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MARION DAVIS

Latest Articles

Savor these urban (and suburban) oases

Quiet, please
It's not a huge state, but Rhode Island, you may be realizing, is abuzz with activity. There's music, poetry, theater, gallery shows, social gatherings, and all sorts of events at the colleges.

By: MARION DAVIS | September 27, 2011

Rewriting the history of capitalism

Revisions
Brown University president Ruth Simmons has made it hard to ignore the school's ties to slavery — and by extension, the ties of well-known Providence families.

By: MARION DAVIS | March 30, 2011

Greening the knowledge district

Bull Session
Christopher Bull is on the engineering faculty at Brown University, but what he teaches is a vision. “We all bear some responsibility in the direction the world goes,” he says, “and we need to accept that responsibility and act on it.”

By: MARION DAVIS | March 09, 2011

Catapulter wants you to travel smarter

Point A to Point B
You’re headed to New York and you need to keep the trip as cheap as possible, but also want WiFi, so you can work. Or perhaps you’re due in Boston’s Back Bay area, ASAP, and you need the ride to be quick and direct, even if it costs a little extra.

By: MARION DAVIS | February 23, 2011

At RISD: 2x4s, tape, and 'Co-Habitation'

Boxing Dept.
In photographs, it looks like a giant spider web. But up close, it's shiny and transparent under the golden light. It's big enough for a person to climb into and crawl through — or you can poke your head in from a hole underneath or on the sides.

By: MARION DAVIS | February 09, 2011

The return of Complex World

Film Dept.
Stanley Matis had no acting experience when, in 1987, Jim Wolpaw asked him to star in his movie. Matis had been opening up for bands at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel for years, and Wolpaw was a fan.

By: MARION DAVIS | November 04, 2010

Building a better world, by design

Improvements
What if architects across America agreed to make every building they design 50 percent more energy-efficient — and keep improving until, by 2030, they're at carbon-neutral?

By: MARION DAVIS | October 06, 2010

Savor the local flavor

Hungry? You've come to the right place
In some college towns, you're lucky if you can find two or three good eateries. In Providence, you could get through med school and still not be done exploring — especially if you're willing to venture deep into the city and out across Rhode Island.

By: MARION DAVIS | August 31, 2010

Human contact is at the heart of Pecha Kucha

Meeting of the minds
The setting was perfect: outdoors at the Steel Yard, on the city's West side, on a clear summer night, with free wine and beer, a Haven Brothers truck, and big, spectacular art all around — from a sculpture made of bicycle parts to the Flower Tower, a 10-foot pyramid of plants.

By: MARION DAVIS | August 04, 2010

A Providence non-profit loans out the future

Where Credit Is Due
Eva Jiménez came here from the Dominican Republic in September 2001.

By: MARION DAVIS | May 12, 2010

Looking for a new kind of mayor

Recruitment
Perhaps you've seen the ads ...

By: MARION DAVIS | February 24, 2010

Rhode Island’s own stab at health reform

Get Healthy
Health care reform, if it survives the election of Republican Scott Brown to Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat, will make insurance accessible and provide a slew of new consumer protections for millions of Americans.

By: MARION DAVIS | January 20, 2010

A ’stache grows in Providence

Sex Confident Dept.
Beards are easy. Almost any guy can grow some scruff, and in some circles, it's almost de rigueur. But a mustache — that takes work, and it takes guts. A mustache is bold.

By: MARION DAVIS | November 18, 2009

Hell on wheels

Providence roller derby — fast action, big fun, and grrrl power on skates
There are rules. No hands, no feet, no heads. No tripping, no hitting from the back — just thighs, hips, upper arms and torso, from the side or front.

By: MARION DAVIS | October 14, 2009

Creative loafing

Where to get your geek on
Essential geek grounds

By: MARION DAVIS | September 03, 2009

RI goes DIY at the Maker Faire

Makin' It Work
Kipp Bradford builds things. For commercial clients, he puts together high-end mini-computers and other electronic gizmos. For his friends and himself, anything goes — a sea of LED-lit balloons, sound-activated light displays, circuit boards strung around partygoers necks programmed to "like" and "dislike" each other.

By: MARION DAVIS | August 19, 2009

On the farm

Market Mobile supplies the demand for local food
The menus at Chez Pascal in Providence often feature local meats, fish, and produce, but on Mondays, owner-chef Matt Gennuso goes all out. A recent menu featured burgers from Aquidneck Farms; greens from Arcadian Fields; clams from Matunuck Oyster Farm; ricotta from Narragansett Creamery.

By: MARION DAVIS | July 15, 2009

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