PAMELA ANDERSON BIOGRAPHY

Pamela Anderson has a body of work that encompasses entertainment and activism. She is an international icon who uses her status to help make the world a better place.

Pamela Anderson holds the record of appearing on the cover of Playboy Magazine a record 14 times, including the magazine’s final nude pictorial this past January 2016.  Pamela’s first major television role was playing Lisa, the Tool Time Girl on ABC’s hit sitcom “Home Improvement” for its first 2 seasons.  She became a global icon starring on the internationally successful series “Baywatch” (5 seasons) and went on to co create, star in and produce her own national/international television series “V.I.P.,” which ran for four seasons.  Pamela’s feature film career includes a starring role in “Barb Wire” and Sacha Baron Cohen’s obsession and love interest in the hit film “Borat.”  She recently finished shooting the indie film James Franco directed - A strange period piece “The Institute” and recently starred in the critically acclaimed indie film “The People Garden” and Luke Gilford’s short film 'Connected.”  She's finished shooting in Montreal the French Canadian miniseries “SurVie,” portraying an avante-garde actress adhering reluctantly to modern filmmaking.  And - future projects include a short film shooting in LA this december directed by Josh Safdie. 

Segueing effortlessly from the world of acting into activism, Pamela’s courage, compassion and empathy combined with her worldwide popularity, has made her a powerful voice for the planet, for the animals and for humanity.  As an honorary board member of PETA she was instrumental in many successful campaigns over the last 20 yrs. (too many to mention). She chair’s the board of directors of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society which helps to further the foundation's mission to maintain biodiversity in our oceans along with bringing awareness to the cruel capture of whales and dolphins for Aquariums, the seal hunt and the dangers of fish farms. She is on the Russian council of IFAW and has also joined forces with Dame Vivienne Westwood and Climate Revolution to protect the Arctic from drilling, defending human curiosity, and environmental rights. She advocates for Julian Assange, and Leonard Peltier — freedom of information, education and Justice for the vulnerable, for all living beings on the Planet - exposing the hardships of women and children in difficult surroundings.  In 2014 she founded her own foundation, The Pamela Anderson Foundation (www.pamelaandersonfoundation.org), which supports organizations and individuals that stand on the front lines in the protection of human, animal, and environmental rights. 

Anderson has a vegan surf- snow boot line called PAMMIES (www.pammieslife.com), She recently aligned with The Hatch Winery, to create her first vintage in the Pamela Anderson wine collection ‘CONTEMPT ‘Brut Rose.’ With an inspired cinephile twist. 

She is committed to all her causes and applies everything she learns to everything she does. 

She is an advocate for women and children. And has been speaking out about the dangers of porn addiction and desensitization. Encouraging empathy - calling for A Sensual Revolution - while writing her book The Sensual Revolution. (A guide to the erogenous mind ) Her hobby is writing erotic short stories and poetry. 

A native of Canada, Pamela has dual citizenship in the USA and Canada. She is the mother to two boys, an avid art collector and friend to the art community. She has been a distinguished speaker at both Oxford and Cambridge in regards to activism.

GRAZIA UK

You’ve obviously been quite involved in lots of causes, but some readers will be surprised to see you’re involved in a debate at the Oxford Union about porn. How did you get involved?

I've spoken at Oxford before on Veganism. And I've also done a talk at Cambridge about the negative effects the meat industry has on the environment. My latest appearance at Oxford is to start a Conversation with Young adults who I think are extremely prone to and affected negatively by technology's easy access to vile pornography - taking the twisted visual along with them into the rest of their lives. It might pollute their relationships or even affect their mental health. I worry about college campus sex crimes. I do think porn is partly responsible. It's sending a bad message - that it might be ok to do hurtful things to others? Or accept bizarre acts from others. and therefore hurting people. Infecting the human experience. 

What drove you to take part? It feels like a critical moment for porn.   

