Seeing is believing for a team of researchers from the University of Nevada–Reno who are developing an app to help blind people navigate independently. Giving the visually impaired more mobility without bringing more dogs into the world to serve as guide dogs certainly qualifies as progress in our book, so PETA has given the team a Proggy Award.

© Eduard Kyslynskyy/Shutterstock.com

The app functions much like a GPS system, gauging the user's pace, warning of obstacles, and giving spoken directions. And unlike its canine counterpart, the app doesn't contribute to the animal overpopulation crisis. Guide-dog breeders take homes away from dogs in animal shelters, as dogs who have become too old to work, along with those who don't make the cut to begin with, must be put up for adoption. The app also doesn't mind being required to work day after day or being forbidden from socializing while working.

We call that a doggone good invention. 

We all know how easy it is for vegans to dine out, with options popping up everywhere from five-star resorts to Chipotle. But people who are just coming around to the vegan way of eating or are thinking about making the switch could probably use some helpful hints about which restaurant dishes are vegan or could easily be made so.

Enter foursquare, an app for iPhone, Android, and more that allows users to "check in" when they are at restaurants or other public places and leave helpful comments.

How can you use foursquare to help animals? Simply share vegan tips with prospective patrons—comments such as "The vegan chicken fajitas rock" or "The faux-sausage and vegan-cheese pizza is awesome."

Share Your Tips!

Got a good  recommendation? Then share it!

It's easy. Just check in on the restaurant's foursquare page:

Leave your tips:

And other users can see your tip when they check in:

It's handy for seasoned vegans, too, when we're traveling or just trying out a new restaurant. And if you check in at your favorite place often enough, you can become the "mayor" of the venue on foursquare. Some restaurants give discounts and freebies to their mayors. Who doesn't love free food?

Let Us Know!

Did you share a foursquare tip? Let us know by sharing your link in the comments below.

Knowing that we adore animal-friendly cartoons and that we're often quick to embrace the bizarre, you can be sure that we're dancing in the hallways here at PETA HQ over news that artist Dan Piraro, the compassionate genius behind "Bizarro," won the highly coveted Cartoonist of the Year award at the Reuben Awards this weekend.

Bizarro has taken on a slew of animal rights topics, including cruel cat labs, horse-drawn carriages, the caging of birds,and betrayals of "man's best friend." And imagine how thrilled we were to receive this shout-out!

Seriously, you could spend an afternoon looking and laughing at Dan Piraro's many pro-animal "cartoomentaries" (that's cartoon + commentary = cartoomentaries)—or you could get your daily dose delivered right to your iPhone. I'd say doing both would be time well spent, but before you do either, use the comments section below to tell us which Bizarro cartoon is your all-time fave.

Written by Karin Bennett

When I was a little girl, I dreamed about growing up to be a rock star. Or maybe a veterinarian. Or a roller derby queen.

I didn't dream about anally electrocuting animals on fur farms, but apparently Brooke Shields did. The aging actor recently paid a visit (or should that be "was paid for a visit"?) to Kopenhagen Fur's workshop to create her very own mink coat, and she said it was "a little girl's dream."

We understand that when some actors' careers begin to fade, they'll do just about anything to stay in the limelight, including appearing in eyelash-growth commercials and starring in short-lived TV shows. But Brooke, did you really want the world to remember you as a "fur pimp" who stares agog at rows of animal skins?

Brooke says that she will wear her fur coat "when I follow my children to school, when I drink coffee, and when I sleep." Hmm, I think if you need fur to keep you warm at night, you've got problems.

What do you think?

Written by Paula Moore