Autoblog

ILVTOFU: Tennessee woman denied to display her love of tofu

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:31:00 EST

Tofu - some love it, some hate it. For those who don't know, tofu originated in China and is a staple in many Asian dishes. It's made by pressing coagulating soy milk into block-shaped forms, and it's high in protein and low in calories and fat. Hence, it's standard fare for many vegetarians.

Sounds pretty good, huh? A PETA employee named Whitney Calk from Tennessee is apparently a big fan of the bean curd, and she says she wanted to proclaim her love of tofu on her license plate. Unfortunately, the State of Tennessee decided that I-LV-TOFU looked eerily similar to I-LV-TO-FU...

Look closely at the two possible spellings and it's easy to see why the authorities decided to lay down the law. In fact, Tennessee points out that it's not the only state to ban that plate - it's also verboten in Colorado, Florida and Virginia.

For its part, PETA has issued a press release asking Tennessee to reconsider. Cynics might argue that the whole shebang was merely an attempt to generate press for the animal rights organization, which may certainly be the case. And if so, it seems to be working: you can check out PETA's press release after the break.

Continue reading ILVTOFU: Tennessee woman denied to display her love of tofu

ILVTOFU: Tennessee woman denied to display her love of tofu originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PETA recommends solving your Mazda's spider problems by... donating your car

Aaron Richardson — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:40:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Recalls, Mazda

2009 Mazda6 - Click above for high-res image gallery

People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is offering a unique - if unlikely - solution to 2009-2010 Mazda6 owners who have felt the bite of the company's recall to chase away gas-loving spiders. They want you to donate your ride to them. The animal-rights group is soliciting donations from any of the 52,000 affected Mazda customers who would rather see the spiders saved than murdered at the hands of mechanics.

Once they've chased the itsy-bitsy spiders from the car's evap pipe, PETA says they'll use the donated Mazda sedans to champion their cause. PETA says that this won't be the first time they've received cars from animal loving donors: a PETA member who was terrified of mice once donated a brand-new Jeep to the organization after she found a mouse living in it. The mouse was saved, just as the spiders will be.

Gallery: Review: 2009 Mazda6 s Grand Touring

Photos copyright (C)2009 John Neff / AOL

[Source: PETA]

Continue reading PETA recommends solving your Mazda's spider problems by... donating your car

PETA recommends solving your Mazda's spider problems by... donating your car originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vegan Juice: PETA to advertise on EV charging stations?

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Electric

It would seem that PETA expects electric car drivers to be those who'd rather go naked than wear fur... or something like that. In any case, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is urging the City of Boston to place ads with green ~~eggs and ham~~ chickens that tout a meat-free vegan lifestyle.

Why Boston? The East Coast city has announced plans to install three electric vehicle chargers in busy metropolitan areas in the first quarter of 2011, which is part of an overall goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2020.

PETA has confirmed that the capital of Massachusetts isn't the only city that will be contacted. As other large U.S. cities roll out their own EV charging plans, they can apparently count on receiving similar unsolicited overtures from the animal rights group. Somehow, we have a feeling few if any municipalities will actually take up PETA on its suggestion - unless they're paying for the ads, of course.

[Source: Boston.com | Image: PETA]

Vegan Juice: PETA to advertise on EV charging stations? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Taiwan animates Dodge's invisible monkey, we stand in awe

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:01:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Dodge, Humor

Animated Dodge vs. PETA commercial dispute - Click above to watch the video after the break

Animated news. It's just such a novel idea that we simply can't believe it has taken so long to become mainstream. Well, mainstream if you happen to live in Taiwan, that is. Here in the States, we're still dealing with old-school news anchors that actually read us the stories from pieces of - get this - paper. How quaint.

Fortunately, we're not quite so behind the times when it comes to the Internet, so it's none too difficult to find Taiwan's animated news gems to watch in awe till our hearts are content. This latest little animation from Next Media Animation covers the recent spat between Dodge and PETA. Surely you remember the invisible monkey commercial, right? If not, click here to refresh your memory.

Still with us? Good. Now click past the break to see it all play out in glorious Taiwanese animated goodness. Pay special attention to the facial expressions of the fictitious PETA folk. Pure brilliance.

[Source: Next Media Animation via YouTube via Jalopnik]

Continue reading Video: Taiwan animates Dodge's invisible monkey, we stand in awe

Video: Taiwan animates Dodge's invisible monkey, we stand in awe originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: No (invisible) monkeys were harmed in the making of this Dodge commercial

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:24:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Dodge, Humor

Dodge's monkey... now you see it, now you don't - Click above to watch the video after the break

Ah yes. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. We here at Autoblog happen to be all for the ethical treatment of animals. And we're people... allegedly. But we're certainly not all fully in tune with the fine men and women that make up PETA. And we also happen to think that PETA sometimes goes a wee bit too far in their efforts to make man equal to beast... or is that the other way around?

In any case, PETA was apparently none too pleased by a recent commercial from Dodge touting a new promotion that included a chimpanzee named Suzie and a purposefully deadpan narrative from Michael C. Hall. In response to pressure from PETA, Dodge digitally altered its advertisement. Interestingly enough, it got way funnier in the process. Kudos, Dodge.

