Also, if you live near the parkway, you may be interested to know that tomorrow night at 6:30 is the monthly meeting of the Friends Of Elmhurst, which is also held at Capitol Ridge.

Also also, if you’re in the Capitol Ridge vicinity of Smith Hill often, there’s a new restaurant called Food For The People on Smith Street, a little ways up near Patrick’s Pub.  It’s Caribbean, which means that 99% of their menu is composed of meat, but I just went there for lunch and the rice is really good and the guy working there is super nice.  Also: cheap!

[photo: Flickr, via RunawayJim]

Head over to GC:PVD for the other options and more details, and email Melanie Jewett in the Planning Department and/or Lambri Zerva at RIDOT with your input.

I know these ads are test-marketed to death, but how is this paranoid wignutty vision of an enviro-fascist dystopia supposed to help sell cars?  Scare people into it?  It almost made me hate environmentalists, and sure ain’t spreading any good will, even towards Audi’s “Green Car of the Year.”

This weekend, Obama appointed Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, which describes its mission as connecting people through various arts and cultural tourism. Lahiri joins five other PCAH committee appointees, including visual artist Chuck Close, BET co-founder Sheila Johnson, and Ken Solomon, CEO of the Tennis Channel.

Lahiri, whose novels and short story collections include The Namesake, Interpreter of Maladies and Unaccustomed Earth, moved to Rhode Island as a toddler and graduated from South Kingston High. (Her father Amar has been a librarian at URI since 1970, earning a master’s there in 1973, and his wife Tapati is currently a URI degree candidate.) Lahiri’s memories of Rhode Island include observing some panic over an impending hurricane. (What, no mention of bread and milk?)

Although she didn’t attend college in Rhode Island, Jhumpa has spoken at local commencements, given readings at Brown and URI, and received an honorary URI degree. She also taught creative writing courses at RISD and Brown.

News of Lahiri’s appointment comes just months after Rhode Islander (and RIC and JWU graduate) Brenda Dann-Messier was confirmed as assistant director of the U.S. Department of Education. Obama nominated Dr. Dann-Messier last year after hearing of her good work to advance education and careers in Rhode Island, most notably as executive director of Dorcas Place, which helps low-income Rhode Islanders succeed by providing literacy, college prep and workforce training. Previously, she had served in similar capacities at Brown and CCRI.

Shortly after her appointment, Dann-Messier lured RI Director of Adult Education Johan Uvin to join her in Washington as her senior adviser.

Obama also nominated RI Superior Court Associate Justice O. Rogeriee Thompson for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, which would make Thompson the first black female to serve on that Court. Thompson graduated from Brown and holds honorary degrees from URI and Bryant. Sheldon Whitehouse strongly supported Thompson’s nomination prior to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote (no word yet on a confirmation).

[Update: thanks to a tip from the Dose editors, I can sing praises for yet another talented Rhode Islander tapped by Obama: Cynthia Giles, former VP/director of Conservation Law Foundation's Rhode Island Advocacy Center, whose work since 2005 on RI and regional advocacy to combat climate change earned her a nomination for the Environmental Protection Agency. Giles is assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.]

There are probably other Rhode Island nominations or appointments that I’m overlooking. For a state ranking 43rd in population, we have a healthy amount of bright, enthusiastic people who can step up to contribute to national issues. This is the best kind of “brain drain” I can imagine.

Okay, that wasn’t too bad. The Who are a good fit for this sort of thing — loud and big and everyone can sing along. That was Ringo’s kid, Zak Starkey, on drums (not a day goes by I don’t think about Keith Moon). Then the Saints opened the second half with a totally mental onside kick and scored, and then the Colts answered right back. Good game so far.

9pm, $7, Monday, AS220, 115 Empire Street

RIFuture’s probably the place to turn for the most interesting ongoing discussion of the situation.

We live in a world that increasingly demands more dialogue than monologue. President Obama’s January 29th question-and-answer session with Republican leaders gave the public a remarkable window into the state of our union and governing process. It was riveting and educational. The exchanges were substantive, civil and candid. And in a rare break from our modern politics, sharp differences between elected leaders were on full public display without rancor or ridicule….

America could use more of this — an unfettered and public airing of political differences by our elected representatives. So we call on President Barack Obama and House Minority Leader John Boehner to hold these sessions regularly — and allow them to be broadcast and webcast live and without commercial interruption, sponsorship or intermediaries. We also urge the President and the Republican Senate caucus to follow suit. And we ask the President and the House and Senate caucuses of his own party to consider mounting similar direct question-and-answer sessions. We will ask future Presidents and Congresses to do the same.

