Written by Michelle Kretzer
If there's anything that can cause a traffic jam even by New York City standards, it's a naked Wendy Williams in Times Square. As a crowd of cheering fans and snapping flashbulbs drowned out the honking taxis, a fully clothed Wendy unveiled her much-anticipated nude anti-fur ad for PETA:
© StarMaxInc.com
The talk show host used to wear real fur made from foxes and minks but stopped after she learned from PETA how animals raised for their fur are electrocuted, bludgeoned, or skinned alive. Now, she knows that it's much better to bare skin than to wear skin. "I'd rather go naked than wear fur—it's very sexy," she purred during her photo shoot with top celeb photographer Aaron Cobbett.
Wendy hopes her actions will inspire other fur-wearers to shed their skin as well. And she already has the perfect idea for what they can do with those tacky, cruel coats: Donate them to PETA, and we will distribute them to people who are homeless because of Hurricane Sandy.
Helping people and animals—seems like the perfect reason for witty Wendy to get a little cheeky.
Written by PETA
The list of accidents involving horse-drawn carriages just got longer. On Monday night, a taxi knocked over a carriage, resulting in injuries to the carriage driver and passengers. Witnesses said the horse was lying in the street beneath the carriage. The extent of his injuries are unknown.
Horses used for carriage rides are forced to work long hours in the heat of summer and the sleet of winter. The noisy and crowded streets are no place for these sensitive, easily spooked animals, and as this latest incident shows, collisions between carriages and hardier vehicles occur somewhat regularly. In New York, at the end of their "shifts," the horses are tied into tiny stalls, barely bigger than their own bodies, unable even to get the weight off their legs and lie down. Check out Glee star Lea Michele's video about horses used for carriage rides:
There are compassionate and tourist-friendly options to make sure that this type of accident—and worse—doesn't keep happening: Pamela Anderson recently promoted the cruelty-free charm of eco-friendly classic cars, which would provide jobs for drivers while giving horses a much-deserved retirement.
Please take a moment to sign PETA's petition asking New York City to ban horse-drawn carriages. If you know people who are planning a trip to New York this summer, urge them to avoid cruel horse-drawn carriages.
Written by Heather Faraid Drennan
It wasn't your average Chicken Dance: A pink stretch Mini Cooper delivered a troupe of little people dressed as dancing chickens to a PETA protest outside a McDonald's in New York's Times Square yesterday afternoon. "I Am Not a Nugget!" declared each of the little "chickens" with signs and dance.
The "chickens" paraded in front of the restaurant and stormed the door when the manager opened it to scream at them to move. They all tried to get inside, causing a commotion and preventing anyone from getting in or out for several minutes. When someone put a box of McNuggets in the hands of one of the performers, he held up a nugget for the cameras and yelled, "They break our wings! They break our legs!" and then threw it on the ground.
Flocks of tourists watched the chickens perform their choreographed musical protest against McDonald's suppliers' outdated and outrageous slaughter methods, which cause millions of conscious birds to suffer broken bones and many to die in tanks of scalding-hot water.
McDonald's European suppliers already use a slaughter method that renders chickens unconscious while they're still in the transport cages—and two slaughterhouses in the U.S. have begun to implement the new system, controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK). But McCruelty still refuses to require its U.S. suppliers to upgrade to CAK. Until it does, PETA's protests, both big and small, will continue. Please join us in speaking up for chickens.
A big thank you to Centerfold Strips, which approached PETA to volunteer its professional dancers for this protest!
Written by Karin Bennett
There's a lot to love about New York City, and PETA has teamed up with generous sponsors, including quintessential vegan tastemakers MooShoes and Candle 79, to send two lucky animal defenders to the Big Apple, just in time for Fur-Free Friday.
If you're a U.S. resident who's 18 years or older and able to travel from November 24 to 27, 2010—and you "Like" PETA (and fill out the promo page)—you might win two round-trip airline tickets to New York City, three nights at Hotel Mela in Times Square, cruelty-free kicks from MooShoes, and a mouthwatering meal at Candle 79.
What are you waiting for? Read the fine print, enter to win, and then start packing—that is, unless you plan on going "Frankel-style." You know that PETA's all for that—getting an important message out and freeing up room in your suitcases so that you'll be ready to partake in another vital NYC activity.
Good luck!
We've always said that meat is murder, but our demonstration in New York City this week literally turned that message into flesh and blood. Well, OK, the blood was fake, but the point was genuine: All meat comes from somebody. And when you show human bodies in those neatly plastic-wrapped supermarket packages, the point hits home and it begins to look like a grisly scene from Dexter.
The thought of chewing and swallowing the skin and muscle of a murder victim surely ruined some viewers' appetites for flesh food. It's the appropriate response to witnessing a gruesome display of the corpses of those who have been tormented and killed—you know, like in the butcher department of your supermarket. Let's face it, every piece of meat comes from an individual who suffered miserably and died violently. In other words, meat is … yup … murder.
