Uncle Sam: Please Tax the Titans

Don't ask me what a hedge fund is — if I knew, I'd manage one.

By Donald Kaul

I’ve already told you the story of Mrs. Campbell, my well-meaning high school guidance counselor. In case you missed it, I’ll tell you again.

High school seniors in Detroit, where I grew up, had career counseling before they were turned loose on society. You took “aptitude” tests (“Would you prefer arranging flowers or building a bridge?”) and read boring brochures in the name of finding out what you wanted to be when you grew up. I took the tests and read the brochures. When I went to see Mrs. Campbell for advice, she had my records spread out in front of her.

“I think you can be just about anything you want to be,” she said. That was counselor-speak for: “You don’t have any identifiable talent.”

Charlestown Parks and Recreation bringing great new stuff for you

Things are heating up for the summer!!

Photo from last year's skim board competition

Check out this list of activities below and be sure to put some on your calendar!

Eat higher on the food chain?

Eating More Protein is Associated with Weight Loss

From: Editor, Justmeans, on ENN.com More from this Affiliate

At some point in our lives, we have been on some kind of diet or other. There is the 'cabbage soup diet'; '5:2 diet'; and then high protein diets such as Atkins, Zone and South Beach, etc. 

Some people turn to higher-protein diets to lose weight, because some studies suggest that higher-protein diets help people better control their appetites and calorie intake. Diets with 30 per cent protein are now considered "reasonable" and the term "high protein diet" is now reserved for diets with over 50 per cent protein.

HEARING TONIGHT: Charlestown hires new Special Counsel to represent Town Council in Whalerock controversy

High turn-out expected

"When ya got trouble, get a lawyer. Then ya got more trouble but at least 
ya got a lawyer." Chico Marx to Groucho in "At the Circus"

By Will Collette

UPDATE: the first night of hearings by the Zoning Board of Review will take place tonight, starting at 7 PM at the Charlestown Elementary School. There will be NO live Clerkbase live streaming video.

Rumors have been roiling around town that anti-Whalerock leader Ron Areglado attended last Monday’s Town Council Executive Session to ask the Council to bail out his group by hiring their attorney. 

However, late Thursday, Charlestown hired a different lawyer, John O. Mancini of the Michael A. Kelly Law Group, to serve as the Town Council's Special Counsel in the fight against the proposed Whalerock industrial wind project.

When the Town Council emerged from its secret Executive Session last Monday, May 13, they announced their decision to spend $50,000 of town taxpayer funds to hire a Special Counsel plus experts to represent the Town Council against developer Larry LeBlanc's unpopular Whalerock proposal. 

LeBlanc goes before the Zoning Board of Review (ZBR) on TONIGHT Tuesday, May 21 to request a Special Use Permit that would allow him to proceed with the construction of the wind turbines, presuming he actually has the financing to build the project.

Barrington anti-housing NIMBYs use same script as the CCA Party

More fake reasons why people don’t like affordable housing

How Barrington (and the CCA Party) view affordable housing

By Bob Plain in Rhode Island's Future

Jim Hummel, an independent journalist who lives in Barrington, took a very different tack than me on the issue of affordable housing in Rhode Island’s favorite suburban utopia.

Last fall, he reported Barrington actually has a lot of housing that meets the state’s definition of affordable housing, but that not much of it fits what he called the “intricate formula set by the state.”

How much is LarryLand worth?

What will it cost the taxpayers to end a decade of high anxiety?

By Will Collette

How much is it worth?

No matter the outcome of the Zoning Board of Review hearings on Larry LeBlanc’s proposed Whalerock industrial wind project, Charlestown’s on-going nightmare will continue. 

It will continue until either Larry LeBlanc builds something on his 81 acres overlooking Route One that will give him and his partners a profit or somebody pays him the price he needs to walk away.

Eat to save your life

Where your license fees go

Anglers Help Monitor R.I.’s Marine Ecosystems

By KEVIN PROFT/ecoRI.org News staff

For seven dollars, Rhode Island residents can obtain a saltwater recreational fishing license and gain access to waters in Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine. In an era of increasing costs, this is a bargain, and tens of thousands are taking advantage.

According to Kevin Smith of the state Department of Environmental Management’s Fish & Wildlife, 42,306 licenses were issued in 2012, resulting in $273,147 in revenue. So where, one might ask, does all that money go?

Return of the DINO?

