Written by PETA
When this new video for the holiday season was debuted at a recent meeting, a lot of PETA staffers were really excited about its potential. To be quite frank, I was not one of them. But now that I’ve watched it a few times, it is starting to grow on me a bit, and I’m fascinated to hear how people react to it — both people who already believe that it’s important to care about animals, and those who are still “on the fence” about the issue (or, as I like to put it, “stuck in the dark ages”).The idea behind the video is a powerful one — that the great social justice issues of our time have always met with widespread resistance from people who are resistant to change, and that those issues were only brought into mainstream thought by people who weren’t afraid to dedicate their lives to an unpopular idea that they knew was right — to give a voice to the voiceless. I’m still undecided about whether that point comes across in this video, though it’s clear that there’s a lot more to it than I thought when I first watched it. I'd love to hear what you think about it.
Casey Calvert, the guitarist for Hawthorne Heights, was found dead in his tour bus on Friday, apparently from a case of acute asthma. In addition to being a kickass guitarist, Casey was a great friend to PETA and to animals, and his loss is very deeply felt in our office today. Some of my colleagues in peta2, who knew him best, have written tributes to Casey which you can read below. We will always remember his kindness, his enthusiasm, and his unwavering commitment to making the world a better place.
I have been on many tours with Casey over the last couple of years. Casey was one of the nicest people I have met in all my years on the road. I used to give him a hard time about leaving a venue before he needed to be on stage to go watch 'A Nightmare before Christmas' or some other similar type movie. He was always so nice to everyone he met, and willing to take the time to say hello to his fans. He also cared about animals and was always willing to be a voice for them. I really do not know what to say, but Casey will be deeply missed. My heart goes out to his family and band mates. -Jason BaylessI met Casey on Warped Tour this past summer. Although he generally steered clear of the spotlight, he was always willing work with peta2 to be a voice for animals. Every encounter I had with Casey, he would always tell me that he was willing to do whatever for the animals, and to let him know about any upcoming projects with peta2. He will truly be missed. -Lara SandersIf I would have randomly met Casey on the street, I would have had no idea that he was a professional rock star. He was so shy and sweet. I remember one time running into him at the local mall when Hawthorne Heights was in town. He was all by himself, and we asked him what he was up to. He said that he had just finished playing, and he had dashed out right away to make it in time to see the brand new Harry Potter movie- and to this day, I don't think I have ever seen anyone more excited to watch a Harry Potter film. Casey was a sweetheart and will be remembered forever. -Mylie ThompsonCasey was always interested in updates to peta2 campaigns over the years, tried to make it a point to stop by our booth at festivals and tours just to say hello, and was one of the most consistent supporters of all that we do to help animals. He's inspired many Street Teamers to get more active for animals and has helped to educate thousands of music fans about cruelty to animals for campaigns such as the one we have against KFC. -Pulin ModiI remember Casey coming to our table at Warped Tour signing the petition, asking about the shirts, and looking at the stickers and leaflets. He actually stopped by the table a couple of times during Hawthorne Heights' time on Warped Tour and said hello and what not. Really one of the nicest band members that I have spoken with. -Cody Ammerman At Bamboozle, I gave Casey a vegan chocolate chip cookie bar made by the lovely people at Trustkill Records. Casey got the biggest grin on his face I've ever seen. It was absolutely adorable! -Nicole Nuss Casey would email me out of the blue with all these ideas about things that he could do with us to help animals. He was always thinking about new ways that he could get involved to help animals. -Dan ShannonCasey was one of the sweetest people I've ever worked with at peta2- so down to earth and friendly. He was a true friend of the animals, and will be missed by many. -Violet Owens
I have been on many tours with Casey over the last couple of years. Casey was one of the nicest people I have met in all my years on the road. I used to give him a hard time about leaving a venue before he needed to be on stage to go watch 'A Nightmare before Christmas' or some other similar type movie. He was always so nice to everyone he met, and willing to take the time to say hello to his fans. He also cared about animals and was always willing to be a voice for them. I really do not know what to say, but Casey will be deeply missed. My heart goes out to his family and band mates. -Jason Bayless
