Written by Michelle Sherrow
After Michigan mom Natalie Hegedus was verbally reprimanded by a judge for discreetly breastfeeding her child in the back of a courtroom, PETA jumped to the support of Hegedus and other moms by seeking to place our pro-breastfeeding billboard near the Paw Paw courtroom where the mammary melee occurred.
Mary © Susan Saladino
Breastfeeding is natural—stealing milk from cows so that we can feed our babies the milk nature intended for calves is not. The consumption of cow's milk has been linked to asthma, constipation, recurrent ear infections, anemia, diabetes, zits, and even cancer in children.
Human mothers who opt to feed their children breast milk should be commended, not censured. Women should be encouraged to give their children the healthiest possible food and leave cow's milk for calves.
Written by PETA
Imagine how it must feel to have to wear a heavy coat outside in August! PETA members in Lansing, Michigan, no longer have to wonder after sitting in cages on a hot sidewalk in order to illustrate the misery of animals on fur farms during hot weather, when they have no escape from the heat.
Summer brings extra hardships for animals who are already suffering physical and psychological distress from constant confinement in a small wire cage. And there is no peaceful end to their suffering. Animals killed for their fur endure some of the most gruesome deaths imaginable, including death by neck-breaking, bludgeoning, poisoning, anal and genital electrocution, and being skinned alive.
"We may be hot, but it's worth it to raise awareness about the suffering of minks, raccoons, and other animals and—their babies—when they are left in feces- and urine-covered cages in the searing heat."
There is never a good season to wear real fur. Send a message to the fur industry by adding your name to PETA's growing list of people who have pledged to be fur-free forever.
Hot on the heels of news that some doctors are recommending that elementary school–age kids be put on statin drugs (seriously—I wish I were making it up) comes a better prescription for dealing with the side effects of the childhood obesity epidemic. Several of the U.K.'s leading doctors are recommending a junk-food jihad.
"If we were really bold, we might even begin to think of high-calorie fast food in the same way as cigarettes—by setting stringent limits on advertising, product placement, and sponsorship of sports events," said Professor Terence Stephenson, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Meanwhile, PETA is taking the Detroit Public Library system and Detroit's first lady to task for bribing encouraging kids to read books by promising them a free McDonald's Happy Meal. Hopefully, kids will turn up their noses at this shameless gimmick after they read That's Why We Don't Eat Animals, a copy of which PETA has sent to the library.
Written by Alisa Mullins
You probably read how third-ranked competitive eater Takeru "The Tsunami" Kobayashi was forcibly removed from this year's Coney Island Fourth of July hot dog–eating contest after crashing the stage at the close of the event. Kobayashi didn't compete in the contest, having refused to sign a contract with Major League Eating (I'm not making this up) because "he wanted to be free to compete in contests sanctioned by other groups."
Well, then, Tsunami-san, why not take the Veggie Dog Hall of Fame Challenge at Corner Bar in Rockford, Michigan? You'd not only prove your independence, you'd also save yourself from the potential health problems associated with eating gluttonous amounts of meat. Not that we advocate overeating, but given how other contests mean that herds of cows are killed and eaten just so that they can be thrown up later, Corner Bar's contest has earned the restaurant PETA's first-ever "Animal-Friendly Eating Competition Award."
Maybe we'll see the start of a whole new veggie-eating circuit! You don't even have to stuff yourself silly—ready to sign up?
Written by Jeff Mackey
Yesterday was a momentous day for animals living on farms in Michigan, where Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bill into law that phases out veal crates, battery cages, and gestation crates on farms across the state!
Michigan farmers have been given three years to phase out veal crates and 10 years to get rid of gestation crates and battery cages. This means that farmers will no longer be allowed to immobilize calves in crates that are so small that the animals can barely take a step in any direction. Pregnant pigs will no longer be forced to live in their own excrement in a space too small to turn around in, and hens will get a chance to stretch their wings.
The news comes just a day after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill making it illegal to dock cows' tails in California, where gestation crates, veal crates, and battery cages were banned last year. Now that Michigan has become the seventh state to ban gestation crates, the fifth to ban veal crates, and the second to ban battery cages, we're hoping that laws improving conditions for animals on factory farms will continue to take the nation by storm.
Of course, the best way to prevent animal suffering is to adopt a vegan diet, stat.
Written by Shawna Flavell
If you're trying to reduce your carbon footprint, changing your light bulbs is a good start—but PETA's Lettuce Ladies are on a mission to let people know that there's a better (and more delicious) way to go green. Our environmental crusaders' first stop was the Consumers Energy building in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where they gave passersby free veggie burgers and—for some instant gratification to show the environmental impact of adopting a vegetarian diet—coupons for $10 off their energy bills.
