Saturday 23 March 2013
Letter #21
Dear President Obama,
I went to Chinatown today and bought a frozen duck and brought it home and roasted it. Duck isn’t easy to find in an American supermarket, but you can always find it in a Chinese one. I guess I got a taste for duck living in France – so I roast one a couple of times a year.
My market visit today reminded me of how Americans seem to be eating more and more pre-packaged and pre-processed foods. The chinese grocery was smaller and much simpler. It’s gotten so we expect 5000 different products in a store. If it’s winter and we want strawberries there have to be frozen ones – and now fresh ones from Chile. There are frozen waffles and hash browns and and french fries and pizzas and hundreds of frozen dinners – none of which were in the chinese grocery. There I saw fresh vegetables and fresh and frozen meat and fish and a whole aisle of different noodles and lots of sauces and spices and condiments.
So it was good to go and be reminded that simple can be very tasty and it was a pleasure not to be bombarded with lots of glossy advertising and loud colorful boxes.
So when it comes time for you to decide on whether to allow or deny the Keystone XL Pipeline, I suggest you try to clear your mind of all the glossy arguments this way and that, try to get away from the vested interests, and think simply about whether we really need another pipeline or whether it wouldn’t be better to do without it.
Sometimes NO is the right answer.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Simple food lover
Sunday 24 March 2013
Letter #22
Dear President Obama,
It is the birthday of William Morris today – the British 19th century designer who created so many intricate leaf and flower designs for fabric and wallpapers. The one I send you here is a wallpaper design called Fritillary from 1883.
I have a little book of his designs that I love to page through. The colors, the sweeping diagonal leaves, the way he fills up the entire space with lines and dots. There is a sense of abundance, of joyful detail that is also replete with satisfying repetition – similar curves occur over and over. I find much to engage my eye in a single design – light dark, large small, spiky smooth. How did he do it? I don’t know – but it’s wonderfully relaxing. When I’ve been doing too much right-brain work, I take an art break with William Morris and find I come back refreshed and thinking more clearly.
So enjoy art every day – even for just a few minutes – and I hope your left brain will help you realize that the right decision is to Deny the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Admirer of William Morris
Monday 25 March 2013
Letter #23
Dear President Obama,
Here is a postcard from Venice – a city I’ve visited twice and consider to be one of the most magical places on earth. It is selfish of me – but I really don’t want Venice to crumble and sink because of rising sea levels. I know it is much more catastrophic for many more people for Bangladesh to be inundated – but I’ve never been to Bangladesh, so the emotional tie is much weaker.
This postcard is to remind you that we are all connected – that we are all affected by climate change – that once the heating of the planet speeds up we may not be able to slow it back down again. It is foolish to play with forces so much larger than ourselves – with possibly catastrophic consequences. Far better to try very hard to slow global warming now. So please stop the Keystone XL pipeline because you can.
And by the way, it is appalling how they let these monster cruise ships come so close to Venice and other beautiful sights. Someone ought to invent a relative size/population/number of bathrooms statute that could be used to keep them farther away.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Venice Visitor and Admirer
Tuesday 26 March 2013
Letter #24
(sent on a random red and white card bought at a 2nd hand store for 20 cents)
Dear President Obama,
I spent a lot of time today on the internet reading blogs about climate change and global warming. But these only reach the people who already know there is a problem. It’s like preaching to the choir. How can the climate change movement grow to 50 million in the US? to one billion worldwide? I have no idea. Maybe Al Gore’s strategy of taking billionaires and other luminaries on a trip to Antartica is the shorter path to success. Their money could be very influential in bringing about concrete change in CO2 reduction.
But until I can find a more productive use of my time, I’ll continue to write you letters and ask you to DENY the Keystone XL pipeline. You can do it and it would be an historic moment.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Blog Reader
Wed 27 March 2013
Letter #25
Dear President Obama,
Interesting article today in the NY Times by John Tagliabue about increased earthquakes in Holland after 40 years or so of natural gas extraction. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/world/europe/more-earthquakes-in-loppersum-the-netherlands.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Recent studies have shown that “prior assumptions about the size of possible earthquakes were wrong.” Once again, large profits for oil companies and the government heavily influences the risk assessment, and we assumed “Everything will be fine!” Once again, after 40 years of damage, it turns out everything is not fine. Environmental damage is easy to create and very hard to fix. It’s like irresponsible drinking – takes a second to down another shot and hours for it to wear off. Responsible adults learn this after a hangover or two. So let’s be responsible, let’s learn from the environmental messes (read hangovers) we’ve caused. Let’s cut way back on damaging the environment for the benefit of our grandchildren – because we’ve underestimated the damamge so many times. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline – and fracking too (if you can…). the long term cost is too high.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Responsible Drinker
Thursday 28 March 2013
Letter #26
I went to a thrift store today and bought this Italian stationery set made in Firenze, or so it is marked. It’s clearly not the handcrafted hand-colored paper (where each sheet is unique) that has been made in Florence for hundreds of years. This stationery is clearly factory-made through a printing process. I’m happy to have bought it because REUSE is really good for the planet, and it’s fairly pretty. I’m a big fan of Repurpose, Recycle, Reuse. We really don’t need to waste so much.
