Fossil Fuels: When does it end? God Spare the Girls, "Copycat" Comfort Food, and Myrtle for the Spring Win
April 27, 2023
What’s Happening?
If Bernie is for Biden, I’m for Biden. Well, not necessarily or just that, but I do agree with Bernie’s rationale:
“The last thing this country needs is a Donald Trump or some other right-wing demagogue who is going to try to undermine American democracy or take away a woman’s right to choose, or not address the crisis of gun violence, or racism, sexism or homophobia,” Sanders said in an interview. “So, I’m in to do what I can to make sure that the president is reelected.”
From Bernie Sanders endorses Biden, rules out 2024 bid of his own
Not that I agree with everything going on with the Biden administration.
For example, the fact that the Willow Project has been approved is, in my opinion and that of many others, a bad move for the future of our planet, never mind the environment of those living near or around the project location.
What is the Willow Project?
ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project is a massive and decades long oil drilling venture on Alaska’s North Slope in the National Petroleum Reserve, which is owned by the federal government.
The area where the project is planned holds up to 600 million barrels of oil. That oil would take years to reach the market since the project has yet to be constructed.
https://en.as.com/latest_news/what-is-the-willow-project-why-is-it-controversial-what-are-the-benefits-n/
A coalition of Alaska Native groups on the North Slope…supports the project, saying it could be a much-needed new source of revenue for the region and fund services including education and health care.
Other Alaska Natives living closer to the planned project, including city officials and tribal members in the Native village of Nuiqsut, are deeply concerned about the health and environmental impacts of a major oil development.
In a recent personal letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Nuiqsut Mayor Rosemary Ahtuangaruak and two other Nuiqsut city and tribal officials said that the village would bear the brunt of health and environmental impacts from Willow. Other “villages get some financial benefits from oil and gas activity but experience far fewer impacts that Nuiqsut,” the letter reads. “We are at ground zero for the industrialization of the Arctic.”
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/14/politics/willow-project-oil-alaska-explained-climate/index.html
For more information via a quick read: “Factbox: What is the Willow project in Alaska, and why do green activists oppose it?” from the Reuters website.
For a more in-depth look: “The Willow Project and the Race to Pump the “Last Barrel” of Oil” from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
The article, by Noah Gordon and published on March 16, 2023, takes great pains to point out just how challenging it is for any country to simply stop drilling for oil and presents a number of reasons supporting reducing demand as the main effort, the title itself implies discomfort with continued drilling, as does the final sentence:
Willow is only one project. But if you add up all the individual projects, you get the “existential threat” that is our climate crisis.
Whether or not adding voices to the well-over million* already directed to the Biden administration demanding that the permitting of the Willow Project be denied, I am going to add my voice.
*A petition to “say no the willow project” on Change.org has more than 1.6 million signatures and continues to grow.
What to Do?
There are a number of organizations with petitions and other actions on this topic, but I am going with Earth Justice for this one, as I have with other issues.
Here is what they have to say about this issue:
Update 3/15/2023: Today, Earthjustice sued the Biden administration for permitting the Willow Project. Despite more than five million people voicing opposition to the project, the Biden administration opted for habitat and climate destruction in the Western Arctic. The administration made the wrong choice, but we will fight this out in court until we prevail. In the meantime, send a letter to President Biden and Secretary Haaland expressing your frustration and urge them to implement the necessary policies to prevent projects like Willow from exploiting public lands in the future.
If so moved, add your voice by signing the petition at this link:
https://earthjustice.org/action/protect-the-western-arctic
What’s the Use?
I have shared the following in previous newsletters, but in case you missed it, here it is again:
This excerpt from the Earth Justice alert page describes how just signing one of their petitions helps:
Your Action Matters. Public comments make a difference, even if we have leaders who don’t want to listen. Here’s why:
It’s the law. Federal agencies must pause what they’re doing and ask for — and consider — your comment.
Your action is with us in court. If a federal agency finalizes a harmful action, the record of public comments provides a basis for bringing them into court.
You level the playing field. Elected officials pay attention when they see that we are paying attention.
And, in case you have not yet signed the petition:
https://earthjustice.org/action/protect-the-western-arctic
What to Read?
Here’s a fun one I discovered by…I guess it was by wandering around the internet. Doing so, I discovered an interesting website called Defector, self-described on its website About Us section as thus:
Defector is an employee-owned sports and culture website brought to you by the former staffers of Deadspin [which is a sports blog].
We write about sports, politics, TV, movies, science, weird shit that happens on the internet, and anything else that catches our attention, because we believe that a good publication is one that reflects the genuine interests and obsessions of its staff.
Works for me! I even subscribed since it has a food section. 😊
The bonus is that I learned about two books by Defector founders that looked quite interesting. I have only read one of the two so far.
God Spare the Girls, by Kelsey McKinney flows along like a “beach read” and can be enjoyed on that level. But it’s more than that. Given that the author was brought up in an evangelical Christian family, she is able to offer a lot of insight into that world and how it all works. And, also given that we are living in a world where that ilk of religion is affecting a lot of us in very negative ways, it is useful to get a behind-the-scenes view of the intricacies of that culture.
Although I enjoyed reading this book, I did find some of it horrifying, albeit it added to my understanding of how people can get sucked into the false feeling of safety that such a dangerous belief system can offer.
Worth the read, and I am looking forward to seeing what this seasoned writer, but first-time novelist creates in the future.
Here are some excerpts from Bookshop.org:
"A deeply felt book about love -- love for family and community, for people who sustain you and people who disappoint you. And love for God, too, which Kelsey McKinney writes about with humane and incisive frankness."--Linda Holmes, New York Times bestselling author of Evvie Drake Starts Over.
"The accomplishment of this canny novel is in positing coming of age itself as a loss of faith--not only in the church, but in our parents, our family, and the world as we thought we understood it." -- Rumaan Alam, New York Times bestselling author of Leave the World Behind and Rich and Pretty.
Here’s my standard book-buying blurb:
To purchase a usedcopy of a book, check More Than Words first, then Thriftbooks.
To support the author of the book and independent bookstores, go to Bookshop.org.
You can also visit my affiliate bookstore page on Bookshop.org (where the link from the title and cover pic above will also bring you) to purchase this and/or other books I have recommended.
And, as I always say: there is a good chance you can find what you want at your local library.
What’s Cooking?
After all the stress induced by the previous sections, how about some comfort food? 😉
Last week, the husband requested that I stock up on some quick and filling pantry foods such as ramen noodles, beef stew and Swanson Chicken A La King. I have been keeping a can or two of Dinty Moore Beef Stew around but now he doesn’t like it that much, so I did some research and brought home some better-rated (according to THE INTERNET) Progresso Beef and Barley and Beef Pot Roast soups. He will eat them and he will like them. 😉
Alas, I could not locate the Swanson Chicken A La King. I remember what it looks like since Steve’s Dad always had some in his pantry and I had purchased it in years past for Steve. But, no go, at least at the Warner NH Market Basket that I could find. But no fear! Betty Crocker to the rescue!
Note, this recipe is not for those who can’t use a lot of butter or milk. But it does hit the spot for when you want this dish. Here is the link to it:
https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/chicken-a-la-king/2fd637ba-2c30-4db5-95d0-e57b4547251e
What Else?
It’ been a long week for me. Let’s just all be thankful for the beauty that is in this world.
Be kind,
Wendy
The charming periwinkle, also called myrtle, has a long history. Originally a native of southern Europe, plants were brought over by the colonists, and now it has naturalized over much of the Northeast. "Periwinkle" is thought to be an old Slavic word, pervinka, meaning "first" and referring to the early spring flowers.