Progressive Charlestown

The Fight over Reproductive Rights

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 21:20:00 +0000

Liberals aren't trying to make anyone use birth control.

By Donald Kaul

The air is still thick with outrage over President Barack Obama's attempt to require all employers to provide insurance coverage for people who desire (or need) birth control.

Catholic bishops and their fellow travelers exploded in righteous indignation over a proposal that would have required religious institutions (but not churches) to offer employees the same contraception coverage required of other, secular institutions under the Obama health plan.

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Wind turbine quackery (video added)

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 21:06:00 +0000

Tracking Ducks to Make Offshore Wind Decisions

Small satellite transmitters are being implanted
in the abdominal cavities adult female eiders.
(Photo courtesy of URI)

By ecoRI.org News staff

KINGSTON — Biologists from the University of Rhode Island, the state Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and other agencies have implanted satellite transmitters in sea ducks to learn about the birds’ daily movements and identify important wintering locations.

This data will be used when government officials and offshore wind farm developers make decisions about where to site wind turbines. This information also will be used to assess how the birds’ movements are affected once the turbines are erected.

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Where are the jobs?

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Felaco) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:00:00 +0000

Politics is boring?

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:23:00 +0000

Why Should Politics Be Boring?

By Samuel G. Howard on RIFuture.org

“Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible. I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose. But fortunately I had my manuscript, so you see I was going to make a long speech, and there is a bullet – there is where the bullet went through – and it probably saved me from it going into my heart. The bullet is in me now, so that I cannot make a very long speech, but I will try my best.”

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Astronomy Picture of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:23:00 +0000

Stephan's Quintet

From NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day

Explanation: The first identified compact galaxy group, Stephan's Quintet is featured in this eye-catching image constructed with data drawn from the extensive Hubble Legacy Archive. About 300 million light-years away, only four of these five galaxies are actually locked in a cosmic dance of repeated close encounters. The odd man out is easy to spot, though. The interacting galaxies, NGC 7319, 7318A, 7318B, and 7317 have an overall yellowish cast. They also tend to have distorted loops and tails, grown under the influence of disruptive gravitational tides. But the predominantly bluish galaxy, NGC 7320, is closer, just 40 million light-years distant, and isn't part of the interacting group. Stephan's Quintet lies within the boundaries of the high flying constellation Pegasus. At the estimated distance of the quartet of interacting galaxies, this field of view spans about 500,000 light-years. However, moving just beyond this field, above and to the left, astronomers can identify another galaxy, NGC 7320C, that is also 300 million light-years distant. Of course, including it would bring the interacting quartet back up to quintet status.

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Rhode Island Political Shorts

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:05:00 +0000

You can wear a button to vote…If you have an ID…Look who wants to be a Convention delegate…Doreen Costa wants to kill diabetics…Where is Curt Schilling?...Rick Perry might ride again…Orange is his natural color

By Will Collette

You CAN wear a political button when you vote. For a while, it looked like the RI Board of Elections was going to issue a ban on the wearing of political buttons, stickers, T-shirts, hats, etc., by voters when they went into polling places. State law forbids “electioneering” within a certain distance of polling places, and the BOE was considering whether wearing a button saying “Vote for *#&%*” while voting violated that law. Of course, poll workers are not allowed to wear anything that indicates their political feelings, but this new rule could have had some serious repercussions at polling places. Fortunately, the BOE changed its mind and rejected this proposed rule-change.

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Aliens among us

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:32:00 +0000

Romney versus Santorum

By Ted Rall

For the whole cartoon, click here.

Blowing in the wind

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:51:00 +0000

Bag It: R.I. Needs to Ban Plastic Tumbleweeds

By ROWAN SHARP/ecoRI.org News contributor

PROVIDENCE — They’re illegal in New Delhi, Bangladesh and Portland, Ore., but they’re blowing all over Rhode Island. They’re snagged on fences along the Woonasquatucket River. They’re bobbing in Narragansett Bay. There are likely several in your home or office at this very moment.

Plastic grocery bags are so ubiquitous in Rhode Island, and in most of the world, that it may seem strange to imagine life without them. But Channing Jones, field associate for the advocacy group Environment Rhode Island, is on a mission. He wants Rhode Islanders not only to imagine such a life, but also to live it.

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Fact-Checking the Charter Revision Committee: Question 4

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:05:00 +0000

Stated reason for proposed Town Charter change is not true

By Will Collette

Diligent Progressive Charlestown readers have had to put up with a series I’ve been writing on the proposed changes to Charlestown’s Town Charter that will come up for their first public hearing next Monday, February 27, at 7 PM at Town Hall.

These proposals are being advanced by the town’s Charter Revision Commission (CRC), which has been stacked with members of Charlestown’s resident anti-wind-power group, Ill Wind RI, a close ally of the Charlestown Citizens Alliance.

