfer station and dispose of them at no charge.
After hearing that some residents were being turned away for lack of some kind of paperwork, I checked with Town Hall and found out that you really do need a form, a residency form to prove you are a Charlestown resident, in order to take advantage of the "tree amnesty."
In my report on the May 13th Town Council meeting, I mentioned a report by Town Administrator Mark Stankiewicz that there was a "tree amnesty" in effect that allows residents to bring storm-damaged trees to the town transfer station and dispose of them at no charge.
After hearing that some residents were being turned away for lack of some kind of paperwork, I checked with Town Hall and found out that you really do need a form, a residency form to prove you are a Charlestown resident, in order to take advantage of the "tree amnesty."
Gist gets it wrong
Only problem is, according to the Washington Post, Gist and the letter
criticized Weingarten for something she didn’t say.
Don’t Fence Me In
The prosperous are further isolating themselves physically,
as well as economically, from the rest of us.
No job now,
Provides the pay,
To let me find,
A place to stay.
Many folks with big incomes are responding to the tensions of America’s growing economic inequality by moving into gated communities. This isn’t new, just growing more common. Ten percent of us are already gated in one way or another.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Rep Gohmert Wins Nincompoop Roundup
His recent musing about al-Qaeda operatives "acting
Hispanic" to cross the U.S.-Mexican border landed him at the top of the
heap.
My state of Texas
seems to have an inordinate share of nincompoops in public office. But it’s
only fair that office holders from other states be considered before deciding
which one is the nincompoopiest of all.
Give credit to
Pennsylvania, for example, whose GOP governor, Tom Corbett, recently scored big
nincompoop points by explaining why his state ranks 49th in job creation. “Many
employers,” the guv grumbled during a radio interview, “say ‘we’re looking for
people, but we can’t find anybody that has passed a drug test.’”
Planetary alignment should be visible Monday and Tuesday night
Rare
line-up and forecast for clear skies make for good viewing
By
Will Collette
The
weather forecast for Monday calls for clear and sunny during the daytime and a
nice clear night. Tuesday’s forecast is almost as good.
That’s
nice timing because there’s a rare planetary alignment going on for the next
few days visible over Charlestown just after sunset.
The
planets Jupiter, Venus and Mercury will be bunched up a few degrees over the northwestern
horizon at dusk, about 30 to 45 minutes after sunset.
CAUTION: do not try to find these planets while the sun is still in the sky. You won't find them, and you could also hurt your eyes.
CAUTION: do not try to find these planets while the sun is still in the sky. You won't find them, and you could also hurt your eyes.
Settling on a temporary compromise
Russell Chateauneuf,
chief of the ground and wetland program for the state Department of
Environmental Management (DEM), said a commission is likely the best approach
for developing uniform standards.
“That I believe is the
goal," he said. "Whether or not that is achievable 100 percent, will
be up to the task force to decide.”
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Less Beer, More Can
Budweiser's new squeezed-looking cans short the customer by
nearly an ounce.
Anyone who says that
America has lost its innovative edge in technology and manufacturing hasn’t
chugged a can of Bud recently. The buzz is back, baby!
Well, actually,
Budweiser is no longer American. It’s now part of a Belgian outfit called
Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest maker of suds.
And the brew crew
overseeing the “King of Beers” knows what we American quaffers want in a beer:
a new and improved can.
Huh?
State Beaches and Parks ready for Memorial Day Weekend
Major Repairs Have Been Completed at Facilities Damaged by
Hurricane Sandy
RIDEM News Release
PROVIDENCE - Memorial Day weekend is the traditional start of
the summer outdoor recreation season, and Rhode Island's state beaches and
parks are ready for the crowds.
Although some of the beaches and parks managed by the Department of Environmental Management have been open on a limited basis this month to accommodate early beach-goers and advance season pass sales, the Memorial Day weekend is when DEM recreational areas go into high gear.
Although some of the beaches and parks managed by the Department of Environmental Management have been open on a limited basis this month to accommodate early beach-goers and advance season pass sales, the Memorial Day weekend is when DEM recreational areas go into high gear.
NOAA predicts active 2013 Atlantic hurricane season
Era of high activity for Atlantic hurricanes
continues
NOTE: you can track the path of potential and actual tropical storms by using the National Hurricane Center storm tracker.
In
its 2013 Atlantic hurricane season outlook issued today, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting an active or extremely active season this
year.
For the six-month hurricane season, which begins June 1, NOAA’s Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook says there is a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 7 to 11 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher).
For the six-month hurricane season, which begins June 1, NOAA’s Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook says there is a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 7 to 11 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher).
Friday, May 24, 2013
Don't crush and don't toss that bulb!
When broken, incinerated
or buried in a landfill, fluorescent bulbs release mercury into the air, water
and soil.
For those who have
tried to do the right thing with these mercury-containing bulbs, it’s not
always easy to dispose of them properly. Some stores take back fluorescent
bulbs, but those programs are typically meant for individuals.
More accountability for corporate welfare
Tanzi’s transparency bill passes House
STATE HOUSE – The House of Representatives today approved legislation sponsored by Rep. Teresa Tanzi to increase accountability and transparency in tax credit programs and state agency reports.
The legislation (2013-H 6066A) is one of the 18 bills backed by House leaders as
part of their effort to address economic development efforts in Rhode Island.
Under the bill, the Office of Revenue Analysis’ Unified Economic
Development Report would be required to include a costs/benefit analysis of
each of the state’s tax credit programs.
Even if you can find a rental...
To afford a typical
two-bedroom apartment in Rhode Island a renter would need to earn more than
$47,000 per year. About half of Rhode Island residents earn less than that.