I probably wouldn’t have bought this new – but by buying it at a thrift store, I support a charity and can put it to use. Everyone benefits.
Very few people benefit from the Keystone XL Pipeline. It creates very few permanent jobs. Please say NO to the KXL pipeline and lead the country to invest in more Renewable Energy.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Thrift Store Shopper
Friday, 29 March 2013
Letter #27
Dear President Obama,
I read with interest the NY Times article on Wednesday about Brazil’s oil company Petrobras. It was written from a decidedly pro-big-business perspective, lamenting lower oil production and much lower profits. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/world/americas/petrobras-brazils-oil-giant-struggles-to-regain-lost-swagger.html?pagewanted=all
A business magazine is quoted saying the Brazilian is “destroying” Petrobras. On the flip side, the article notes that Petrobras has kept Brazilian unemployment low through a buy-Brazilian policy and that it remains profitable.
Petrobras is portrayed as a loser because it has gone from hugely profitable to only moderately profitable. But it seems to me Brazil is the winner because of the increased economic stability of more local jobs.
I’m basically a moderate who told my kids not to go too far in any direction. It looks to me that Brazil and Petrobras are practicing moderation. They’re pumping oil more slowly – that’s a good thing – leaving more of it in the ground. Unfortunately they’re importing gas for their cars – not so good – but maybe it will be an incentive to adopt electric and hybrid cars more quickly.
Let’s all practice moderation, heed the signs of climate change and work to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Please say NO to the Keystone XL pipeline.
When huge corporations refuse to practice moderation, it is government’s role to get them to do so. It’s your job to look beyond partisan squabbling to the big picture. Please lead us in the right direction. NO on Keystone XL. You can do it- and you should.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Moderate
Sat 30 March 2013
Letter #28
Dear President Obama,
It was the first glorious spring day on a weekend here in Boston today and I spent part of it having a glass of wine with a friend sitting outside. I lived in the Bordeaux region of France for a year and love the wines from there. They are all Cabernet/Merlot blends – some cabernet-heavy, others Merlot-heavy – depending on what grows best in that particular location. The French have been growing wine there for 1000 years and have learned to pay attention to local conditions and work with them to get the best possible outcome. They call it “terroir” and we should all pay attention to local conditions – it’s a way to get very high quality food and wine and cause less damage to the environment. A win-win for everyone. So I send you a Bordeaux wine card and toast their good ideas and great wines. Please STOP the Keystone XL pipeline. It’s a really bad idea and we don’t need it and you CAN stop it!
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler
Bordeaux drinker (Pomerol is my favorite!)
Easter Sunday 31 March 2013
Letter #29
Dear President Obama,
Hayppy Easter and Happy Spring. It is a glorious day here in Boston. Please protect our climate so we can enjoy it for many future generations. Please take the long view and recognize how we must reduce greenhouse gases. Please say NO to the Keystone XL pipeline.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler
Love walking on a beautiful Day
Monday 1 April 2013
Letter #30
Dear President Obama,
I can’t say I’m impressed with your nominee for Energy Secretary: Ernest J. Moniz.
I’m glad he’s a smart MIT professor, but he ought to be able to live fine on his $300K salary and not need outside consulting income from BP and the Saudi Arabian Petroleum Studies Center. His actions indicate that he is not a long-term thinker, but motivated chiefly by his own short-term gain. He does not understand the urgency of reducing carbon emissions and surrounds himself with other like-minded people. By nominating him, you indicate that YOU do not understand the urgency of the climate change situation. I hope this is NOT the case.
Leaders have vision to bring about a better future. Please demonstrate your leadership and your long-term thinking by nominating someone with less strong ties to big oil. But an even better way to demonstrate your commitment to reducing carbon emissions is to say NO to the Keystone XL pipeline. You can do this and you should.
Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Independent Thinker who can’t be Bought
