Off on vacation

I'm off to Delaware for a week's vacation!

Why are you going to Delaware for a vacation?

Oh, you know, nice beaches, small crowds.

Isn't the idea of vacationing in Delaware a cheap throwaway joke from "The Simpsons"?

Not really. It's a lovely place.

I thought you loved Rhode Island?

I do!

Doesn't Rhode Island have nice beaches?

Well, yes, yes it does.

So why aren't you spending your vacation in Rhode Island?

Uhm ...

I thought so.

Cry havoc, and unleash the pigs of pork

This isn't about actual pig products, but about who's bringing home the bacon to Rhode Island. Incumbent Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee (pictured above) has found himself having to defend his vote on an appropriations bill that helped finance, among other things, a controversial and ruiniously expensive bridge in Alaska in order to secure a $16,000,000 grant to build a new federal building in downtown Providence.

Chafee's primary opponent, Cranston mayor Steve Laffey, is raking Chafee over the coals, while Chafee has counterattacked, alleging that Laffey lobbied him to secure $167,000 from the federal budget to repair city hall in Cranston.

Will voters punish Chafee for bringing home the bacon? Will Laffey rue asking Chafee for dough? The Providence Journal (registration, as always, required) has the story here.

Royal wrist slapping

It's a done deal. Patrick "Patches" Kennedy was slapped on the wrist today after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of prescription drugs in a Washington, DC courtroom. In exchange for the guilty plea, the court agreed to drop the other charges facing our nitwit Congressman after his well publicized car crash in Washington, DC last month. Having avoided a jury trial by pleading guilty, Kennedy's sentence breaks down as so:

• 10 day suspended jail sentence
• 1 year's probation
• $300 fine - suspended
• 50 hours of community service for the Boys & Girls Club in DC
• $350 donation to the aforementioned club's "victims compensation fund"
• random urine screenings
• mandatory weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings
• monthly "addiction sessions" at the National Navy Medical Center

Obviously, I had a different punishment in mind, but I'm never consulted on these things.

All of this sounds very daunting, but it isn't. Congressman Kennedy, who was alleged to have been seen drinking at a bar shortly before his crash, was further alleged by police to have exerted political pressure at the scene to avoid being arrested on a much more serious charge - driving under the influence of alcohol, and avoided being subjected to a potentially politically lethal breathalyzer test.

Having once worked with a guy who did a few years of hard time in a notorious Massachusetts correctional facility after a drunk driving conviction, Patches once again leveraged his "royal family" name into getting off nearly scot-free on a crime that would send lesser men to the clink. Having escaped charges of drunk driving and obstruction of justice, it's apparently just another day in the office for Patches Kennedy. The Providence Journal (registration required) has all the gory details here.

New photos? Yes indeed.

Granted, Saturday was rained out, but I managed to take a few pictures around the common in Little Compton before heading back home.

Today, things cleared up dramatically so Nora suggested taking photos from Prospect park in Providence. I couldn't say no to such a good idea. I can't even explain why I've waited so long to miss an opportunity to take photos of the city from the best viewpoint available! The photos from the terrace on Prospect park can be found right here.

The hood gets soaked

The photo's courtesy of the Providence Journal's "7 to 7" blog, taken right down the street ( between Atwells Avenue and Delaine Street) from my house in the Valley neighborhood. The rain has subsided, and the mighty raging Woonasquatucket has settled down ... for now.

Depraved criminal junkie on the prowl!

Lock up the booze, women and Oxycontin, and whatever you do, hide the keys to the Mustang convertible: Patches Kennedy has deemed himself ready to leave his pricey detoxification suite at the Mayo Clinic and rejoin society. I can hear the price of car insurance policy's collision coverage going up already.

While the DC police investigate whether or not Kennedy pressured the cops into dropping a drunk driving charge, I invite you to read the most asinine analysis of Kennedy's "problem" right here.

Rain, rain, go the hell away.

Due to really horrid weather - once again! - I don't have any new pictures of Rhode Island this weekend. I know I hope this doesn't happen again next weekend, when I hope to take pictures in a town I haven't photographed yet. I think Woonsocket might be in the cards, but if it's really nice out, perhaps a trip to South Kingstown is in order? I'll wait and see.

In other news, tomorrow marks the beginning of the trial of Esteban Carpio (pictured above), who made history last May by allegedly (that's the key word - allegedly) shooting Providence police detective James Allen before jumping through a plate glass window three stories up and fleeing from police. Carpio is expected to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. The Providence Journal (registration required - as always) has more on the story right here.