3rd Annual SF Walk Against Rape

It's not really a flattering photo, but I was the highest fundraiser for the 3rd year in a row. Woohoo! Thanks to all of my wonderful, generous friends who helped me EXCEED my goal to raise $2851. You're the best!



the whole set is here

My Birthday Wish...

I'm so lucky to know and have such wonderful people in my life. I'm also fortunate enough to have everything I need and more. Really, my only birthday wish is that you'll help me reach my fundraising goal for the San Francisco Walk Against Rape. I'm still $1400 short so every little bit helps. http://www.firstgiving.com/bffteam

Thanks so much for your support, friendship and your generosity!
xoxo, jared

UPDATE: So many of my lovely, generous friends have donated money today that I'm now only $577 short of my $2500 goal. Every little bit helps. Woohoo!

happy birthday to me...

my birthday is on thursday so i'm using it as an excuse to raise money for my cause.

the 3rd annual san francisco walk against rape is on april 26th and i'm $1465 short of my $2500 goal. if you have a few extra bucks to share, please send it my way. you can donate here.

thank you!!!

That's what I'm talking about!

Look, I appreciate when ridiculously rich people give away large sums of money. After all, a million dollars is a a million dollars and can help a lot of people. But it's always seemed to me that the super rich could do MORE or else they wouldn't be SUPER RICH in the first place. I've never understood why multi billionaires couldn't donate most of their fortune and just live as multi millionaires so that MORE people can live a decent life with healthcare and food and shelter and education.

I know that's absolutely NOT the "American Way", but I really wish it was.

This morning, while watching "Sunday Morning", they did a piece on Chuck Feeney and my heart was warmed. If more wealthy people were like him, the world wouldn't be so full of assholes wasting their money cars and clothes and pets from pet mills.

Thanks for being a generous, caring, decent human being, Mr. Feeney!

3rd Annual SF Walk Against Rape

Hi friends,

I’m participating in the San Francisco Walk Against Rape again this year and I’m hoping to raise the most money again. Last year I raised $1400 on my own, so this year I’ve put together a team and we hope to raise $2500 or more. The walk isn’t until April, but I’m starting the fundraising now to make sure we reach or (hopefully) exceed our goal.

Support me by donating here: BFFteam

Although rape is a very serious and painful issue to think about, the walk is a really exciting, empowering, fun, feminist, community building event and everyone is welcome. If you’d like to join my team or just walk along with us, you’re more than welcome. Or you can just open your wallet and support us from afar.

Every little bit helps and will bring us that much closer to our goal and all proceeds will go to benefit San Francisco Women Against Rape (SFWAR), SF’s only community based rape crisis center.

Thanks in advance for your support!
xoxo, jared

Support me by donating here: BFFteam

Another Way to Give

I just heard about this organization on the news this morning and it sounds awesome. Instead of giving family and friends another sweater or CD or video game the don't need, you can donate to this organization and give the gift of sight, education, clean water, etc. to someone in need on your friend or family member's behalf. They'll receive a card announcing your gift and someone in need's life will change for the better.

Seva Foundation - Compassion in action.

Gifts of Service - Gifts that do a world of good.

Then there's also one of my personal favorites, Alley Cat Allies.

Give something that gives back instead of something that just takes up space. The world will be a better place for it.

Wishing you and yours Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year!

I swear this is still a feminist blog...

although it has been rather animal rights heavy lately.

I've just been really, really busy at work and there've been a number or articles and issues surrounding animal rescue and whatnot that I wanted to post before I forgot. Also, I am a little obsessed with animal rights at the moment, what with the declawing legislation idea and everything. All of this animal activism has even led me to become a vegetarian so I don't feel like such a hypocrite discussing animal cruelty while chowing down on a B.L.T.

One thing I've noticed about fighting for animal rights as opposed to women's rights is that a lot more people love animals and are sympathetic to the cause than they are towards women. You'd be surprised how many people are willing to jump on the anti-declawing bandwagon but balk at the idea of letting women make their own reproductive choices. It's totally weird.

Everyone loves a kitten. Women and girls? Not so much.

There's a not very flattering article about the SFSPCA in the Guardian today...

It's disappointing, but I still value the work that they do do, and the animals they've helped so far and I love being part of the shelter kitties lives. I would like to see a dramatic rise in the overall percentage of live-releases, though.

Pet Projects: Can the San Francisco SPCA overcome recent setbacks and regain its position as a leader in the national no-kill movement?

