Written by Michelle Kretzer
As half of one of the world's cutest on- and off-screen couples, we figured that Lea Michele would have some great ideas for how to spend Valentine's Day. We were right. Lea doesn't want expensive jewelry or a massive bouquet of flowers. Her idea of a lovely evening is laid-back and simple.
"My idea of the perfect romantic Valentine's Day is staying at home, cooking a yummy dinner, and watching a really scary movie," she told us.
Sounds like the real-life Rachel loves simply snuggling up under a blanket with her beloved. But Lea made it clear where we'll never catch her canoodling: in a horse-drawn carriage.
"The one thing I find the least romantic is taking a horse and carriage ride," she said. "I can't express enough how unhappy these horses are and how much pain and suffering they go through each day. Please do not ride [in horse-drawn carriages]. Take a beautiful walk together with your loved ones instead of bringing more pain to these beautiful animals."
Yeah, there are few things less romantic than watching horses breathe exhaust fumes and dodge traffic. Watching your loved one breathe in yummy aromas coming from the oven and dodge a playfully lobbed strawberry, however …
As a vegan, Jessica Chastain has famously said, "I don't want to torture anything in my life." And shooting disturbing torture scenes for the upcoming film Zero Dark Thirty, which details the hunt for and takedown of Osama bin Laden, was understandably rough on the actor. But Jessica revealed how she and director Kathryn Bigelow got through it: "During the week that we were filming the interrogations, we sent each other videos of animals being rescued. It was so emotional for me because I rescue dogs and so does she. That's the kind of stuff that was going on behind the scenes. Like, this is not our lives, we are not these characters, there's a place that is waiting for us."
Many of us have experienced how an animal's love can get us through tough times. Anjelica Huston believes it's high time for us to return the favor and help heal the wounds of chimpanzees who have been confined to laboratories and experimented on. She penned an impassioned article urging everyone to support the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, which would free all federally owned chimpanzees and retire them to peaceful, spacious sanctuaries.
Paul McCartney is advocating for turkeys to be freed from the fate of ending up as holiday centerpieces. The legendary musician and animal advocate posed for a new "Say No, Thanks to Turkey" Thanksgiving ad for PETA and reposted it on his Facebook page as a reminder before Christmas.
And scores of other celebrities shared animal-friendly reminders with their Twitter followers:
Congratulations are in order for one of our favorite compassionate couples: Jenna Dewan-Tatum and Channing Tatum are expecting their first bundle of joy. With parents like that, we know that their child will be beautiful inside and out.
To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
Written by Jeff Mackey
Want to have a New Year's celebration that's "off da chain"? Start by getting dogs off theirs. (Chains, that is.) Since it's time to make resolutions, make one of yours a pledge to see an end to chaining in your community by year's end—all it takes is persuading local officials to make (and then pass) a kind of resolution of their own!
Need more convincing? Meet Ziggy. This was his life before PETA—and a caring animal advocate, Alexis Tsiouris—came into it:
Alexis and PETA worked together over the course of a year to get Ziggy (then named Gizmo) off his chain and into a true home. After PETA alerted Alexis to Ziggy's plight, she delivered straw and treats to him. Both Alexis and PETA contacted his owner, who finally surrendered him to Alexis. Ziggy now lives indoors with his loving family, including three other dogs:
Ziggy's life is as bright now as it once was bleak. But with so many "backyard dogs" on chains and ropes, one-dog-at-a-time rescues—while worthwhile and often necessary—can't effectively help them all.
That's why it's so vital that tethering (chaining) bans become law in every community. While Ziggy was chained up, for example, PETA had sent law-enforcement officials to check on him twice, but they determined that his situation was legal so nothing could be done about it. A chaining ban would give authorities the necessary tools to help dogs like Ziggy.
What You Can Do
This year, put "Get a tethering ban passed" at the top of your list of New Year's resolutions and get it done before 2013 comes to a close. Learn how and then make your resolution: no more chained dogs!
If holiday shoppers needed divine intervention to persuade them to keep animal skins off their lists, that's exactly what they got. A saintly duo of PETA "angels" has been crisscrossing Canada in cherubic attire to help people in the frozen north be angelic to animals this winter by eschewing fur, leather, wool, down, and exotic skins.
And while crowds of pedestrians were stopping to take pictures of the holy encounter and offering to buy the angels some hot tea, the dreamy pair was busy explaining that torturing and killing animals for their skin is an unholy nightmare.
