This whale of a tale is true: Dolphin activist Hayden Panettiere traveled to the White House to thank President Obama for asking Iceland to ban hunting whales and exporting their meat. Fellow ocean-animal advocates Richard Branson and basketball legend Yao Ming are calling for a ban on shark-fin soup in China, where 95 percent of the cruel fare is served.

Yao Ming isn't the only athlete taking action for animals. After being vegetarian for four years, Toronto Maple Leaf Mike Zigomanis has gone vegan as part of his effort to become healthier, stronger, and a better player.

Congratulations to glowing vegan mom Emily Deschanel, who gave birth last week to her first child, son Henry Hornsby. A rockin' congrats also goes out to the inimitable Joan Jett for her well-deserved Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination. She loves rock and roll … as well as chickens, cows, seals, pigs, elephants, and rabbits.

Another award we couldn't help but crack a smile about—furry Kim Kardashian was voted the most annoying celebrity. Maybe kind sis Khloe can teach her how to be more popular.

Speaking of popular­­—Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Maher, and other celebs helped make PETA's White House spay-and-neuter petition one of the first to reach 5,000 signatures and go to the president for review by tweeting about the dog and cat homelessness crisis. You can join Ellen, Bill, and many others in sending a strong message about the importance of spaying and neutering by signing the petition too.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

© Michael Pettigrew | Dreamstime.com

The White House is launching a new site where citizens can post petitions, and if a petition gets 5,000 signatures in 30 days, it will be reviewed by Administration officials and receive a response. This is a great opportunity to help animals, so PETA will be posting a petition asking for mandatory nationwide spay/neuter regulations in order to put a stop to the tragedy of animal homelessness, and we need your help!

Please go to the site right now and sign up to be alerted when it goes live. When that happens, find our petition, called "Stop Animal Homelessness at Its Roots," and sign it. Then get everyone you know to sign it too.

The media has already shown interest in this, so if we can grab the lead, not only can we put this life-or-death issue on the national agenda, we'll also get it in front of the American people—and America's animals will be the winners!

 

Written by Jeff Mackey

shorts and longs/CC by 2.0

Not to brag or anything, but guess which organization near and dear to your hearts is a "Genius"? If you said PETA, you're right—at least according to L2, a think tank for digital innovation, which ranked PETA number one among advocacy groups and number three overall in their first annual Digital IQ Index® for the Public Sector. In fact, PETA was the only advocacy group to earn the "Genius" designation for digital competence (i.e., inspiring action via Facebook, YouTube, unique Web features such as peta2's Trollsen Twins site, etc.), earning a slot above the U.S. Army, and just below NASA and the White House!

Of course, these digital innovations are thanks to the wonderful members who make all of PETA's work possible. To become a PETA member, click here.

Written by Jeff Mackey

First, can we just address the fact that the yearly presidential pardon of two turkeys for Thanksgiving makes no sense? Presidential pardons are meant to forgive the questionable—or criminal—activities of people. Turkeys don't cheat, lie, or kill (OK, sure—their flesh can kill, but that's not the birds' fault). Every turkey is innocent—and inquisitive and smart. And they all suffer immensely on factory farms, on crowded trucks, and in slaughterhouses.

That having been said, in advance of this year's presidential pardon of two turkeys, PETA's ally and true-blue friend to animals Bill Maher has used his razor-sharp wit to pen a letter to President Obama on our behalf, urging the commander in chief to send the birds to a reputable animal sanctuary. For the past several years, pardoned turkeys have been shipped off to Disneyland and various tourist attractions—hardly a peaceful "retirement" for crippled birds, many of whom die before the next year's turkeys make it to the Rose Garden. Bill wrote, "I realize that in this election year it hasn't been easy for a Democrat to stand up for freedom, but it can be easy for everyone—including Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and yes, even Tea Baggers—to stand up for compassion."

While we wait for President Obama's response to Bill Maher's letter, please encourage everyone you know to stand up for compassion—and turkeys—by celebrating with PETA's vegan holiday recipes. They're sure to satisfy every craving, from a savory start to a sweet finish—and all delicious bites in-between.

Written by Karin Bennett

Last night, longtime PETA booster Sir Paul McCartney rocked the White House. He sang "Michelle" to the first lady, and played to a packed crowd of celebs (including fellow PETA pal Emmylou Harris). To cap it all off, President Obama presented him with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

Of course, Sir Paul rocks on and off the stage. All about living la vida vegetarían, he's been a driving force behind the international "Meat-Free Monday" campaign. He's also urged Giorgio Armani to go fur-free, gone after KFC, and drummed up support for a worldwide boycott of McDonald's.

So congratulations, Sir Paul, and thanks for everything that you do for animals!

Via Vegetarian Star

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

 

This just in: First daughter Malia Obama regularly reminds her dad about the plight of tigers, a species on the verge of extinction yet still exploited for human entertainment. It happens so frequently that first lady Michelle Obama told a group of kids visiting the White House that the family talks about tigers at least once a week and said, "I think, the Obama household, we're trying to save the tigers."

Let's hope that the Obamas make a stand for tigers right here at home by speaking out against the use of these magnificent animals in circuses. The first family would be appalled to know that their favorite animal is being whipped, crammed into cages in which they can barely move, and forced to jump through hoops and hop on their hind legs under the constant threat of punishment. Word to Malia: "Ringling hurts tigers!"

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

Whoever said you can't wear white after Labor Day apparently never saw this army of vogue volunteers:

 

 

These snowmen and -women put the "white" into "White House" yesterday, telling dozens of blizzard-braving, picture-taking passersby that the only thing colder than snow is fur. And what's cooler than these Jack and Jane Frosts? We've yet to come up with an answer to that one.

 

 

Written by Logan Scherer

               Pink © FilmMagic                                           Michelle Obama © womenshistory / CC

 

I really hope that Michelle Obama was able to take in Pink's sold-out show at the D.C.-area Patriot Center last night.

Before launching into "Dear Mr. President," Pink showed some love for the current missus: "Let's get political for a second. Since we're near D.C., I have to give a shout-out to Michelle Obama, who has announced that she is officially fur-free. I love an animal-lovin' first lady!"

Even when she's on the road, hard at work, our pal Pink is never too busy to give props to people who are doing their part to protect animals.

Written by Shawna Flavell

Citypages/Creative Commons

On Wednesday of this week, President Bush will be performing one of the more morbid rituals this country celebrates—the annual “Turkey Pardon” ceremony in the Rose Garden, in which he will be magnanimously sparing the lives of two turkeys (out of a field of 12 animals whose lives were put up for a vote this month) and then sending the birds to Disneyland, where they will probably die within a year due to inadequate care. I suppose the turkeys in question will be more enthused about this turn of events than they would be about the alternative, but I have to say I can think of a number of ways that I’d rather spend my Thanksgiving than being manhandled by politicians and then sent to Disneyland to die...

As we normally do at this time of year, we sent a letter to the President this morning asking him to take steps to ensure that the "pardoned" birds receive the care they will need to live out the year. You can read that letter here, and for more information about the conditions endured by the 50 million other turkeys who will be killed this Thanksgiving season, click here.