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Category Archives: Blog
Clean Tech and Human Overpopulation
I was asked to speak at the Cleantech Open Global Forum in San Francisco recently, due to my advocacy of electric vehicles. Several years ago, however, I decided to focus on human overpopulation and animal rights issues, since I felt that my work getting electric cars on the road was done. We still need more battery powered vehicles, but because they are now so much more mainstream I believe I am more useful working on less accepted issues. I did not want to discuss my past EV activism (as the Cleantech folks requested, although ironically they cut out any reference to me getting arrested for the EV1 in my bio, so I guess my brand of activism was not for them anyway), and since I am not involved with EVs much (except that Ian and I each drive one, which I guess counts as being involved), and because I had just finished Ozzie Zehner’s excellent book about our misguided optimism on green technology, I decided to talk about human overpopulation. In my speech, I discussed how efficient technology was nice, but it was not going to mitigate the issues of 10 billion people trying to eke out a living on … Continue reading
White Silence
There were protests all over the country on Saturday about unequal treatment by police towards black Americans. There was a march downtown here in LA, but I thought that maybe it was time the message came to the whitest area of this city, west Los Angeles. So I dressed in my Sunday best and stood with my sign at the busy intersection of San Vicente Avenue & 26th Street in tony Brentwood for an hour and 15 minutes in the middle of the afternoon. I was scared to stand there by myself, felt very vulnerable, but soon I realized how scared people were of me, this weird lady standing holding a sign over head, turning it around every 30 seconds so the other side could be read. The runners sped up as they went past me, and cyclists riding to the beach pretended not to see me as they waited for the light to turn green. Some drivers – usually women over 60, gave the thumbs up, one woman yelled God Bless You, a black bus driver waved, and someone shook their head and yelled “The police are right!”. I admire anyone who speaks out – even if we disagree … Continue reading
Twins
Yep, I am on the left.
Shelter Dogs
A shelter dog will love you for the rest of your life.
I Can’t Breathe
I went to a rally in Hollywood this afternoon #BlackOutHollywood. Several hundred people, black and white, walked about a mile down Hollywood Blvd to the spot where a man was shot by police last night. We then lay down in the street for 4 1/2 minutes of silence. I prayed, and because this is 2014, took a selfie with the woman lying next to me. There were also some very good speakers, with pledges to nonviolently continue the quest for equal justice for black Americans. Then we marched back. All the while chanting “Hands Up Dont Shoot” “All Lives Matter” “I Cant Breathe”. Peaceful, Beautiful.
Doggie Airlift
Joined many volunteers at Van Nuys Airport this morning to walk 500 dogs from local kill shelters. Then we loaded them onto a dozen small planes to be adopted in other places around America. Glorious morning!
Alexandra is a Turkey!
My friend Karen Dawn , the author of one of my favorite animal rights books, rescues 2 turkeys from imminent death the week before Thanksgiving, and invites them to be at the table on Thanksgiving day, not on the table. They then go to a sanctuary for the rest of their lives. Bravo Karen! This year, Karen named the lucky turkeys after Pamela Anderson and me. I went over to say hello to my namesake: