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Remember, the Fourth of July comes only once a year, but you can make your own fireworks every day with veggie Viagra! Enjoy your holiday!

Posted by Karin Bennett

We're asking Louisville's Department of Public Works to allow us to install the statue in downtown Louisville for three months, starting July 15. We hope that it will draw attention to the millions of chickens who are killed each year for KFC—chickens who live out their short lives in ammonia-ridden sheds locked in cages in which there's not even room to take a single step in any direction. At the slaughterhouse, their throats are cut while they are still conscious, and they are often scalded alive.

We submitted our permit request this morning—hopefully Louisville's downtown area will have an artsy new addition in just a couple of weeks!

Posted by Amanda Schinke

• I feel guilty for laughing so hard at this.
• Not even kidding, it's a boxing feline!
• Vegan food delivered to my doorstep? Yes, please!
• Where'd the kitty go? Too cute!
• "Check returned due to insufficient ethics." Go NARN!
• Vegan cage fighter Mac Danzig will now kick ass in your living room!
• Check out momma bird's ingenuity.
• Who doesn't love a good chimp chuckle?

All fun and happy stuff for this edition. See you next time.

Posted by Missy Lane

While the sculpture is pretty groovy as it is, we think that adding the word "VEGETARIAN" to it would make it full-on far out. That's why we wrote to Mr. Indiana and asked him to add our favorite "V" word to the piece for just one day. Imagine, if you will:

Andy Warhol's portrait of a can of Campbell's Tomato Soup (which is vegan, by the way), might be "mmm, mmm, good," but this PETA-ized pop art is a mmm, mmm, masterpiece! What could be a better way to shine the light on a diet that's better for the Earth and all its inhabitants?

After all, it's time for the dawning of the age of asparagus.

Posted by Amy Elizabeth

To check out the archives of past strips, click here.

Check out all the other great things that she had to say:

Posted by Shawna Flavell

To let Canada know that the rest of the world will not be celebrating in honor of anything Canadian until the seal slaughter ends, people gathered today at Canadian consulates and embassies for demonstrations. They even protested at parades. Check it out:

If Canada is your "home and native land," take a minute and sign our Facebook petition, tweet at Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and send an e-mail to the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee. Let your fellow Canadians know that the seal slaughter must end.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

These two shorthaired dogs' only shelter? The barrels they were tied to.

The woman who owned the dogs would leave them for weeks at a time, not only deprived of a loving touch but also without food or water. Yet when complaints were filed with local authorities, the calls were ignored. Nearby residents tried to make sure that the dogs had food and water, but with winter in full force, the water would freeze and—because the dogs were desperate to maintain as much weight as they could to combat the cold—the food would disappear more quickly than the neighbors could supply it.

The starving dogs were climbing over debris (and each other) to eat food left by caring neighbors.

By the time we were notified, one of the females in this miserable situation had just given birth to a litter of puppies. She was so emaciated that nursing the newborns could have been fatal for her. Because the season's first snow had already fallen, the puppies had little chance of surviving.

We worked quickly to get the sheriff's department to investigate, but in the short time it took them to take action, two of the puppies had already frozen to death under the porch. The surviving animals were immediately seized and taken to the local animal shelter. The owner was arrested and charged with animal cruelty.

You might be wondering why we're talking about this heartbreaking case at the beginning of summer. That's because we're entering another deadly season for neglected backyard dogs. Those who somehow survive winter's ice and freezing temperatures will soon face blazing heat and sweltering humidity—if they don't already. Instead of hypothermia, many will suffer heatstroke, flea and tick infestations, and heartworms. Their need for the basics—protection from the elements, food, fresh water, and attention—is year-round.

Chained dogs depend on us to look behind privacy fences and glance under abandoned cars in the junkyard. And please don't tune out their barking. It's their way of crying for help.

Never assume that someone else is already on the case. I can let you know from firsthand experience that not everyone is willing to take action. Several years ago, while living in Chicago, I discovered two dogs who were locked in an abandoned building. Longtime residents quickly gathered around me, voicing their pity for the dogs. Yet when I asked if any of them had called authorities about the dogs, they shrugged and turned away. If I hadn't called to report the case, the dogs may not have been rescued and would likely have starved to death.

All of this is meant as a reminder: Please do more than feel sad or sorry about neglected animals. Take action—you could very well be their only hope.

