Despite complaints from thousands of concerned consumers, undercover photos of frogs living in decrepit conditions, reports of dying frogs, and a run-in with the law in New Jersey—Brookstone still refuses to stop selling its cruel Frog-O-Spheres.

As the death toll mounts, we're turning up the pressure:

PETA's giant frog showed up at a Boston Brookstone to let the company—and potential customers—know that he's hopping mad.

These Boston College students won't be shopping at Brookstone anytime soon.

Kids, Just Say "No" to Brookstone.

Please urge Brookstone to immediately stop selling Frog-O-Spheres and implement a policy against the sale of any live animals at Brookstone stores.

Posted by Liz Graffeo

shazgood.wordpress.com / CC

The Zookeeper has recently begun filming at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston. It's a movie about, well, a zookeeper, played by Kevin James, who wins Rosario Dawson's heart with the help of his animal charges. Well, presumably he wins her heart—what a bummer of a movie if not!

Something else that would make the The Zookeeper a bummer? If it used exotic animal "actors" to portray its animal characters, who are voiced by stars such as Cher, Adam Sandler, and Sylvester Stallone.

PETA has written letters to the film's stars asking them not to work with animal "actors" and pointing out that Birds & Animals Unlimited, the company that has been contracted to supply animals for the film, has a long list of USDA violations. Not only that, but exotic animals who are used as involuntary "actors" are routinely subjected to cruel training methods that can include being beaten, shocked with electric prods, drugged, and deprived of food in order to coerce them into performing acts that are stressful, confusing, and even painful to them.

Movies like The Chronicles of Narnia and King Kong have exclusively used computer-generated imagery, animatronics, and other technology instead of trained animals—and they ended up being blockbusters. We are suggesting that The Zookeeper use these modern techniques as well—or simply use footage of animals who already live at the Franklin Park Zoo.

As PETA's own Debbie Leahy said, "When it comes to exotic animal characters, the best casting choice is to 'fake it.' Even under the best of circumstances, captivity can be hell for exotic animals."

Posted by Amanda Schinke

zimbio / CC

When my beloved Boston Red Sox famously traded Nomar Garciaparra to the Chicago Cubs back in '04, I knew that it was for the best. But when Manny Ramirez was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers just one short year ago, I had the opposite reaction. I knew Manny was trouble. I knew he was dragging the team down. But deep down, I was sorry to see him go.

Now that Manny has been hit with a 50-game suspension for failing a drug test—allegedly because of an impotence treatment to counteract the, um, negative side effects of steroid use—Boston fans can rest a bit more easily knowing that the Red Sox made the right move shipping him off to L.A. last summer (Jason Bay slugging .667 through 32 games doesn't hurt, either). But we here at PETA are left wondering: Why would Manny turn to pharmaceutical "performance enhancers" when the best way to combat impotence is a healthy vegetarian diet?

Most people these days understand that the saturated fat and cholesterol in meat, dairy, and eggs clogs the arteries to your heart, leading to an increased risk of heart disease. But eating meat actually impedes the blood flow to all your organs—including the one that comes with a Y chromosome. And the best way to be sure that organ will continue to come through for you is to go vegetarian.

With that in mind, PETA is urging Manny to consider switching to a vegetarian diet so that he can continue to come through in the clutch without failing any more drug tests. You can read our letter here, and you can learn more about the performance-enhancing benefits of a vegetarian diet here.

Posted by Dan Shannon

citizenarcane / CC

Someone needs to cut Boston's bookworms a break. First, one of the ducklings from the Make Way for Ducklings tribute statue in Boston's Public Garden was stolen. Then, the city announced budget cuts that will result in layoffs for 26 library employees.

Since lots of Boston's book lovers must be duck lovers too, we just might have the solution to save the city's Mallard brood and the librarians' jobs. We are offering to pay the Boston Parks & Recreation Department to erect a permanent sign behind the Make Way for Ducklings tribute statue that reads, "Say 'No' to Foie Gras!"

No one who's read Make Way for Ducklings would support the sale of foie gras, especially once they learn that Mrs. Mallard's close relatives are force-fed by having pipes shoved down their throats until their livers become painfully engorged and their internal organs sometimes rupture. The ducks and geese used for foie gras shiver with fear and pain between feedings and become so ill that they stop preening and have difficulty walking. That several restaurants in Boston still sell this ugly, cruel "delicacy" means that some people apparently didn't read the book—or are just "ducking" the issue. That sign would be a hard-to-miss reminder of how Mrs. Mallard and her brood shouldn't suffer for someone's gluttonous, fatty meal.

Posted by Shawna Flavell