Rhode Island

Three RI Israel-Hamas-related events garner attention, and Mark Patinkin has some thoughts

Published

1 year ago

November 12, 2023

Press Room

Three RI Israel-Hamas-related events garner attention, and Mark Patinkin has some thoughts

The Israeli-Hamas war has come to Rhode Island.

With three events here hitting national news.

A Providence councilman got canned from his State House job after tweets blaming Israel.

The Providence City Council called for a cease-fire in Gaza.

And 20 Jewish students at Brown were arrested for a pro-Palestinian sit-in.

They all have one thing in common besides calling Israel the bad guy.

They were AWOL after the Oct. 7 Hamas slaughter.

Murdered Jews? Babies as hostages? Who cares. But once Israel responded – time for righteous protest.

First, let’s talk about Gov. Dan McKee firing Providence City Councilman Miguel Sanchez from his day-job in constituent services after pro-Palestinian tweets.

Sanchez seems an impressive guy, the city’s first Mexican-American councilman, caring about marginalized communities.

But Miguel, I went through your tweets, and timewise, they put you in the hall of shame of those who on Oct. 7 itself, hours after the most bloodthirsty slaughter of Jews in 75 years, blamed Israel.

Posting this: “We must demand the respect of all human rights, especially the Palestinian people who faced atrocities for decades and at the same time condemn all attacks on civilians.”

You paired that with a statement by a Texas congressional candidate basically saying the murdered Jews brought it on themselves.

And no, it doesn’t count to add a bland condemnation of all “attacks on civilians” as an afterthought. Not when you ironically accuse Israel of “atrocities” on the very day 1,400 butchered Jewish bodies lie on the ground.

And sir, you still have a tweet up claiming that Israel bombed Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, killing 500 people. The U.S. government has debunked that. The false claim was so inflammatory it made targets of U.S. service people in the region. It’s not OK to still have that up on your feed.

On Nov. 3, Providence made national headlines again when the City Council called for a cease-fire. Its statement strived to sound evenhanded – saying they care about lives on both sides and all that.

But if Providence’s council feels it should speak on foreign affairs – where was the resolution after Oct. 7 decrying the butchering of Jews? Nor in this resolution did they call for a return of the hostages. That’s a disgrace.

The mentality is clear. A Hamas pogrom wasn’t worth condemning – but Israel fighting back? Good heavens. Time for the council to demand a cease-fire.

Finally, let’s get to the protesters arrested at Brown.

Why, you may ask, would Jewish students stage a campus sit-in accusing Israel of genocide, ethnic cleansing and apartheid, which they did, while ignoring Oct. 7?

Of course, many Jews are simply against Israel’s invasion of Gaza, but in this case, I see two other things going on.

More Patinkin: I’ve seen the faces of Gazan Palestinians. They haven’t been forgotten

First, there’s an old tale about the proud Jew and the ghetto Jew in 1900 about to be executed during a pogrom and told to put on blindfolds. The proud Jew throws his blindfold down and says he’ll face his killers. The ghetto Jew tells him, “Put it on, don’t make trouble.”

I see a modern version of that mentality on campus, with Jewish students desperate to curry favor with their majority pro-Palestinian peers.

Which brings up the second reason for the sit-in – it’s generational. Students in 2023 have bought into the cult of seeing the world in terms of oppressor and oppressed, with Israel deemed the ultimate fascist state.

Why? The hate-Israel crowd, including the arrested Jewish Brown students, use three main labels.

Apartheid. Genocide. Ethnic cleansing.

I’m not sure what they’re teaching at Brown these days, but it’s not history.

Apartheid? Of Israel’s 9 million population, 2 million are Arabs with full citizenship, 10 sitting in Parliament, one on the Supreme Court and countless doctors and professionals.

