ridaily - February 2010
2010-02-26RISD The Musical!?RISD students are an eccentric bunch, but this is just beyond: This weekend, they'll spoof the art school experience with two presentations of RISD The Musical! The one-hour show chronicles the "tumultuous" journey from application to graduation. Sounds self-indulgent, but the project actually serves a greater good: All ticket sales benefit Partners in Health's relief efforts in Haiti.February 26 and 27 at 8 p.m. $10 suggested donation. RISD Auditorium, 17 Canal St., Providence. Posted at 10:56 AM in ridaily What's On | Permalink | Comments |
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2010-02-24Drink That Wine!As if I needed another reason to drink (isn’t that what jobs are for?!), this Saturday, February 27th, is “Open That Bottle Night.” The concept was started by former Wall Street Journal “Tastings” columnists, Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, eleven years ago, and the basic premise is simple: what are you waiting for? – open that special bottle of wine you’ve been saving NOW. In a recent article in Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine, Gaiter and Brecher, elaborate: “You know how it is: Oh, let’s save this for a special occasion; and then no occasion is special enough; and the bottle just sits there, dying. As one OTBN celebrant once put it, these are wines that people are literally loving to death.” They continue,... |
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2010-02-23Beware of the Dog!Hot dogs were totally reamed out by the American Academy of Pediatrics yesterday for their tube shape, which poses a choking risk to kids. Oh dear. There's no word on earth of why they suddenly thought of this yesterday, but the docs want a warning label printed on hot dogs (I'm picturing a little flag, like a Hersey's kiss), along with a redesigned "safety dog" that is less dangerous. They don't give any thoughts on what a safety dog might look like ... a patty of some sort? Eww. Whatever, but the docs sound prit-tee mad about all this.I love hot dogs, and did as a child, but the idea of a hot dog patty or ball or loaf or noodle or whatever else is so disgusting, it brings up the great rule of hot dogs, which is that you can love them, but you must never, never Google... Posted at 01:30 PM in ridaily Eating In | Permalink | Comments |
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2010-02-22Painting the OlympicsGood gig: Local artist Nick Paciorek doesn't have to sit glued to the telly to catch Olympic action. In fact, Olympic action is how he's making his living. Right now, he's up in (balmy compared to here) Vancouver, painting the huge mountains and dramatic urban shoreline, charming street scenes, inviting ski lifts and, of course, nauseatingly picturesque Whistler Village. It's not his first Olympic art spree: he was in Torino in 2006, making do amongst the baroque architecture and fabulous food of the Italian Alps. He also paints cityscapes in Boston, Chicago, DC and, yes, Providence - check out his work at his online gallery. |
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2010-02-19Sobering NewsGo ahead, have another… Contrary to what Thayer Street looks like on a Friday night, Providence is a relatively sober city. At least according to the latest issue of Men's Health. Our fair city ranked 56 out of 100 (and earned a grade of C) on the magazine’s recent list of “America’s Drunkest Cities.” The magazine came up with the list by analyzing stats related to liver disease, binge drinking, and DUI-related deaths and arrests. Boston turned out to be the least drunk -- or most sober— city, with an A+ from the researchers. As someone who went to college there, I find that one tough to swallow. Form your own opinion by checking out the full list here. |
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2010-02-18RI's Olympic ConnectionThe first week of the Vancouver Olympics is coming to a close and the U.S. is in first place with a metal count of 14....woohoo!!! Ordinarily I'm not much of a sports fan, but when the Olympics roll around, I'm suddenly glued to my tv. There's something so inspiring about watching seemingly average people perform such super-human feats of athleticism.If you haven't caught Olympic fever like I have, here's one reason to at least tune in tonight. Newport-born Kelly Clark will be competing in the women's halfpipe against two other American favorites, Hannah Teter and Gretchen Bleiler. And its been said that Clark has a strong shot at the podium, even gold, making an event that was already one of the most talked about of the games, that much more exciting for us here in RI. |
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2010-02-17BYOB Wine TastingThis has to go down as one of the best small-fundraiser event ideas I've heard in ages. The Providence Community Boating Center is kicking off its 2010 wine tasting series this Thursday, with an evening centered around California whites. The center runs the boathouse down in India Point Park, a gorgeous spot to take a sailing lesson, and this is their genius fundraiser idea, as explained by the good folks at Greater City: Providence: If you’ve never been to a CBC wine tasting before, all the more reason to join us! It goes like this: Your team of up to 3 people bring 3 bottles of the same wine*We serve 2 of them (blindly) and put 1 in the prize poolAt the end of the night, vote on your favorite wineIf your wine gets voted as most favorite, you win all the 3rd bottles. The... |
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2010-02-16Shameless Afternoon Tear-jerkingAt the risk of being a terrible mush, I have to pass along this story. I read it in Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird years ago. (I think it's also made its way into the Chicken Soup books, but stay with me.) I remembered it today and I'll tell you why in a sec:An 8-year-old boy had a younger sister who was dying of leukemia, and he was told she would die without a blood transfusion. His parents explained he could be the blood donor if he was a match, and he agreed to be tested. It was a good match. So his parents asked if he would give his sister a pint of blood, and that it could be her only chance of living. He said he would have to think about it overnight.The next day, he told his parents he was willing to donate the blood. They took him to the hospital, where he was put on a gurney... Posted at 03:30 PM in Family Time ridaily | Permalink | Comments |
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2010-02-12Patrick KennedyWe’ve written about Patrick Kennedy in the past, but the summer of 2009 was different. His father, whom he adored, had died and we wanted to know what lay ahead for Patrick as a congressman. Would Ted Kennedy’s death mean the political burden was lifted from Patrick’s shoulders or would it prove to be a weight he couldn’t handle?Mark Arsenault has reported on Patrick Kennedy’s career as a congressman for several years and began working on this feature in early November. He shadowed Kennedy here and in D.C., talking to family, meeting constituents and interviewing other members of Congress, including Republicans Patrick had worked with – an example of strange bedfellows his father was familiar with. Mark filed his story in late December. We... |
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2010-02-11A Sweet Valentine's Day TreatRegardless of your feelings about Valentine's Day (most people seem to either love it or hate it), I don't think there's any better excuse to take a break from the dietary monotony of New Year's resolutions and treat yourself a little. One of my favorite things to make for the holiday, whether for myself or a certain someone special, are chocolate covered strawberries. Why? Because they're one of those things that seems complicated but is actually very easy, they're delicious, and the taste of strawberries always reminds me that warmer weather is (hopefully) just around the corner. Here's a recipe that I found on the Food Network website that seems easy enough, even for first-timers. Plus, I like the added element of the white chocolate to give the strawberries a little something extra.... |
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