Written by Michelle Kretzer
It's a happy new year for ducks and geese after Great Britain's House of Lords pulled foie gras from its restaurant menus. PETA U.K. had appealed to the lords, pointing out that it was entirely inappropriate to be serving a dish that is so cruel that it is illegal to produce in the U.K. Baroness Young of Hornsey responded by saying, "Just as we do not tolerate cruelty to dogs or cats, so we should reject inflicting pain and suffering on birds."
In the foie gras farm exposé that he narrated for PETA, Sir Roger Moore explains that workers ram hard metal pipes down ducks' and geese's throats several times a day and force-feed them grain, causing their livers to swell to up to 10 times their normal size. The pipes sometimes puncture the birds' throats, and many animals suffer from ruptured internal organs, fungal and bacterial infections, and liver failure. Those who survive the traumatic force-feeding process are slaughtered, and their diseased livers are sold as a "delicacy." This is obviously a highly traumatic, recurring experience for the birds, who stop grooming and withdraw, shaking, into the far reaches of their pens if they can.
The House of Lords joins countless other high-profile British venues in banning foie gras from the menu, including the House of Commons, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Wimbledon, Lord's Cricket Ground, high-end retailer Harvey Nichols, and all the residences of His Royal Highness Prince Charles.
Written by Jeff Mackey
In an oddball attempt to break back into the Japanese fast-food market, Wendy's had introduced a burger that contained foie gras—you know, the smashed, bloated liver of a force-fed goose. But after a PETA campaign—including action alerts (hooray to everyone who chipped in) and an appeal to fellow Wendy's shareholders—the burger chain has dropped the foie gras.
California has banned the sale and production of foie gras, and its production has also been outlawed in more than a dozen countries, including Australia, Germany, Israel, and the U.K. Most airlines won't serve it, and the best of the big grocery stores won't stock it.
What You Can Do
If you learn that a restaurant you patronize serves foie gras, please tell the store's owners or managers where foie gras comes from: the utter misery of force-fed birds. Ask them to watch the shocking undercover video recently released by PETA U.K. and narrated by Sir Roger Moore, and let them know that you won't be dining there again until foie gras is taken off the menu.
Written by PETA
And, this week's 10% Wool "Tag and Release" winner is ... Beth Ann! Congratulations.
Don't forget to check out the archive of past 10% Wool comic strips here. Get more information on the series and the writer here, and learn how to get Jeff's other comic, DeFlocked, into your local paper here.
What was the grooviest thing about having hippie parents? Growing up listening to Donovan. Seriously, my mother almost named me "Jennifer Juniper." Instead she went for something more mainstream—Skylark.
And I'm sure he hears it all the time, but I'm not exaggerating when I say that I'm Donovan's biggest fan. Star-struck? Yes, consider me struck. What's even more striking is that this folk/pop legend lent his anti–seal slaughter anthem "Celia of the Seals" to this heart-wrenching new video:
Here's what the "Sunshine Superman" had to say about his song and putting an end to the war on baby seals:
"I wrote this song to show what's going on. And the song is influenced by Celia Hammond, the great 60s model who is such a Green Goddess for all the creatures of the Earth. Shortly after I released 'Celia of the Seals' back in the 70s, I was glad to see a reduced demand for seal products worldwide. It's now disappointing to see that the Canadian government is doing everything it can to prop up this dying, violent industry, including challenging the EU's recent compassionate decision to ban seal pelts. Instead of trying to salvage this cruel slaughter, the government should listen to the court of public opinion and ban the massacre on ice."
Celia of the Seals, we know just how you feel. So for the love of Donovan, help us get the word out by showing this video to everyone you know!
Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth
While we here in the States are focused on recently discovered godly gluten, the folks at PETA Germany have offered the Catholic Church the "Veggie-Shroud" to fill the void when the Shroud of Turin is retired on Sunday.
Debate abounds over the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, but there's no mystery surrounding the powerful message put forth by the clearly defined slaughtered pig depicted in the "Veggie-Shroud": Animals who end up on a dinner plate "died for the diet sins of mankind."
