Written by Michelle Sherrow
Of course, PETA loves cheering for Team Peeta, but Josh Hutcherson has really stepped up his game for animals. The Hunger Games hottie adopted a pit bull puppy from a California animal shelter, and now the dog's broken femur and broken heart are both on the mend.
Hollywood may be experiencing a second baby boom this year. Marie Osmond adopted a new dog, and Miranda Lambert tweeted that it was "being discussed" whether or not she and hubby Blake Shelton would keep a stray dog she had just rescued.
There were plenty of other discussions about animal issues going on elsewhere in the Twitterverse:
In her post for Global Grind, Simone Reyes wrote in depth about PETA's dairy farm investigation and made a great case for why milk is bad for our bodies and for animals.
Simone's boss, Russell Simmons, dissed milk, too, when he wrote to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo explaining why milk shouldn't be the official state beverage.
Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz noshed on cruelty-free vegan ice cream on Bones, and Gwen Stefani grabbed a healthy vegan lunch with her son Zuma.
To keep up with what your favorite celebs are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
Beloved actor Michael Clarke Duncan from The Green Mile is keeping his mile-high frame in shape with a green vegetarian diet. The star of the new show The Finder is also a huge animal lover!
Our pal Russell Simmons tweeted about the letter that we sent to his pal Dr. Dre regarding his ear atrocities, while Ashley Judd was busy asking her Twitter followers not to patronize circuses:
The Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act has a new ally—Harry's Law. A recent episode tackled the issue of whether apes could be defined as persons under the law, with Kathy Bates' character arguing, "Apes are a lot less inhuman than we would like to think....There's a qualitative shift happening in the way we view the animal world, especially when it comes to apes."
Carrie Underwood always views the animal world as deserving protection. When she spotted an injured dog on the highway, she pulled over, bundled up the dog, and gently loaded her into the car. After the animal received emergency veterinary care, Underwood took the dog to her house to recover and cried when she had to say goodbye after finding the pup an adoptive home.
Underwood was PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian of 2005, and plenty of other sexy stars have turned heads to change hearts. Check out the Mirror's ranking of PETA and our affiliates' top naked celebrity ads.
Written by PETA
In honor of Father's Day, here are some fathers who are friends to the furry, feathered, and finned. We had way too many great dads like Kevin Nealon, Bryan Adams, Woody Harrelson, Iggy Pop, and Chad Ochocinco to choose from, so here are just a few of the fellas who make us glad for awesome dads:
Three gals based in PETA's D.C. office—Martina, Kristin, and Robbyn (left to right, below)—caught up with the dynamic Russell Simmons at his book signing in Largo, Maryland, on Wednesday. They presented the entrepreneur and philanthropist with a gift package that included a PETA baseball cap and a fruit basket.
Robbyn recounts:
It was such a treat to meet Mr. Simmons last night. He and his staff were warm and gracious and lit up with smiles when we approached in our PETA shirts. Even though he'd never met any of us, Russell welcomed us to his table by calling us 'friends,' and his staff insisted that we take a photo with him. We told Russell that we were there to support him because PETA loves him and we appreciate what a wonderful role model he is. Russell thanked us for the fruit and the PETA baseball cap that we gave him. He and his entire staff treated us in such a friendly fashion that we asked them to please let us know when they'd be in town next and to stop by our office here for a visit. They said that they'd love to come see their PETA friends in D.C. He sent us away with blessings and said, 'Thank you for all that you do.' It was wonderful to see that Russell Simmons is just as warm in real life as he appears on television. We were all grateful to have spent the time with him and agree that what we've read of his book so far is inspirational. Many people stopped to speak to us about Russell's involvement with PETA and wanted to know exactly what PETA believes and does.
It was such a treat to meet Mr. Simmons last night. He and his staff were warm and gracious and lit up with smiles when we approached in our PETA shirts. Even though he'd never met any of us, Russell welcomed us to his table by calling us 'friends,' and his staff insisted that we take a photo with him.
We told Russell that we were there to support him because PETA loves him and we appreciate what a wonderful role model he is. Russell thanked us for the fruit and the PETA baseball cap that we gave him. He and his entire staff treated us in such a friendly fashion that we asked them to please let us know when they'd be in town next and to stop by our office here for a visit. They said that they'd love to come see their PETA friends in D.C.
He sent us away with blessings and said, 'Thank you for all that you do.' It was wonderful to see that Russell Simmons is just as warm in real life as he appears on television. We were all grateful to have spent the time with him and agree that what we've read of his book so far is inspirational. Many people stopped to speak to us about Russell's involvement with PETA and wanted to know exactly what PETA believes and does.
By the way, Russell's latest book, Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All, explains how we can prosper beyond our wildest dreams by dedicating ourselves to service and by adopting a compassionate vegan lifestyle. Clearly, Russell's walking the walk!
