This New England

"Study for Model With Butterfly Kite'' (2007), by Philip Pearlstein. Part of a show, "Philip Pearlstein: Recent Works,'' starting Sept. 25, at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, in lovely Lyme, Conn. (860) 434-0130.

Mr Pearlstein is called a leading "Realist'' painter but I haven't seen too many butterflies of this size, even in Africa and South America.

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While the Obama administration is moving at a faster clip than was the Bush administration in allowing oil and gas drilling on public lands, it is moving remarkably slowly on windmills and other alternative technology.

And the president still hasn't summoned up the courage to say that the Cape Wind project should be built -- and soon. That's what about 85 percent of Massachusetts residents want.

I hope that some signs that he increasingly identifies, in his private life, with other rich celebrities do not portend that he will salute the sense of entitlement of the Kennedys instead of the needs of New Englanders in general in this endless controversy bought and paid for by a tiny sliver of rich.

That he vacationed in the summertime Fantasyland of Martha's Vineyard, which increasingly resembles a gray-shingled version of the French Riviera, does not raise hopes that he will do the right thing.

The president's rather generalized rhetoric can be stirring, but his leadership needs more specificity. Courage in politics implies taking strong stands on individual, hard cases, and sometimes going head to head with the rich and powerful folks who make up one's social circle.

Consider how the president's vague expression of "general principles'' in the health-care debate let foes of health-care reform seize the initiative and frame the debate. He's got to be much more willing to antagonize special interests in pursuit of the greater good.

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Bravo to Providence officials for at least trying to combat the wave of graffiti that has besmirched many parts of the city. Public-works people are out there trying to keep up with it. The use of such elbow grease is wonderful. But throwing graffiti artists in jail and publicizing the names of the vandals far and wide would have the best long-term effects.

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that the ocean waters off the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic coast have changed a lot in the past few years, with higher water temperatures, pollution from intense coastal building and heavy fishing pressures.

Of course, the ocean is always changing. There was never a statis period.
The Atlantic was probably warmer 1,000 years ago than it is now, but probably colder 300 years ago.

Oddly, lobster, which like cold water, seem to be thriving in the presumably warmer water of Maine these days even as cod move north to get away from the warmth.

 Tags  Cape Wind cod lobster Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts Philip Pearlstein

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