More Patinkin: His niece murdered, her son shielded beneath her body: A family’s final moments in Israel

Genocide? It’s terrible that thousands have been killed in Gaza. But genocide is hundreds of thousands recently killed in Syria, Yemen and Libya by Arab dictators and militias. Not a peep about that. But when 9,000 or so are tragically killed in Gaza in a war Hamas started – now that’s genocide.

As for ethnic cleansing – there were hundreds of thousands of Palestinians when Israel was created in 1948. Now there are 7 million. Doesn’t sound like ethnic cleansing to me, but I’ll tell you what is. That same year, there were 800,000 Jews in countries like Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan and Lebanon. Now – virtually none. They were either murdered or driven out.

I guess none of that is worth condemning.

Just as Oct. 7 wasn’t worth condemning soon afterward by Brown student groups, Miguel Sanchez and the Providence City Council.

But now that Israel has responded? And Jews have fought back?

How dare they.

mpatinki@providencejournal.com

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Rhode Island

Meet the former R.I. lawmaker taking on Deloitte after the RIBridges cybersecurity attack – The Boston Globe

Published

4 hours ago

December 20, 2024

Press Room

Meet the former R.I. lawmaker taking on Deloitte after the RIBridges cybersecurity attack – The Boston Globe

Peter Wasylyk has built a nice career out of filing class-action lawsuits.

The former state representative from Providence has been the lead attorney on some of the most high-profile class-action suits in the state, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, where he helped clients win a $17.5 million settlement in 2005. He also helped thousands of drivers in Providence secure small refunds on their speed camera tickets in 2018.

Now Wasylyk, who held office from 1985 until he lost a Democratic primary to current Representative Ray Hull in 2010, is at the center of another high-profile class-action lawsuit. He’s working with consumers to sue Deloitte Consulting following the cyberattack on the state’s public benefits system that Governor Dan McKee disclosed last week.

McKee has said hundreds of thousands of Rhode Islanders could have had their personal data exposed.

”A class-action attorney is almost enforcing regulations because it helps the consumer be able to have these larger entities comply with the regulations,” Wasylyk said this week. “It’s a good feeling [to win] for each individual because they couldn’t litigate these small claims themselves.”

In this case of the Deloitte lawsuit, Wasylyk said he was working late last Friday night when he stopped to take a break and turned on the television. He noticed that McKee was having a press conference, and tuned in. He knew immediately that he was going to be working through the weekend on a lawsuit.

”The calls and emails haven’t stopped,” Wasylyk said.

It’s too soon to say how the case will play out, but Wasylyk said he’d like both compensation and long-term credit monitoring for anyone whose data may have been compromised.

If you were wondering, yes, class-action lawsuits can be lucrative for the attorneys, too. Wasylyk said cases can last many years, and he has to pay a lot of costs up front, but the Blue Cross settlement eventually generated millions of dollars for the lawyers involved. He was also part of a major settlement involving 84,000 retirees from Sears in 2001.

But he said it’s most rewarding to deliver for a consumer who might not have the resources to fight big companies themselves.”It sounds little, but even $25 to some people means a lot,” Wasylyk said.

This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.

Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.

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Rhode Island

High School Schedule: Scores and recaps from Thursday’s games around RI

Published

12 hours ago

December 20, 2024

Press Room

High School Schedule: Scores and recaps from Thursday’s games around RI

Coaches are asked to send in game results by email – pjsports@providencejournal.com – or by calling the Sports desk between 6 and 10 p.m. on weeknights, at (401) 277-7340.

▶BOYS BASKETBALL

Division I

East Providence 55, Mount Pleasant 53

The Townies built enough of a lead in the first half that despite being outscored, 32-29, in the second frame, they were able to hold on to edge the Kilties. Tyler Gomez scored 15 points and Franklin Lopez added 10 more in the win. Ledell Henton and Benji Mordan topped the Kilties in scoring with 18 and 14 points, respectively, in the loss.

