Jennifer Moss, aka Earth Friend Jen, on her bike in her hemp thong and pasties. Click to enlarge

Let's say something about the way this world works really bothers you. Something like, oh, the way we treat our planet. You can complain about it and to be proactive you change your own habits, but that's just not enough because it's not drawing attention to the problem. But what do you do?

Well, if you're Jennifer Moss, aka Earth Friend Jen, you take off your clothes and start riding your bike around town.

Cars were whizzing past one of Ojai's busiest corners when Jennifer Moss decided to do a headstand, clad in only a G-string and flower-shaped pasties.

Why?

"Headstands are good for you!" she said, beaming, as she pulled a yellow smiley-face pillow out of her bicycle's small trailer. With athletic grace, Ojai's "Pastie Lady," a self-described social artist and environmental activist, quickly pulled her legs up to salute her adopted hometown.

There's a couple places near where I live where I can imagine somebody doing something like this, although we don't exactly have the weather for it year 'round like Southern California does. But even in Ojai, a self-professed liberal, artsy town, people can get a little uptight when it comes to anything resembling nudity.

Jen has unfortunately been arrested twice, in spite of the fact that her nipples are covered with pasties and she's wearing a thong (albeit with fake pubic hair poking through).

Here's a short video of what Jen thinks about her most recent arrest.

I've got admit, I like her spirit, and think she's found a great way to draw people's attention to a huge problem. And all those people that think she's a nutter? Perhaps if they could stop worrying about a little skin for a few minutes they might have time to think about the problems she's trying to point out.

Here's another video of Jen being arrested by L.A. police, but since it could be considered not safe for work, click here to view it.

the grand national drill team charges through the arena. needless to say, patriotism is a big part of the rodeo. jingoism seems to be at a minimum, however.

Even here in the United States, there are a myriad of cultures people need to learn about and understand in order to build a truly global community. The problem is, and I'm as guilty of this as anyone, we far too often fail to see the good things of cultures we're not a part of.

I chose this photograph because I'm basically a city type of person. I grew up in a middle-sized Midwestern town, but I've spent most of my adult life living in one city or another. But having known all sorts of people from all walks of life, I learned a long time ago that there are great people out their whose ideals may not be my own.

When I look at this photograph, I'm reminded of an old Chief I sometimes partied with while I was in the Coast Guard. He was a strange combination of cook and cowboy and story-teller swiftboat veteran of the Vietnam War, but most importantly he was (and is) a great friend. He taught me how to ride a horse in Kodiak, Alaska before retiring to Portland, Oregon, and as we rode he'd tell me stories of Vietnam, his wife, and a few lessons he'd had to learn the hard way.

This wouldn't normally be remarkable, except that I was a young man at the time who preferred the city and heavy metal, and he was an aging cowboy who'd seen and done it all, and also happened to be a black man.

Something I don't often talk about but firmly believe is that art plays a very important role in society, no matter what that society is. Art, of any form, is everywhere we look. Regardless of social class, ethnicity, geography, there is always a form of art or three that we as individuals can relate to.

Art can be a great tool for bridging social and political divides if we take the time to look at it, listen to it, and hear the message the artist is trying to express.

Personally, while I'm a fan of multiple forms of art, my favorite is probably photography. I've dabbled in it myself a little, but more importantly I have a great appreciation of anyone who can look through a tiny little hole in a camera and see something beautiful.

So as part of this site, I'm going to begin featuring various pieces of art that I find both beautiful and meaningful. Sometimes this will be political art, other times landscape photography, and once in a while maybe even erotic art. Whatever it is that I post, the point will be to draw attention to subjects that can help make our planet earth a better community.

Expect the first such post either later today or tomorrow.