* Public funding for the arts is a sound investment in states and

communities facing tough economic conditions.

* The arts generate jobs, tax revenues and consumer spending.

* NEA funds to state arts agencies will enable state support for

the arts to continue where a depressed economy has resulted in revenue

shortfalls.

In the days leading up to the House floor debate on the bill, the arts

funding had been singled out by critics of the legislation as an example

of needless spending. When the measure came to the House floor on

Wednesday, Rep. David Obey (D-WI), chair of the Appropriations Committee

and floor manager for the bill, asserted that such claims caused the

debate to become “incredibly trivialized.” In defense of the spending

decisions made in the bill, he pointed out that the “arts funding in

this bill is a tiny fraction of this entire bill . . . about 6 cents out

of every $1,000 contained in this legislation.”

He then aimed his remarks at the economic purposes of the legislation

and the economic significance of the arts sector: “People ask, What does

funding for the arts have to do with jobs? It is very simple. People in

the arts field are losing their jobs just like anybody else. . . . You

have local arts agencies, you have local orchestras, local symphonies

and local arts groups of all kinds who are shutting down, laying people

off, and in a number of instances going bankrupt. This is a small, tiny

effort to keep some of those people employed over the next two years. I

make no apology for it. We have an obligation to salvage as many jobs as

we can regardless of the fields in which people work.”

Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA), chair of the Interior Appropriations

Subcommittee and sponsor of the arts funding in the stimulus package,

joined Obey in defending the NEA funds. He cited the arts community as a

tremendous cultural resource that “also serves to create jobs in local

communities all across our nation.”

Dicks went on to say that the arts sector of the economy “has been

inordinately impacted by the severe economic downturn we have been

experiencing in this past year . . . and the result has been disastrous

for many of our nation’s arts agencies and programs. . . . The amount in

this bill is intended to provide small grants to try to restore some of

the jobs which have been lost in the arts communities over the past

year. In addition to retaining jobs, these funds will support programs

which provide entertainment and richness in the lives of our communities

at a time when they are badly needed. In the context of this large

economic stimulus legislation, I believe this is a prudent investment,

and that it will contribute measurably to restoring the fiscal health of

our nation.”

Speaking in opposition to the bill, Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA) included the

arts funding in a list of “special interest groups’ pet projects” that

“represent an increase in government spending, not job creation.” Rep.

Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL), also speaking against the legislation, cited

the NEA funding with others as “some of the most egregious examples of

programs within the massive spending bill.”

Democrats voting against the stimulus package were Reps. Allen Boyd

(D-FL), Bobby Bright (D-AL), Jim Cooper (D-TN), Brad Ellsworth (D-IN),

Parker Griffith (D-AL), Paul Kanjorski (D-PA), Frank Kratovil (D-MD),

Walt Minnick (D-ID), Collin Peterson (D-MN), Heath Shuler (D-NC), and

Gene Taylor (D-MS), including four freshman members of the House, three

of whom replaced Republican officeholders.

and Other Electronics

This is the perfect opportunity to recycle old TVs in preparation for the national

switch to digital in February.

Date: Saturday, January 31 Time: 9 am - 1 pm

Location:Green-Tech

Assets warehouse located 30 Meeting Street, Cumberland

for more information visit keepblackstonebeautiful.com [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102433738503&e=0019_X8u4-vYgZMVBLh79SFKVRDvtoY3hlA5pCy0io0Y2pdogBEoT5QfS75JKQNNxVaVgypc7Cx_6R3KG3tdINzn3oxkmUtPVB8P38H_LDn2ys5phw5THAhwoQQfIK1eLgf]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winter Farmer ’s Market

winterfarmersmarket [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102433738503&e=0019_X8u4-vYgZMgdS8uktCfuv-UzfJBMzMSsZS9MIW5JVsF5tcClGqgsBbMwNV8rpvleKKOSaz5A2VJbiBMtI71FEWyR16HHoz58Dn5867itCmi57GxxFvmrOyISOc6QpkDE8cgeQltBk=]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For more upcoming events

Visit eventblackstone.com [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102433738503&e=0019_X8u4-vYgYUEJMQ6z5BL8hlBDBHwUDdglcNcq6a8ehqqiF4tSVNn82thf_sUyvjnm4gSTtM66RqIs5vo0VPAq9qJHbIAZhVBRiE7M13ICCvjhpEw0suw-R0qm-wjOIj]

Jenks Park CF [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102433738503&e=0019_X8u4-vYgbBVoyVnfRlmXxKxZIluwFhAypVvg3j2h399ZGvHnc_rAMY8I59WAv0dehx6hHyvVTo2aYe7_ZH_0G82U7tfcorZJL-kvGG0jTPPimLeg5Cj12p4e3Qw9sv]

