At the risk of incensing the GEICO caveman, we rounded up some "Neanderthals" to protest outside bunny butcher Giorgio Armani's Chicago boutique earlier this week. As you'll note in the photos below, they carried signs reading "Only Cavepeople Wear Fur," but I think even cavepeople would balk at supporting the disgusting rabbit fur industry, as Armani does. We've revved up our campaign against the cold-hearted designer after he broke his pledge to remain fur-free and started using rabbit fur trim on skirts, jackets, and even toddlers' snowsuits, of all things.

Our cavepeople got a warm reception in chilly Chicago. The staff of the Park Hyatt Hotel, which shares the same building as Armani's boutique, assured us that the hotel is fur-free.

If you're fed up with Armani's support of an industry that rips the skin off the backs of rabbits, use this form to tell Armani to drop fur now!

Written by Jennifer Cierlitsky

NBC may have stopped us from delivering an educational sex talk to Super Bowl viewers, but they can't stop us from taking the veggie love on the road with a Katy Perry–inspired "bed-in." Our lingerie-clad beauties hit the streets to show the public that vegetarians make better lovers, and these ladies do kiss and tell.

Eating meat has been linked to all kinds of health problems. Let's just say that if you still eat meat, Cupid's arrow might not fly quite so straight this Valentine's Day.

Want to impress your special someone? You could start off with a weekend getaway followed by a box of delicious (aphrodisiac) chocolates, and then move on to a sexy vegetarian V-Day meal. (Don't forget to comment and thank me later.)

Here are some other pictures from our recent "Fur Out, Love In" demos in Santa Fe:

Written by Lianne Turner

claytonguiltner / CC

I travel a lot for work, and between going to meetings, catching flights, and trying to get to hotels at a reasonable hour, I'm always on the lookout for a quick bite to eat. Quiznos has saved me many a time with its delicious toasted veggie sandwiches—but I've been troubled by its animal welfare record.

Well, Quiznos has just taken its first major step. We've been working quietly with the company for about a year, talking about the importance of animal welfare reforms to improve the lives and deaths of the animals killed for its products. Now, Quiznos has officially moved forward. It will do the following:

• Begin phasing in the purchase of eggs from suppliers that don't cage their hens, starting with 5 percent by next year
• Begin phasing in the purchase of pig meat from suppliers that don't confine pregnant sows to barren, metal "gestation crates" (causing extreme physical and psychological trauma), starting with 15 percent by 2012
• Begin phasing in the purchase of turkeys killed using a less cruel slaughter method called "controlled atmosphere killing" (CAK), starting with 5 percent by the end of 2009
• Give purchasing preference to suppliers using these less cruel production methods, including chicken suppliers that switch to CAK

Quiznos has also removed the eggs entirely from three of its four cookies. (Unfortunately, they still aren't vegan, but this will still prevent thousands of hours of suffering for laying hens).

These reforms mark the first steps forward for Quiznos, and we wish those companies resisting change would at least make similar moves (come on Subway, what are you waiting for?). That said, not eating animals (or their eggs or milk) is still the best way to help them. So while it is terrific that pigs, chickens, and turkeys will now suffer less for some of Quiznos' products, I'll stick with those veggie subs.

Written by Matt Prescott

Want to incite a media circus that almost—but not quite—descends into fisticuffs? Just put on a white sheet outside the AKC's biggest dog show and let the dog biscuits fall where they may. Check out these photos from the protest at Madison Square Garden:

No, there wasn't a biker convention going on. Apparently, some New Yorkers just love their black jackets made from cows. The focus of the media cameras (just outside the frame) is PETA spokesperson Michael McGraw, who was interviewed by tons of reporters.

Some folks looked like they expected Howie Mandel to jump out at them any moment. Others started talking about the whole thing on their cell phones.

The dour-looking woman to the right is a dog-breeder type attempting to stage a counter-protest—proving our point about the wealth of "Glamour Don'ts" to be found at Westminster.

Our star leaflet distributor was young Rose, who has no idea what the KKK is, but loves dogs of all sizes, shapes, and colors.

Written by Alisa Mullins

For years, scientists have been pushing fertility drugs to help increase the chances of conceiving, but can boosting one's "baby chances" be as simple as eating more greens? Well, blow me down, it might be! Results from a major Harvard University study suggest that going vegetarian may increase fertility.

To help spread this baby-mama buzz, we've created our own labor of love: a billboard touting vegetables as an essential dietary component to rev up the body's procreation potential. Those strategically placed veggies speak for themselves.

We hope to run the billboard in New Hampshire, which has one of the lowest birth rates in the nation.

Written by Jennifer Cierlitsky

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You had to see this coming. No sooner did A-Rod fess up to taking performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 than we began thinking that the Yankees third baseman should prove that he is committed to being drug-free by—you guessed it—going vegetarian.