Well, I have grown male children - (that's enough of a reason) and I have friends and family who have suffered as a result of others addicted to porn . I have had my own negative experiences. And think it's something we all need to talk about more. I'm in a unique position. I can't compare the pornography I'm worried about with Playboy or the home movies that were stolen from my husband's and my house. I'm worried about violence against women, demeaning a spouse or neglecting a spouse- it would be very sad if the world forgot how to make love in this 'pop a pill' - fast food sex era-  I see percolating. We all get into relationships to be desired- not discarded. 

Has porn affected any of your relationships, or those of your friends?

I can tell you - I don't wish be treated like a porn star . It's terrible, terrible unimaginative and very boring sex.  Having An intimate experience with another human being is engaging in the world like an artist does. It is a dance. It takes effort and skill - It takes someone brave to be vulnerable and open. Letting go might not come as natural to some men- but when they do - it is explosive in more ways than one - Buying sex is very one sided. I'm concerned even the consumer is missing out on being truly loved. And I'm also concerned about people that have given up or been forced into sex work. 

Do you worry about porn in relation to your sons?

I don't like that children as young as 10 yrs old? can gain access at home or at a friends or at school. Kids know more than we do about computers. It is not funny. It is imprinting a poor message. Love does not look like porn. It is not how we want our children to treat people. Or even think that they should accept that behavior. I think it's putting pressure on young people to behave in an anti sensual way. Ways that don't feel right. We need a sensual revolution. We have gotten all the good stuff we need out of the Sexual Revolution. Unfortunately it gave us really bad sex. 

Some might say that your career has been based on a somewhat porn aesthetic – how can you distinguish between good and bad porn?

That is a personal choice and needs soul searching. . I know where I draw the line. What about you? 

What do you think is damaging about porn? The nature of it? The depiction of women? The easy access to it?

It's a disconnect. I want to encourage human interaction esp at this time when we need to save the world. We need intimacy and empathy more than ever. We cannot check out. And we must hold our relationships dear. 

Is there a healthy environment for porn? What constitutes good porn? Is there such a thing as ethical porn? Would you ever direct or produce porn for women? 

Whatever happens between 2 consenting adults is between them. I just hope people aren't putting up with behaviors because they are 'trying to be cool'- it is much cooler to respect yourself. Sexy is healthy. To be demeaned in any way is not. 

Are you nervous about standing up in the Oxford Union? Who are you debating against?

I love speaking at schools - of course it's a bit scary- but-I'm trying to engage students. What is Activism?. When you read a book you are an activist, when you contribute to the arts and consume less you are an activist. When you stand up for the vulnerable, use green energy, stay away from plastic or ride your bike or grow your own tomatoes. You are an activist and Activism is Sexy. Learn about the world and be kind to one another as a friend, as a lover, as a parent-Sensuality is a sexy kindness. 

Where would you say the easy access culture porn exists in is taking us?

I thinks its a dark place. I hope people can speak to one another about it. And know I'm on your side. I am fighting for you to have incredible uninhibited romantic experiences. I'm not a prude. I just felt someone needed to speak up. I can take the heat. I know that it may seem hypocritical? coming from me-considering the perception some have - but that's perception manipulated- 

Believe me- 

I am a very creative lover. 

But, even I can't make love to a brick wall. 

Oxford (notes)

I probably should start by disqualifying myself from this conversation on Porn Addiction-
after all I'm part of the problem- I'm a playboy playmate who's home videos were stolen, spliced together and sold on the black market- without recourse- fed into the mainstream media for the whole world to watch -
a married couple celebrating their lives together -
which included making love andin our case running around naked most the time-- making home movies- I've never seen the 'sex tape' that started a desperate trend with other 'on the verge' celebrities -
-  We started to fight it.
But, It was humiliating and frustrating- I was told that because of my Playboy-background- I had no right to privacy'? the depositions were insensitive and creepy- they blew up naked playboy photos of me and placed them in my view- there were 5 men refiling questions at me about my sex life with that white stuff in the corners of their mouths.
I could barely comprehend what they were saying - I just kept thinking -Grown men are looking at me with such hatred - It made me feel worthless, scared and confused.
What did we do wrong?- We didn't want this to happen? It was stolen from us- It was not meant for others to see -
I was in constant tears.
I was 7 months pregnant with my youngest baby -Dylan - We had also had our baby Brando at home-
The stress was too much.
We decided as a family that it was not in our best interest to continue- It wasn't worth the health of me and more importantly our son to fight it anymore -
The damage was done-  it was already out there-
We were offered money by awful porn distributors but wouldn't take it--  
It would be dirty money- we were not for sale.
It was not a choice we made
for fame or for money--
there was no sleazy self promoting motivation behind it-
like some other
manufactured and desperate celebrity sex tapes that soon followed.

