Letters
Going to the Dogs
Nice article on the coyotes [“Where the Wild Things Are,” December]. My wife was walking our shi tzu a few weeks ago at 9 a.m. here in Smithfield. Twenty feet from our house was a coyote standing in the middle of the road. We live around the corner from Deerfield Park. My wife thought Sam, our dog, was going to be a snack. They are here, and the rumor around town is that when they built the Smithfield mall, the coyotes were displaced.
Joe Walker
Smithfield
Up to Speed
The first thing I do when a new issue arrives is to turn to the last page because I usually find it so enjoyable. The December issue [Rhode Trip, “Speed Demons”] prompted me to write to ask one of my favorite questions of late: How does one choose whether ’tis wiser to speed or impede? On our two-lane roads in South County I usually stay close to the speed limit, at least until someone inevitably climbs onto my back bumper, then I really hold tight to the posted limit (fearing I will meet up with a road-rager up my tail pipe or worse). But on the big highways, the flow of traffic is now close to eighty. Thanks for letting us know how one Rhode Island statie makes her decisions. I think I’ll “speed reasonably” from now on.
Ann Crawford
Charlestown
Giving Back Globally
I read Lisa Prevost’s article, “The Young and the Generous” [November], with much interest and some disappointment. I believe if you were aware of another inspiring entrepreneurial nonprofit, Longitude, you might have been persuaded to include a not-so-wealthy philanthropist among the other charitable visionaries in the article.
The founder of Longitude, Shawn Rubin, is a Kindergarten teacher at CVS Highlander. While he may not be fabulously wealthy, his is a story of the power of personal commitment in making the world a better place through education and what might be called “viral benevolence.” Not only is he making positive change in the lives of those he is committed to helping but also in the lives of those he has asked for support. Every person Shawn has asked for help has become committed to this effort and has volunteered their time and services to support people in the global community struggling to obtain the education, job skills and the basic human rights they need to survive.
Kevin R. Gould
Mendon, Massachusetts
Dating Service
Thank you for the informative article on volunteerism in Rhode Island [“A Matter of Time,” October]. I am a member and publicity chairperson for Singles in M’Ocean (simo-ri.org), a nonprofit for single adults that volunteer as a group for other local nonprofits. We boast a membership of 300 single men and women and assist at events held by organizations such as the Rhode Island Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Make-A-Wish and Big Sisters. If your readers choose to get involved, they will meet like-minded singles eager to share their time and talents for the community.
Cynthia Branca
Cranston