Jenks Park, Central Falls

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Catch a Rising Star at Twin River

Catch a Rising Star [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102433738503&e=0019_X8u4-vYgbZIrTI0RvYzYXP8aNiYPZYpQAWb5gyIOpEt1cmobT5nb1e-S_-QRSZ-2d1e-fnghVfjC4dXEYAI3MrLXxihpqnKkQ_GlkvB4C03e9Nfyuw5w==]Escape

the cold and warm up with laughter. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday Catch a

Rising Star at Twin River presents five shows of the hottest names of national

and local comedic talent.

For a regular updated schedule of entertainment visit twinriver.com [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102433738503&e=0019_X8u4-vYgawSf53z618IY2F958tqQuOR8o0rE_uVFVRzi8iJTiEPKoJoliHjb_JNN0JjM39Jsjz32SUttra5ZvdjuLFKNEFc8EK1Q7MHdrQ_jKElsAqWA==]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pendragon supports Art & Music Programs in the Schools

Pendragon performs a fundraiser at the BRT for B.A.A.M. (Because Art Always Matters),

a nonprofit community organization which focuses on supporting the growth of art

& music programs at Cumberland High School. Tickets: $15 advance, $20 day

of the show.

Date/Time: Saturday, January 31 @ 8:00 pm

Click here [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102433738503&e=0019_X8u4-vYgbjg_3Ahr3mdpY9Y2uPzejf_cc0W_krn338OTTA8XCs0UZgpOR0EgDo_3o_3ULyjHk6uSeFpec_oURMWFbC2R7U2Yeah_vIZE3UrFBhHJSnYA==]for

more information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Final Weekend for MouseTrap Presented by Community Players

Don’t miss the longest running play at the longest running Community Theater.

click here [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102433738503&e=0019_X8u4-vYgbPi8z3tKoTsNaTelnn81Rlir_ct8qa2zQeARj3s6-cMregMLd6ctLKFX0KaJ9ITKNQn9LTf-Um-fzl-GXOVUh45BK0_gyZedlpD5VZkP0X6qjkV__Ywdrk]

for more information

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

button logo [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102433738503&e=0019_X8u4-vYgbxsxnLcOKWx9z_tuRGtBITTbuKOAgt9GKkwC0D6W_kXCrS6ih27S0kJOMkcX7JDNQR5smV9qlBEO5yPQQWYojpQ0K25dKEpBpVYcdVSxmKtfZCIayHk3nm]

401-724-2200

Library to Host Free Pre-Valentine’s Day Social Hour for Book & Music

Lovers

Chocolate & Sweet Tunes with Musician Mark Cutler

Providence Public Library has something special in

store–Chocolate & Sweet Tunes with Musician Mark Cutler and Friends: A

Pre-Valentine’s Day Social for Book & Music Lovers on Thursday, February

12 from 6-7:30 pm at the Central Library, 150 Empire Street, Providence

(music begins at 6:30 pm).

Wallow in heartbreak, celebrate your love, meet someone new, or even

slow-dance with your sweetie in the heart of the library as you listen

to the acoustic Americana, roots, and rock tunes of Rhode Island’s own

Mark Cutler, formerly of local favorites the Schemers and the Rain Dogs.

Sweets and other refreshments will be available for purchase at

affordable prices.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is strongly

More about Mark and His Band

Mark Cutler, Best Vocalist in the Motif Magazine Music Poll for two

years in a row, has been part of the Rhode Island music scene since the

early 80s playing with local legends, The Schemers and national

recording artists The Raindogs. After winning the WBRU Rock Hunt and

WBCN Rock n Roll Rumble, the Schemers broke up and Mark moved up to

Boston to form The Raindogs. The band toured around the country for

several years with acts such as Bob Dylan, Warren Zevon, The Waterboys

and Don Henley. Recently, Mark moved back to Providence and performs

regularly with his acoustic friends and occasionally gets the Schemers

back together for special gigs. During the past election season, Mark

played for the crowd at the RI Obama rally and got to meet and talk with

the President Obama (then candidate) afterwards. Mark also performs

with The Dino Club, Forever Young and Men of Great Courage and plays

songs of love, heartache, drinking, trains, the changing world, right

and wrong.

Mark will be playing with Jimmy Berger on bass guitar, who plays with

the Schemers, the Men of Great Courage, and also sings in a barber shop

quartet; and Bob Kirkman on banjo, who also plays with the Men of Great

Courage, and performs bluegrass with various musicians around the state.