Posted by Karin Bennett

benedictionblogson / CC

Our "Post-Party Pack" is the remedy for the frazzled nerves that can result from over-indulging. Filled with PETA's organic, shade-grown coffee, Tings from Robert's American Gourmet, coupons for Amy's Kitchen Roasted Vegetable Pizza, and other dee-lish vegan snacks, it's sure to help clear a foggy head and quiet a grumbling belly.

How do you win? To score one, simply share your favorite vegan barbecue–friendly food or drink concoction in the comments section below. The three most tantalizing comments will take home the prize.

The contest ends on July 15, 2009, and we'll choose three comments as the winners on July 17, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Check back every Wednesday for new prizes. Good luck!

Posted by Karin Bennett

Here are some Jacko facts that fans may not know:

• The number-one song "Ben," about a rat friend, was originally meant to be sung by Donny Osmond. (Thanks to The Michael Jackson Fan Club for that.)
• My personal fave bit about the gloved one is that his "Earth Song" includes an obvious bash against the bloody seal slaughter at minute 3:27.

In Michael's honor, take a minute to speak out against the seal slaughter.

Posted by Karin Bennett

© Steve Sprang
Our float's Lettuce Ladies, Broccoli Boys, costumed animals, and sexy "strippers" caught everyone's eye.

© Steve Sprang
Chris P. Carrot made a star appearance and rallied San Franciscans to ditch meat.

© Steve Sprang
We can't argue with that.

© Steve Sprang
What's sexier than one vegetarian girl? Two!

Obviously, everyone who participated in the parade had tons of fun—but the icing on the (vegan) cake is that more than 500,000 people attended the event and learned that by cutting meat out of their diets, they could be healthier, reduce their carbon footprint, and save over 100 animals' lives per year.

Check out even more pictures of the parade here.

Posted by Liz Graffeo

pettalk / CC

Greyhounds in the Granite State will now be spared routine racetrack horrors, which include long hours in cramped kennels, broken legs, heatstroke, and heart attacks, and being abandoned, starved, shot, or sold to laboratories when their racing days are through. Break out the bubbly and join us as we toast this victory.

One state down, nine to go …

Posted by Karin Bennett

Jerri Gray of Travelers Rest, South Carolina (near Greenville), says that juggling jobs meant she often relied on fast food to feed her tubby teen. She learned the hard way that a diet of bacon cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets is a recipe for a health disaster—one that has put her son's health in serious danger.

To ensure that Greenville residents get that message loud and clear, we plan to erect our billboard reading, "Feeding Kids Meat Is Child Abuse." Also, Ms. Gray will be receiving a copy of Meatless Meals for Working People, a cookbook of quick and simple vegan fare, courtesy of PETA.

Posted by Karin Bennett

I have a friend who owns a house at the popular getaway, and as we set up chairs on Lucy Vincent beach in Chilmark, I didn't think that my vacation could get any better. The sand was cool beneath my feet and the ocean waves were filling the air with a salty mist. Then, out in the distance, we saw her. A seal!

At first, we could just see her head as she swam in the waves, but then she headed toward shore and pulled herself up onto the beach for a nice rest. I sat and observed her from a distance—her eyes were so big and luminous. I thought about how lucky she was not to live in Canada where thousands of seals like her have been bludgeoned to death over the past several months. Here in Martha's Vineyard, she could enjoy her time on the beach just as my friends and I were, without having to fear for her life.

So many seals are not as fortunate as this one. Please take action now and voice your outrage at Canada's continued support of the clubbing of seals just like her.

Posted by Tracy Reiman

gossipcheck / CC

We've written to Michael Jackson's estate asking for the rights to the singer's first solo hit, "Ben," which was written for the 1972 film of the same name. This beautiful song is about the friendship between a lonely boy and a rat named Ben, and we're hoping to use it to raise awareness about the plight of rats and other animals tormented in laboratory experiments.

Mice and rats make up the vast majority of animals used in experiments, but because they are excluded from the federal Animal Welfare Act, they are denied even minimal legal protection. Part of the message of "Ben" is that rats are frequently misunderstood. (For example—did you know that rats and mice are fastidiously clean, intelligent, and highly sociable animals—they even giggle!) In the song, Jackson sings:

Ben, most people would turn you away
I don't listen to a word they say
They don't see you as I do
I wish they would try to.

We hope we'll be able to use this song to inspire people to understand rats a little better and to join our campaign to stop cruel and archaic animal experiments on them.

Posted by Amanda Schinke