Clever and Informative!

Ken Elpus shared this with me on facebook. There's a website

called Young Invincibles that accompanies the video. Check it out.

Food Inc.

I will make this quick: go see the movie Food Inc. It's playing at the Quad Cinemas in NYC. I can't begin to explain all of the facets of the food industry the movie covers in one blog post. But it features one of my favorite authors/smart people Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser who wrote Fast Food Nation. I highly recommend it. You'll learn a lot and it's not boring, which is really all I ask of a documentary.

No More Plastic Bags

If you are anything like me you go through a lot of plastic bags. I try to save all of mine and recycle them but then you have a drawer or cupboard full of plastic bags which is kind of a pain.. I found these enVbags that I just love and now I rarely have to use plastic. They were at a little store called Domus on 44th street between 9th and 10th ave. This store is amazing. The owners travel to different countries every year and buy the local goods and bring them back to NYC. Part of their mission as a store is to improve the living conditions of depressed populations around the world by selling the commercially viable items they produce. If you are ever in midtown it's a great place to spend some time.

The thing I like most about these bags is that I can roll them up into a little pouch and carry them in my purse. I have all of these bags from Trader Joe's (yeah!) and Whole Foods (boo!) but they are big and I never remember to bring them with me. So check them out, or go to Domus where you're sure to find other great items that are good for the planet.

Oh Health Care

Well, in keeping with my "things I like" theme, universal health care is something I like. I am an American with health insurance and I am SO GRATEFUL. However, a number of my smart, employed, talented, friends (along with 46.2 million Americans) are not insured. This is not ok. What's also not ok are the same old scare tactics being perpetuated by the right. We need health care reform and we need it now. I just signed this petition to tell my senators they can't back down on the public option.

I think Jon Stewart is funny and smart. I think this interview is really really great. I think this woman is a bad listener who just repeats her talking points over and over again. Enjoy and try to do something today to help ensure health care rights for ALL Americans.

The Gay-Marriage Debate (debate!? really?)

So below I posted a song that Maddy Wyatt wrote for a benefit we did in July called Broadway Stands Up For Freedom for the NYCLU. Two years ago Maddy wrote a song about Barack Obama and we sang it at the NYCLU benefit and then he got elected. So I asked her to write a song about gay marriage hoping to achieve the same result. The song was a big hit, and you must check Maddy out because not only was she my college roommate for two years but she is a really wonderful songwriter and human being. I've done a lot of thinking about gay marriage and I'm a little conflicted. There is a big part of me that knows it is inevitable. Gay marriage will happen, it's just a matter of time. I get frustrated when I hear people say they are mad at Obama for not doing more on the issue. But my friend Joe sent me this article and it makes a good argument for why we need to make the push now. I don't agree with everything he says, but I love Dan Savage and I think it's good to expose yourself to other perspectives, especially from people who you respect.

A-Duh.

A Big Hiatus

So, it's summer and I have been out of town a lot. A little work and a little pleasure. I thought I would take a bunch of pictures and blog about the different places I've gotten to visit in the past few months. But it turns out, I am terrible at taking pictures. And when I'm busy, I'm less motivated to blog. I don't love this about myself, but I do think it's true. I do encourage any of you who have thought, "I should go to the Highline" to DO IT. I went and thought it was really wonderful: relaxing, beautiful, peaceful, well designed. It's a new spot to enjoy the outdoors in NYC. Enjoy this summer and I'll try not to take so long with the next post.