Written by PETA
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.
Written by Shawna Flavell
Spoiler alert: If you haven't watched the series finale of Battlestar Galactica, do not read any further. Simply look at the photos below, then leave a comment telling us which public service announcement is your fave, Tricia "Six" Helfer's or Jamie "Lee Adama" Bamber's.
So the greatest show in the history of the universe, Battlestar Galatica, has come to an end, and now I have no idea what the frak I'm going to do with my Friday nights. (Wait, did someone just whisper Dollhouse into my ear?)
I loved that an underlying theme of the series was mankind's failure to learn from our mistakes and that it was our worst traits that led directly to our unraveling again and again. That leads me to lovely Tricia Helfer's character, Six, and the character everyone loves to hate, Gaius. Isn't it ironic that a version of the Six Cylon and Gaius would end up being angels (naughty, naughty angels) who would start the cataclysmic events that would end humankind? I think someone here at PETA anticipated that Tricia's character would turn out to be an angel; after all, we did ask her to star in our first-ever "Angel for Animals" ad in behalf of felines long before the finale was in sight.
The finale, while amazing, left me with mixed feelings. I was so excited to watch it, but at the same time, I was sad that the show had come to an end. I admit that I expected more … um … well, more carnage. I was positive that all the humans were actually Cylons, and I was convinced that more of the prominent cast members would die. And I kept thinking that the Cylons had one last sinister plot up their sleeve. Or that they were going to blow up the Galactica and kill everyone. I'm so glad I was wrong!
I would have been devastated if they had killed off my favorite characters, like Helo (did someone mention Dollhouse again?) and Lee "Apollo" Adama (aka Jamie Bamber), who, by the way, looked amazing in the last few episodes (and is by far the cuter of the two Adama boys), but not as good, of course, as when he took it all off to speak up for bears who are killed for their fur in the super-hot "Bare Skin, Not Bear Skin" ad. Oh, Jamie. And I love that, like every episode before, they kept us guessing. Well done, BSG writers!
As pretty as Tricia's ad is, Jamie's is still my favorite. Sigh. Check out their ads below and then tell us which one is your favorite. The reader with the most convincing response will win a copy of the ad of their choice.
You can enter the contest by posting a comment before April 13, 2009. We'll contact the winner on April 14, 2009. By commenting, you are agreeing to the contest terms and conditions and our privacy policy.
Thanks for some awesome television, BSG. I miss you already.
Written by Patricia Trostle
P.S. I have to say that I think the high point of the finale for me was when Chief strangled Tory for shooting Cally out the airlock. I actually yelled out, "Yes! Finally!" It made my night.
Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Celebrity Apprentice star Khloe Kardashian brought in some reality-TV gold last night. Not only did she manage to escape getting fired in Trump's board room for the fourth week in a row, she also, on her popular E! series, brought some much needed attention to animals raised for fur.
I'm sure you all remember Khloe's sexy ad, which we unveiled not too long ago. Well, on Keeping Up last night, she really went above and beyond by showing—on national television—the gruesome and heartbreaking video footage that caused her to go fur-free. Hopefully, many of the millions of people watching were touched and inspired to make the same compassionate choice. After seeing a fully conscious animal having his or her skin ripped off, it's hard to sport that fur coat.
On the show, Khloe admitted that she had a hard time stripping down for the ad because of insecurity about her body. When you're tall and curvy and from a family full of petite models, that's definitely understandable. But lucky for us, animals, and the rest of the world, she laid her insecurities to rest and rocked the you-know-what out of the shoot. She summed it up best at the end of the episode when she said of the shoot, "It really helped me be comfortable in my own skin. In turn, I really hope this helps animals keep their skin."
Written by Christine Doré
Not since we were pitted against Nazi attack dogs when we first escaped from Castle Wolfenstein 17 years ago have we seen such barbaric treatment of dogs in video games as we did in Call of Duty, World at War. During the course of the game, you are forced to shoot attack dogs and you can actually unlock a "reward" that allows you to unleash a pack of attack dogs on enemies. In a post–Michael Vick world, you'd think that Activision Blizzard, which publishes the popular game, would take abusing dogs for entertainment purposes more seriously.