You're going to want to click on past the break to see the before and after videos... trust us. You'll also find the official letter from PETA asking Dodge to discontinue all the *ahem* monkey business. Sorry, couldn't help ourselves.

[Source: LA Times via Jalopnik]

Continue reading Video: No (invisible) monkeys were harmed in the making of this Dodge commercial

Video: No (invisible) monkeys were harmed in the making of this Dodge commercial originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Woman's love of tofu too obscene for vanity plate

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:32:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Humor

ILVTOFU. Does that seem obscene to you? If it does, you might want to apply for a job at the Colorado Department of Revenue (DOR). When mother-of-three Kelley Coffman-Lee requested this combination of letters for a vanity license plate, she was turned down.

While Kelley wanted the world to know just how much she loves tofu, the DOR saw it as a profession of love for something else entirely. "I-LV-TOFU" was deemed too risque, the DOR thinking it could be misinterpreted as "I-LV-TO-F-U."

Coffman-Lee is a vegan, and as she puts it, "I'm very expressive. I'm anti-fur, anti-rodeo, anti-circus when they come to Denver, and I thought, 'Here's a chance to be positive and say I love something.'" She even says that a friend at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal (PETA) liked the idea so much they were willing to pay the $60 plate fee.

Alas, the Colorado Department of Revenue turned her down. While she doesn't plan to take the matter to court, she does say she'll continue to speak out about mistreating animals. Thanks for the tip, Matt!

[Source: KMGH Denver]

Woman's love of tofu too obscene for vanity plate originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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F1 head's daughter gets racy in new ad

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:32:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Marketing/Advertising, Lifestyle

Bernie Ecclestone has three daughters -- four if you count Formula 1 -- and the one you see above is Tamara, posing with a checkered flag. Why? To help PETA fight the fur trade, of course. Under the slogan "Going fur-free is the winning formula," Tamara has done a series of print ads in Europe that appear to say "If you really care about animals, not only will you not wear fur, you won't wear any clothes at all. And you'll be hot. Like Natasja Vermeer and Eva Mendes hot. Or Steve-O." Vive l'Europe.

[Source: AutoWeek]

F1 head's daughter gets racy in new ad originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pamela pawns her Dodge Viper for PETA

Frank Filipponio — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:59:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Auctions, Supercars, Dodge, Celebrities

Click above for high-res gallery of Pam Anderson's Viper

If you consider yourself the kind of person who loves animals, perhaps you are a member of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Maybe that love of animals even extends to snakes, but how about Vipers? Well, if you like PETA and love Dodge supercars, this upcoming auction might be up your alley. Scheduled to go across the block at Julien's Auctions' Summer Entertainment Sale of Hollywood memorabilia, this 2000 Viper RT/10 still sports its original unmolested 8.0L V-10 and only 14,000 miles on the clock. It also happens to be owned by a prominent celebrity who is also a member of PETA. That celebrity would be Pamela Anderson. Wowaweehwah.

Besides belonging to the Baywatch beauty, this Viper is said to get some of its own screen time in Anderson's upcoming E! series, "Pam: Girl on the Loose." The sale will take place June 21 and 22 at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas and will be broadcast on Auction Network. Apparently Pam is such a fan of PETA that she is donating a good portion of the proceeds from the sale to the cause. Expected gavel price is in the range of $30,000 to $50,000. If for some reason you aren't interested in the car, according to this item at Ace Showbiz, other auction items include Alfred Hitchcock's driver's license, candid photos of Marilyn Monroe and Sammy Davis, Jr., and an original "Ben Hur" script signed by Charlton Heston. Looks like something for everyone, but we'll stick with the car. Thanks for the tip, Nate!

Gallery: Pam Anderson Viper

[Source: Ace Showbiz]

Pamela pawns her Dodge Viper for PETA originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PeTA responds to criticism on Chrysler Group call out

John Neff — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 14:05:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Chrysler, Daimler

Of course we knew what we were asking for when we posted on PeTA's decision to incorrectly call out the Chrysler Group as a primary sponsor of the Iditarod. We tried to keep the dicussion on the merits of PeTA erroneously referring to DaimlerChrysler as a sponsor of the Alaskan sled dog race, considering that the automaker's only remaining connection to the Iditarod is a single Alaskan car dealer that continues to sponsor the event. We still take issue with the animal rights organization for failing to clearly present the facts to the public in this manner, and for not bothering to get Chrysler Group CEO Tom LaSorda's title right.

Nevertheless, the comments on this post erupted with activity, some of it intelligent discussion on all matters having to do with PeTA and some of it material that led to many members of our community being banned from further commenting for posting offensive material.

While we still take issue with PeTA on the matters mentioned above, we have to give the organization credit for seeking out our original post and submitting a comment in their defense. PeTA member Jennifer O'Connor has posted this comment on the orignal post that attempts to address many of the points made by members of the Autoblog community, and we'll leave it up to you whether or not she's successful.

We were interested to learn that PeTA's president, Ingrid Newkirk, is actually a big car nut. She even helps run a website called NameThatDriver.com, a curious page with a narrow focus that helps journalists learn how to correctly pronounce the many tongue-tying names in the world of professional motorsports.

Again, please keep your comments respectful and on topic.

PeTA responds to criticism on Chrysler Group call out originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Mar 2007 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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