La Salle 78, North Kingstown 61

Nick Tarro poured in a game-high 21 points and teammates Jake Marcone had 19 and Lucas Gillis added 10 more as La Salle upended North Kingstown and moved to 3-0 on the season. Landon Boddington led the 1-1 Skippers with 17 points.

Barrington 60, Cumberland 40

The Eagles improved their record to 2-0 in D-1 with a dominant win over the Clippers. Barrington jumped out to a 12-0 lead and were never really challenged after that. Ryan Rigamonti scored 14 of his game high 20 points in the third quarter to pace the 2-0 Eagles and Caleb Satisfield and Colin McDermott also finished in double figures with 16 and 14 points, respectively. The Clippers were led by Ben Jahnz‘s four three pointers and 16 points and teammate Dylan Briere, who finished with 15.

Division II

Juanita Sanchez 67, Chariho 55

Robert Frazier-Robinson led all scorers with 27 points and Tyrelle Paye added 11 as the Cavaliers evened their record at 1-1 on the young season. Sean Westnedge led the Chargers with 21 points and Kian Underhill added 13 in the loss.

▶GIRLS BASKETBALL

Division I/II

South Kingstown 33, Cranston East 21

Makenzie Ribeiro led the Div. I Rebels with 13 points and Abigail O’Rourke added 5 to even SK’s record at 1-1. For the Div. II Thunderbolts (0-3), Ceanaa Tuazon scored a team-high 8 points and Isabella Dupret had 7 in the loss.

Division II

Narragansett 54, Johnston 18

Delaney Bonneau paced the Mariners with 15 points and recorded 6 rebounds and 3 steals in the win. Grace Blessing had 13 points, 8 assists and 9 boards and Brooke Caffrey added 12, as Gansett improved to 3-1. Annabella Gesualdi led the Panthers (1-3) with 9 points in the loss.

Division III

Davies 68, Times2 28

Aniyah Gomes poured in 17 points and teammates Jojo Ali and Deidra Delille scored 14 points apiece as Davies overwhelmed Times 2 in D-III contest. The Patriots’ win spoiled a solid outing by the Eagles’ Hadiya Jennings, who pumped in a game high 21 points in the loss.

▶BOYS HOCKEY

Nonleague

Ponaganset 5, Mount St Charles 5 (Tuesday)

Jake Steinkamp recorded a hat trick as Ponaganset scored twice with two minutes left to knot their nonleague contest with Mounties. Brennan Printer and Cody Sabatos also scored for the Chieftains. In net, Ponaganset goalies AJ Murgida and Rootie Boisvert made 15 saves apiece. (No stats were provided for Mount St. Charles.)

BOYS BASKETBALL

Mount St. Charles at Juanita Sanchez, 6 p.m.

Portsmouth at Hendricken, 6:30 p.m.

Times2 vs. St. Patrick at RI School for the Deaf, 7 p.m.

Coventry at Westerly, 7 p.m.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Bay View at St. Raphael, 3:45 p.m.

Central at PCD, 4:30 p.m.

Juanita Sanchez vs. Moses Brown at Wheeler School, 5:30 p.m.

Scituate vs. Rogers at the Martin Recreation Center, 5:30 p.m.

Paul Cuffee/St. Patrick at Mount Pleasant, 5:30 p.m.

Shea/Tolman at Classical, 6 p.m.

Westerly at Portsmouth, 6:30m p.m.

Coventry at East Providence, 6:30 p.m.

Achievement First at Burrillville, 6:30 p.m.

Hope at Prout, 6:30 p.m.

Ponaganset at Barrington, 7 p.m.

Cranston West at La Salle, 7 p.m.

South Kingstown at North Kingstown, 7 p.m.

Cumberland at East Greenwich, 7 p.m.

Tiverton at Lincoln, 7 p.m.

Middletown at Exeter-West Greenwich, 7 p.m.

BOYS ICE HOCKEY

Pilgrim vs. Moses Brown at Thayer Arena, 3:45 p.m.

