5 THINGS: Serious Bidness Afoot…

Here are the (more than) Five Things for Monday, March 19, 2012:

• “The single most exciting thing you encounter in government is competence, because it’s so rare.” – Daniel Moynihan. The Narragansett Town Council meets tonight at 7:30 p.m., and it could be another contentious meeting. According to a Friday afternoon article posted by The South County Independent, Town Manager Grady Miller is expected to be grilled about a $3,000 donation to the Narrow River Preservation Association’s water quality testing program. In September 2011, several residents weren’t happy with a similar late review of Miller’s job performance. For a full meeting agenda from ClerkBase, click here. Also to be discussed: commendations for Eagle Scouts and NHS senior projects.
• “A budget tells us what we can’t afford, but it doesn’t keep us from buying it.” – William Feather. The South Kingstown Town Council also has a busy meeting scheduled, as they will discuss the 2012-13 preliminary budget and possibly adopt it. The fun starts at 5 p.m. at South Kingstown Town Hall.
• “I worked for the recreation and parks department for a year.” – Lee Majors. In other government business, the South Kingstown Recreation Commission meets at 7 p.m. at . Admission is free, of course.
• Need support? Dare to Hope, a support group for those dealing with chronic illness, pain or depression, meets at 6:30 p.m. at in Wakefield.
• “I like to call it, Lost Wages!” – Crab Monster talking about Vegas on obscure cartoon Frisky Dingo. On this day in 1931, Nevada legalized gambling. For a great documentary on Las Vegas, check out Casino. (Note: Not actually a documentary, and please, do not watch it within a mile of a child, since it is an incredibly foul, but awesome, movie. It also stars Rhode Island’s James Woods as the sleazy Lester Diamond.)
• Happy birthday Yoko Kanno! This is completely by accident, but Mel Turnquist had a paragraph or two about how awesome of a composer she is. You can read Mel’s column . More importantly, listen to some awesome Yoko Kanno songs on YouTube, such as “Call Me” (sad and somber) and “Tank!” (upbeat and jazzy).

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