One of their more innocuous, though puzzling, proposals is Question 4, a long and minutely detailed fine-tuning of town procurement policies. It lowers the point where competitive bidding must take place to $1000.

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Lots of lighting loose ends

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:05:00 +0000

Dazed and confused – and blaming Peter

No joy in C-Town

By Will Collette

If you (a) read the Dark Sky Ordinance that was presented to the Charlestown Town Council on February 13, then (b) read the Planning Commission’s Advisory Opinion on this ordinance and finally (c) listen to the Planning Commission February 22 meeting on Clerkbase, you would wonder if there are three different Dark Sky ordinances in play.

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A Past Vice President Tried To Warn Us About This a Long, Long Time Ago

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Felaco) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:11:00 +0000

Astronomy Picture of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:40:00 +0000

A Zodiacal Skyscape

From NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day

Explanation: Venus and Jupiter are this month's two brightest planets. Shortly after sunset on February 20, they dominate the sky above the western horizon and this snowy landscape. In clear and transparent skies over Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania, USA, they are also seen immersed in Zodiacal light. The extended, diffuse, triangular glow is sunlight scattered by dust along the plane of the ecliptic. Brighter near the horizon, the Zodiacal glow angles upward, first to Venus and then to Jupiter hugging the ecliptic as they orbit the Sun. Fading even further, the glow stretches toward the lovely Pleides star cluster near the top of the frame. Following their appearance in this Zodiacal skyscape, the coming days will see Venus and Jupiter sharing the early evening sky with a young crescent Moon. The two bright planets are even headed for a close pairing or conjunction, separated by about 3 degrees on March 13.

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“Compensation” and “benefits” of blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Felaco) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:00:00 +0000

By Linda Felaco

As is typical of blogs that cover controversial subjects, we get our share of comments here on Progressive Charlestown that are argumentative and combative. But yesterday, one came in over the transom—unsigned—that was laugh-out-loud funny. In case you missed it, I’ll quote it in full here:

You say this site is "independent." In order to validate such a claim, you should identify all sources of funds and all sources of contributions of resources, such as laptops, internet service. And you should also disclose whether the bloggers who write about Charlestown receive any form of compensation or benefits (Linda Felaco has identified herself as a freelance writer, so it's hard to believe she would be spending all that time going to certain meetings and writing about them and other comments for free). What are the names of the people who provide funding and other resources for the blog, and I'm not talking about the blog posts that you simply adopt from other sources?

Thanks, Anonymous, for making sure I got in my 18 minutes of belly laughing for the day to achieve optimal health. Heck, I'm laughing now just thinking about it. Because of course everybody knows only Google makes any money off of blogging. People blog for the sheer joy of seeing their name out there on the interwebs, and because you can do it in your pajamas.

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Be A StormSmart Reporter!

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ferrio) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Save The Bay and CRMC are working together to engage volunteers in monitoring the impact of coastal storms around the state with the StormSmart Storm Reporter Volunteer Program. Volunteers are needed to assist the two groups with documenting the effects of storms on the Rhode Island coast.
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OMG PD: Under Duress

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:09:00 +0000

Check out these odd or unusual reports from police officers around the state.

By Erin Tiernan, South Kingstown Patch

Woman, charged with DUI, signs documents "Under Duress"

An alleged drunk driving North Kingstown woman refused to pull over for police this week. She was first clocked driving 83 mph in a 55 mph zone on Route 4 but reportedly refused to stop when police activated their sirens, leading officers to her home instead.

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Changing the Town Charter for the common good

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:05:00 +0000

Ideas aimed at improving Charlestown government

By Will Collette

Now that I’ve concluded my review of the seven proposed changes to Charlestown’s Town Charter that will come up for a public hearing next Monday (Feb 27, 7 PM, Town Hall), I have some suggestions for Charter changes that might actually benefit town citizens.

Changes to the Town Charter should only be made if they are actually needed, resolve some existing problem, can’t be addressed by less drastic means than changing our town’s “constitution,” and finally, do no harm.

I concluded that none of the seven Charter changes proposed by the current Charter Revision Commission (CRC) meet those criteria. Several of their proposals are actually transparent attempts at revenge against the enemies of the members of the CRC.

Instead of these seven largely unwarranted, if not downright dangerous, proposed changes, here are four items I would propose for consideration:

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Job training for the 21st training

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:09:00 +0000

Pundit re-training

By Jen Sorenson

To see the whole cartoon, click here.

