Forget the Alamo; There's something else for Texans to remember—the imprisonment of Tilly the orca:

Today, PETA's billboard went up near SeaWorld San Antonio to remind Texans not to mess with marine mammals. Our plea to free Tilly and other captive wild animals comes on the heels of last week's congressional hearing about marine abusement parks, to which PETA submitted testimony urging a ban on the confinement of orcas and other wild animals at SeaWorld and other profiteering prison-parks.

So what can you do? Remind everyone to steer clear of marine animal exhibits. And if you're looking for an animal-friendly place to visit this summer, I hear the Alamo is an interesting place to go.

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

PETA's forecast for SeaWorld San Antonio—cloudy with a chance of freedom:

On Saturday, PETA's "Let Orcas Out of Prison" banner flew across the sky while dedicated PETA supporters on the ground spread the word that trainers and animals will continue to get hurt or die until SeaWorld frees the animals to sanctuaries.

Coastal sanctuaries are the only humane places for the wild animals who are currently used by SeaWorld and other parks and who suffer for years in confined, unnatural conditions. One psychologist has pointed out that Tilikum—the captive orca who killed a SeaWorld trainer—is so traumatized from the shock of his capture, the disruption of his natural development, and his more than 30 years of imprisonment in a concrete pool that if he were human, he would undoubtedly be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

SeaWorld's continued exploitation of these sensitive animals is nothing more than a callous way to turn a cheap buck. Please don't support it.

Written by Logan Scherer

trendsupdates / CC

Ah, the plot thickens. Smithfield—the same folks who sent a memo to employees a couple of weeks ago claiming that the swine flu outbreak isn't connected to pigs—has been sued by the family of Judy Trunnell, the first U.S. resident to die of the disease.

In that same "spin in haste, repent at leisure" memo, Smithfield claimed that "there is no evidence that any of the people affected had contact with pigs." But, as we reported last month, several news reports indicate that La Gloria—a Mexican village near the enormous Smithfield-owned Granjas Carroll factory pig farm—is home to the first confirmed case of swine flu and may have been ground zero for the outbreak. Apparently, the family of Judy Trunnell—who was a pregnant special education teacher in San Antonio, Texas—has seen those reports too.

To get an idea of just how foul and disgusting Smithfield's Granjas Carroll factory farm is, check out these photos, which were reportedly taken there.

Right now, we still don't know for sure where the swine flu outbreak originated or how it spread. Hopefully, this lawsuit will shed some light on that.

Written by Alisa Mullins