While we wait to find out whether the Catholic Church will agree to display the "Veggie Shroud," won't you urge everyone you know to find savory salvation from the universal cruelty and unholy unhealthiness of flesh-based diets? Catholics, atheists, Muslims, and people of all faiths and views are coming together to say, "Praise Seitan!"
Written by Karin Bennett
Victory Update: Following a year of vigorous campaigning, PETA has learned that government officials have grounded plans for a cruel and ineffective radiation experiment on monkeys. Learn more about this victory for monkeys.
Who wouldn't, right? Earlier this month, we asked our Twitter followers to let everyone know what they'd rather do than torment animals in NASA's cruel radiation experiments.
If you haven't heard, NASA plans to spend $1.75 million of our tax dollars to fund an experiment that entails irradiating squirrel monkeys, socially isolating them in barren cages, and then watching what happens to their minds and bodies. Effects of the radiation exposure may include blindness, brain tumors, and cancer. This is why we pay taxes?
Check out these creative Tweets from the tweeps who are exposing NASA's monkey-torment plan:
And if you haven't yet, let NASA know how you feel. It's not too late, tweeple!
Written by Paula Moore
This summer, I plan to exercise, read, and socialize, so I intend to focus my Web surfing and not get so lost in cyberspace. Enter PETA's new Internet Explorer add-ons.
By placing them in your Internet Explorer favorites bar, you can stay current on streaming PETA News and PETA Files updates—no Googling required. Instead, you'll go straight to the streaming source: The PETA News widget will keep you in the know on PETA's groundbreaking work for animals, and the PETA Files add-on can boost your chances of being the first person to "awww" us with your "Win It" Wednesday entries. The add-ons are free and easy to install, so what are you waiting for? Go get 'em.
A Sports Illustrated swimsuit model's image on a plane is OK, but an ad with metal undies is too much? Really, Southwest?
Recently, Southwest Airlines rejected this ad saying that it was "too provocative" for their in-flight magazine, "due to the lack of clothing the woman is wearing." Can I get a ticket to Prudes-ville via Hypocrite City, please? The only thing revealing about this ad is the fact that going vegan is the best thing that you can do for your health, the environment, and animals.
Personally, on my next flight I'd much rather see metal panties with a pertinent message than another passenger wearing sweatpants with the words "Bootylicious" or "Juicy" stamped across the butt.
Some people don't eat animals because they don't want to support factory farming. Others are worried about protecting their health or the environment. Nicolas Cage has a much more, shall we say, X-centric reason for why he leaves certain animals off his plate: They have undignified sex.
No, I am not making this up. Here's what Cage told the U.K. tabloid The Sun: "I actually choose the way I eat according to the way animals have sex. I think fish are very dignified with sex. So are birds. But pigs, not so much. So I don't eat pig meat or things like that. I eat fish and fowl."
While this is great news for pigs and cows, I have to wonder where Nick got the idea that there is anything dignified about the way birds live on factory farms. Turkeys are bred to grow so top-heavy that they can no longer reproduce naturally, so female turkeys are artificially inseminated. "Breeder broiler" chickens are kept alive longer than most chickens who are raised for their flesh (most of whom are killed when they are just a few weeks old), so the males are deprived of food to prevent their bodies from getting too large for their organs to support. How do farmers do this? By shoving plastic rods through their beaks to prevent them from gaining access to females' feed troughs. Yeah, real dignified.
As for me, I'm not particularly concerned about how birds, bees, or even educated fleas do it. I'm more worried about making sure that animals have a dignified life—and death.
Written by Alisa Mullins
As a seitan worshipper, I got a kick out of a recent letter that found its way to PETA's inbox: A PETA supporter (who wishes to remain anonymous) was preparing to barbeque some seitan—also known as "wheat meat"—when an image of Jesus Christ on the cross appeared in the godly gluten. Here's the photo he/she sent us:
It makes me wonder, WWJD if He knew that billions of animals live miserable lives and die violent, bloody deaths to sate our addiction to the taste of their flesh? Considering that His message is one of love, kindness, and mercy for all of God's creatures, I think that Jesus would say to hell with meat.
Right now, I'm going to practice the compassion that Jesus preached and grab some vegan eats …
OMG, there's an image of SpongeBob SquarePants in my block of tofu!
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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