Written by PETA
As one of America's toughest trainers, The Biggest Loser's Bob Harper is hardcore. He's taken 100 pounds off a man in a mere seven weeks (remember Rudy?), breaks contestants down and builds them back up during Last Chance Workouts, and gives us the skinny with his Trainer Tips on NBC. Now he's focused on challenging the country to a 24-hour vegan cleanse.
Bob's latest tweet reads, "Your Challenge today is to go the next 24 hours, starting now eliminating ALL animal products. Good for your heart AND the environment!!"
Go vegan? But how? Well, in the famed words of Bob himself, "Just stop talking and do it!" Or, you know, a vegetarian/vegan starter kit works just as well.
Written by Christine Doré
One pie, two pie, red (cherry) pie, blue (berry) pie. Over at Twitter, we have a stockpile of (virtual) pies, and we've been having trouble deciding what to do with them (you can only eat so many virtual pies before you get a virtual stomachache). Then it hit us: We should share the tasty treats. But who is worthy of having a virtual pastry delivered to their Twitter account? Then, last week, Canada's minister of fisheries and oceans, Gail Shea, received a cream delight right to the kisser because of her support of the bloody seal slaughter, and the answer was clear—Stephen Harper!
With so many virtual baked goods on hand, we need your help launching them all. So if you have a Twitter account, click on your pie of choice to send a tart message sailing at Prime Minister Harper. Here are the flavors you can choose from:
Now, folks, we know that you can probably distinguish a real pie throw from a virtual one, but for those of you in the back: Please do not try this for real. Also, choose your flavor carefully—we only want each person to throw one pie. So what are you waiting for? Ready, aim, pie!
Written by Shawna Flavell
Vegan-Sisqó mash-up time: "Meat's wrong, wra-wrong, wrong, wrong!" If that doesn't make you want PETA's "Vegans Taste Better" thong, which is half of this week's "Win It" Wednesday, I don't know what will! The other half is for those who like a looser fit when it comes to their underclothing—a pair of ladies' zebra print boxer shorts that'll take your valentine's zebreath away.
Ready to sport this humane nightwear? Just take some lyrics from your favorite song (don't worry, you're not limited to Sisqó's lyrically rich canon), and come up with an animal-friendly alternative. We're giving a thong and a pair of boxers each to the two readers who come up with the catchiest verse—so start tapping your inner rhapsodist!
Enter by posting your revised rhymes in the comments section. The contest ends on February 10, 2010, and we'll pick the winners on February 12, 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
We're saddened to report that a dear friend to both animals and PETA, Cynthia Long, recently passed away after what appears to have been a terrible, tragic accident.
Cynthia and her lifelong friend were returning from a gardening class when they drove past a cat who was stuck on a median, too frightened to cross in front of traffic. Knowing that the cat desperately needed help, they exited the interstate and turned the car around. Cynthia emerged from the car but as she tried to cross the passing lane, she was struck by another motorist. She died at the scene and investigators believe that both the glare from the setting sun and a bend in the road impaired the other driver's ability to see Cynthia until it was too late.
State Trooper Kurt Wagenbach told the Brattleboro Reformer "She was trying to do something out of the goodness of her heart, and it had tragic consequences." Another officer noted that, although the police have received calls about the cat, the animal has not yet been found.
Our deepest condolences go out to Cynthia's family and friends, and for her unwavering determination to help animals, we're honoring her posthumously with PETA's Compassionate Citizen Award. We're also adding a leaf in her name to our "Tree of Life", believing that her commitment to animal protection will inspire other people to always take action to help them, too.
Written by Karin Bennett
I have a Twitter account so that I can follow the wisdom of elders, see what the guru of good taste has to say, and, of course, try to keep up with PETA.
I'm just one of 52,710 (and counting) who rely on PETA's tweets for news, events, and updates. That's no small feat, considering that PETA has its paws in anything and everything that's related to animal protection. Now, PETA followers, including some well-known tweeters, are nominating PETA to receive the "Shorty Award" for best nonprofit organization. Some examples:
PamelaDAnderson: I nominate @peta 4 a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because PETA has inspired (more than any organization) so many people to help animals
stephaniepratt (from MTV's The Hills): I nominate @peta 4 a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because they save countless animals http://ow.ly/Ufwx -vote for them!!! Xo
Joel Bartlett: I nominate @peta for a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because they will do whatever it takes.
