Here’s this week’s Sour Grapes; enjoy!
Columns
A look at What’sUpNewp’s latest columns.
Posted inColumns
What’s in Season: A mid-April Mount Hope Farm farmers market brings in a fresh catch of seafood
Even though the sun is starting to peek out from behind April rainclouds, the untrustworthy weather mixed with the breeze off the bay makes being outside on the bare edges of blustery and chilly. That’s why, despite it being mid-April, the Mount Hope Farmers Market spent its last “winter” weekend indoors in the barn. On […]
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Just My Opinion: Perhaps inflation is really linked to corporate greed
GDP, CPI, WPI, corporate profits, tax avoidance, consumer confidence … goes on and on, as we all try to understand the state of an economy that some politicians say is soaring and others say is in the tank. Which is it? Don’t expect me to tell you. I’m no economist. Although economists like the University […]
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Gerry Goldstein: Politics to smile about, until it isn’t
Now that the political season is moving along in earnest, it’s time to examine the Monster Raving Loony Party. And I don’t mean the party of MAGA loons who obsess over Jewish space lasers and idolize the Proud Boys. The Loony Party actually exists, in our mother country across the pond – where for 40 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Comic – Sour Grapes: Loofa
Here’s this week’s Sour Grapes; enjoy! Tim Jones is the creator, artist and writer of the widely popular, self-syndicated comic strip; “SOUR GRAPES” about “Aesop”, a miserable-flying dog, living in a strange, problematic and troubled world along with his odd family and pet cloud, ‘Ominous’. Originally from Attleboro, Massachusetts, Tim lives with his wife and […]
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Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about health care and private equity
There is lots of talk about health care and private equity lately, and the truth is worse than anyone knows. Too many greedy and unscrupulous people use the equity markets to make ungodly profits for themselves by using a legal process to extract wealth from governments, communities, and even from insurance companies, usually by buying […]
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Just My Opinion: Renovating a historic theater – more than two decades later
As I sat in the newly renovated New Amsterdam Theater on Broadway some years ago, I could not help but marvel at how this renovation recaptured a golden era, and its importance to the economic revival of New York City’s Broadway district. It was, perhaps, the showpiece of the district’s revitalization, a Disney project to […]
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What’s in Season: A late March Aquidneck Growers Market in Newport brings joy with fresh sunchokes
Until April 27, when the fickle warmth of spring decides to stay for good, the Aquidneck Growers Market stays cozy in the winter months inside Stoneacre Garden in Newport. Inside, vendors and farmers nestle together to create a winding path of tantalizingly fresh food and goods. At this particular market, mushrooms, lavender sachets, breads, and […]
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Gerry Goldstein: ‘All That’ and more about our state
I see we have a new Rhode Island slogan to attract tourists, and not surprisingly, it made its debut to mixed reviews. This is a touchy subject, especially after the last attempt at state sloganeering, “Cooler and Warmer,” was received like ketchup on a hot wiener or fried clams with no bellies. The new slogan, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Theatre Review: ‘Twelfth Night’ at The Gamm Theatre is fun and funny
Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” begins with a shipwreck. Twins Viola and Sebastian are tossed into the sea. Viola is saved. Sebastian is feared lost. Brought to Illyria by her rescuers, Viola takes on the appearance of a boy, working as Cesario, a page to Illyria’s Duke Orsino. Now hold onto your hat, it gets a little […]
Posted inNews
This Day in RI History: March 22, 1966, Martha McSally is born in Warwick
Former Arizona Senator Martha McSally was born on March 22, 1966 in Warwick, RI. She attended Bay View Academy and later received a B.S. in Biology from the United States Air Force Academy as well as a Master’s Degree from the JFK School of Government at Harvard University. As an Air Force pilot, McSally flew […]
Posted inPeople & Profiles
This Day in RI History: March 13, 1799 -Oliver Shaw born in Newport
Oliver Shaw was one of the first important American classical composers. Due to a childhood accident and later a case of yellow fever, he was totally blind when he composed many of his most notable works. His works included many references to local places including “Taunton,” “Bristol” and “Trip to Pawtucket.” Shaw also composed numerous […]