I blame this in part - escalating the end of my Marriage -
it was too much -
I guess it was inevitable,
then - after some time,
I married another Rock star -
I was trying to re-create a family for my kids-
replacing one with another- it was unfair to my new husband- he took the brunt of all my unresolved feelings-- there was no hope-
though he took us in as his own and tried very hard-- the
the lifestyle seemed to be another toxic environment for love to grow- and I regret putting my kids throw another failed marriage.
Years later, I married an old friend who seemed to change his life -
But, addictions like to cross paths. As I learned unfortunately.
I had to find out the hard way.
But, I am grateful to him in some ways - this specific and painful journey Is what inspired the debate within myself--
Self Worth.
I'm well aware -
my track record isn't one of a saint ...
And it may seem hypocritical- not a self proclaimed 'sex symbol', but still-
complaining about porn-- and prostitute addiction - as who Im perceived to be-

I have been on my own for over a year now-  on purpose and a practice-
looking at my life -
taking stock -
and realizing a lot -
I have a unique perspective--
Being surrounded by dark, addictive behaviors and witnessing how they can effect romantic love -
I am a romantic--
Smokey Robinson once told me one night at the mansion - consoling me over a recent divorce-
He said don't worry Baby.
You're a romantic. You just keep trying.
I believed him.  It made me feel better.

I am a sensually driven woman., I am not a prude--
there lays the frustration-
great sex-
is not porn... far from it.
If you've been treated like a porn star or a prostitute you might relate- it's not fun to be slapped around - flipped all over, spit on and called a whore? It's sick, it's hurtful - demeaning -and it's terrible, terrible sex -
as society desensitizes
through the easily available explicit imagery on the internet- at any age - witnessing bad behavior-
we go numb,
and become neglectful- neglect is a form of abuse and is also used to manipulate.

People who kiss and tell are usually liars.

Relationships are suffering- in very painful ways--

My goal isn't to 'stop the internet' (though it once was-) I've grown to understand that's not the answer. That their is a higher purpose in sharing information this way.
It is a simple idea-

I'm am
afraid the world might forget how to make love--

the quick easy fix of masturbation -
leaves us all relieved and frustrated at the same time-

too much access,
too many young people accessing images of what they think love may look like?

there is not enough mystery - gone are the days of finding your father's playboy -
innocent exploration, titillation - the girl next door?- smiling semi nude women - being cheeky and flirty - what's wrong with that?.
It just may be a taste of what turned out to be a darker trend- but- raunchy
Porn killed Playboy too-
like Video killed the radio star...
the sexual revolution along with its good parts. Also gave us really bad sex.

I thought I had the market cornered- in some ways.
I lived a dream few have - I very much enjoyed the freedom and beauty at the Playboy mansion. Experiencing and truly
living a sensual life.
Making sexy bold choices-
As I still do.
I won't give up.

some people say-
oh, she's just getting old
and jealous--
that's partly true-
I'm getting old -
I'm genuinely concerned-
I'm concerned about Violence against women or any living being.