I met Casey on Warped Tour this past summer. Although he generally steered clear of the spotlight, he was always willing work with peta2 to be a voice for animals. Every encounter I had with Casey, he would always tell me that he was willing to do whatever for the animals, and to let him know about any upcoming projects with peta2. He will truly be missed. -Lara Sanders
If I would have randomly met Casey on the street, I would have had no idea that he was a professional rock star. He was so shy and sweet. I remember one time running into him at the local mall when Hawthorne Heights was in town. He was all by himself, and we asked him what he was up to. He said that he had just finished playing, and he had dashed out right away to make it in time to see the brand new Harry Potter movie- and to this day, I don't think I have ever seen anyone more excited to watch a Harry Potter film. Casey was a sweetheart and will be remembered forever. -Mylie Thompson
Casey was always interested in updates to peta2 campaigns over the years, tried to make it a point to stop by our booth at festivals and tours just to say hello, and was one of the most consistent supporters of all that we do to help animals. He's inspired many Street Teamers to get more active for animals and has helped to educate thousands of music fans about cruelty to animals for campaigns such as the one we have against KFC. -Pulin Modi
I remember Casey coming to our table at Warped Tour signing the petition, asking about the shirts, and looking at the stickers and leaflets. He actually stopped by the table a couple of times during Hawthorne Heights' time on Warped Tour and said hello and what not. Really one of the nicest band members that I have spoken with. -Cody Ammerman
At Bamboozle, I gave Casey a vegan chocolate chip cookie bar made by the lovely people at Trustkill Records. Casey got the biggest grin on his face I've ever seen. It was absolutely adorable! -Nicole Nuss
Casey would email me out of the blue with all these ideas about things that he could do with us to help animals. He was always thinking about new ways that he could get involved to help animals. -Dan Shannon
Casey was one of the sweetest people I've ever worked with at peta2- so down to earth and friendly. He was a true friend of the animals, and will be missed by many. -Violet Owens
This beautiful, beautiful e-card starring Christina Applegate got leaked last week, and it’s been all over the blogosphere already. The Samantha Who? star posed nude to help remind people to stay away from fur and fur-trim during the holiday season. Check it out—it"s gorgeous.
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Yeah, sure, we were pretty happy to get a front page article in The New York Times about the major animal welfare changes Burger King has announced. The AP, USA Today, and BBC stories were pretty great too. But ever since we first heard from Burger King that they were going to make this announcement, everyone at PETA has been holding their breath to see if we would make The Onion. And today, that dream came true. Click the picture below from The Onion's exclusive interview with Customer Support Operator Derrick Braswell for the full story:
Derrick Braswell,Customer Support Operator"But the cages were what pushed all the flavor tight into the animals."
Since the massive pet food recall began, we’ve gotten a ton of questions from people worried about feeding their animals Iams dry food, even though only canned food has been recalled so far. So today, PETA is holding a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington to call on the FDA to immediately expand the recall to include dry food as well as canned, until it can all be chemically tested for safety.
One person speaking at the news conference will be Pennsylvania resident Yvette Faulkner, whose cat Sassafras suffered kidney failure and had to be euthanized. Ms. Faulkner states that Sassafras ate only Iams’ dry food. Our hearts are with you, Yvette.
We’re also calling for an investigation into whether Iams knew about the contaminated food before it was recalled. Reports indicate that Menu Foods, Iams’ manufacturer, may very well have known about the contaminated food as early as February 20. The recall didn’t go into effect until March 16. Unreal.
Given Iams’ history of causing animal suffering, it will be very interesting what comes to light as this case unfolds . Remember, these are the folks that paid for this:
Enough said, for now.
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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