I am involved a really fun, inspiring project. Radio DJ Kerri Kasem, television host Michelle Harris and I (the actress) have teamed up to do a show called Animal Angels, about women in Hollywood who rescue animals. Stay tuned, I will release some more footage soon!

Ian and I have been granted a 3 year, 100 yard restraining order against Nicole Albrecht. We are hopeful this court order will send a very strong message to Ms Albrecht to finally stay away from us.

When China’s Communist Party announced it will loosen its one child policy to help its economy continue to grow, I thought it was a wise move. But not for the economy. Or for growth. In fact, I believe one child is the ideal number of children to have and that it is vital to lower family sizes around the world, including the United States. I am against forcing anyone to have only one child, which is what China’s coercive policy did. In the end, coercion does not change deeply engrained cultural and biological norms, and China’s draconian measures to reduces its birth rate are no exception: even though population growth did slow and famine was averted, the unintended consequences were enormous. >> read full article

For years, I didn’t think I could become a vegan. In my youth I had a 12-year struggle with bulimia. Fortunately, therapy and a 12-step program helped me overcome it (22 years of success and counting—hallelujah!), but the experience left me with an ambivalent relationship with food. In my heart, I knew I sometimes ate to feed myself emotionally. It was also a challenge to eat healthy foods. So even though I’d been a vegetarian since 1977 and hadn’t worn leather, wool, or silk or used animal tested products since 1989 (boy, am I dating myself!), I worried about the effects of making that last leap to a full vegan diet. Would denying myself the dairy treats I loved trigger my bingeing again? I was scared to find out. Then, three years ago, I took the dare. I prepared myself: my kitchen was stocked with satisfyingalternatives (poppyseed dressing instead of Caesar, dark chocolate instead of milk) and I planned out snacks and meals for the first few days. I had one last frozen yogurt and vowed to go vegan the next morning. It was surprisingly easy. As the weeks passed, I felt more and more repelled by animal products. I, who could never … Continue reading →

I believe the next wars will not be over oil, but about something even more precious: water.  As the number of people on the planet swells to 9.6 billion in 2050, just 37 years away, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that food production will need to increase 70% to meet the nutritional demands of that many people. Since crops are responsible for 92 percent of human water usage, this rise in food needs will mean severe pressure on water supplies. In addition, cultures across Asia, Africa and South America are increasing   their meat intake, and livestock are an extra drain on water in several ways: their manure pollutes it and meat production is a water suck.  For example, it takes 2,500 gallons of water to get one pound of beef , although the cattle industry insists it is only 440 gallons and one of my heroes, David Pimentel  from Cornell University calculates it is over 12,000 gallons of water.  No matter whom you believe, it is still a lot more than the 60 gallons needed for a pound of potatoes.     With the Midwest’s Oglalla Aquifer depleting faster than it can replenish, and the Yemen’s capital city Sana’a expected … Continue reading →

A lot of folks are asking me how I feel turning 50 in a couple days, as if I am supposed to feel old or go through some kind of crisis .  I did have a hard time turning 40, probably because my dad was ill, my career was slow that year and I had snuck the book Passages from my parents’ bookshelf when I was 10 and, having read all about the midlife crisis that was supposed to happen, predictably had one. But 50 feels awesome.  I feel proud to be 50 and I refuse to succumb to this baloney about not feeling as good as I did 25 years ago.  Truthfully, I feel better.  I am healthier for sure (having defeated bulimia), happier (in love with Ian every day), fitter (sweat on the stepmill, lifted weights and bodysurfed today) and more confident (I care more about authenticity than being liked) .  I have more wrinkles, more cellulite and more sags than I did, but it is balanced by more grace, more ease and more sensuality. The main reason I look forward to my sixth decade on this planet is because I have amazing role models.    My 77 year … Continue reading →