Dream Halloween

View image | gettyimages.com
SANTA MONICA, CA - OCTOBER 30: Actress Elle Fanning, dressed as Marilyn Monroe, arrives for the 11th annual Children Affected by AIDS Dream Halloween fundraiser on October 30, 2004, in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Ana Elisa Fuentes/Getty Images)

Las Fronteras: Sueños Comadres y Manos

Ephemera from the Las Fronteras: Sueños, Comadres y Manos or The Borders: Dreams, Godmothers and Hands exhibit I curated for the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission, at a young age.  It was such an honor to work with this group of talented Latina Artists, depicting their lives, culture, memories and relationships with one another, hence Commadres. The glyphs beside the text are from Mayan culture, the land of my father.

Voting Rights

Activists march to uphold one of the most fundamental rights: the right to #vote. #SCOTUS #VRA #ProtectVRA 
Photo via the ACLU 

World Refugee Day, Climate Change, Connect the Dots

Today is World Refugee Day, and this begs the question, how  many of us will become refugees as a result of climate change? This Haitian woman, is a hurricane survivor who was relocated to a camp in the Dominican Republic at the border with Haiti. TWO PERCENT of Haiti is forested. Soil erosion is the result of deforestation, which makes the island nation vulnerable to landslides during hurricanes. Where there is no soil, there is no food, which leads to hunger.

Think about the number of displaced persons as a result of hurricane Katrina. Are they not climate refugees. This week the Guardian published an article on American's First People who are now America's First Climate Refugees.

The people of Newtok, Alaska, like the people of Haiti are, literally, losing the ground below their feet.

Coming soon is Global Forest Watch, a project dedicated to monitor our global forests in near real time

image copyright ana elisa fuentes

Up for air

Two seals come up for air while feasting on ocean grasses and sea weeds.

The Mysterious Ocean Foam - June 9th, 2013

The unpredictable and mysterious ocean foam comes ashore on Arroyo Burro Beach,  also known Hendry's Beach or  affectionately as  *The Pit* in the surfing community,  in Santa Barbara, California.

 Yes, it is as toxic as it looks.

                          Some of the causes of the foam are from what you might expect;

           crude oil discharge from tankers at sea, out dated storm drain run off, motor oil,  detergents.

                 Contact with the foam

                    can cause skin irritations and respiratory discomfort.

                       All rivers and storm drains lead to the sea.

                #worldoceansday image copyright anaelisafuentes

Posted on June 9th, 2013 

The bizarre world of humans and the cats that own them

View From My Train Window V

 Traveling with reading material goes hand in hand.

It is also a pleasure to read standing up

 Especially with this view

 Some of you were asking, what was I reading, here's the answer

The publication is called "Boiling Point. Can citizen activism save the world?"

Authored by Kumi Naidoo   

for Development Dialogue, 

a forum provided by the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation.

The publication is available to download here