In San Francisco they're guaranteed a chance to live until they find a family, as long as they're deemed adoptable by the SPCA and don't develop a life-threatening disease or unmanageable behavior traits. They are the legacy of pioneering former president Richard Avanzino, regarded by most as the originator of the national "no-kill" movement.

Avanzino spent 20 years making the San Francisco SPCA a national leader in saving animals, including forging a pact with the city in 1994 to work toward guaranteeing every adoptable cat and dog a home, a remarkable promise during a time when few places across the nation were willing to make saving the lives of companion animals a priority. Most shelters euthanized tens of thousands of kittens, puppies, dogs, and cats every year to save space and money. Quite a few still do.

But after Avanzino left in 1998 to spread his no-kill philosophy nationally through the Alameda-based nonprofit Maddie's Fund, the local SPCA has steadily retreated from the cutting edge. Rather than continuing to push toward the goal of saving all the animals, the two presidents who succeeded Avanzino have focused the organization on a private hospital project that has turned into an expensive boondoggle that's sapped the organization's energy and resources and angered the local veterinary community.

"San Francisco likes to say it's the safest city in the United States to be a dog or cat," said Nathan Winograd, a widely recognized proponent of the no-kill philosophy and former director of operations for the SPCA, who left the organization in late 2000. "That is no longer true. There are other cities that are doing much more in terms of lifesaving. That's one of the reasons I chose to leave San Francisco."

I would also really appreciate it if people would stop breeding cats and dogs and stop buying cats and dogs from pet stores and breeders and start adopting some of the thousands of homeless animals already here. More than 800,000 cats and dogs are euthanized each year because there aren't homes for them. Think about that the next time you go to a pet store or breeder, and then turn around and get your ass to a shelter and save an animal's life instead!

June is Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat Month...

From the SFSPCA Volunteer Newsletter:

June is Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat-Month and there's a significant reason why this special month is observed during the summer: kitten season is in full swing and shelters are filled with cats of all ages, sizes and colors.

Some facts about cats in the United States today:

• Cats have replaced dogs as the most popular family pet; it's estimated that there are now approximately 90 million owned cats in this country.
• The stray animal population is now largely made up of cats.
• The majority of cats in shelters are unowned, and more than 70% will be euthanized.
• Euthanasia in shelters is now the leading cause of cat death in the U.S.
• Cats as a group receive less veterinary care than dogs and are abandoned more often.

Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat-Month is the perfect opportunity to raise public awareness about the wonderful homeless cats and kittens waiting to be adopted in shelters throughout the country.

Allow me to make a few recommendations:

Joy (aka Minna) - Arrival 12.4.05
Sylvester - Arrival 7.29.06
Elizabeth - Arrival 2.17.07
Miranda - Arrival 2.26.07
Squirrly (aka Squirrel) - Arrival 4.17.07
Hindrich - Arrival 5.4.07
Jordan - Arrival 5.5.07
Garfield - Arrival 5.8.07
Geneva - Arrival 5.9.07
Polly - Arrival 5.9.07
Bali - Arrival 5.16.07
Samantha - Arrival 5.18.07
Homie - Arrival 5.18.07
Chauncy - Arrival 5.21.07
Carly - Arrival 5.22.07

p.s. The cat in the photo, Izzma, was not harmed or purposely humiliated for the picture. She had some matting and fur issues when she arrived so she got a shave and a fresh start.

Today Is National Hunger Awareness Day...

The San Francisco Food Bank is still one of my favorite nonprofits even though they didn't hire me way back in the day. Their executive team is a little testosterone heavy, but they do good work:

Summer is an especially difficult time for working famililes with children. When school lets out for summer vacation, childcare costs increase and children lose access to school meals and snacks, increasing the burden on the family's finances.

Please help today - make a donation equal to the amount you normally spend on lunch - or what you spend for a whole week. Each $10 donation allows us to provide meals to 40 children - that's more than an entire classroom of kids! We ask you to donate today and forward this link to your friends so they can contribute too.

Here are some more ways you can help – and have fun at the same time!

Go shopping!
Make a $5 donation to the Food Bank at any San Francisco Macy’s store on June 5 and receive a 15% off savings pass for the entire day.

Enjoy dinner with a friend
Go to Kuleto’s on June 5 and order the special Hunger Awareness Day three course prix fixe dinner at Kuleto’s restaurant in San Francisco and the proceeds will be donated to the Food Bank. Call 415-397-7720 to make a reservation.