So now with Age comes insight.
I look at my past -

I was born in a very small town on Vancouver Island-my parents were very young when they had me 18 and 19-
my dad was a chimney sweep slash poker player-
my mom was a waitress-
since I 'made it big'? They didn't have to pay a bill.
They were able to retire. They are still together -
I'm proud to say--
they have gone through a lot- but stuck it out--
through thick and thin--
I am grateful they are together now--
even though I'm not sure they modeled a healthy relationship - What is a healthy relationship?
they have both had healthscares at different times over the last few years. Dad's mellowed out with old age - and have they have been there for each other--
that's the goal- to have someone to live our entire lives with-- I wish that for all if you - and
those seeds must be planted now-

I was worried, as I seemed to provoke
obsession and jealousy-
I felt I made people crazy-- mistaking that for crazy in love -therefore making me impossible too. It takes 2, to implode a relationship.
- I still romanticize the good times and I even have regrets -- and questions,
maybe a separation ?
and hard work in therapy might
have been the better option?

I have found every relationship represents me at that time-- more broken than the last--

I'd rather be alone right now
than hold up another mirror -

I have work to do-
this is part of it - sharing my experience - it may help others and therefore help me too.

A humble beginning taught me how to work hard--
untreated addiction in my family taught me about fear...
I was molested by my female babysitter somewhere between the ages of 6-8 yrs old? I was raped at 13 yrs old by a man who was teaching me how to play backgammon-
I had violent boyfriends, violent husbands... a violent father at times , and at risk angry brother - who suffered too- I see the trend--
it must stop-

I had no control over my life,
my body-
my desires--
I was programmed --
When I was approached by Playboy I initially said no-- when they kept approaching me-
I finally said yes because I was in a an unhealthy relationship-
2 weeks before my wedding day--
I ran away to LA-
to be on the cover of Playboy-
Playboy saved my life-
Playboy was my university--
I learned EVERYTHING there-

I moved to LA in '89,
I married in 1995 -
We had 2 beautiful boys (who are now 18, 20) as a mother I have now had to learn about social media, Instagram -
public pollution- I like to call it-
Our self worth is not determined by how many likes or followers we have--

I only loved the attention on my terms- not the tabloids -
I eventually learned to tune it out- we all need that trick.

We are all creating our own myth-
Literally- with editing apps and photoshop sometimes-
It's fantasy-
Less aware of where we end and the world begins-

I am proposing a sensual Revolution-
Not CensorshipThis is not the Governments issue.
Though Putin seemed to nip it in the bud- (a concern for free speech - but addressing the problem his way.)
This is our issue.
I am a Mother.
My boys-
both are romantics-
they have witnessed a lot of love, a lot of despair -- and despite at this time, with their imperfect rockstar parents. They are not self absorbed, or have entitlement issues. They are my miracles.
I know they will find loving lasting relationship-
they are brave and not bitter- they would take that chance-
I've sat with them through tears about girlfriends-
Even at their age with
so many options/dating apps?-- they crave meaning and good girls who respect themselves.
when I've heard the word "hook up? Used loosely among their friends.
I have had to have deep, sit down - 'that's enough' conversations about that--
I tell them to be careful-
if they disrespect women
they disrespect me--

Brandon is much more sensitive than he lets on- he's the actor so his flare for drama is a bonus -he is learning his limits, applying self discipline- determined and ambitious.

Dylan is the Buddha--
zen like-- 'butterfly boy' we called him- butterflies would land on him as a baby- he has a calmness about him that is inviting -but also protects him
He's a musical artist - and, innately sees through people and their intentions.
he has boundaries behind that mega watt mischievous smile-

they both teach me so much-- just by watching them grow-- and by giving them advice-
we are giving advice to ourselves -
I like to take
A technology vacations-- I did for 6 months. It improved all my relationships and weeded some out. Taking time away from devices leaves time to meet someone's eyes from across the room-
Linger on that, blush-
feel that feeling.