Portsmouth vs. Ponaganset at Levy Arena, 5 p.m.

South Kingstown/Westerly vs. Narragansett/Chariho at Boss Arena, 6:30 p.m.

Coventry/Johnston vs. Cumberland at Lynch Rink, 7 p.m.

Barrington at Burrillville, 7 p.m.

Smithfield vs. Hendricken at Thayer Arena, 7:15 p.m.

West Warwick/Exeter-West Greenwich vs. East Greenwich/Toll Gate at Benny Magiera Rink, 8 p.m.

Rogers Co-op vs. North Kingstown at Boss Arena, 8:15 p.m.

Prout vs. La Salle at Smithfield Rink, 8:30 p.m.

GIRLS ICE HOCKEY

Smith/Cov/MB vs.TG/Pilgrim at Thayer Arena, 5:30 p.m.

East Bay Co-Op at Cranston Co-Op at Cranston Vets, 8:10 p.m.

BOYS SWIMMING

PCD vs. East Greenwich at McDermott Pool, 6 p.m.

GIRLS SWIMMING

Smithfield vs. BVP/CF at MacColl YMCA, 4:30 p.m.

Toll Gate vs. Tolman/Shea/St. Pats at Pawtucket Boys and Girls Club, 5 p.m.

PCD/St. Rays vs. East Greenwich at McDermott Pool, 6 p.m.

Mt. Hope vs. Burrillville at Smithfield YMCA, 6:15 p.m.

BOYS INDOOR TRACK

RIIL Meet at PCTA, 5:30 p.m.

GIRLS INDOOR TRACK

RIIL Meet at PCTA, 5:30 p.m.

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Rhode Island

Fall River, Rhode Island and Ethan Allen: Three Local Clues in One 'Jeopardy!' Episode

Published

20 hours ago

December 19, 2024

Press Room

Fall River, Rhode Island and Ethan Allen: Three Local Clues in One 'Jeopardy!' Episode

Our corner of New England was well-represented on Jeopardy! Wednesday night, as three different clues pertained to Massachusetts and Rhode Island – including one about Fall River’s most infamous resident.

It’s not uncommon for either the Bay State or the Ocean State to be part of a Jeopardy! clue, but it’s hard to remember an episode in which both were featured so prominently as they were on December 18.

In the first round, the category “That’s Weird” had a clue that was definitely an easy one for any person on the SouthCoast.

Host Ken Jennings read, “The Weird U.S. Travel Guide includes such sights as the Fall River, Massachusetts house of this accused murderess,” and an image very similar to this one appeared on the board:

Contestant Ashley had the correct answer: Lizzie Borden.

The Double Jeopardy round had the category “D.C.’s Statuary Hall” with two locally-themed clues.

The $1200 clue was: “Vermont has a statue of him, despite or maybe in part because of the fact he was run out of towns in Massachusetts and Connecticut.”

Ashley guessed wrong on that one, answering “Who is Benedict Arnold?” The correct answer was Ethan Allen. Obviously, Ashley never bought furniture in New England, at least not from an Ethan Allen store. Maybe from an Ashley Furniture store, though.

Rhode Island got in on the fun with the $1600 clue from the same category.

The clue was, “Rhode Island honors Nathanael Greene and this man, which seems the least the state could do, as he founded the original colony.”

Do you know it? Here’s a hint: there is both a zoo and a university named after him.

“Who is Roger Williams?”

A Real SouthCoast Native Would Know the Answers to These Jeopardy Questions

It was always so interesting to hear about episodes where the gameshow participants on Jeopardy answered questions about our little corner of the world. The fact that New Bedford and Fall River have been collectively mentioned approximately 30 times since 1988 is astounding.

We chose a few of our favorite questions and listed them below for our audience to work through. Let’s see how many of these questions you can answer correctly. Tell us how many you got without looking at the answer.

Gallery Credit: Kasey Silvia