Caprio’s road back to office reasonably hazardous

By Samuel G. Howard in Rhode Island's Future

Frank Caprio is beginning what will be his second act in Rhode Island politics. It’s actually a reasonably admirable move; after a stinging defeat in the race for governor, Caprio readjusted his sights and aimed lower. In a political world which seems to be completely about climbing the ladder of positions, Caprio’s decision to stay level is an intriguing one.

RIPR’s Ian Donnis suggests that Caprio could be buoyed by a forgiving Rhode Island that’s for second chances. I don’t think this is particularly unique to Rhode Island; we don’t have to look very far to find examples of second chances. 

Former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford recently found his way into the U.S. House of Representatives despite resigning his previous office in disgrace. Louisiana senator David Vitter frequented prostitutes and not only stayed in his seat, but won reelection. And Abraham Lincoln and Richard Nixon both lost races before winning the presidency. Second acts tend to be the nature of most democratic systems.

Pollen count low today, rising through the week

What's next...cable made from hemp?

Cox Goes Solar in Rhode Island

By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI.org News staff

WEST WARWICK — Even big companies can be a shade of green. Cox Communications unveiled two new solar arrays May 13.

The 681-kilowatt arrays at its offices here and in Portsmouth will generate enough electricity to power 77 homes, which is substantial for a solar-energy project in the Biggest Little.

The project is one of several the communications conglomerate has adopted as part of its green initiatives. The solar arrays join the company's composting program and other waste-cutting efforts. It also has long-term conservation and sustainability goals.

“There’s a lot more to the bottom line than money making. There’s the future,” said Alex Taylor, senior vice president of field operations for Cox.

Copar Quarry invades Charlestown

Notorious Connecticut company acquires at least one, perhaps two, new sites WITHIN Charlestown

"They're HEREEEEEE!"

By Will Collette

The notorious Connecticut-based Copar Quarry that has plagued its neighbors in Bradford and Charlestown has acquired at least one new quarry site within Charlestown’s town limits. That site is the 47 acre former Morrone Quarry off Route 91 (Alton-Carolina Road) near the Richmond town line.

An official transfer of ownership has not yet been filed with the town, but the employees at the Morrone quarry are now Copar employees and Copar’s fleet of Connecticut-tagged purple trucks is now moving material off that site.

I have also requested a copy of Copar’s business registration and license to operate in Charlestown, but apparently Copar has not filed with the town as required under Charlestown’s Code of Ordinances §147-2 and §147-7.

I did find a record of the transfer of ownership registered with the US Mine Safety and Health Administration. It shows the transfer from Morrone to Copar taking place on March 5.

Eating for health

Pushing for green jobs

Senate votes to strengthen tie between renewable energy, economic development

STATE HOUSE – The Senate passed a bill last week which would shift more emphasis to integrating renewable energy into the state’s economic development strategy. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski, would make changes to the Rhode Island Energy Efficiency and Resources Management Council in order to support forward movement in the realm of green jobs and renewable resources.

“We’re seeing more of a focus on green energy, and the passage of this bill really highlights the need for a more coordinated approach to how the state will handle that burgeoning market,” Senator Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown, New Shoreham) said. “This legislation is like a guiding hand, strengthening what we have in place and slightly refocusing our efforts. I would ask my colleagues in the House to consider this defined approach in our overall strategy for a ‘green’ Rhode Island.”

Flushing Nitrates from ground water takes a long time

Ground Water Flow Rate

From: Andy Soos, ENN

Ground water flow rates can be a slow process. USGS hydrologic researchers, for example, have found that the movement of nitrate through groundwater to streams can take decades to occur.

This long lag time means that changes in the use of nitrogen-based fertilizer (the typical source of nitrate) — whether the change is initiation, adjustment, or cessation — may take decades to be fully observed in their effect on streams, according to a recent study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

Uncovering hidden agendas in proposals to change voting practices

On the master lever, I am a hypocrite

By Samuel G. Howard in Rhode Island’s Future

In an earlier column, I argued that abolition of the single party option (SPO, better known as the so-called “master lever”) should fail, even though it’s good policy to abolish it. In it, I argue the opposite for what I’d argued about five months before: that regardless of the benefit abolition would accrue for proponents, it should be eliminated as a matter of good policy, and even as a matter of good politics for the establishment.

As Ken Block, the lead advocate for the abolition points out, that makes me a hypocrite. Block also points that I’m essentially advocating to keep voter confusion for the elderly, less educated and black until such a time as a larger reform can be passed so a better system can be created. Basically, even though we know the car of elections has a whole host of issues, I’m suggesting we don’t fix this one part now.