Astronomy Picture of the Day: such an Ill Wind

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:39:00 +0000

Anticrepuscular Rays Over Wyoming

From NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day

Explanation: What's happening over the horizon? Although the scene may appear somehow supernatural, nothing more unusual is occurring than a setting Sun and some well placed clouds. Pictured above are anticrepuscular rays. To understand them, start by picturing common crepuscular rays that are seen any time that sunlight pours though scattered clouds. Now although sunlight indeed travels along straight lines, the projections of these lines onto the spherical sky are great circles. Therefore, the crepuscular rays from a setting (or rising) sun will appear to re-converge on the other side of the sky. At the anti-solar point 180 degrees around from the Sun, they are referred to as anticrepuscular rays. Pictured above is a particularly striking set of anticrepuscular rays photographed last month near Cheyenne, Wyoming,USA.

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Big night for town Democrats

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:04:00 +0000

Guests at Charlestown Dems monthly meeting talk 2012 elections

By Will Collette

On Monday night, I got to wear two hats. One was as a proud and loyal member of the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee. The other was as co-editor of Progressive Charlestown, the independent (got that, CCA?) source of news and progressive opinion in our fair town.

The meeting was highlighted by guest speakers who drove down to Charlestown to talk to town Democrats about the rapidly intensifying 2012 election. At the top of the bill was Rep. Jim Langevin. State Democratic Party Executive Director Stephanie DeSilva also spoke, as did Devin Driscoll, Rhode Island State Director for the campaign to re-elect President Obama.

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More unnecessary Town Charter proposals

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:05:00 +0000

Part 3: Monkeying around with town government positions

By Will Collette

Read the background on the Charter Revision Committee here.

Read Part 1 on proposed changes on land acquisitions and term limits

Read Part 2 on three proposed changes to the way the town does business

Every two years, the town considers changing the town’s “Constitution,” its Town Charter. It starts with the appointment of a Charter Revision Committee (CRC) who generally find something that needs revising. After all, what’s a Revision Committee without revisions?

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Reminder - check out high-tech sports lighting tonight

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ferrio) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:00:00 +0000

Readers of our articles may recall that Jay Primiano’s proposal to install high tech lighting on a practice field in Ninigret Park resulted in considerable controversy about the impact of lighting in Ninigret Park.

You may view state-of-the-art sports field lighting that claims to be dark-sky friendly from 7:30 to 8:00 pm tonight at Old Mountain Field, 831 Kingstown Road, Wakefield.

The Ninigret Park Master Plan includes facilities with lighting and Jay Primiano makes a reasonable argument for the need for sports practice fields that could be used in the evening. (It turns out that the fields behind the Town Hall infringe on a neighbor's land.) But the directors of the Frosty Drew Observatory and the Ninigret Wildlife Reserve have stated their opposition to evening lighting in Ninigret park. And our proposed lighting ordinance would prohibit any lights on poles over 15 feet tall except for street lights.

This is all coming together to lead to some important decisions about the future of our Ninigret Park.

Frank talk about birth control

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:42:00 +0000

Sex Talk with Rick Santorum

By Tom Tomorrow

For the entire cartoon, click here.

Where the Internet came from

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:29:00 +0000

Inventing the Internet

By Tom Sgouros on RIFuture.org

I attended a fascinating conference last week in DC, the 20th anniversary celebration of the National Information Technology Research and Development program (NITRD), a 15-agency cooperative mission launched in 1992 to coordinate federal R&D around information technology.

Funded as a consequence of the 1991 High-Performance Computing Act (a/k/a the “Gore Bill”), this was the funding that created the backbones of the internet, and persuaded the admins of ARPAnet and NSFnet and the other smaller networks to join in creating the single internet that we know today.

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If I was King of the Dark Skies....

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:28:00 +0000

Maybe it's time for a different approach to the issue

By Will Collette

As the Progressive Charlestown crew helped me edit my earlier article on the Planning Commission's proposal for a Dark Sky ordinance, one of my colleagues asked me a question. He asked me to think about what I would do if I was King of Charlestown's Dark Skies and wanted to take action to preserve them.

Since, as I've often said, I am an astronomy buff and love Charlestown's night time sky, I really would like to see us make sure we preserve it. I don't doubt the sincerity of many of the advocates of the proposed ordinance in wanting to preserve the night sky vistas. Dr. Lew Johnson has fought for this issue for years. The problem is that this latest ordinance proposal isn't going to get the job done.

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Inconvenient Truths about the YMCA's Appraisal

noreply@blogger.com (Will Collette) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:05:00 +0000

More details about false assumptions that jacked up the campground's price

By Will Collette

On Friday, I presented information from the $735,000 YMCA campground appraisal that had been conveniently overlooked by Charlestown Land Trust officials when they pitched the YMCA land purchase deal to the Town Council on February 13.

As the appraiser himself admits, the "new" appraisal value presented at the February 13 meeting was based on hypothetical circumstances "known to be false."

In this article, I will explore some of the many reasons the appraisal presented before the Town Council was a gross misrepresentation of the YMCA Camp's real world value.

Last Friday, I wrote about the biggest factor that produced a $735,000 appraisal figure - assumption that the land was going to be re-zoned residential and that a 10-home conservation development would be built on it.

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