Fortunately, some students at a Massachusetts high school are not keeping quiet about their disgust with Activision. Breanna Lucci serves as president of the Animal Rights Club at the Academy of Notre Dame (NDA) in Tyngsborough. The following is from the Lowell Sun's interview with her (via GamePolitics.com):
"Killing dogs as a form of entertainment … over and over again. That's one of the objects of the game," says Lucci, 19, a senior at NDA. "Parents need to know what they are buying their kids. Killing animals should not be a form of entertainment." . . . "My little 12-pound Pomeranian, Winnie the Pooh, is sitting next to [Lucci's brother as he plays the game], and I'm thinking, 'This looks horrible!'" Lucci says. Lucci then adds, "My brother is a sweetheart. He won't be killing dogs after playing. But some people might."
"Killing dogs as a form of entertainment … over and over again. That's one of the objects of the game," says Lucci, 19, a senior at NDA. "Parents need to know what they are buying their kids. Killing animals should not be a form of entertainment."
. . .
"My little 12-pound Pomeranian, Winnie the Pooh, is sitting next to [Lucci's brother as he plays the game], and I'm thinking, 'This looks horrible!'" Lucci says.
Lucci then adds, "My brother is a sweetheart. He won't be killing dogs after playing. But some people might."
To help the folks at Activision Blizzard learn about the ethical treatment of animals (something we're sorta experts on) we're offering to let them take PETA's "Developing Empathy for Animals" seminar free of charge, and we're sending a package of dog-friendly Nintendogs games to their office.
With a little Nintendogs influence, perhaps the next Call of Duty game will have you unlock achievements for petting the dogs you encounter and going on walks or playing Frisbee with them.
Source: GamePolitics.com
Written by Joel Bartlett
This is it, people. If you haven't written to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee yet, today is the day. Not only did Canada's annual seal slaughter start today, they've actually increased the quota of seals that can be slaughtered. This means that seal killers can legally bash in the heads of up to 338,200 seals in the coming weeks. That's right—the world's biggest marine mammal slaughter just got bigger.
If you need a refresher course in just how disgusting the seal slaughter is, watch this video:
That's what the Canadian government has the unmitigated gall to call "humane." I kid you not.
Help stop this senseless massacre. Click here and here for a list of easy actions you can take for seals today. And please encourage your friends, family, and everyone you see on the street to do the same.
Written by Alisa Mullins
As a woman and an as-proud-as-you-can-be resident of New Jersey, I have to say that this latest piece of news frightened me right down to my … toes. The New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling was seriously considering a ban on any and all waxing of our lady-parts—particularly "Brazilians"—after two women wound up hospitalized with infections they contracted following their, ahem, extreme waxes. The idea of a ban has been dropped but that’s not stopping us here at PETA. As you know, we are decidedly anti-fur—at least when it comes to fur that's been stolen from animals—and think women should have the right to shed as much fur as they want!
I mean, let's face it—if you're popping into the back room of your nail salon for a $15 Brazilian, you're probably going to get what you pay for, but that's no reason to consider a universal ban on waxing.
With that in mind, we're dispatching our lovely Leopard Ladies to the garden state to speak up for every woman's right to go as bare as she dares—and, more importantly, to call attention to a much grosser type of fur trim. You know, the stuff you see on the coats and jackets of people who don't know any better? And what better way to get tongues wagging about this very important issue than a billboard—specifically, this billboard:
Look out, Trenton! This will hopefully be coming soon to a billboard near you.
Written by Amanda Schinke
Just a stone's throw away from my favorite New York City restaurant is an Urban Outfitters store, whose aisles I've been known to peruse after a hearty meal of soul "chicken" and homemade "ice cream" (all vegan, of course!). Imagine my shock when, during a recent visit, I spotted fur in Urban Outfitters. Not acceptable. It's 2009, and with major retailers such as Calvin Klein, Liz Claiborne, Polo Ralph Lauren, Gap, Nike, JCPenney—and just about everyone else under the sun—going fur-free, Urban Outfitters should have known better. But we all make mistakes … unfortunately.
