This New England

--"Kennebunkport Tug,'' by John Wheatley, part of a show at the Providence Art Club scheduled for July 12-31. The presidential Bushes, the most prominent local rich summer people, use considerably sexier craft to move around that town's waters in the summer casting for stripers and bluefish. They also, commendably, have a windmill, which generates electricity for their mansion at Walker's Point (as in George Walker Bush and George Herbert Walker Bush).

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People using Buzzards Bay won't have to look at big wind farms apparently. Maybe bad news for developer Jay Cashman, who has had big plans for same.

While two small areas southwest of the Elizabeth Islands would be made available to big wind farms (bumping into Rhode Island wind farms?), Buzzards Bay would be off limits. State officials consider it too crowded (among others things, the Cape Cod Canal is at the head of it) and environmentally sensitive for a big project. This is according to a draft Massachusetts ocean-management plan that could go into effect as early as next January.

But Nantucket Sound's big Cape Wind project, in federal waters, can go forward, as can numerous community-based operations of up to 10 turbines in various towns. Hull, Mass., which has two windmills, might be a model.

And sorry, some Mount Hope Bayers. Nothing in the plan would bar that LNG facility planned there.

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Former New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu won't run for the seat being vacated by fellow Republican Judd Gregg after all. Mr. Sununu and his family are very well know in the Granite State and many people certainly would consider him a major candidate.

But he says he's too engaged with business and nonprofit organizations to run for the Senate. Still, the collapse of the Republic Party in New Hampshire might have more to do with it.
Perhaps Northeast Republicans, of what's left of them, should form a new party -- the New Whigs or something.

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Belgians and Greeks do it
Nice young men who sell antiques do it

From Noel Coward's version of Cole Porter's "Let's do it.''

We all can do it -- become interior designers.

Bravo for a federal ruling that struck down a Connecticut law that required people to get a state license before calling themselves interior designers. Demanding licenses for such work is silly.

After all, it depends on one's taste far more than any training. And while one could be irritated by a bad job by an interior designer, it's difficult to see how one's life could be ruined -- which can easily be done by, say, bad legal or medical work.

Let a million interior designers bloom to fancy up all the houses in Greenwich! Let a thousand patterns and furniture styles clash with joy (as in my house)!

 Tags  Elizabeth Islands Jay Cashman John Sununu John Wheatley Kennebunkport Massachusetts Ocean-Management Providence Art Club

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