Cell phones make it too easy
to access each other-
or keep tabs on one another-- how can trust ever be built-
on a soul level-
when you can click on someone's current location-
I'm guilty of that one-

Feeling that deep connection- the lightening bolt-
cou'd a foudre...
the dance--
wait for 'the one'-
The best for last.
I've had a wildly romantic and fun life--
I am taking time out to discover something - a social experiment
that might bring back enduring happiness--
people are meant to be together into their old age-
the family is what will save us--
We can create our own families.
Consistent human connection- compassion for all living beings, if it's what we eat, what we wear, we just need to love.
Empathy
energized,
inspired to take chances-
to share and
give back.
Activism is sexy. An engaged with the world empathy.

depression means
purposeless mess--
We must find our purpose.
that's where Joy is--

We are ALL climate refugees- we are all in the same boat- we must take care of each other -

We imprint on ourselves what we watch and listen too- numbness--
desensitization--
a protective layer- fear--political tactics, bullying-- porn-
We can't get rid of porn,
the internet or the news--
but- we can chose for ourselves what we do with our time--
There are plenty of people -someone to talk to -
to help-- to love,

Human connection, fun, conversation-
courtship, seduction--
a lost art.

Porn and prostitute addiction is self serving--
it also contributes to sex trafficking,
pedophiles, child abuse and
rape--
fetishes that are turning violent- and escalating.
They have no meaning--
or productive value - in society.

I hope to plant a seed- that
making love between 2 committed people is the best sex I've ever had-

Maybe I'm "new fashioned"-- I'm sick of the
'trying too hard' TTH we used go call it. A turn off.

When I fantasize-
I fantasize about a family ,
a loving husband--
holding hands on the beach-- cooking for a table of friends and family--
someone to laugh with,
to cry with,
to share the world with,
to tackle problems together with
and age together-
in a fun loving way like best friends-

be brave -
do not give up -

soon sex will become virtual-

An androgynous sexless empire-

I think most of us still want someone
that we desire -
to desire us back-

Some people can no longer get aroused by another person in the flesh-
some have been addicted to porn since their first exposure to sexual feelings-

For some its only been on line masturbation - fear of human contact. They've over stimulated themselves.  
It keeps taking more. Something stranger and possibly worse to get that thrill.
Even a Viagra, Cialis epidemic.
-
Being a 'sex symbol'-
I may have some authority on this subject--
And
I've done almost 50 years of research.

Thank you
I wish you all great wild uninhibited sexual
Experiences within a loving and respectful relationship.
❤️

November 8

If Hillary Clinton does not make it clear to the youth/forward thinkers of America what role Bernie Sanders will play in her Presidency, she may lose us to Jill Stein. (That's not a bad vote by the way). I do not believe in tactical voting.

Vote your depth

Don't live in the dark

Ask questions from all walks of life and people you admire. 

You don't have to vote like your parents. Your vote is your right and it is private. It is complex and media and government seem 'anti people'.  1 million people control 1 billion people. I'm very inquisitive. And blessed to have so many interesting friends to draw from. 

NGO's unite. We count on you to do what governments should be doing. The people of the world must demand a green economy not a war culture. 

I hope Bernie has influence in a Clinton presidency. But I fear he caved a bit early. (I can't imagine the pressure). Assange is keeping them honest. 

Don't believe everything you see or read in the papers. Do the math. And as an individual think of your kids and Grand kids without a healthy and biodiverse planet there is nothing to fight over. 

Cook at home more. Don't use plastic. Use renewable energy. Watch and measure your use water - as individuals we can make a difference no matter what anyone around us is doing. Eat more vegetables and less meat.

Get on your bicycle and walk more places. The list goes on. It's common sense. 

This month will be an interesting one. Stay clear headed. 

Fear is how people are controlled, manipulated - read Shock Doctrine (Naomi Klein) www.naomiklein.org/shock-doctrine/where-to-buy

Stay happy and loving. Hold your family and friends preciously. And have lots of good face to face conversations. Remember the world is beautiful. Enjoy it. 

Nature is healing and gives us insight. 

Blessings to all,

Pamela - 

The playmate and the rabbi: unlikely bedfellows fighting internet porn

Shmuley Boteach and Pamela Anderson described porn and its ubiquity online as ‘a public hazard of unprecedented seriousness’. Photograph: Ken McKay/ITV/Rex/Shutterstock

Playboy stalwart Pamela Anderson and self-styled ‘America’s rabbi’ Shmuley Boteach are set to hit the Oxford Union.