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Gerry Goldstein: A debate quip we can only dream of
Despite all that’s going on in our turbulent world, much of the current presidential campaign is based on age, but this isn’t the first time that’s happened. In fact, the 1984 debates produced a zinger on the age issue that’s still considered one of the best campaign bon mots. That came amid concerns about the capacity […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Women’s History Month: Ruth Buzzi … or is that Gladys Ormphby
Who could ever forget Gladys Ormphby, that feisty spinster, a favorite of Dan Rowan and Dick Martin’s “Laugh-In.” “Gladys Ormphby never met a celebrity she didn’t feel compelled to smack senseless,” wrote Nick Tomas a few years ago, referring to the diminutive Omphby’s lethal pocketbook. It was a character that the amazingly talented Ruth Buzzi […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Women’s History Month: Meet Miss Johnson and Miss Wales
Many women have played prominent roles in Rhode Island education, from teaching to founding what has now become a prominent university with campuses in Providence and North Carolina. As WUN celebrates National Women’s History Month, we’ll introduce several women who have played significant roles in our area, from the sports field to politics and government, […]
Posted inHistory
What’s Up Newp celebrates Women’s History Month: Meet golfer Glenna Collett-Vare
We’re celebrating some extraordinary women during March, National Women’s History Month, individuals who have made their mark from the sports field to politics and government, from the courtroom to the board room. We’ll be introducing our readers to some individuals they may not know, and others they do. What they all have in common is […]
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Gerry Goldstein: When salesmanship founders
TV commercials during the Super Bowl earlier this month continued to attract nearly as much attention as the game itself, and one of the most popular of the entries had an unintentional local flavor. The ad, featuring heavily-accented Arnold Schwarzenegger, was built around the actor’s inability (like many a Rhode Islander) to pronounce that final […]
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Dr. Michael Fine: What’s Crazy About Health Care and Pet Supplies
Pet food? Health care and pet food? No, dear reader, Dr Fine hasn’t gone crazy. There really is a link. In the Wall Street Journal of February 10, the distinguished long-time Wall Street Journal columnist Holman Jenkins, who was arguing for desperately needed military aid to Ukraine, claimed that by spending an extra $35 billion, Russia was trying […]
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Just My Opinion: Greatest threat to Democracy — Indifference
Indifference. As the future of our democracy is debated in this presidential election, as fears grow that some candidates are intent on unraveling our form of government, as the demonization of facts becomes the norm, perhaps democracy is most at risk from indifference. According to Ballotpedia and Ballotready, more than 60 percent of the 500,000 […]
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Gerry Goldstein: Razor-sharp humor on long-ago roadsides
The Federal Highway Administration, which apparently never took a crash course in humor, is absorbing some jocular flak over its recent recommendations for restraint when states install amusing traffic safety signs. These digital messages have been popping up for several years, and in Rhode Island, you may have seen the likes of: “There are plenty […]
Posted inNews
Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about health insurance and private equity
A woman in Buffalo, NY, a nurse who works per diem with a primary care doctor, loses her insurance. She’s on medication for a chronic disease, and the medication runs out. So, she calls her doctor to schedule an appointment. But her doctor won’t see her. You don’t have insurance, she is told. Okay, she […]
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Gerry Goldstein: On the road when pitfalls lurked en route
Fledgling 2024 marks 60 years since passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, legislation that outlawed discrimination in businesses and other public places. So it’s astounding — and telling – that in the year recently ended, the NAACP issued a formal advisory against travel to Florida, which it said “has become hostile to Black […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: If we’re the role models, beware
Although I’m a member of the oldest generation and a bit shaky on computer nuance, you wouldn’t consider me a Luddite – a person who by nature opposes new technology. I’m no particular fan of the legendary English weaver Ned Ludd, who in the 18th Century supposedly smashed some new-fangled knitting machines and railed against […]