For this year's Worst-Dressed competition (in which PETA calls out the very worst offenders among fur-wearing celebrities) we're doing things a little bit differently, and allowing the world to vote on who they think should make the list. Polls opened today, and Kate Moss and Britney Spears have jumped into an early lead—but in the fast-paced world of celeb gossip, all it takes is Cindy Crawford crawling out of her cave in a family of raccoons, or Sharon Stone flaunting her beaver in public again, and the whole face of the competition could change.

Remember, this isn't just about who's the ugliest (otherwise we'd just hand the prize to Kid Rock and move on) or the most brainless—this one's about which celebrity has been the most callous, heartless, unapologetic proponent of the horrific fur industry this year. So cast your vote now, and help us decide which cruel celebs have the most need of being publicly singled out and embarrassed in early February.

I should point out here that while I don't personally have any qualms about calling people out for promoting an industry that skins animals alive, there's a lot more to this list than that: You may remember that after last year's list was released, Christina Ricci publicly renounced fur and promised never to wear it again. And one previous winner, Martha Stewart, later went on to narrate an anti-fur video for us. We're extremely grateful to both of them, and hopefully this year's winners will be similarly inspired to change their minds.

So join the fun and cast your vote here. Not to unduly influence the competition or anything, but my own vote will be going to Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Takeo Spikes. Anyone who has the poor taste to play for a hated Washington Redskins rival and wear fur in his spare time deserves whatever's coming to him.

I’m not even kidding.

As regular commenters on this blog will know, I try not to meddle too much when approving comments. My thought is that people who may be new to PETA or to animal rights issues and who come across the blog for the first time may feel the need to vent a bit, and (as long as they’re not abusive or obviously recycling propaganda from certain anti-PETA organizations who are in the pocket of the meat industry), I’d prefer to allow them to do so in the hopes that they’ll stick around and maybe see animal rights in a different light. After all, that’s kind of what PETA’s here for.

Of course, I also want the blog to be a place where people who are genuinely interested in helping animals can discuss the issues that are important to them, and weigh in with their opinions on PETA’s campaigns. And I’m really excited about the potential for these new forums as an extension of that community. Whether you’re a seasoned activist or someone who’s new to animal rights and wants to learn more, you should definitely check out the forums, introduce yourself, and show yourself around. Have fun!

You know you’re sexy, but does the rest of the world? We’re still accepting nominations for this year’s Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door contest until January 15, when a team of hotness consultants led by PETA’s International Sexiness Coordinator Chris Holbein will be picking the 10 male and 10 female finalists to feature on our website. The two winners of the overall contest will be getting a free trip to Hawaii, so there’s more at stake here than just bragging rights. Click the image of Chris below (a sexy vegetarian himself, on occasion) for more info and to enter the contest.

This is pretty much apropos of nothing, but I loved this so much that I had to post it. You may remember an entry from a couple of weeks ago about an anti-leather demonstration held by PETA India members in Bangalore. Well, here's the picture of the demo again, and below it is a photo from a slightly wider angle that kinda puts the whole thing in a different light. The point is still the same, of course — the leather industry is hideously cruel, and there are plenty of humane non-animal alternatives to leather — but in this particular case, taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture is more amusing than you might think.

Indian protesters staged a colorful demonstration against the leather industry last month ...

... After a thorough investigation, officials are reportedly still completely confused

Because it's cold. And the situation for dogs who are kept chained outside as if they were some kind of furry lawn ornament is drastic. If you want to do something to help so-called "back yard" dogs in your area, we've got some great resources here. And we also have a nice little "unchain a dog" pack so you can remind people that if they're unable to take a dog into their home, they shouldn't be getting a dog in the first place.

And now, Loretta Lynn:

Or maybe it’s fox. Either way, a whole lot of them had to die so that the aging Stone could wear her desperation on her sleeve on the red carpet yesterday. I hate to give this photo any ink at all, as I’m sure the only reason Stone wore the hideous wrap was because she’s having trouble getting any meaningful attention these days. And because she’s total trash.

And fyi, it’s not just that Stone is uneducated on this issue. She knows that animals suffer horribly when they are killed for their fur. We’ve written, called, sent videos, you name it. She just doesn’t care. She is, as my friend Joel puts it, just a horrible human being.