This New England

Two happy bits of news.

Despite the ennui-ridden economy, the New Bedford Whaling Museum exceeded its fundraising goal of $410,000 by $52,000, took in more than $300,000 in attendance fees and lured 100,000 visitors last year.

The institution, by the way, is far more than a superb history (and natural-history) museum. It is also an art museum, with a multitude of beautiful paintings and prints (like the one here) and a very useful research center.

And this year, unlike at many museums, no cutbacks are planned and indeed new exhibits are in the works. And the museum is in the middle of a very poor city with a (exaggerated?) reputation for street crime..

Maybe the museum's management ought to give lessons to other cultural organizations on how to get through a crash.

It says something about the multiplicities of human nature, by the way, that such a brutal industry as whaling, like war, has produced such beautiful art -- visual and literary.

Here's a day's outing: The Whaling Museum, preceded or followed by a visit to Fall River's Battleship Cove.

XXX

Regarding a more modern and less gruesome energy source than whale oil, First Wind has commenced commercial operations at the Stetson Wind project, which, with 38 turbines, is now the largest wind-power facility in New England.

Meanwhile,TransCanada's 44-turbine project on Kibby Mountain, in western Maine, is under construction.

The Pine Tree State, with the highest energy costs in New England (partly because of its interminable winters), is going gangbusters to get off fossil fuel. Will oil and gas finds in and offshore the Maritimes lure them back to fossil fuel? I don't think so. But harnessing the gargantuan tides in the Bay of Fundy should be an allure.

XXX

Random thoughts:

The signage around Rhode Island is immensely better than it was 20 years ago, when it seemed that officialdom didn't care if people came or went. They're mostly going now, but it will be wise to ensure that signs make it easier for them to come back.

Along the lines of my assault yesterday on the word "utilise'' instead of "use,'' I would like to add the phrase "adversely affected'' instead of "hurt'' and "approximately'' instead of ''about.''

Such windy words and phrases are meant to signify, if only to the writer or speaker himself, that he is somehow An Important Person.

 Tags  Battleship Cove First Wind New Bedford Whaling Museum

Comments

Saul Ricklin said:

I agree with you about windy words. Thus if you had called the huge tides of the Bay of Fundy brobdingnagian instead of gargantuan I would have assumed you were trying to sound important!

Link | January 22, 2009 6:29 PM
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Terrence McCarthy said:

The sign of the times that sticks out in my mind is one we saw driving through South Carolina on Highway 17 last week. It was a big one, stuck in the window of the showroom of a closed Ford Dealership. There were no cars in the lot. The building was abandoned. But there was one big sign in the window:

We're Dealin'!!!

Uh, I don't think so.

Then there's the sign for the Chinese food place down the road. Under the name of the place:

We delivery!

And with sex you get eggroll.

Link | January 23, 2009 11:48 AM
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jeff blanchard said:

On the subject of signs, my favorite here on Cape Cod has always been the one down by Nauset Beach, the last turn-off before the public parking lot: Nauset Inlet (No outlet)...and on the subject of solecisms, I can't believe you would tackle the subject without mentioning how "impactful" these things can be to young minds...

Link | January 23, 2009 12:08 PM
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