Take a cooking class
Learn how to make a gourmet Italian dinner at Sur la Table with Chef Bob Helstrom of Kuleto’s on June 5, Hunger Awareness Day. All proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to the Food Bank. Call Sur la Table at 415.732.7900 for details and tickets.

Visit Union Square
Join us from 12:00 – 1:00 on Hunger Awareness Day to learn more about the issue of hunger and how you can run a food drive, volunteer or advocate for an end to hunger in San Francisco.

Every day, 1 in 5 San Franciscans lives with the threat of hunger. We need your support to give them the food they need to survive and thrive. Thank you!

Please give today!

More on declawing...

My friend Dolly and I are writing to Ross Mirkarimi and Chris Daly to see if they will support us by drafting some anti-declawing legislation. Apparently, West Hollywood is the only place in the country where it's illegal and we want to add San Francisco to the roster.

UPDATE: I was mistaken. West Hollywood passed legislation in 2003 but was sued in 2005 by a bunch of capitalist veterinarians who'd rather make a buck than not torture animals with senseless amputation. I'm not sure what the status of the legislation is now but I'll keep you posted on what I find out.

Maybe if we can get a law passed here and garner some publicity, more cities will join the fight to end this cruel and inhumane procedure.

"The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights is opposed to cosmetic surgeries and to those performed to correct 'vices.' Declawing generally is unacceptable because the suffering and disfigurement it causes is not offset by any benefits to the cat. Declawing is done strictly to provide convenience for people. The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR)

Some veterinarians have argued that some people would have their cats killed if declawing was not an option. We should not, however, allow ourselves to taken 'emotional hostage' like this. If a person really would kill her or his cat in this case, it is reasonable to question the suitability of that person as a feline guardian, especially when there are millions of non-declawed cats living in harmony with people."

I'll keep you posted on our progress.

Here's a current list of the countries which have outlawed declawing:

England * Scotland * Wales * Northern Ireland * Germany * Austria * Switzerland * Norway * Sweden * Netherlands * Denmark * Finland * Brazil * Australia * New Zealand

I think the United States should join them.

Please spay and/or neuter your pets...

It would also be super awesome if people would adopt from shelters instead of buying from pet stores and breeders. I feel the same way about animals that I do about people: a mutt is just as fabulous as a pure bred and it's better to adopt someone in need than to make more.

Opinion: AB 1634 will reduce number of unwanted pets

...More than 800,000 stray dogs and cats are put into shelters every year in California. To make it worse, we are killing more than 400,000 of these helpless animals simply because no one wants them. This is an average of more than 1,000 dogs and cats every day-one death every 75 seconds.

[...]

AB 1634, the California Healthy Pets Act, will require that any owned cat or dog be spayed or neutered, with certain exceptions, such as guide, service or signal dogs, animals used by law enforcement agencies and for purebred animals whose owners have a breeder's license. California-licensed veterinarians can provide temporary waivers to delay spaying or neutering, and they may also support applications to keep animals intact, owing to their age or poor health.

Even though we see thousands of pets adopted from our shelters, only half of the dogs and cats brought to shelters leave there alive. The best solution is to address the number of unwanted animals born each year, so we have enough homes to accommodate the pets that need them.

[...]

Finally, California taxpayers are spending an astounding $250 million a year to provide care, food, euthanasia and disposal of unwanted dogs and cats. Much of this money could either be saved or used to improve the conditions for the dogs and cats that will still end up in animal shelters until homes are found.

California has tried many other options and incentives to encourage pet owners to have their pets spayed and neutered, options which clearly have not been as effective as we would like them to be. When we are destroying hundreds of thousands of kittens, puppies, dogs and cats every year simply because they were born, it is obvious we need a new approach. I encourage everyone to join me in support of AB 1634, the California Healthy Pets Act.

See? Lots of people in my neighborhood are activists!

I missed it coz I was at work but I'm glad so many other Tenderloin residents marched to end violence in our neighborhood. I read a flyer that said we'd had 4 murders and over 100 assaults in April alone.

I totally don't remember it being that violent when I moved here three years ago so it must just be getting worse and worse. I hope we can nip it in the bud and build a stronger, safer community.

This is what community building looks like:


Calling for an end to Tenderloin Violence

According to the San Francisco Police Department, in the past 90 days alone there have been four homicides, six forcible sex offenses, 113 robberies, 270 assaults and 875 drug crimes.

