Ask Alexandra – July 2013

1) Hello. Alexandra Paul is a marvelous actress – so natural/real (and, I’ve noticed she doesn’t ‘swear’ in her movies (that’s, a plus). I’ve noticed a lot of her movies take place in my home town (well, City) which is Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (and surrounding areas of Ottawa). And, as such, thought she was Canadian to only discover she was born in NYC – our loss, their gain. Anyway, please pass on to her, that she’s a great actress and that I always look at movies in which she is starring. OK – well, that’s all I wanted to say. Hope Alexandra keeps ‘making movies’. Cheers, eh?

Marylou Gauthier

Hi Marylou,

I have shot about 8 movies in Ottawa and I love your hometown! I have never been there in the dead of winter, when one can skate on the canal, but I have done alot of walking and running alongside it and explored the bike path for a long way.

I would love to have dual citizenship, as think Canada is a wonderful country and I love Canadians, but for now I am simply have resident alien status in your beautiful country.

I have also filmed several movies in Toronto and outskirts, Montreal and Vancouver. I have never been to the middle regions, however, nor the islands, and hope to work in those places one day!

Thank you for your support.
Alexandra

2) Hi Alexandra! Congratulations on getting a Chevy Volt. I know it’s not 100% electric, but hopefully it will encourage GM to go all-electric on the next generation. Have you seen the Tesla Model S? That is my new dream car!

Anyway, on to an automobile/energy related question: I live in Iowa, where we grow a lot of corn. A LOT of corn, most of which is earmarked for the production of ethanol (there is a plant owned by Cargill about 15 miles from my hometown). We hear a great deal about how ethanol helps give us cleaner air so we are encouraged to use E15 (15% ethanol, 85% gasoline for your readers who may not know). I am all for cleaner air, of course, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that although their car my be emitting less pollution, it required a great deal of diesel fuel from non-pollution-controlled tractors and combines, petrochemical pesticides and herbicides and water to produce the ethanol in their tank. Coupled with the fact that fuel economy is lower when using ethanol blended gasoline, we are actually using more petroleum-based fuels than if we were simply using 100% gasoline. Farmers are encouraged to plant corn to produce ethanol, often times clearing old growth timber (and burning it!) to gain more arable land. Ethanol production is also subsidized by the Government, so the lower price we pay is an artificially low price. Many people I speak to say that they buy ethanol because it is cheaper. It costs, on average, about a dime less per gallon which is a savings of only $1.00 per 10 gallons. Hardly worth the effort, don’t you think? My question is this: Are residents of California, encouraged to purchase ethanol blended fuels? Do you feel that paying an artificially lowered price for gasoline is harmful to the development of alternative energy sources?
Arron Hoden

Hi Arron,

I love my Volt and agree with you that the Tesla Model S is an awesome vehicle. I hope you are able to purchase one!

Your concerns about ethanol are important – I have them too. I do not know if we end up using more petroleum based fuels in the making of ethanol – a man I greatly admire, Paul Hawken, says ethanol “emits 40 percent less carbon monoxide, 10 percent less nitrogen oxide, 80 percent less sulfate and produces 15 percent fewer volatile organic compounds than gasoline”, but I do not know if he is including the energy usage of growing the corn, harvesting the corn, and turning it into ethanol.

The price of corn has doubled in the last ten years, and associated food prices have gone up alot, apparently because corn farmers get more money for their corn if it is grown for fuel than for food. This is a problem on many levels – not only should our precious topsoil be used to grow food for a population that is expected to hit 9.6 billion in 35 years (and our food needs are expected to double in that time!), but focusing on ethanol takes us away from really moving forward with clean transportation like electric cars fueled by solar or wind power.

I understand that it is more efficient to get ethanol from cellulosic biomass or from sugar cane although we are still using up land that could be used to grow food, or – and what a concept- just be left alone.

The bottom line is we need to move away from these liquid fuels and find ways to harness the truly endless resources of the sun and the wind. I support subsidizing those areas over ethanol and gasoline (which is stupidly being subsidized over 100 years after its introduction).

Thank you so much for writing so thoughtfully about this subject.

Best,
Alexandra

3) Hi Alexandra,

I never actually wrote to such a big Star like you because I’m so impressed by such personality. I recently started to learn more about you and your carrer and I was so happy to see that you still remain “down to earth” and devoted to good causes !

Are you planning to come in Paris sometimes ?
I would love to get an autograph from you!

I admire you and what you’re doing, a lot ! I would think that being such a famous person and also a beautiful woman will keep you far from ordinary life.

Best wishes ,
Hugo B. (France)

Bonjour Hugo,

Merci pour votre lettre. Je parle francais parce que j’habitais a Paris quand j’avais neuf ans. Mon pere travaillait la. J’ai beauoup oublie, parce que maintenant je parle Francais presque jamais, sauf quand je tourne a Canada, quand il y a les gens de Montreal qui travaille sure le filme. J’aimerais bien faire un filme en Francais a Paris!

Si vous voulez mon autographe, s’il vous plait ecrivez moi avec un grand envelope auto-adresse, avec timbres, a:

Alexandra Paul Website
PO Box 1544
Pacific Palisades CA 90272-1544

Merci,
Alexandra

TRANSLATION:

Hello Hugo,

Thank you for your letter. I speak French because I lived in Paris when I was 9 years old. My father worked there. I have forgotten alot, as now I rarely speak French except when I work in Canada and there are folks from Montreal working on the movie also. I would love to make a movie in French in Paris!

If you would like my autographe, please write to me, with a large self addressed stamped envelope, to:
Alexandra Paul Website
PO Box 1544
Pacific Palisades CA 90272-1544