Written by PETA
It's the time of year for giving thanks and sharing. And by "sharing," I mean "throwing" virtual pies at Butterball on Twitter.
Help us give this turkey-tormenting corporation a tasty surprise by tweeting some tart-tongued treats at them. Click on one (or all) of these scrumptious holiday flavors, and a tweet with a virtual pie in it will be posted:
Ready, aim...fire away! After you've completed this virtual pie-throwing task, your next mission is to bake the real deal for a dee-lish vegan Thanksgiving feast. That's a direct order from your taste buds.
Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth
"Times have changed"—as Cole Porter informed us—"Since the Puritans got a shock/When they landed on Plymouth Rock." So when PETA's sexy pilgrims landed to rock Phoenix and Tampa for a pre-Thanksgiving Tofurky giveaway, only the most puritanical onlookers blushed at their hemlines. Instead, the focus was on scoring one of those tasty Tofurky roasts (the Phoenix crowd snapped up 40 of them in 10 minutes!) as well as on all the reasons to set a vegan table this holiday season.
To give you a taste of the action as these pilgrims progress to Las Vegas, Fort Myers, and other cities, here are some pictures from Phoenix and video footage from Tampa. Let us know in the comments if you'd like to see more video from PETA's campaigners on the road.
Written by Jeff Mackey
We all know that Thanksgiving is murder on turkeys, but it turns out it can be murder on turkey-eaters too. With a little more than a week to go before the biggest turkey-dismembering day of the year, a Texas-based meat company is recalling 2,600 pounds of cooked turkey meat because of fears that it is contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. While listeria may not be as "sexy" as E.coli (bloody diarrhea, kidney failure!), it's still a nasty little bug that can cause fever, headaches, and nausea and can even be fatal to people with compromised immune systems, such as infants, elderly people, and AIDS and cancer patients.
Think you're safe if you buy a raw or frozen turkey? Sorry, turkey carcasses are often contaminated with salmonella (USDA inspection reports reveal that an average of one out of eight turkeys is infected), as well as campylobacter, which is the second-leading cause of reported food-related illnesses.
But wait, there's more! Turkey wings and legs contain even more fat and cholesterol than many cuts of beef. A turkey leg contains more than 700 milligrams of cholesterol and more than 1,600 calories—40 percent of which are derived from fat.
But all is not lost. A Thanksgiving feast without the dead bird is still a feast—just a less potentially lethal one. Need some turkey-friendly ideas? Take a gander at the tempting recipes in the Living section of PETA.org.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Summer hasn't even officially kicked off, but the folks at the Today show were talking Thanksgiving this morning—or, rather, discussing PETA's Thanksgiving Day public service announcement (PSA), which was just named one of the "Best Commercials of the Year" by the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP).
As AICP President and CEO Matt Miller noted, many networks refused to air PETA's PSA—in which an adorable young lady educates her family about the violence on turkey factory farms—but the Today show coverage ensured that millions of viewers saw and heard our "potent message" (Matt Lauer's words).
Curious and caring Today show viewers who are compelled to educate themselves about how turkeys are abused on factory farms and in slaughterhouses just might opt for Tofurky on Thanksgiving Day.
Written by Karin Bennett
Confession: I've rewatched the final performance of "True Colors" from last week's Glee episode on my DVR like it's my job. And lucky for me, it is. My Gleekdom isn't entirely work-related, but with so many compassionate actors on the show, I need to tune in. First, Lea Michele spoke up for horses by posing for an ad against horse-drawn carriages, and now comes this tasty tidbit from Jenna Ushkowitz about her Thanksgiving:
We make homemade stuffing—my mom is making Tofurky because I am a vegetarian and we just eat a lot! … I am trying to have a smaller carbon footprint.
Ushkowitz joins tons of other celebrities who enjoy cruelty-free meals and save lives every day of the year.
Written by Logan Scherer
When President Obama received this year's lucky turkey to be pardoned, he had some brow-raising reservations: "I'm told Presidents Eisenhower and Johnson actually ate their turkeys. You can't fault them for that; that's a good-looking bird," he said.
Malia and Sasha's response? No. He. Couldn't.
"Thanks to the interventions of Malia and Sasha—because I was planning to eat this sucker—'Courage' will also be spared this terrible and delicious fate," he said.
To show Malia and Sasha that we're thankful for their lifesaving involvement this Thanksgiving, we're giving the girls an honorary membership to PETA Kids!
Thanksgiving is all about the leftovers, but what about the things that come before the meal? This holiday is nothing without pre-shindig anticipation, so here are some tasty tidbits to hold you over before tomorrow's cruelty-free feast:
Happy Thanksgiving!
Our sexy pilgrims put the free in cruelty-free in Atlanta yesterday, giving out complimentary Tofurkys to lucky passersby. The sizzling settlers charmed the lunchtime crowd and even convinced a restaurant owner to give a Tofurky to his chef.
The visit to Atlanta marked the end of our six-city Sexy-Pilgrim Tofurky-Giveaway Tour, but the tasty generosity never has to end. Save lives and the environment by making your Thanksgiving a vegan one—check out our scrumptious Thanksgiving guide.
Every year, a couple of days before Thanksgiving, our nation's president "pardons" two of the 46 million turkeys who are set to be slaughtered for holiday meals. And every year, we write to the president asking him to ensure that the turkeys receive the care necessary to give them the lengthy, happy lives that they deserve.
This year, we're asking President Obama to send the birds to a reputable animal sanctuary instead of to Disneyland, where the pardoned birds are traditionally sent—and where they usually die from agonizing genetic defects within a year of finding "freedom." Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary has already agreed to take the turkeys if Obama makes the informed, humane decision to send them there.
We're also urging Obama to recognize the millions of compassionate Americans who personally pardon turkeys every Thanksgiving by choosing a cruelty-free feast for the first family this year. We're even offering them a sure-to-be-succulent vegan holiday meal—all-American vegan apple pie and soy ice cream included.
Saving lives, being healthy, and fighting climate change—you can never have too many things to be thankful for, which is why a vegan Thanksgiving is the best way to celebrate the holiday. Now, pardon me while I plan a menu.
Want to get active for animals, but not exactly the bikini in an ice storm type? You could take a cue from two fabulous Florida citizens and organize a "holiday compassion" display.
The display includes an awww-inspiring photo of a mother turkey and her chicks along with interesting facts about these intelligent, affectionate animals. It features eye-catching boards about why meat is bad for animals, bad for your health, and bad for the environment. And what holiday display would be complete without tasty tips for cruelty-free holiday meals?
The best part? It's easy for you to replicate. For materials to set up your own cruelty-free information center, contact PETA's activist liaisons.
Written by Heather Drennan
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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