Some of the demonstrators believe the Tenderloin is a so-called containment zone, where city officials tolerate crime to prevent it from spreading to nicer neighborhoods.

Andre Williams, Tenderloin Resident: "Being safe should be a right instead of a privilege because you should be able to walk anywhere you need to walk without being harassed."

Amen, brother.

The Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corp. is another one of my pet non-profits.

"TNDC's mission is to provide safe, affordable housing with support services for low-income people in the Tenderloin community and be a leader in making the neighborhood a better place to live."

Feel free to toss 'em a few bones if you can spare it.

(via SFist)

I'm #1!

The numbers are in and I was "far and away" the highest individual fundraiser in the 2nd Annual San Francisco Walk Against Rape. I couldn't have done it without you!

With your help, I managed to raise $1400 ($150 over my goal!) and all together the walk raised more than $17,000 for SFWAR.

My goal next year is $1500 so look for more begging in the not too distant future...

We did it!

It was hot and we were sweaty but we made it all the way to the end. I'm not sure what the total amount raised was but I'll keep you posted.

It was a beautiful day in San Francisco and we felt strong and brave and amazing and we were inspired by all of the wonderful folks who walked with us. Next year it'll be even BIGGER!

You can see the fabulosity for yourself right here.

Tomorrow's the big day!

I'm moving this to the top coz, Yay Me!

I can't seem to stop bragging that I managed to raise $1400 this year, nearly twice as much as I raised last year. I really hope I'm the highest individual fundraiser. We don't win any prizes or anything, I just want them to love me the most. Hee!

No matter where I land in the fundraising spectrum though, I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks so much to everyone who donated and to everyone who has encouraged me and given their support. San Francisco Women Against Rape (SFWAR) is an incredible organization and they've helped a lot of people. (It will be a beautiful day when their services are no longer needed though.)

One by one, we are making a difference and I thank each and every one of you for the courage and inspiration I derive from you daily. We really are fighting the good fight, TOGETHER!



Although I've reached my goal, you can still donate if you'd like to, or join us on the walk. Everyone is welcome and encourgaged to show your support and solidarity with women. Hope to see some of you there!

I did it!!!

With the help of many generous friends, of course!

Thanks to everyone who donated and helped me not only meet, but exceed my goal. Yay us!

As of today, I've raised $1400 for San Francisco Women Against Rape. There's still a week and a half left before the walk so it's not too late to donate if you still want to. Just because I reached my goal doesn't mean we have to stop giving.

If you'd like to donate to help survivors of rape and sexual assault, you can do so here.

Again, many thanks to my online and offline friends for your incredible generosity and support. You restore my faith in people!

Another fundraising plea...

Before I forget - I'm now only $200 shy of my $1250 goal so if you'd like to sponsor me in the 2nd annual SFWAR Walk Against Rape, you can make a donation here: firstgiving/msjared2

The Walk Against Rape is on Saturday, April 28th so I've only got a few more weeks to raise the rest of the money. Anything you can spare is greatly appreciated!

(And thanks SO MUCH to everyone who's already donated!)

Apropos of the foiled rape attempt post below...

Why dontcha sponsor me in the 2nd Annual Walk Against Rape?


Thanks to some very, VERY generous readers, friends, and friendly readers, I'm only $480 shy of my $1200 fundraising goal. Feel free to give until it hurts...so good.

Thank you!

My sheroes...

Wow. This story is both heart warming and horrible at the same time. It's good to know that there are people in the world who still look out for one another, but disappointing how much of a fulltime job that tends to be. For every good one out there, it seems there are twenty more bad ones lurking in the shadows.

Date in jail for drugging beer
Quick-thinking S.F. pair nail man slipping his companion a mickey:

It looked for all the world as if the couple on a date -- he was darkly handsome and a little older than the pretty, petite blonde with the Russian accent -- were having a great time together.

"A really great time," their waitress, Karri Cormican, recalled thinking. "She was facing him, had one of her legs up on the bench seat." Good body language.

So it came as a shock when after the woman left the window-side table to visit the restroom, Cormican saw the man shake a white powder into the Hefeweizen beer he had ordered for his date.

"Did I really see that?" Cormican asked herself. "Why would he do that? It seemed like they were having fun."

He would do that because he is a sick, predatory pervert and it's not about "fun" for him, it's about abuse. Or actually, it's probably the abuse that is the fun for him. How fortunate for all of us that he's off the street. For a minute, anyway.

Read the whole thing