Well, after several personal e-mails to Urban Outfitters' CEO followed by a PETA action alert, I'm happy to report that just a few months—and a few thousand e-mails—later, Urban Outfitters has become fur-free! In an e-mail I received from the company late last week, a representative wrote, "[T]here is no fur in our stores, and this will continue to be the case."
Kudos to Urban Outfitters for making this compassionate decision, and kudos to all our great supporters who help us win victories for animals by participating in campaigns like this one.
Unfortunately, not all companies are as easily convinced. We sure could use your help persuading Macy's to go fur-free.
Written by Matt Prescott
After 30 years, Legends!—the infamous Broadway-play-that-wasn't—will finally be making its debut on the New York stage.
While the original, ill-fated touring productions featured such starlets as Carol Channing, Joan Collins, Linda Evans, and Mary Martin as aging rivals parading around in furs, the PETA-friendly revival will feature Whoopi Goldberg and drag legends Charles Busch and Lypsinka in some pretty spectacular faux furs. Hmm—the productions that used real fur never made it to New York, but the fur-free production has … weren't we just talking about curses?
How, you may ask, did this production get to be so animal-friendly? As PETA Senior Vice President Dan Mathews explains, "When Lypsinka heard about all the mink that was going to be used in the show, she asked PETA to help make sure that the fur was as fake as the leading ladies." Dan introduced the producers of Legends! to Donna Salyers' Fabulous-Furs, and the rest is fabulous costuming history.
This one-night-only revival of Legends! opens and closes tonight in New York's Town Hall, and the proceeds will benefit Friends in Deed, a crisis center for people with life-threatening illnesses. If you happen to be in the New York area and want to help out a good cause—and see some truly ravishing leading "ladies"—tickets may still be available through the organization's Web site.
Colonel Sanders got a taste of his own medicine when PETA marked the Association of Kentucky Fried Chicken Franchisees Convention in Maryland last month by "slaughtering" the Colonel outside a nearby KFC restaurant.
Luckily for the brave actor portraying Colonel Sanders, our slaughter methods are a bit more humane than those employed by KFC's suppliers. The Colonel was not slammed into shackles (which often breaks birds' legs), he wasn't jolted by an electrified "stun bath," and he wasn't dunked into a scalding-hot defeathering tank. Nope—we just strung him up, poked him with a plastic knife, and let the red paint fly. But it made a darned nice visual, didn't it?
After finding out that Renninger's Farmers and Flea Market in Mount Dora, Florida, was offering rides on a female African elephant named Nosey, we immediately contacted the manager and alerted him to the dangers that elephant rides pose to both elephants and the public. After listening to our concerns and hearing from local citizens, Renninger's canceled the rides. Yay!
Most people don't realize that captive elephants are beaten, chained, and denied almost everything that is natural and important to them. This understandably causes aggression and poses a risk to humans—since 1990, rampaging elephants have killed 13 people and injured 120. Just a couple weeks ago, 12 children were injured by an elephant at the Shrine Circus, and in 2004, Nosey herself hit a Liebel Family Circus employee on the back of the head with her trunk, sending him to the hospital. I'm guessing that the parents who let their children take a ride on Nosey had no knowledge of this attack.
To be fair to Nosey—and all captive elephants—it's pretty clear what they're so mad about. After Nosey's outburst in 2004, the injured man described an incident in which a trainer "used the bullhook handle, turned off the lights in the performance ring, and beat the elephant." The trainer also encouraged others to take part in the abuse by striking her with objects such as a sledgehammer and shovel handles. When the USDA investigated the facility, they found that the Liebel Family Circus was not providing the animals in its care with adequate food, shelter, or veterinary care.
Don't you agree that it's time to put a permanent end to the abuse of elephants in circuses?
Written by Liz Graffeo
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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