The angels are hopeful that people will show good will toward animals this holiday season so that this year, every time a bell rings, an angel will get her wings and animals will keep their skin.
Written by Alisa Mullins
The following was excerpted from an article that originally appeared on McClatchy.
As my mom and I were walking through a department store recently, she spied a colorful plaid quilted vest. "Ooh, that's pretty," she said and reached for the price tag.
Meanwhile, I was looking at the contents label. "Uh-oh, it contains down," I told her.
"Oh, no," she said, dropping the vest as if it had bitten her. "I guess I won't be buying that."
Like me, Mom loves animals. She's a vegan, and she refuses to wear anything made of leather, silk, or wool—or down.
Much of the down used in coats, comforters, vests, and blankets is "live-plucked"—ripped from the bodies of birds who are still alive. Plucking may begin when the birds are just 10 weeks old and be repeated every six to seven weeks until the birds are slaughtered at around age 4, far short of their natural lifespan of 10 to 20 years.
Workers are paid by the goose, rather than by the hour, so speed is of the essence, leading to rough handling and injuries. Undercover video footage shot on a Hungarian goose farm shows workers picking up and carrying geese by their necks or wings. The frightened birds are flipped upside down and pinned between workers' knees while they rip out fistfuls of feathers. One worker was photographed sitting on a goose's neck in order to prevent her from escaping.
The good news is that there are several alternatives to down, including Thinsulate, PrimaLoft, and Polarguard, that are less expensive, less bulky, easier to launder, and excellent insulators. They also perform well when wet, unlike down, which absorbs moisture, loses loft and insulating ability, and takes a long time to dry.
In fact, many brands sell quilted vests insulated with PrimaLoft. Don't tell my mom, but she just might be finding one under her Christmas tree this year.
peta2 turned Los Angeles' 101 highway into the freeway of love for turkeys. A group of precocious pilgrims and one tenacious turkey asked rush-hour drivers to bury the hatchet:
Show turkeys some love this Thanksgiving. Drop the pedal and go, go, go get yourself a delicious Tofurky roast.
After learning that the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County in Connecticut had put out an urgent call for Thanksgiving food donations following Hurricane Sandy, PETA has sent the hunger-relief organization 20 delicious vegan Tofurky roasts.
© MeetTheShannons.net
Vegan Food: The Taste of Kindness
PETA's donation should make the season brighter (and healthier) for the region's hungry as well as for animals. PETA also hopes the Tofurky will offer food for thought, showing that compassion knows no species barriers.
More than 250 million turkeys are killed in the U.S. every year—45 million for Thanksgiving dinners alone. Yet turkeys are sensitive, smart, social, and resourceful birds, who deserve to be treated as living beings, not centerpieces.
Tofurky and other vegan faux turkey provide great alternatives, savory taste, and plentiful protein, with none of the cruelty or cholesterol that comes from eating real birds.
Delicious, healthy vegan foods offer both hungry humans and exploited animals reason to give thanks. Enjoy fine vegan holiday dining with PETA's free recipes.
Thanks to a Christmas display at the framing shop of John Esty and John Bartlett, anyone wearing fur on New York City's Greenwich Avenue will feel like the West Village idiot.
Written by Paula Moore
Hanukkah is almost here, and you know what that means: good food, festive gatherings with family and friends … and eight days of presents! PETA's animal-friendly gift ideas will keep you going for all eight days of Hanukkah celebrations:
For more Hanukkah gift ideas, visit PETACatalog.com.
Written by PETA
It's the season for giving, and PETA Business Friend Allison's Gourmet is giving away a $50 gift certificate for delicious vegan treats to one lucky PETA Files reader. Could it be you?
Allison's Gourmet is one of the premier all-vegan online bakeries. Because none of Allison's cookies or confections contains animal products, the treats are 100 percent cholesterol-free and don't contribute to the cruelty to animals found in the dairy and egg industries. And I can tell you from personal experience that these are some of the most delectable desserts that you will ever eat. To enter this contest, simply complete the form below.
Can't wait to get your own box of vegan confections, or want to give one as a gift? Head on over to the Allison's Gourmet website today. And since there's no such thing as giving too many gifts, stock up on all sorts of goodies from the PETA Catalog this holiday season.
Contest entries will be accepted from December 13, 2011, through December 22, 2011. One winner will then be chosen at random from all entrants and presented with a $50 gift certificate to Allison's Gourmet. The winner will be notified by January 15, 2012. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by submitting your entry to this contest. This contest is open only to residents of the United States. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Good luck!
Written by Heather Faraid 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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