Maria Burgos: I nominate @peta for a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because I love all the animals in the world,specially my lil bunny :)
Web Hosting: I nominate @peta for a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because...I am vegan and PETA is the best AR group in the world!
Sarah Wright: I nominate @peta for a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because eating meat just for pure enjoyment is inhumane & ridiculous
Izzy Rios: I nominate @peta for a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because....they show the world what they dont want to see.
Yasmina: I nominate @peta for a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because... they have to be #1. I love PETA
I'm going to nominate PETA for a Shorty Award as soon as I finish this post. If you don't already have a Twitter account, now might be the time to sign up. All it takes is 140 characters of your time.
Some of my best friends r bitches... Its ALWAYS fake fur. I don't do the real shiz. My rekords called ANIMAL!I dont do fur!duhh—Tweet from Ke$ha
I wake up every morning feeling like Ke$ha (clearly, the radio station my alarm is set to has flawless taste). And now that she's blasted recent reports that the fur coat she wore on Wendy Williams' talk show was real, via Twitter, she and fellow fur-shunner Gaga will always be my go-to ladies when it comes to synth-pop.
With this Billboard music chart-topper speaking up for animals who are skinned alive for the fur industry, I'd love to see Ke$ha bare it all in one of our anti-fur ads. A Ke$ha-Gaga double feature, anyone?
Just a month after PETA wrote to the cast and producers of The Zookeeper to warn them that the company supplying animals for the movie's production has a long list of USDA citations, we have heartbreaking news to report. Tweet, a giraffe on the set who had also been forced to perform in Ace Ventura and a slew of Toys "R" Us commercials, has died.
Tweet collapsed in his pen while being fed on Friday. While giraffes in the wild can live into their mid 20s, Tweet was only 18 years old.
The results of Tweet's necropsy haven't been released yet, but according to a whistleblower who contacted PETA, Tweet's premature death may have resulted from his eating pieces of the blue tarp that covered his enclosure. The whistleblower alleges that Tweet's owner and trainers were notified that the giraffe had been eating the tarp but that they did nothing about it.
The whistleblower also said that Tweet spent the last few months of his life confined to a 20-foot-by-20-foot stall, which was barely large enough for the 18-foot-tall giraffe to lie down in. In their natural habitat, giraffes live in vast home ranges of up to 400 square miles.
PETA is now calling on the USDA to investigate Tweet's death. We're also asking for other people associated with the production of the movie to come forward with additional information about the treatment of animals on the set.
Who's serving detention for animal abuse? Read on to see how you can fight back against bullies and speak up for the little guys on Twitter!
Bully #1: TexasTechThese bullies have been caught red-handed! Participants in a training course at Texas Tech shove hard plastic tubes down cats' windpipes and repeatedly stab them in the chest with needles before killing them!How to help: Post the following to your Twitter account: Hey, @TexasTech! Scratch your cruel training procedures on cats, and adopt non-animal alternatives! http://ow.ly/oEtw
Bully #2: Ross UniversityClass isn't the only thing they've been cutting at Ross University. Students have been forced to cut the nerves in donkeys' toes, sever their ligaments, surgically puncture their abdomens, and slice their tracheas.How to help: Post a message on Twitter by clicking here.
Bully #3: Marquette UniversityCollege is a time for experimentation—but not on animals. A Marquette University faculty member bashes turtles over the head with a hammer and saws into their shells for a classroom experiment!How to help: Tweet this: You've been nailed, @MarquetteU! Stop bashing turtles in the head with hammers, NOW!
Bully #4: Bucknell UniversityPupils should be using their brains at school, not a hamster's. Bucknell University faculty members drill holes into the skulls of hamsters in sexual-reproduction experiments!How to help: Spread the word on Twitter by posting the following: Did u know that @BucknellU faculty members drill holes into the skulls of live hamsters? Tell 'em 2 stop, & pass along! http://ow.ly/oEld
So how 'bout it, Twitterers? You gonna teach these schools a lesson? Complete all four assignments to earn an A+!
Written by Royale Ziegler
Check out this stellar tweet from My Name Is Earl star Ethan Suplee:
Way to spread the word, Ethan!
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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