Sometimes it seems as if all Hollywood has turned vegan, either for health issues, animal rights issues, or both. Here are more famous vegans: Actors and Actresses Portia De Rossi – De Rossi became a vegetarian after moving to a farm with wife Ellen DeGeneres. Alec Baldwin – He’s outspoken about many things, but Baldwin lets people know that his vegan diet is a choice due to his love of animals and the environment as well as his personal health. Olivia Wilde – Not only is Wilde a vegan, she has her own vegan website (Wilde Things). Sandra Oh – … Continue reading →

I have a confession to make – I am a meat lover. I know I need to eat more veggies and fruits, but I honestly don’t ever think I could go totally vegetarian. I love a good steak and burger every once in a while. I am curious about the vegan diet. Obviously if I couldn’t go straight vegetarian, I really couldn’t go straight vegan (give up cheese – gasp!). But, I eat at a local restaurant that serves vegan items and one day, I promise myself I am going to try it. However, there are many celebs who are … Continue reading →

You may have heard of the Sundance Film Festival, the popular event held each January in Utah. You may or may not know that actor Robert Redford was the founder of the Sundance Film Festival. You may also not know that Sundance now has a festival in London (Sundance London). And, you may not know that tonight is the opening night of the first Sundance London Festival. Premiering at Sundance London this year is Harmony: A New Way of Looking At Our World. What makes this documentary so special? Prince Charles narrates the flick and will be there to introduce … Continue reading →

Whenever I see Charlize Theron on the Red Carpet, I am thrown back to old Hollywood. She takes chances with her gown designs sometimes, but she always seems regal and confident in her choices. But, she is not just a great actress (she won an Oscar for Monster), but also a philanthropist. Theron supports women’s rights. She attended the opening day ceremony of City of Joy, a community in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. The community provides women who have been victims of violence with group therapy, sex education (especially about HIV/AIDS and family planning), self-defense classes, and information about … Continue reading →

Bob Barker left “The Price is Right” in 2007, but as a game show host, he remains a television icon. If you ever watching him on the show, you may remember that at the end of almost every episode, he reminded us to “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.” (This work is in the public domain in that it was published in the United States between 1923 and 1977 and without a copyright notice. Unless its author has been dead for several years, it is copyrighted in jurisdictions that do not apply the rule of … Continue reading →

Do you remember Woodsy Owl? Sometimes I wonder if all the green living info aimed at children today is actually making an impact then I think of good old Woodsy Owl. Woodsy, an icon for the U.S. Forest Service, made his first appearance in the early ‘70s when there was a resurgence of environmental awareness. Woodsy always told us children to “Give a hot, don’t pollute.” Seems simple enough, but after 40-plus years, I still remember that saying. I am not exactly sure who created Woodsy Owl. If you search the Internet, a few sites say the original Woodsy was … Continue reading →

First, you should know that actress Lucy Lawless’ real name is Lucille Frances Ryan. But, she lived up to the “Lawless” part of her stage name this past week. Lawless and six members of the environmental organization Greenpeace boarded the drilling ship Noble Discoverer off the western shore of New Zealand last Thursday. The only problem was that Lawless, a New Zealand native, and the Greenpeacers did it illegally. They boarded the ship, leased to Shell Oil, to protest the drilling. After sneaking on board, they climbed up to the 174-foot drilling tower and displayed a sign which read, “Stop … Continue reading →

Roger Daltrey and Robert Plant are two of the most celebrated rock legends of all time. Daltrey is the front man for The Who while Plant is the front man for Led Zepplin. There are probably plenty of wild rock stories out there about these two bands in their heyday, but now, with both rockers in their 60s, they seem to have given up rock pleasures such as groupies and alcohol for more philanthropic pleasures. Last Friday, Daltrey and Plant announced the formation of the UCLA Daltrey/Townshend Teen & Youth Adult Cancer Program. In case you don’t know, that “Townshend” … Continue reading →

Cynthia Nixon is probably best known as the lawyer Miranda from the series “Sex and the City.” But, since the series ended in 2004, Nixon has focused much of her attention to charitable contributions. Nixon, herself a product of New York City schools, first became an education activist. She became involved in the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE), in part because her own children attended NYC schools. The AQE fights for quality education and funding for the public schools. In 2003, Nixon left her longtime boyfriend, Danny Mozes, and began dating education activist Christine Marinoni. In 2006, she was diagnosed … Continue reading →

Few have worked so hard and sacrificed so much for social consciousness as Martin Luther King Jr. We’ve given him a holiday, many cities have streets named after him, and Memphis has a Civil Rights museum honoring him on the site where he was assassinated. Finally, King became the first individual who wasn’t a president to receive a monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The $120 million dollar monument set on 4 acres near the Tidal Basin officially opens tomorrow and will be dedicated on August 28th. The opening comes on the 48th anniversary of King’s historic “I … Continue reading →