Written by PETA
It's so hot in the city, you'd think I'd be making another batch of lemonade—but I've got a hankering for some Internet Soup. It's been a while since the last batch, so dig in!
Oof! I don't know about you, but I'm full after all that soup—and guac. This Special K needs a siesta. Until next time …
Written by Karin Bennett
No one—and I mean no one—rocks like Chrissie Hynde. Whether she's fronting the Pretenders or backing a PETA campaign, the vegan Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is never in the "Middle of the Road." In fact, she's always willing to go the extra mile (or "2000 Miles") to help animals.
Case in point? After helping us re-launch our McCruelty campaign last year—urging McDonald's to require its U.S. suppliers to upgrade to less cruel slaughter standards—Chrissie took time off from promoting her upcoming album in New York this week to kick off our new "i'm hatin' it" national ad blitz with an appearance in Philadelphia. And to make sure that people got the message, she not only unveiled her attention-grabbing billboard, she also passed out some of our thought-provoking Unhappy Meals to the fine folks of Philly!
Check out these pictures:
Written by Jeff Mackey
The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde isn't just the lead singer of a rock band and a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer—she's an animal rights leader too. With that in mind, we're giving you a chance to win a copy of the band's highly anticipated new CD/DVD box set, Live in London. It includes all the major singles, from "I'll Stand by You" to "Brass in Pocket," and it hits store shelves tomorrow.
To enter, tell us what you've done to lead friends, family members, community members, or anyone else to help animals. Rise above the "Middle of the Road" and tell us about something that no one else has ever done. We'll give a copy of Live in London to the 15 readers who share the stories that inspire us the most.
The contest ends on February 15, 2010, and we'll announce the winners on February 17, 2010. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!
Written by Logan Scherer
When rock deity Chrissie Hynde says "I'll Stand By You," she really means it.
When we told Hynde that we were resurrecting our McCruelty campaign, she pulled out all the stops, starting by unveiling her new "i'm hatin' it" ad in Salt Lake City, where throngs of people were thrilled to see the powerful image. But the folks at Cleveland Outdoor Advertising weren't so thrilled when we submitted the Ohio native's ad to them as a billboard. According to PETA's advertising agent, Cleveland Outdoor Advertising "didn't feel comfortable" with the ad.
Well, often the truth isn't comfortable, and in this case it's painful—scalding, actually. The chickens who are killed by McDonald's suppliers are dumped onto conveyer belts, shackled upside down, and then run through an electrically charged "stun bath" before their throats are cut and they are immersed in defeathering tanks full of scalding-hot water—often while they are still conscious and able to feel pain. Join Chrissie Hynde in urging McDonald's to make it suppliers adopt controlled-atmosphere killing, a less cruel method of slaughter. It would cost the corporation nothing to ask its suppliers to make the switch, which would spare millions of chickens from enduring extreme suffering.
Victory Update: Following a national PETA campaign against Brookstone's sale of Frog-O-Spheres —tiny plastic boxes containing two African dwarf frogs—the retailer has discontinued the sale of these little frog prisons in its stores. Learn more about this victory for frogs.
Pretenders frontwoman and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chrissie Hynde never has a frog in her throat when it comes to speaking up for animals. So when she heard about Brookstone's sale of cruel Frog-O-Spheres, she immediately fired off a letter to Brookstone CEO Philip Roizin.
In her letter, Hynde writes, "Foot massagers and grill equipment can live quite happily in boxes; animals cannot. Brookstone should rely on sales of innovative and cruelty-free gadgets instead of profiting from animal suffering."
I hear you loud and clear, Chrissie—and hopefully Brookstone will too.
Do you want your voice heard? While we can't help you become a famous rock and roll star, we can help you raise your voice for animals! Use our form to send an e-mail to Brookstone urging the company to pull Frog-O-Spheres off of its shelves immediately.
Written by Liz Graffeo
P.S. On second thought, maybe we can help you with the rock star part.
The Pretenders' world tour landed in Salt Lake City on Sunday—and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chrissie Hynde was happy to use the occasion to launch her PETA campaign urging McDonald's to require its suppliers to upgrade to less cruel slaughter methods. In addition to using her stage as a platform to advocate a McDonald's boycott and tossing campaign T-shirts to her audience, Chrissie unveiled her brand-new "i'm hatin' it" ad at a Salt Lake City McDonald's today. Check out some of the action below, and then head to KSL-TV to see how it played on the news:
That spectacular artwork you see there is soon to be on billboards across the country—starting with Chrissie's hometown of Akron, Ohio. Lucky Akron! First it gets its own vegan restaurant, now this awesome billboard …
Written by Amanda Schinke
I'm fascinated by some celebrities' bizarre backstage demands—the Backstreet Boys' list of "must-haves" includes black nail polish while John Mayer's concert rider includes a demand for four soft-headed toothbrushes.
The most recent celebrity requests to pop up during my Internet perusing left me giddy instead of scratching my head. Sir Paul McCartney, Chrissie Hynde, and Morrissey are making animal-friendly "front of stage" demands during their summer tours. Sir Paul has ensured that meat-free options are available for fans at his shows, two of the Pretenders' recent shows offered only vegetarian fare for concertgoers, and Morrissey requires people working his shows to abstain from meat.
I can think of a handful of celebrities who could learn a lot from these three about using their clout to help animals rather than hurt them.
You know what I like best about the summer—besides grilling veggie dogs until they turn black?
Summer concerts!
I'm especially excited this year because The Pretenders are going on tour and PETA has first dibs on their upcoming tour dates.
To find out where you'll have a chance to see PETA pal Chrissie Hynde live and in-person this summer, keep reading—but first:
Here's that sneak peek at a few of The Pretenders' summer dates. Enjoy! And, hey, maybe I'll see you in Central Park this August.
8/10, New York, New York8/14, Washington, D.C.8/18, Chicago, Illinois8/22, Denver, Colorado8/26, Vancouver, British Columbia9/3, Los Angeles, California
Eight years ago, we suspended our McCruelty campaign against McDonald's (by placing an indefinite moratorium on the campaign) after the company agreed to adopt some basic animal welfare measures. Since that time, we've worked behind the scenes with McDonald's to improve conditions for its animals … and we're hatin' what we're seein'.
What's got our (veggie) burgers broiling? Well, after having the better part of a decade to continue to improve conditions for animals, McDonald's has virtually nothing to show for it—especially when it comes to chickens.
In particular, we've been urging McDonald's for many years to require its U.S. chicken suppliers to switch to a less cruel slaughter method called "controlled-atmosphere killing" (CAK). McDonald's even produced a report way back in 2005 agreeing with us that CAK offers significant animal welfare benefits over the current slaughter method (which results in broken bones and causes birds to have their throats cut while they are still conscious), but the company has yet to make any of its U.S. suppliers switch to this better method.
So, the McCruelty campaign is back. That's right, we're throwin' down with the clown. And to help us kick things off right, rock goddess Chrissie Hynde joined us for a protest outside "The Rock 'N' Roll McDonald's" (you can't get more rock 'n' roll than Chrissie) in downtown Chicago, where we unveiled our new "I'm Hatin' It" McCruelty logo, complete with a hijacked version of McDonald's slogan. We also took the opportunity to do a little consciousness-raising by showing our new video, which reveals how chickens suffer at slaughterhouses that use the same slaughter methods as those used by McDonald's U.S. suppliers. Check out the photos below:
Look out, Mickey D's, it's on.
Our Valentine's Day gift to you. Enjoy!
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
Follow PETA on Twitter!