Providence Plantations: The Real History
“Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” has been the official full name of the state since the colonial era, created by the unification of the original “four towns,” which in order […]
Events:
The Flower, The Labor, and The Sea
September 27, 2025 - June 28, 2026
Bad Hair Day: Are magazines in salons dangerous?
On July 8, we sent out the first printed issue of Motif since April 1, a hiatus of three months. The world changed: On April 1 at least half of […]
Phase 3 in RI: Staying the course, alone
As Rhode Island literally leads the nation in rate of decline for cases of COVID-19, Gov. Gina Raimondo moved forward with plans to enter Phase 3 of reopening the state […]
RI COVID-19 Exposure: Surprisingly low, but highly disproportionate by race
Only 2.2% of Rhode Island residents have antibodies in their blood, known as “sero-prevalence,” against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, Brown University Professor Philip Chan, MD, the consultant medical […]
You Say You Want a Revolution: Police brutality was the spark but economic inequality is the fuel for racial conflagration
It’s 3 o’clock in the morning as I begin writing this, having just spent the last few hours watching Providence finally get the violent riot it had been lucky to […]
Governor Raimondo Addressed the Protests Against Police Brutality: She praised Rhode Islanders’ weekend demonstration and expressed hope for the next generation
Gov. Gina Raimondo praised Rhode Island protesters she described as “99.9% peaceful” in a special press conference at 10:30am today, saying that she supported their underlying demands for equality and […]
RI Enters Phase 1 of Reopening: The rules are clear, but poorly communicated
RI Gov. Gina Raimondo allowed her stay-at-home executive order to expire March 8, the next day beginning “Phase 1” of at least three such phases, each expected to last at […]
A Toast!: RKO Army Raises $4,100 for RI Pride Food Drive
“The Rocky Horror Stay-at-Home Show” was an online event on May 8 that raised more than $4,100 for the RI Pride Emergency Supply Drive, a COVID-19 relief program that provides […]
Smoothing the Curve: Recent data display from the gov is more artistic than mathematic
RI Gov. Gina Raimondo at her press conference on Saturday, May 2, displayed a chart showing new hospitalizations per day from March 13 to April 26. The point of the […]
Pandemic Non-fiction: What you don’t know can kill you
There is no shortage of books about diseases through human history, but a few have become definitive classics. I’ve curated an admittedly highly opinionated selection of the best. Some books […]