I'm excited to let everyone know that following negotiations with PETA Europe representatives, UK-based luxury department store Harvey Nichols has ended foie gras sales at all of its stores. For you non-British readers out there, Harvey Nichols is a super posh chain of stores, kind of like Barney’s or Bergdorf Goodman in the US, so this is a very big deal.

This happened a few weeks ago, but I never gave PETA Europe props for it. Better late than never I guess. Anyway, PETA Europe isn’t resting on its laurels after this victory. They’re already targeting another big UK chain, Selfridge’s, and you can help by clicking here.

I think I've talked before about how amazing PETA Germany is at coming up with stuff that's totally out of left field. They're literalists, when it comes to demonstrations, and the results are often indescribably compelling. Faced with the problem of how to convey to people just how gruesome the force-feeding of ducks for foie gras is, the Germans simply brushed aside all objections and created the world's first-ever Force-Feeding Demo. Great work, PETA G. You guys rule.

I just love Bea Arthur. She has been speaking up for animals for years, most recently narrating this moving KFC video and helping with our Petsmart campaign. Now she is turning up the heat on Beverly Hills restaurant Matsuhisa—where she has been a loyal customer since it opened in 1987—for serving cruel foie gras. Check out her letter below.

… apart from the fact that most of them are reprehensible hedonists who care more about living the high life than living a good life—though they probably knew that already. Turns out that foie gras is a carrier for a rare but exceptionally nasty little disease called amyloidosis, which is akin to Mad Cow disease—another little gift from the meat industry to its buying public. You can read more about the discovery here, though as far as I'm concerned, the only reasons that anyone could possibly need to boycott this particular “delicacy” are right here:

In other foie gras news, my good friend Noah, who works for a group called Central Texas Animal Defense, has been very busy this month helping restaurants in his hometown of Austin get the foie gras off their menus for good. You can read about his efforts here.

Check out this amazing song and video made by Bryan Harrell in support of the Chicago foie gras ban. I particularly love the shot of signs that are popping up all over town because Mayor Daley is pushing to bring the Olympics to the city . . .

If you live in Chicago, this is especially important for you, because Mayor Richard Daley and Alderman Ed Burke are working hard to repeal one of the most important animal protection laws ever passed, the Chicago foie gras ban. Meat-industry lobbyists are putting enormous pressure on Chicago's aldermen to repeal the law, and the aldermen may vote any day on whether or not to repeal the ban.

For those not familiar with it, foie gras is a “delicacy” made by shoving pipes down the throats of ducks and geese in order to pump massive quantities of fat and grain into their stomachs until their livers become painfully diseased. The ducks are then violently killed, and their bloated, diseased livers are sold as foie gras. Foie gras is so cruel it has already been banned in 15 nations—including the U.K., Germany, Israel, and Switzerland—as well as in the state of California. Even many grocery stores, including Whole Foods, refuse to sell foie gras.

If you live in Chicago, please click here to find out how you can help keep this horribly cruel product banned in your city.

We’re also currently blitzing Chicago TV stations with this ad featuring Sir Roger Moore, the best 007 ever . . .