Video of Impeachment Speakers at LA City Council

Here is the link to watch a little bit of the footage I took at the LA City Council meeting, where the public comments focused on impeachment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc2DXW6PRFA

Los Angeles Impeachment Movement

Yesterday I attended the Los Angeles City Council meeting because Councilman Bill Rosendahl plans to put forth a resoulution to impeach Bush and Cheney. I attended the meeting because I wanted to show my support for the measure, and I also wanted to film the proceedings. I had never attended a council meeting before, and it was very interesting to see the beautiful architecture of City Hall and also to see our local government in action in person. When it was time for public comments, I moved to the front row and was able to film the entire session. About halfway through the comments, a policeman asked me to move from the front row over to the side aisle. He was very polite about it, and it really did not matter as I still had a good view from that location. I watched as speaker after speaker eloquently put forth their argument for why Los Angeles needs to demand impeachment. I was truly moved by the passion of these citizens. One speaker asked all those to stand who were there to support impeachment, and we filled the entire chamber. This morning I opened my Los Angeles Times anticipating coverage of the meeting, but to my dismay, there was not a single word written about it. The only coverage regarding the council meeting was about a possible property tax increase. When the chamber is filled with citizens regarding an issue, I believe that warrants thorough news coverage. This is why the internet is so important, because we the people can publish what we feel is important and we no longer have to rely on the mainstream media. My husband and I are in the process of editing my footage, and we will be posting a video hopefully today or tomorrow. Whether or not one agrees with impeachment, this movement deserves to get their story out there, and I am glad I took the time to document this important piece of history.

Why Wait for a Special Event? Clean up Los Angeles Now!

I read with great interest in the Los Angeles Times about the terrible air pollution problem that China suffers from, and how the Chinese are trying to make some necessary changes in order to clean up the pollution before the Olympic games. In China's case hosting a global event is the motivation to instigate real change to clean up the environment. In view of recent studies' predicting an enormous population increase for California, we would be wise to implement many of the measures China is implementing. Why wait for a special event to make our communities more pleasant, beautiful, and livable? Also, we should not wait until our environment reaches the desperate point that China has reached. The government should take immediate action and mandate real change. One idea from the article stands out for me, and that is the Chinese' plan to remove 50% of the cars off the streets by enacting an odd/even license plate system where depending on the last number of your license plate you can only drive on certain days. Imagine what Los Angeles would look like with 50% less cars- less traffic, less noise, much cleaner air...it just might make you want to hop on a bike or walk to your destination. The minor inconvenience would be far outweighed by our improved quality of life.

Ban Bottled Water

Today the Los Angeles Times wrote that it is "So cool to hate bottled water". While I appreciate the sentiment, the article advocated purchasing a Brita water filter and was also pushing particular reusable water bottles. I would like to point out that tap water is tested frequently and in the vast majority of cases is perfectly safe to drink without filtering. Buying devices such as a filter which one does not actually need contributes to the problem of overconsumption. I was particularly frustrated by the idea that Americans will never "give up the convenience of the throwaway bottle". So walking up to one's sink, turning on the faucet, and filling up a reusable bottle is too inconvenient for most Americans? If this is true, then I am ashamed at the extent of the laziness, not to mention selfishness and apathy. Even though the single use water bottle is so damaging to the environment, many Americans are unwilling to make even the simplest of changes. In light of recent revelations that both the source of both Dasani and Aquafina bottled water is tap water, it makes good sense to ban the production and sale of bottled water.

Paper, Plastic, or Neither?

Hello, I wanted to start a blog to discuss issuses related to preserving the environment and ending global warming. I live in Los Angeles and every day I am reminded about how many concrete actions we as a society could take to protect the environment. Yesterday my family and I drove through a beautiful canyon to spend a day at Malibu beach. As we drove along, I coudn't help but notice tons of plastic bags and other garbage littering the sides of the road. This trash frequently makes its way to the oceans and harms marine life. Moreover, the process of producing and transporting the plastic bags creates carbon thereby exacerbating global warming. We should ban the production and distribution of plastic bags. Instead, people should be encouraged to use a reusable bag. My personal favorite is called the Chico bag; it is cute and so practical. We lived without plastic bags for years before the eighties; I believe that we can live without them again. Our reward will be a cleaner and more beautiful landscape, so for me giving up plastic bags is not a sacrifice but a means to the great reward of improved quality of life. Q: Paper or plastic? A:Neither, I have my own resusable bag.