According to Environmental Defense, if every American replaced meat with vegetarian foods just once per week, the carbon dioxide savings would be equivalent to taking more than half a million cars off U.S. roads. So, how about cooking up a vegetarian meal for dinner tonight?
Written by Liz Graffeo
Hoop-heads like myself are very well aware that the NBA draft is coming up on Thursday, and it is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable drafts in recent memory. One thing that seems pretty certain, though, is that the Los Angeles Clippers will take Blake Griffin as their number one pick. But here's a pre-draft revelation about the Oklahoma big man that not many people were expecting—dude's a vegetarian!
Over the course of two years in college ball, Griffin showed tenacity around the hoop and a willingness to bang down low—he even got himself a concussion to show for it. He simply dominated in the tournament this year, dropping 33 points and 17 rebounds on Michigan in the second round. He's energetic, a ferocious rebounder, and has unleashed some straight-up highlight-reel dunks that'll get you humming the SportsCenter theme song while you watch him on YouTube.
And all that? Powered by tofu, of course.
According to yesterday's SportsCenter, the Clips are as impressed with Griffin as everyone else is. In an attempt to make the Oklahoma boy feel "at home" during a pre-draft meeting with team brass, they took him out to a steakhouse in New York City. Looks like they should have done a bit more homework—they have vegetarians in Oklahoma too, y'all!
No word on what Blake ordered from the steakhouse menu, but as SportsCenter pointed out, he'll have no lack of great vegetarian restaurants to choose from in the city of angels as he attempts to become the latest savior of the NBA's most troubled franchise. Best of luck, Blake. You're gonna need it.
Written by Dan Shannon
Much to the dismay of struggling addicts in the Wolverine State, the Michigan Tobacco Quit Line has been shut down until October 1 because it just couldn't financially keep up with the requests for nicotine replacement therapy products.
As an organization that helps people fight another addiction (meat addiction, that is) we feel the quit line's pain.
That's why, after hearing about the help line's financial woes, we wrote a letter to the director of the Department of Community Health in Michigan offering to team up and help cover the hotline's costs. Our proposal includes renaming the quit line The Cancer Prevention Hotline (because that's the point, isn't it?) and including copies of PETA's free "Vegetarian Starter Kit" along with the other distributed materials.
Are you a smoker who needs another reason to quit? Did you know that most cigarettes are tested on animals? Gross.
Back in December, we announced the winners of our annual "Proggy" awards, which recognize animal-friendly people, companies, and products. One of those companies is CeeTox, a Michigan firm that develops humane alternatives to cruel and archaic animal tests. Well, the good folks at the Kalamazoo Gazette just did a nice story about CeeTox and the award. Check it out here.
What CeeTox does is so great because many chemical-testing methods still involve pumping substances into animals' stomachs and lungs and dripping chemicals into animals' eyes or onto their raw, shaved skin. CeeTox, by contrast, uses in-vitro (test tube) toxicity screening to test drugs, chemicals, cosmetics, and consumer products. This enables research and development organizations to assess the toxicity of chemicals using pioneering and humane cell-based technology.
Besides being kind to animals, these modern, non-animal tests are cheaper, faster, and more accurate. What's not to like? Well, unfortunately, the wheels of progress grind slowly at the EPA, which lags far behind European authorities in validating modern test methods. But thanks to the work of CeeTox and other companies like it, it's becoming obvious that animal testing is long overdue for the old heave-ho.
Well, April is the cruelest month, so this is a perfect time to officially recognize 2008’s cruelest man in academia. Through four grueling rounds against some of the most barbaric men and women in the world, Arthur Weber of MSU has come home with the big prize. Despite a late run by the seasoned group of vivisectors from Duke led by longtime monkey abuser David Platt, Arthur’s team won the final contest with a commanding score of 20 votes to 11.
When asked for comment by the MSU campus newspaper, Weber—who was voted champion largely due to a series of experiments in which he removes cats’ eyes while they’re still alive—made the following statement through a representative:
“The animals are completely anesthetized, receive painkillers, and once the animals come out of the anesthesia, 10 minutes later you can’t tell the difference.”
Awwww, so modest. So self-effacing! But of course you can tell the difference, Arthur! THE CATS ARE MISSING THEIR EYES. And don’t forget the part where you keep them alive for a week after the operation and then kill them—I bet they notice that too!
Anyway, without further ado, please join me in recognizing Arthur Weber of MSU as the people’s choice for the cruelest vivisector in the world! You’ve earned this, Weber.
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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.