I can’t deny that this makes me hypocritical. The earlier post is right and the second post is wrong. But that doesn’t comfort me much.

Tanzi and Walsh want to eliminate ALL cesspools

“It’s time to finish the job”

News release from Reps. Teresa Tanzi and Donna Walsh

Working in close collaboration with the RI Department of Environmental Management, Rep. Teresa Tanzi has sponsored, and Rep. Donna Walsh has co-sponsored, new legislation, H-5732, to completely eliminate the use of old-fashioned cesspools in Rhode Island.

By the end of 2013, all households located near coastal waters and public drinking water supplies must replace cesspools either with state approached on-site wastewater treatment systems or hook-ups to sewer systems. But that still leaves thousands of cesspools still in use across the state and an on-going threat to the environment and public health.

“It’s time to finish the job,” said Reps. Walsh and Tanzi in a joint statement. 

Did somebody say scandal?

Wake-Up Call

By Mike Luckowich

Click here to get the latest on Washington scandals.

Eating for health

Fish poaching may be major cause of counterfeit fish

Illegal Fishing Linked to Seafood Fraud in New Report

From: Editor, Oceana, More from this Affiliate in ENN.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: read my earlier article by clicking here.

Today, as the nation's top leaders in fishery management come together at the 2013 Managing Our Nation's Fisheries Conference in Washington, D.C. to discuss science and sustainability, Oceana released a new report finding that illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing leads to seafood fraud and threatens fishing economies, seafood consumers and vulnerable marine species on a global scale. 

Hot health news

Chili Pepper is Good for You

From: Andy Soos, ENN

The chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Chili peppers originated in the Americas. Chili pepper has spread across the world and is used in both food and medicine.

New research has revealed that Solanaceae—a flowering plant family with some species producing foods that are edible sources of nicotine—may provide a protective effect against Parkinson's disease.

The study appears in the Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society. It suggests that eating foods that contain even a small amount of nicotine, such as peppers and tomatoes, may reduce risk of developing Parkinson's.

Gist's gotta go

Dump Deborah Gist

By Bob Plain in Rhode Island's Future

Deborah Gist is nothing if not polarizing.

Nearly 90 percent of local teachers want a new leader. But the Chamber of Commerce supports her. She backed the firing of Central Falls teachers, but she has the backing of the East Greenwich School Committee. Tom Sgouros and the Providence Student Union have twisted her in knots over high stakes testing; Travis Rowley and John DePetro think she deserves a raise.

This week I’ve been writing a lot about how there are two very different Rhode Islands: the suburbs and the cities. Deborah Gist’s management of public education has unequivocally exacerbated this divide. And more to the point, education has gotten worse not better under her leadership. Even by her own preferred metrics, student performance has decreased since she’s been in charge.

Test your intelligence

From Fake Science, where all of Charlestown gets its information:

Promising research on Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease Vaccine Shows Promise in Clinical Trial

From ScienceDaily.com

Telltale rash associated with Lyme Disease

Editor's note: Lyme disease is all too common in Charlestown given our high tick population. 

The results of a phase 1/2 clinical trial in Europe of an investigational Lyme disease vaccine co-developed by researchers at Stony Brook University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and at Baxter International Inc., a U.S. based healthcare company, revealed it to be promising and well tolerated, according to a research paper published online in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

The vaccine was shown to produce substantial antibodies against all targeted species of Borrelia, the causative agent of Lyme disease in Europe and the United States. Baxter International conducted the clinical trial of the vaccine.

Since the early 1990s, Benjamin Luft, MD, the Edmund D. Pellegrino Professor of Medicine at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, and the late John Dunn, Ph.D., a biologist at Brookhaven National Laboratory, spearheaded the initial development of the original vaccine antigen concept, and together with researchers at Baxter International helped bioengineer the formulation used in the clinical trial.

JPMorgan Chase in the Sewer

Is former financial superstar Dimon in trouble?

By Phil Mattera in Dirt Diggers Digest

The business news has been full of speculation on whether JPMorgan Chase Jamie Dimon will go on serving as both CEO and chairman of the big bank, in light of a shareholder campaign to strip him of the latter post. The effort to bring Dimon down a notch—and to oust three members of the board—is hardly the work of a “lynch mob,” as Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of Yale suggested in a New York Times op-ed.