Sign the petition here.

UPDATE: It’s looking like a few different entities are heeding the call, including the Providence City Council, and the City of Woonsocket.  This is very good news, which’ll help keep the schools funded and the streets plowed.  Updates to follow.

ORIGINAL, 2/03: Would somebody please sue the State over this already? Essentially, Rep. Scott Guthrie made a key find yesterday — the Governor is obligated to have made the third quarter’s car tax payment to the cities and towns on Monday, Feb 1. He hasn’t done that, and is willfully avoiding doing so. That’s $7-8 million to Providence, and about $30 million state-wide. The Governor is hoping to eliminate those payments to cities and towns, per his supplemental budget proposal, but that law hasn’t passed yet. And might not.

RIFuture has it here. Channel 10 covers it here. (If for no other reason, please watch the video so you can scope out Scott’s mustache.) We passed a resolution today, demanding the payment.

But to force the issue, we need a city or town to sue ASAP, on behalf of its residents, and for the benefit of everybody in the state. Is somebody willing to step up?

…attended East Providence High School…was four-year, two-way starter as RB and DB…ended career with more than 4,500 rushing yards and 49 TDs on offense and 300 tackles and 16 interceptions on defense…had 2,100 yards and 29 TDs as senior…was Rhode Island Player-of-the-Year by Providence Gridiron Club as senior…was all-state choice as junior and senior… team won state title as freshman and senior…team captain was named Super Bowl MVP in senior season…also lettered in basketball, baseball and track…

So he’s a chronic under-achiever. Lately he’s been giving interviews all over the place and he always seems quite charming and grateful to be getting to the Super Bowl in his second season. Plus he has long hair. Jim Donaldson had a nice profile in the ProJo. (So how ’bout that — you’re reading about sports on the Dose!)

In conclusion — Go Jamie!

The shatterproof pint glass was proudly unveiled by the government yesterday. Officials swore the country would save billions in health care costs by coming up with a glass that does not double as a lethal weapon.

I suspect that many people will start hoarding the original, shardy glasses for special occasions like Boxing Day with the family and soccer matches.

Who goes to this type of thing?

Lots of different people. I’ll be honest with you, fictitious-FAQ-question-person, another one of those many reasons that TempleCon was conceived is because we felt that the convention scene tended to pander to the rather unflattering stereotypes of gamers and science fiction fandom in general. We have found that the gaming hobby and retro-futurist fandom are also full of a lot of really decent people who often stay away from big events because they just don’t want to deal with all the crap, and we don’t blame them.

So, with that in mind, TempleCon isn’t just for gamers or hardcore science-fiction fans. It’s for people who game, and for people who love science fiction, steampunk, retro-futurism, or gigantic parties, in whatever form most appeals to them. What that means is that this party has lots of different types of people at it, from the incredibly casual gamer, to the disturbingly hardcore one, from people who have never previously heard of retro-futurism but want to know more, to the die-hard steampunk cosplayer, and every indecisive bastard in between.

Saturday — @the 201, Knowlton Walsh, the Count @Nick-A-Nees, Danny Draher @Lupo’s, the Joe Perry Project, the Neighborhoods @Firehouse 13, Leah Carlson and the Heartless, JR Gallagher, the Jesse Minute, Global Crash @Club Hell, the Intel, Sleep City, Too Late the Hero @Jerky’s, Hood Internet, Paper Eagles, Stegosaurus @AS220 benefit, Bellows, Dire Wolves, Arcing, Hector 3, Buddyship, Alec Redfearn and the Eyesores

The National Register is the federal government’s official list of historically and architecturally significant properties, which get special consideration for federal assistance and are eligible for state tax benefits and loans.

So, that’s good news. The diner will soon be featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”, February 22 on the Food Network. (It’s nice to see the word ‘liberty’ in a context that has nothing to with right wing crazies. It’s not their word.)

Through a mistake on my website — it now says my CD release show is February 6th in the Phoenix. It is actually tonight at Tazza at 9pm. We’re gonna have a lot of fun, with Roz Raskin, Anjel and Amber Newman, WHO DEM??!!, the amazing BSS Dance Troupe, Mentalist William Brierly, a Local Fashion Show, and I’ll be performing with a live band.

Horizon Liquors is sponsoring this event generously giving away some free beers. Bring a winter item (hat, scarf, boots, socks) to donate to the RI Women’s Center and receive a free CD.

To preview/purchase the album, we’re in Armageddon Records and up here at iTunes.

Hope you can all make it!!  Mary B

Friday, 9pm, Tazza, 250 Westminster Street, 421.3300