"A-Roid" may have voluntarily doped up to enhance his performance, but cows, pigs, turkeys, and chickens are pumped full of growth-promoting drugs in an effort to make them grow fatter faster and to ward off the diseases that are rampant in the cramped, filthy conditions on today's factory farms. Humans, in turn, ingest the drugs when they eat the animals' flesh—no injections required. Therefore, if A-Rod wants to be truly drug-free, then he'll certainly want to listen to our advice.

Written by Alisa Mullins

yahoo / CC

I had occasion to ride my bike into downtown Houston one evening last week. While it was great to see a lot of nightlife happening in this once-dead part of our fair city, there was one sight that wasn't so welcome: carriages drawn by sad, exhausted horses.

Frequent PETA Files visitors know about our work to help horses in New York City, but the problem isn't limited to the Big Apple. Case in point: According to news reports, Chicago authorities recently impounded six horses from carriage ride operator JC Cutters. The animal control manager reportedly said that the animals' body weights and the condition of the outdoor tent in which the horses were living were factors in the decision.

Did you get that? The horses were reportedly living in a tent, which the Chicago Tribune described as a "tarp-covered plywood barn near the Chicago River." In the Windy City. In winter. Nice, huh? Maybe Liam Neeson should set up some new digs there.

Now, it's great that Chicago has addressed this immediate problem, but these situations will keep happening as long as we keep putting the horse before the cart, so to speak—and not just in New York and Chicago but everywhere this sad excuse for "entertainment" occurs.

Meanwhile, with Valentine's day coming up, it's worth remembering that horse-drawn carriage rides are anything but romantic (or, as Will said of them on Will & Grace, "It seems romantic at first, but eventually you realize you're cold and you're staring at an ass that craps right in front of you").

Fortunately, New York City Council Member Daniel Garodnick of Manhattan has taken up our suggestion to replace horse-drawn carriages there with environmentally-friendly electric replicas of the classic Ford Model T and is running with it. The current carriage drivers might even be able to make the transition to driving the new cars—you gotta love a win-win situation like that.

Written by Jeff Mackey

Last week, in honor of our favorite Olympic stoner, we decided to run a billboard that declared, "Say No to Pot Roast." When the billboard made a huge splash in headlines, we started getting requests for a T-shirt sporting the slogan. Take a deep breath and get ready for this one:

Buy your own "Say No to Pot (Roast)" T-shirt here.

Are you listening, Mr. Phelps? Maybe your enormous lung capacity could be put to better use letting the world know about the benefits of going vegetarian.

Written by Lianne Turner

Back in December, we announced the winners of our annual "Proggy" awards, which recognize animal-friendly people, companies, and products. One of those companies is CeeTox, a Michigan firm that develops humane alternatives to cruel and archaic animal tests. Well, the good folks at the Kalamazoo Gazette just did a nice story about CeeTox and the award. Check it out here.

What CeeTox does is so great because many chemical-testing methods still involve pumping substances into animals' stomachs and lungs and dripping chemicals into animals' eyes or onto their raw, shaved skin. CeeTox, by contrast, uses in-vitro (test tube) toxicity screening to test drugs, chemicals, cosmetics, and consumer products. This enables research and development organizations to assess the toxicity of chemicals using pioneering and humane cell-based technology.

Besides being kind to animals, these modern, non-animal tests are cheaper, faster, and more accurate. What's not to like? Well, unfortunately, the wheels of progress grind slowly at the EPA, which lags far behind European authorities in validating modern test methods. But thanks to the work of CeeTox and other companies like it, it's becoming obvious that animal testing is long overdue for the old heave-ho.

Written by Alisa Mullins

Is your sweetie sweet on animals? Don't say that we at the PETA Files never gave you anything. Check out these Cupid-approved, cruelty-free gifts from PETA's catalog:

1. Scrum-diddly-umptious Vegan Chocolates
   Ensure that it will be a very happy Valentine's Day with a big box full of edible aphrodisiacs.
2. Shiny-Sparkly for Your Honey Bunny
   Nothing says "I love you" like bunny bling. PETA's silver-plated necklace features two rabbits touching noses and toes-es to form a heart. Awww …
3. Died and Gone to Vegan Heaven
   Your snookums is lovely at any time, but that sweetie of yours will look even better with vegan caramel dribbling down his or her chin.
4. A Little Somethin' for Your Real True Love
   PETA's Dog Bone Cookie Cutter Set comes with tail-wagging recipes and seven drool-inducing designs. And remember, treats are sweet, but nothing says "Be My Furry Valentine" like cuddling up on the couch.
5. Vegan Fire and Spice
   If you want to hook up with a hot dish this Valentine's Day, catch this smokin' cookbook by Robin Robertson. Her ready-for-romance recipes are sure to turn up the heat. After all, everybody knows that vegetarians make better lovers.

But wait—there's more! If you order $40 or more worth of goodies before Monday at PETACatalog.org, enter the promotion code VALFB, and you'll get $5 off. Consider it a Valentine's Day present to yourself.

Written by Amy Elizabeth