Tired of being an accessory to a violent crime? Get your copy of our vegan/vegetarian starter kit here.
Written by Jeff Mackey
Award-winning chef Amanda Cohen can add another notch to her (cruelty-free) lipstick case: Her not-so-sinfully delicious Mushroom Mousse has won the top prize of $10,000 in PETA's Fine Faux Foie Gras Challenge. Cohen, who is a veteran of New York City vegan hot spots TeaNY, Angelica Kitchen, Pure Food and Wine, and Blossom Café, wowed the judges with her deceptively simple combination of puréed vegan margarine, onions, soy milk, portobello mushrooms, and truffle oil. "I really wanted to make something decadent," says Amanda. "I thought it would be fun to recreate that [foie gras] in a vegan version that didn't lose any flavor and could stand on its own."
Yes, I think you could say that it stands on its own. And so do the second- and third-place vegan delicacies created by Eric Lechasseur from Seed in Venice, California, and Vincent Moellman from 50 Forks at the Art Institute of California in Santa Ana. I only wish I could say the same for the ducks and geese who are force-fed to make real (bad) foie gras, many of whom become so sick and debilitated that they can't even walk or stand.
If you can't get to Amanda's New York restaurant, Dirt Candy, to taste-test her mind-blowing Mushroom Mousse for yourself, you can find the recipe at PETA Living.
New Yorkers, if you've already tried Amanda's prize-winning concoction, please feel free to post your reviews below.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Searching for the Fountain of Youth? It won't be found in rhino horn, but it may be in your refrigerator—or at your local supermarket. Scientists believe that they have developed a way to estimate the likelihood that someone will live past the age of 100, and they found that many people with a vegetarian diet (along with other healthy lifestyle factors, such as not smoking) had an increased life expectancy.
Many plant-based foods have anti-aging properties, and a vegan diet can help manage and in some cases even prevent heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other deadly diseases. Studies have shown that, on average, vegetarians and vegans live six to 10 years longer than meat-eaters.
And they don't usually while away those years in a rocking chair, either. Take vegetarian and PETA India supporter Fauja Singh, for instance. In 2005, Fauja, who is now 99, led a senior relay team in the Edinburgh Marathon in Scotland. He holds a world record in his age bracket. Go, Fauja!
If you want your loved ones to be alive and kicking well into their "golden years," why not encourage them to go vegan?
Written by Heather Moore
People have been enjoying soy and reaping its health benefits for thousands of years, but there are still some myths circulating about soy and soy products. Last week, the Guardian printed an eye-opening article that uncovers the shady origins of anti-soy propaganda—most of which can be traced to a group that sings the praises of eating artery-clogging animal fat and tries to scare people away from soy by citing the results of scientifically flawed animal experiments. The article explains the myriad health benefits of soy foods, including protection against diabetes and breast cancer and improved bone health and brain function.
Of course, soy foods are just one option in a nutritious, animal-friendly diet, and it's easy to be a healthy vegan without touching tofu or sipping soy milk. Other excellent protein sources include lentils, nuts, beans, peanuts, seeds, chickpeas, green veggies, and whole grains.
But for anyone who's ever wondered, "Tofu or not tofu," here's the real deal: Soy is safe, smart, and infinitely kinder than dining on decomposing animal flesh or drinking bovine mammary secretions. So discover the joy of soy and wear that "Powered by Tofu" shirt with pride!
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
Before the drunken partiers filled Pamplona's streets today to kick off the annual Running of the Bulls tormenting of bulls, scores of animal defenders from PETA U.K. and the Spanish animal rights group AnimaNaturalis creatively banded together to put the bulls' perspective in the picture.
During this annual celebration of torture, bulls are jabbed with prods and sharp sticks to whip them into a frenzy. Then the panicking animals are stampeded through crowds of people, slipping and stumbling on the wine-soaked cobblestone streets. The exhausted bulls are later prodded into the bullring, where they are stabbed to death.
The majority of the Spanish population no longer supports this cruelty. In 2004, the Barcelona City Council declared Barcelona an anti-bullfighting city, and 40 other Spanish towns have followed suit. State-run Spanish television has also stopped televising the violence.
Let's call the Running of the Bulls what it really is—sickening cruelty to animals—and call on Pamplona's mayor to ban it.
The newest rapper in da veggie club?
According to Vegetarian Star, Grammy winner and rap superstar 50 Cent is working to encourage healthy eating among children, and he just threw a picnic party in Queens for kids who chowed down on veggie burgers and whole-wheat pasta.
Given how many young people are already battling weight issues and poor health, serving veggie burgers rather than cholesterol-filled cow patties is a great way to get kids on the path to healthier lifestyles.
Eliminating cholesterol-laden animal products by going vegan is one of the easiest ways for people of all ages to reduce their risk of a number of health complications, from heart disease to diabetes. Is it possible that 50 Cent has joined the hip-hop ranks of Wu Tang Clan's Masta Killa and gone vegetarian? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
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.
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