Written by Jeff Mackey
Are you one of those people who dread going home for the holidays because of the inevitable arguments over what who you choose not to eat, wear, or chain up in the backyard? Russell Simmons—hip-hop mogul and author of the upcoming self-help book Super Rich—has some sage advice about making peace with less ethically evolved friends and relatives.
PETA V.P. Dan Mathews recently interviewed Russell for the PETA Files:
"People are uncomfortable with anyone who's different for any reason, whether they're vegan or gay or black or whatever," he said. "They feel threatened, and there's nothing we can do about it but try to lead by example and not make people feel they're on a different side. I tell this to my assistant Simone, the supervegan: 'Stop whipping bitches' asses. You have to love the people you want to change.' Obviously anyone who loves animals has some compassion in their heart, but it's easy to get frustrated and block out compassion for the people we want to change. They'll change easier if they don't feel hated."
But even Zen master Russell can lose his cool when it comes to fur. Dan asked him what he says when he encounters people who wear fur: "I say, 'You know how they chop those motherfuckers up for that coat?!'"
Written by Alisa Mullins
Set your TiVo tomorrow night because you won't want to miss Oxygen's new series, Running Russell Simmons. The episode features fantastic animal rights activist Simone Reyes, who is the executive assistant to one of the coolest vegans on the planet, Russell Simmons.
Odds are, you know that hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons has spoken up for lonesome, chained dogs, abused KFC chickens, and victims of dogfighting, but you might not know about his right-hand woman, Simone Reyes. Let's change that:
Simone has been a true-blue friend to PETA and all animals. She's a vegan fashionista who's always ready to help, whether by stripping for a PETA anti-fur action or donning "bloody" cellophane for a meat tray demo.
In her profile on the show's website, Simone says, "I only adopt special-needs animals, and they require a lot of my time and attention. … I always carve out time to give undivided attention to my 'kids.'" Simone is Russell's "go-to" gal, and she says she's always ready for action: "That means eating clean (vegan!), exercising, and doing A LOT of charity work so that I can wake up in the morning feeling good about what's reflected back to me in the mirror."
Want to know more about these two phenomenal advocates for animals? Read up, and then round up your friends to celebrate the show's PETA episode on November 9.
Written by Karin Bennett
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. —Martin Luther King Jr.
Countless prominent African Americans throughout history have used their influence to stand up for animals, and this month we celebrate their inspiring efforts. Civil rights leader Coretta Scott King extended her kindness toward humans to animals by going vegan. The late comedian Richard Pryor, who won our Humanitarian Award in 1999, tirelessly urged KFC and McDonald's to treat chickens humanely and spoke out on behalf of the elephants abused by Ringling and other circuses.
Today, fur-free First Lady Michelle Obama and awareness-raising media mogul (not to mention PETA's 2008 Person of the Year) Oprah Winfrey continue the historic trend of African Americans defending animals. Author and social thinker Cornel West, record producer Russell Simmons, and community leader Rev. Al Sharpton are among the many who have ensured that Richard Pryor's legacy lives on by asking KFC to stop abusing chickens. And many more—including Tyra Banks, Tony and October Gonzalez, John Salley, Nia Long, Gilbert Arenas and Amar'e Stoudamaire—have worked with PETA in campaigns to stop the exploitation of animals. Join us this month in honoring these generous and compassionate black men and women.
Written by Logan Scherer
In planning for the upcoming Winter Olympics, will the folks at NBC take a cue from the CBS executives who decided to run more advocacy ads during this year's Super Bowl? PETA is about to find out. We're asking the network to air our animated anti–seal slaughter commercial during the Olympics:
While NBC decides whether or not it will seal our deal, urge Canadian officials to stop the seal massacre immediately.
While the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and privacy advocates play hot potahto over proposed full-body scans at airport security checkpoints, we at PETA say, "Bring 'em on." Pourquoi? Well, several reasons, really:
Metal underwear! That's right: Coming soon to security checkpoints everywhere, TSA employees will get an eyeful of our message to NASA as caring individuals educate TSA employees about NASA's plans to blast as many as 30 monkeys with one huge dose of radiation. The agency will then imprison the animals by themselves in tiny steel cages and subject them to years of tests in order to assess how the radiation damages their brains and bodies. Unlike the rays emitted by airport body scans, this extreme radiation may cause brain tumors and other types of cancer.
Officials at the TSA have already been alerted that PETA's metal underwear is on the way. But we are wondering—will you expose TSA employees to the truth about NASA's experiments on your next flight?
Hey D.C.ers, this one's for you. Tomorrow morning, when you're picking up that cup o' joe and morning paper before catching the Metro, look out for our sleek new "Vegetarian Starter Kit" stands. They are popping up all over the city—at last count, there were more than 50.
So grab the latest copy of our "Vegetarian Starter Kit." Alicia Silverstone, Russell Simmons, and animals everywhere will appreciate it, and we're sure you will find someone to pass it on to at work or play. Won't you now?
Written by Shawna Flavell
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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