They make unlikely bedfellows, the Playboy playmate and the rabbi, but they have found a common belief and mission: that pornography is harmful, and we – by which they mostly mean men – should be consuming much less of it, or at least not fuelling the demand for the viler, more degrading parts of it.

On Saturday, Pamela Anderson, the most enduring sex symbol of recent times, and Shmuley Boteach, self-styled as “America’s Rabbi”, will talk about this at the Oxford Union. It follows a month of campaigning, which kicked off with an opinion piece they wrote for the Wall Street Journal.

They described porn, and its ubiquity online, as “a public hazard of unprecedented seriousness” that leads to the implosions of marriages, families and careers. Children, they said, are being “raised in an environment of wall-to-wall, digitised sexual images … [becoming] adults inured to intimacy and in need of even greater graphic stimulation. They are the crack babies of porn.”

They met when Anderson was being honoured by an organisation run by Boteach. “We celebrate and promote universal values and [people] who are attached to the state of Israel,” he says, when we speak on the phone set while he and Anderson are being driven through London to a TV studio. “Pamela has been a very laudatory and complimentary spokesperson about Israel. We gave her an award.”

They became friends, and began talking about their feelings on relationships – and pornography’s effect on them. Boteach is known in the US for his books on sex and relationships and appearances on TV. Together, they decided to launch what they are calling the “sensual revolution”.

Some may recognise Boteach. He has been criticised within the Jewish community, and by many fellow rabbis, for his work on sexuality and theology alike, been investigated for the way his organisations use funds, and his seemingly immense appetite for self-promotion is not to everyone’s tastes (he had his own reality show and has made numerous appearances on shows such as Oprah and Dr Oz; his book Kosher Lust was serialised in Playboy). And he has appeared at the Oxford Union before, in 2001, where he spoke alongside his friend Michael Jackson, to whom he acted as “spiritual adviser”.

Anderson wasn’t put off by Boteach’s controversial, colourful past, she says. “I love Rabbi Shmuley and everything he stands for. I’ve learned a lot from him. He’s very outspoken and he’s in a position to do that and make powerful change. I respect him immensely.”

Since the WSJ piece, Anderson has been accused of hypocrisy, given that her entire career has been built on nude shots for Playboy, most recently in December, which was Playboy’s last issue to feature naked women. “Porn even killed Playboy,” she says, though not everyone will weep.

But Anderson has always been clear about the distinction. According to the artist Marilyn Minter, who worked with her in 2006, she is “the opposite of Anna Nicole Smith and Marilyn Monroe – she owned her own sexual power”. Anderson refuses to consider that Playboy is pornographic: “I think it was titillating, innocent,” she says. “It was highbrow – there was art and culture.

“When I went to the Playboy mansion I met great artists, intellectuals, people who were into philanthropy, art, music. I look at that as a fond memory but I understand … ” She pauses. “There are people who eat meat and become vegetarian – that doesn’t make them hypocritical, that makes them a growing, evolving human being.”

But she says she doesn’t regret her work for Playboy, because she views it as different from what is available online today. “I do believe that internet porn is addictive, getting weirder and weirder, and darker, and I think it does lead to violence against women.”

Does she not think that something such as Playboy paved the way? “It might have, it opened the door, but we’ve gone down this rabbit hole of dark pornography and it’s getting worse and worse.” Boteach joins in: “Some people might try to disqualify her from this conversation, saying, ‘You are someone who has been part of this culture and now you’re criticising it’, but the truth is who would know about the impact of that culture better than Pamela?”

Not that we should assume Anderson has had some kind of radical feminist epiphany (she has always refused to call herself a feminist), but she is undergoing something of a reinvention in other ways.

