itvt / CC

Anyone out there who loves to shop without getting off the couch and also hates to see animals suffer will love the fact that the Home Shopping Network (HSN)—which reaches 90 million U.S. homes—has adopted a permanent fur-free policy. In a letter to PETA, HSN CEO Mindy Grossman wrote, "We and the customers of HSN share your concern about the treatment of animals in the making of fur products. As such, we no longer purchase any product that uses real fur, a strict policy that went into effect in the first quarter of this year."

Ready for even more good news? HSN has also agreed to donate any furry items leftover at the end of the year to PETA so that we can use them in our anti-fur campaign.

Way to go, HSN!

Although dozens of companies have adopted fur-free policies—including Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, and the Gap—some callous companies still insist on using the fur of tortured animals to make their products. One of these companies is ShopNBC. Take a few seconds (literally, like 10 seconds) to send ShopNBC an automated message urging them to follow HSN's lead by dropping fur once and for all.

Posted by Matt Prescott

designofsignage / CC

OK, so companies are trying to find a way to cut costs. And who can blame them, given the current economic outlook?

Enter Weyco, Inc., a healthcare-benefits administration company, which has already insisted that its employees quit smoking because of the impact on their health. The company also refuses to hire smokers. We applaud Weyco's efforts to improve the health of their workforce and suggest they go further. After all, it's clear that eating meat and other animal parts raises the risk of cancer and heart disease, among other health problems. So in addition to the "cancer sticks"—what about the drumsticks?

To that end, our own Linday Rajt, manager of our vegan campaign, dropped Weyco a line. The following is a part of her letter to the company:

At which point, she offered to send them free copies of our "Vegetarian Starter Kit." If you don't already have your own copy of the starter kit, go on over to GoVeg.com, and get one free! After all, it's your health at stake!

Posted by Jeff Mackey

As folks fire up their grills, load their children into station wagons bound for fireworks displays, or just go out to the bars in celebration of a day off (that would be me), let's all stop for a moment and take a look-see at some of the hilarious and provocative patriotic ads that PETA has created over the years. I proudly present PETA's top 10 patriotic ads:10. Obese in the U.S.A.—Go VegetarianJust when you were wondering how you could possibly incorporate a Bruce Springsteen reference and some seriously husky butt crack, PETA came to your rescue with this one. 9. I Threw a Party but the Cattlemen Couldn't Come (90's Version)Sex, sex, and … sausage links? 8. I Threw a Party but the Cattlemen Couldn't Come (New Version)Sure, it's the same concept, but it's like twenty times hotter. Too bad those cattleman have such busy schedules.7. We Want You to Go VegetarianIf the military had used this image on recruitment posters during World War II, the U.S. might very well have conquered the world.
6. Road to the GreenhouseIt feels odd to call puppetry of produce "cute," but I really lean toward saying that it's appropriate in this case. Oh, and don't miss the outtakes!5. Drill Sergeant Michelle Manhart: I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear FurYou might remember back when Sargent Manhart made headlines for her spread in Playboy magazine, but we'll always know and love her best for speaking out against fur.4. We Can Do It (Featuring Playmate Lauren Anderson)Oh, Rosie! You're absolutely … riveting. 3. and 2. It's a tie! Did you ever sit through the State of the Union Address and think, "Man, I wish the president would just shut up and bring out a totally naked girl." Well, we decided to help you out with that. If you're at least 18 years old, please check out our State of the Union Undress for 2007 and 2008.1. Chris P. Carrot for PrezRemember all the hubbub about counting votes in the 2004 election? When people announced that the race was down to just Kerry and Bush, I thought, "Really? What about Chris P. Carrot?" Though I've been crushed since his defeat, I'm still hopeful that he'll start a last-minute write-in campaign for '08.Posted by Sean Conner

This morning, The Today Show ran a fluff piece that literally made my skin crawl, and the complaints started pouring into our office—and for good reason! The show glorified alligator "harvesting" and called it the "deadliest catch, Florida-style." By alligator harvesting, they really mean alligator slaughtering, but harvesting sounds just oh-so-much comfier. To wrap your head around what we're saying, check out our own video footage from the "glamorous" world of the alligator harvest, and spot the difference between that and, say, the Vermont apple harvest:

Luckily, we've got some wicked smart and compassionate folks working at PETA, like our Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. Lisa fired off this fantastic letter to Today Show correspondent Kerry Sanders, who covered the story this morning. In the letter, Lisa said, "If people want to buy handbags and shoes made from [alligators'] skins, we think they should know exactly how the animals were killed and what better vehicle than Today?" All too true, Lisa. Hopefully, Today will respond, but until then, check out this compelling ad, and say sayonara to the exotic skins in your closet.

Posted by Christine Dore