Born in Canada, she was spotted at a football game in Vancouver and became the face of a beer company, before Hugh Hefner, the Playboy founder, asked her to move to LA and become a model. In 1992 she joined the hilariously good-looking cast of Baywatch, the successful show about Los Angeles County lifeguards, and Anderson became a global star.

During the 1990s and early 2000s Anderson did a few films, but mainly appeared naked in Playboy and other men’s magazines; in the tabloids she was better known for her turbulent marriages. Later, launching her own charitable foundation, she would talk about the sexual abuse she suffered as a child and young teenager.

Now she is known as an activist as much as anything else. She has supported Peta for more than 20 years, and runs her own foundation. Presumably, like anyone hurled into celebrity at an early age, she has spent a lot of time since then figuring out how to carve something meaningful out of it. Luke Gilford, a young independent filmmaker, was struck by exactly this when he persuaded her to be in his short film, Connected, recently.

“I was interested in capturing this moment in time for her where she’s this ageing sex symbol trying to find deeper meaning in her own life,” he says. “She has a lot of ideas, a lot she has to say and a lot she has experienced. People don’t realise how much there is to her.”

However curious her partnership with Shmuley, no one can deny that they’re making their point at an opportune moment. Look at the tone of the US presidential campaign, Anderson says. “There is this culture of men who speak this way about women.” Shmuley adds: “There are men who are marinating in a culture of our portrayal of women.

“We have to take a deeper examination of [that].” Porn, he says, “trains men to see women as a means to an end. The idea of pornography is to portray women as a walking male orgasm, that women are there to stimulate men for sexual climax. This is part of addressing it. Not through censorship, but an honest conversation.”

This has become a subject Anderson feels strongly about. “I think we should really look at ourselves and think is this affecting our relationships and causing a lack of intimacy? Because I’m talking about having better sex, better loving relationships and more respect for women. I have two teenage sons and I want them to experience loving relationships and sensual experiences.”

In the past, she says, “people assume, because of who I am, that I want [sex which is] wild, crazy, slapped around, called a whore. What is going on? I’m here and telling people you can have beautiful, loving sex without the demeaning side of it.”

www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/oct/14/pamela-anderson-and-the-rabbi-unlikely-bedfellows-fighting-internet-porn

A Toast to the Animals

IFAW Reception - London

Perhaps you know the story of a traveler in a distant land who,  when the world was in conflict around him, knocked on a stranger’s door and sought his friendship. The stranger answered that it was better to make friends at home.  Well, said the traveler, I’m at your home, so now we are friends. No matter where we travel in the world, people are people, and there are bonds between them.  I would like to make a toast to friendship, the kindness of strangers, and, of course, to our fellow travelers, the animals, who need us all. 

The English writer, Henry James, once said there are 3 things in life that are important: the first is to be kind, the second is to be kind, and the third is…to be kind!  I agree that kindness cures almost everything in life, so here’s to our kindness to all living beings, no matter where they are from, what they look like, or even whether they are of our own species. And here’s to our friendship.

(nasdrovia) 

IFAW Reception speech - London

These are critical times for animals. We all know that their homelands are disappearing as human populations expand, the oceans are polluted and noise pollution is part of it. Wild animals are vanishing at unimaginable rates.  At the same time, human attitudes are changing and we are beginning to miss what we are destroying, just a moment before it has gone.  What is left must be preserved. Elephants in Africa are being poached and shipped overseas to tawdry zoos, orcas and whales are being captured for display in hideous amusement parks in shopping malls, thousands of miles from their homes. These are all individuals like us, with thoughts and feelings and desires, for freedom, for independence, for a reasonable, natural life. We cannot pretend it is otherwise. And, with all our power and might, with our human ingenuity to change everything and anything, we are depended upon to be leaders in changing the destructive path into a constructive, positive one that our great, great grandchildren will thank us for recognizing and saving.  It isn’t as hard as it seems. In fact, when we show the way, others follow.  We must show the way and let future generations utter our names in awe, saying “They saw what was wrong and fixed it.  They saved the great orchestra of life and reversed human domination of the animal kingdom.”